Known for Directing
Tokuzō Tanaka (田中徳三, Tanaka Tokuzō, September 15, 1920 – December 20, 2007) was a Japanese film director. He is well known for directing Zatoichi series and Nemuri Kyōshirō series films.
Born
September 15, 1925
Died
December 20, 2007 (age 82)
Birthplace
Osaka, Japan
Filmography
69 films, 8 shows
Kumokiri Nizaemon: The Great Bandit
Kumokiri Nizaemon: The Great Bandit
1991 · 1h 35m
country: Japan
When Nizaemon Kumogiri, a major thief quits his job as a thief, he has two more big jobs planned in order to obtain a huge sum of money to enable his many subordinates scattered all over the country to live out the rest of their lives. First, he targets Matsuya, a medicine wholesaler in Nagoya and seduces the master of the shop by using his female subordinate, Nanakake. He then calls upon Sanji, a skilled locksmith to Nagoya, but the bandit Yagura no Fukuemon who is plotting to intercept the thief plots to extract Sanji for a large sum of money. Furthermore, Abe Shikibu, the chief of the firebrand bandit reformatory who is obsessed with Nizaemon's arrest, sends his men to Nagoya.


Nemuri Kyōshirō
1989 · 1h 55m
country: Japan
Kyoshiro rescues Shizu who was being abused by her husband, even since she had been violated by the man posing as Ieyoshi. He then learned that Ieyoshi had been acting oddly ever since returning from Kyoto six months ago. Sir Fumiya's investigation of the O'oku (Shogun's harem in Edo Castle) uncovered the plot and reported that Sir Higo-no-Kami had been controlling the fraud. That's when Kyoshiro heads to Kyoto to find clues...


Lone Wolf & Child: Assassin on the Road to Hell
1989 · 2h 20m
country: Japan
The tale of Ogami Itto and his son Daigoro has come full circle with the greatest sword actor of all time, Wakayama Tomisaburo now playing Lone Wolf's mortal enemy, the evil Lord Yagyu Retsudo, who masterminded Ogami's fall from grace. Brilliant sword actor Takahashi Hideki takes over as the former shogunate decapitator, and his stunning swordsmanship is second to none! The story of Lone Wolf and Child has been told many times, but never before like this. With the magnificent sword skills of Takahashi Hideki as Ogami Itto, the Shogun's Decapitator and Wakayama Tomisaburo as the power hungry Lord Yagyu Retsudo the story has come full circle.


Ronin on a Mission
1987 · 54m
country: Japan
Mori Kojiro, a member of the Akō Ronin, fails to identify Kira Kozukenosuke before their attack and is publicly banished by Ōishi Kuranosuke. Ōishi later apologizes privately, revealing that Kira has a decoy and assigning Mori a secret mission to kill the real Kira if necessary. Devastated, Mori finds solace with Okame, a local bar owner. After the ronin avenge their master, Mori, believing their mission complete, plans to leave his samurai life for Okame. However, Terazaka Kichiemon reveals that Kira was not killed but fled, and the decapitated man was a decoy. Mori decides to complete his mission and hunt down the real Kira.


Kaibyō Koi-ga-fuchi
1987 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
The sisters lived near a pond called Koigafuchi, near Edo, and kept a father-and-son cat named Tama and Kaze. The elder sister, Oichi, was discovered by a samurai named Kazuma who rescued her when she had fallen ill, and she was sent to serve him at his mansion in Edo, but this was the beginning of her misfortune.


Kyoto Yokai Map 4: The 400-Year-Old Adulterous Female doctor Living in Kawaramachi
1986 · 1h 49m
country: Japan
Ryoko, a beautiful and renowned chief surgeon at a medical university, begins to groan and claw at her throat after rejecting an advance from Tamura, who is infatuated with her. This is a sign that unless she replenishes her supply of hormones from young men, she will revert to her true form as a 400-year-old woman. The next day, Tamura's body is found...


