Early life: He was born in Kyoto, son of jidaigeki film star Ichikawa Utaemon, and graduated from Waseda University School of Letters, Arts and Sciences Ⅱ in Tokyo. Acting career: Kin'ya made his debut with his father in the 1956 Toei film Oyakodaka in the role of Katsu Kaishū. He is a contemporary of, and was taken to be a rival of, Hiroki Matsukata, who was also the son of a famous actor (Jūshirō Konoe). In 1964, Kin'ya made his first appearance on stage in Cyrano de Bergerac. The 1960s and 1970s saw him in many contemporary roles. He appeared in Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima and Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode as well as Karei naru Ichizoku. The title role in the 1975 film Takehisa Yumeji was his. On television, Kitaōji portrayed Miyamoto Musashi in the Nippon Television show of the same name. A major historical role was Sakamoto Ryōma in the year-long prime-time NHK Taiga drama Ryōma ga Yuku (1968). He landed the title role in the long-running cop show Zenigata Heiji, set in the Edo period. In the 1985 twelve-hour New Year special Fūun Yagyū Bugeichō, he played Yagyū Jūbei, and in the following year's special, he portrayed both Tokugawa Yoshimune and Yagyū Shinrokurō. The role of another shogun fell to him in the following new year as TV Tokyo tapped him to play Tokugawa Iemitsu. Kin'ya returned to NHK for the 1987 Taiga drama Dokuganryū Masamune as Date Terumune, father of title character Date Masamune. Another role he took had been created by his father. Saotome Mondonosuke was the title character in the series Gozonji! Hatamoto Taikutsu Otoko. It ran from 1988 to 1994 on TV Asahi. His father, Ichikawa Utaemon, had appeared in numerous films as Mondonosuke. Kin'ya reprised the part of Miyamoto Musashi in the 1990 New Year's special. Toshirō Mifune had portrayed Musashi in the earlier film, also based on the Eiji Yoshikawa story, that had won an Academy Award. He returned to the New Year's special in 1996, again as the famous swordsman, in Tokugawa Kengōden Sore kara no Musashi. His first portrayal of Ōishi Kuranosuke was in the 1996 Chūshingura. He took up the role again in 2004 for the NHK Saigo no Chūshingura and in 2007, in the New Year special Chūshingura Yōzei-in no Inbō. Other historical roles from the Sengoku period include Azai Nagamasa, Saitō Dōsan, and Yamamoto Kansuke. In addition to historical parts, he appeared in fictional series. His portrayal of Ogami Ittō in the Lone Wolf and Cub ( Kozure 2) Which was a series for Asahi TV in Japan is representative of these appearances. In 2008, Kitaōji revisited the role of Katsu Kaishū in the Taiga drama Atsuhime. He had portrayed Katsu in his 1956 debut. He won the award for best actor at the 10th Hochi Film Award for Fire Festival and Haru no kane. Kitaōji played one of the lead roles in Hideo Nakata's psychological thriller film The Incite Mill. In recent times, Kitaōji voices the Hokkaido-inu character of "Father" in SoftBank Mobile's White Family advertising campaign.
Ichito Kurihara is a physician at a small hospital in Nagano Prefecture. The hospital doesn't have enough doctors, which causes Ichito Kurihara to cover many different medical fields. He is always busy. Sometimes, Ichito Kurihara is unable to sleep for 3 days due to his job. Thanks to the support of his wife Haru, Ichito Kurihara is able to carry out his work. One day, the university hospital, where he graduated from, offers a position to Ichito Kurihara. If Ichito Kurihara accepts the job offer...
The chronicles of Sakamoto Ryoma, a pre-revolutionary who helped shape the face of modern Japan. In order to study swordsmanship, Ryoma heads for Edo where he meets many people who influence his thinking. He becomes close friends with men like Katsu Kaishu and Saigo Takamori and later establishes a naval training school in Kobe. Ryoma's controversial political views make him a target for shogunate assassins but his fervent belief in a classless society helps forge the Choshu-Satsuma alliance whi...
Depicting Date clan’s internal strife that occurred during a peaceful Edo period governed by the 4th Tokugawa shogun....
Amagi Yu is a slightly eccentric detective who has been assigned to the Twelfth Section of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s First Investigative Division from the Lost and Found Centre. The Twelfth Section is called the “graveyard of detectives” and ridiculed as the “banishment room where hardened detectives who cannot be fired are sent”. Its assembled detectives Samura Kosuke, Yamashita Takumi, Nagasawa Keita, Mizutani Tamaki and Katagiri Masatoshi are elite and yet oddballs. Amagi app...
Hanzawa Naoki works as a loan manager at the Osaka Nishi branch of Tokyo Central Bank. One day, Hanzawa makes a loan contract for 500 million yen with Nishi Osaka Steel Company. Hanzawa didn't want to approve the loan, but he had to due to the branch manager's order. Nishi Osaka Steel Company seems financially stable, but the company actually hides massive amounts of debt through fraudulent accounts. The company is caught. Three months later, Nishi Osaka Steel Company goes bankrupt. The bank's b...
The series starts with the murder of a 10-year-old girl in 1984. 15 years later, after the case goes unsolved and passes the statute of limitations, a doctor named Goda Ryoji suddenly quits from his hospital and eventually becomes a detective. In 2008, he meets Sachi, a traveling artist in Paris, and shortly after Goda's return to Japan, he becomes involved in the expired murder case when another detective receives an anonymous phone call....
The mystery of how Kazama Kimichika became so ruthless and unmatched will be revealed. Kyojo Zero depicts the time before he was assigned to the police academy, when he was working as an instructor in charge of training new detectives......
Ieji Hisashi, a salaryman who works for a securities company, has a fuzzy memory of the recent five years because of an accident at his job posting. His wife of five years, Megumi and their 4-year-old son seem to wear masks. He can neither tell their facial expressions nor their emotions. He also struggles about his love for them. On the other hand, Ieji feels an attachment to his ex-wife, whom he divorced five years ago, and their daughter. What sort of days did he have in those five years whic...
Ronin Ogami Itto travels around 17th century Japan, accompanied by his young son Daigoro, in search of those who has offended him....
"Blackboard ~ Jidai to Tatakatta Kyoushitachi~," revolves around teachers in different time periods having to deal with the problems of that era. The first episode stars Sakurai as Shirahama, a junior high school teacher who taught his students about "dying for your country" during wartime. After later losing his right arm in the war, he returns to teaching but is burdened and conflicted by what he taught his students in the past. The second episode of "Blackboard ~Jidai to