Kyoto Yokai Map 3: The 800-Year-Old Female College Student Who Lives in Toribenyama
1985 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
Matsuko, an assistant professor of history, discovers ancient human bones at Toribeyama, and her student, Suzuko, starts to approach her. As Suzuko shows an unusual fascination with the bones, the two eventually become romantically involved. However, Naomi, a fellow assistant professor who harbors a rivalry with Matsuko, hires a journalist to secretly photograph Matsuko’s bedroom…
Samon’s Hell Revenge: Unauthorised Jutte Records 2 - The Assassination of the Shogun
Samon’s Hell Revenge: Unauthorised Jutte Records 2 - The Assassination of the Shogun
1983 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Samon Kamiyama, a yoriki of the Minami-machi magistrate infiltrates the Denzū-machi prison disguised as Mushuku Sahēji. Samon is mistaken for a snitch and about to be beaten up when he was saved by the quick thinking of a ferryman Sanji. The infiltration is the plan of Samon and chief elder Abe Isenokami, who has asked Samon to obtain smuggling evidence against shipping whole retailers Kawachiya Senemon and his son Sennosuke.
Samon’s Hell Revenge: Unauthorised Jutte Records
Samon’s Hell Revenge: Unauthorised Jutte Records
1982 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Samon Kamiyama, a skilled yoriki under Toyama Saemon-no-jō Kagemoto is feared and known to the villains as “Samon from the Hell.” Samon suspects that the drowning incident at the raw silk wholesaler Shinano-ya was the work of Maruya Rihei, a kimono wholesaler favored by the Ōoku, but has no evidence to prove his allegation. The elder Arao Tsushima-no-kami who is colluding with Maruya plan on building a gold mine on an uninhabited island using prisoners. Arao gives the supervision charge to Samon, who along with his comrades and Horikawa takes up his post on the island but is attacked by assassins one after another.


Kyoto Yokai Map 2: A 400-Year-Old Ice Woman Living on Kirara Slope
1981 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
The frozen corpse of a young apprentice monk is found near Kirara Hill in Rakuhoku. Detective Hayakawa from the Kyoto Prefectural Police grows suspicious of the fact that someone froze to death in the middle of summer and visits his nephew Saburo, who works at a cryogenics research institute. Shortly after, the frozen body of Saburo’s father, Takayoshi, is also discovered. Recently, Takayoshi had been closely involved with a designer named Saori.


The Shogun's Vault I
1981 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Tomizo, a master storehouse-breaker who has been released from prison in Denmacho after serving five years plans to break into the Edo Castle gold storehouse to avenge the death of his father, who died a violent death at a gold mine on Sado Island. With the help of Hanji, a playboy who took care of him in prison, as his partner, Tomizo decides on the night of fireworks to be held in Edo Castle as the day to carry out his plan. Kanpei, a wise man, is suspicious of the plan.


The Phantom Thief Nezumi Kozo and the Tattooed Judge
1981 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
Magistrate Toyama no Kin-san is ordered to catch the phantom thief Nezumi Kozo, who is robbing daimyo and wealthy townspeople. Under the name of Nezumi Kozo, there is a small wholesaler Jiro. And once Toyama and Jiro, when they were young, were comrades who spent all their time gambling and having fun with women in the Yushima Tenjin area...


Kyoto Yokai Map 1: A 900-Year-Old New Bride Living in Sagano
1980 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Kaori, a doll hairdresser, is a demonic woman who has been alive for over 900 years. She has maintained her youth by drinking the blood of young men while waiting for her husband, who disappeared shortly after their wedding. However, when Kinosaki, who looks exactly like her husband, uncovers her true identity, Kaori transforms into a terrifying figure.


Nihon Meisaku Kaidan Gekijō: Kaidan Tone no Watashi
1979 · 45m
country: Japan
In a castle town in Oshu, the tyrannical Hikoemon Nomura keeps his second wife, Otoku, confined indoors. When Hikoemon’s brother Seijirō tries to assault Otoku and is stopped by the servant Jihei, he accuses them of an affair. Enraged, Hikoemon blinds Jihei and kills Otoku. Surviving, Jihei swears revenge and reappears seven years later at the Tone River crossing.


Haunted Castle
1969 · 1h 22m
country: Japan
A young woman turns to the supernatural to wreak revenge on a murderous warlord.


Girl with Bamboo Leaves
1969 · 1h 16m
country: Japan
Yasuda plays Omon, a woman using bamboo leaves as darts/blades to disable and kill her enemies.


手錠無用
1969 · 1h 29m
country: Japan


Secrets of a Woman's Temple
1969 · 1h 19m
country: Japan
A woman joins a convent to investigate the suspicious death of her brother but nothing could prepare her for the horror and depravity that takes place behind the convent walls.


Hoodlum Soldier: Looting and Pillaging
1968 · 1h 20m
country: Japan


The Snow Woman
1968 · 1h 19m
country: Japan
Two sculptors spend the night in a mountain lodge after being caught in a snowstorm. A female spirit appears and takes the life of one of the men. She spares the other man's life on the condition that he never tell anyone what happened that night.


Sleepy Eyes of Death 10: Hell Is a Woman
1968 · 1h 22m
country: Japan
Two devious retainers are competing to take control of a fief when the current Lord dies, but involving Kyoshiro in the conflict against his will is the textbook example of a bad idea - especially when the collateral damage starts to tick him off.


The Last Loyalty Offering
1967 · 1h 25m
country: Japan


Hoodlum Soldier on the Attack
1967 · 1h 29m
country: Japan


Five Star Private
1967 · 1h 29m
country: Japan


Assignment Dragon No. 3
1967 · 1h 32m
country: Japan
In late 1940 the Japanese were anxious to conclude peace in China and to that end sent Colonel Hidaka to inaugurate negotiations. He was mysteriously assassinated, however, when his car was blown up. The General Staff Headquarters in Japan, sends Lieutenant Shiina, a graduate of the famed Nakano School of Spies inaugurated by Colonel Kusanagi, to investigate the matter. Arriving in Shanghai, he disguises himself as a Chinese coolie and sets out to watch for developments, the only clue being a silver dollar found beside what was left of the victim.


Hoodlum Soldier's Flight to Freedom
1966 · 1h 26m
country: Japan


A Drop of Grease
1966 · 1h 25m
country: Japan


The Betrayal
1966 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
A naively honorable samurai comes to the bitter realization that his devotion to moral samurai principles makes him an oddity among his peers, and a very vulnerable oddity in consequence. He takes the blame for the misdeeds of others, with the understanding that he will be exiled for one year and restored to the clan's good graces after the political situation dies down. As betrayal begins to heap upon betrayal, he realizes he'll have to live out his life as a ronin, if not hunted down and killed.


Zatoichi's Vengeance
1966 · 1h 23m
country: Japan
Zatoichi comes upon a dying man who asks him to give a bag of money to "Taichi". Zatoichi has no idea who this is but when he comes upon a small town harassed by gangsters, he finds that "Taichi" was the man's young son. Along his travels he also met a blind monk who makes Zatoichi question his murderous lifestyle. In trying to help the town, Zatoichi kills some gangsters and becomes a hero to the boy. He must make a choice of whether to use non-violence and set a good example, or violence and set the boy on the wrong path in life.


Bad Reputation: Cherry Blossoms
1966 · 1h 25m
country: Japan


The Hoodlum Soldier Deserts Again
1966 · 1h 26m
country: Japan


Bad Reputation: Invincible Notorious Men
1965 · 1h 23m
country: Japan


Hoodlum Soldier and the C.O.
1965 · 1h 32m
country: Japan


Bad Reputation: The Two Notorious Men Strike Again
1965 · 1h 21m
country: Japan


Bloody Shuriken
1965 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
Ronin samurai Ibuki-san enters a town and sells his skills to the warring families. He falls in love with the beautiful horse stable owner but like all heroes, cannot stay.


The Beggar General
1964 · 1h 33m
country: Japan


The Life of a Chivalrous Man in Suruga: Broken Swords
1964 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
The second film in the "Suruga yukyoden" series, in which Shintaro Katsu plays Jirocho Shimizu. The film features Omasa, Komasa, Ocho, who will become Jirocho's wife, as well as other members of his future family. There is a particularly great swordfight near the end where Katsu and cronies attack the rival villainous yakuza clan to rescue their ailing, elderly boss. The action choreography, cinematography and editing of this sequence is quite brilliant, treading a difficult tightrope act between genuinely goofy antics and exhilirating, bloody violence.


Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege
1964 · 1h 27m
country: Japan
[Period covered: 1614-1615] Tokugawa Ieyasu is now the ruler of all Japan. But one last loose thread must be tied up before his domination is complete -- the destruction of the Toyotomi clan, now beseiged in Osaka castle. Ieyasu's ninja are the only ones who can penetrate the fortress, but unfortunately for Ieyasu, Kirigakure Saizo and the other Toyotomi ninja can just as easily get out. As armies of samurai maneuver for battle, the fate of the nation will be decided by a desperate struggle in the dark!


Homeless Dog
1964 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
First movie of the Inu series directed by Tokuzō Tanaka


Bad Reputation: Two Notorious Men in Tokyo
1963 · 1h 31m
country: Japan


Sleepy Eyes of Death 1: The Chinese Jade
1963 · 1h 22m
country: Japan
Nemuri Kyoshiro, a youthful and cynical ronin with unparalleled skill, is approached by both sides in a game of corruption, ambition, and double crosses. The leader of the Kaga clan, who thinks he has killed his smuggling partner, fears that the shogunate will discover his illegal activities. He learns of evidence that will prove his guilt. Meanwhile, his partner is not dead, and, assisted by a master of Shorenji boxing, is looking for revenge and for his loot. The Kaga leader sends the beautiful Chisa to enlist Nemuri's aid. The unexpected happens: the hard-bitten Nemuri falls in love. Can he protect her, topple the criminals, and avoid the boxer's deadly skill?


Zatoichi the Fugitive
1963 · 1h 26m
country: Japan
After arriving in the town of Shimonita, Ichi finds that a price has been put on his head by a local yakuza boss. He's drawn into a trap, but after hearing of the slaying of a former love, Ichi furiously fights his way through the entire clan to face the killer, a hired ronin.


A Samurai Never Tells a Lie
1963 · 1h 25m
country: Japan
The shogun's vassal Harima Aoyama and a chamber maid are in love with each other, but they cannot be together due to a difference of their status. Soon, an offer of marriage is brought to Harima. Trying to test his love, Okiku breaks one of the plates of the family treasure of the Aoyama family, but Harima doesn't notice. However, someone surrounding her witnesses the moment Okiku breaks the plate on purpose.


New Tale of Zatoichi
1963 · 1h 31m
country: Japan
Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.


Bad Reputation: Three Notorious Men
1963 · 1h 29m
country: Japan


New Bad Reputation Continues
1962 · 1h 39m
country: Japan


Betting on the Sword
1962 · 1h 13m
country: Japan


The Whale God
1962 · 1h 40m
country: Japan
A fishing village is terrorized by a giant whale, and the fishermen are determined to kill it.


Sabakareru Echizen no kami
1962 · 1h 18m
country: Japan
1962 Japanese movie


誘拐
1962 · 1h 33m
country: Japan
1962 Japanese movie


Bad Reputation Returns
1961 · 1h 33m
country: Japan


Tough Guy
1961 · 1h 34m
country: Japan
Asakichi beats a ganster, Sada, in a physical fight, leading to recognition by Sada's clan boss. When Kotoito, the geisha Asakichi is in love with, is kidnapped by a rival clan and sold to a a house of pleasure, Asakichi and Sada set out to rescue her.


Koina no Ginpei
1961 · 1h 20m
country: Japan


Nuregami botan
1961 · 1h 30m
country: Japan


Vagabonds from Badgerville
1961 · 1h 19m
country: Japan
A musical about the escapades of some tanuki passing themselves off as humans in human society.


Scars of Honor
1960 · 1h 30m
country: Japan
Japan, 1643, as the Kato clan of Aizu falls from power two brave samurai will settle a dispute in the time-honored tradition of their clan, by drawing their blades in a duel to the death.


The Demon of Mount Oe
1960 · 1h 54m
country: Japan
A band of warriors journeys to Mount Oe to rescue abducted women from a demon, overcoming supernatural threats like a giant spider and a diabolical witch along the way.


The Princess Says No
1959 · 1h 39m
country: Japan


The Lord and the Gambler
1959 · 1h 38m
country: Japan
Fate begins to smile upon young Chonosuke Tokugawa, son of eleventh Tokugawa Shogun, after some twenty years of life as a dependent at his step-brother's castle, when the ruler of the Takatori Clan suddenly dies leaving no heir and despite the protest from Minister Horio, it is decided that young Chonosuke is to succeed as ruler of the clan. Horio determines to murder Chonosuke on his way to Edo so that his own grandchild may rule the Takatori Clan. "Odd" Han, a travelling gambler happens to stop at the inn where Chonosuke's party is staying in secret. The assassins come to attack Chonosuke on the riverbank where he is viewing the fireworks alone but are driven off by Han. Now Chonosuke travels with Han disguised as a gambler during which he begins to learn the hardships of the peasants and is struck with the contrast between the life of a feudal and those whose labour provides his luxurious living.


Ojo-kichiza
1959 · 1h 20m
country: Japan


Bakeneko Goyōda
1958 · 1h 22m
country: Japan
A comic thriller directed by Tokuzo Tanaka, a first-time newcomer, based on a screenplay by Toshio Tamikado, who co-wrote "Nukiashisashi Ashi Shinobiashi." Photographed by Chikichiro Takeda of "Nurekami Kenpo." The music is by Han Takahashi of "Nukiashisashiashishininashi". Shoji Umewaka, Mieko Kondo, Daimaru Luckett and others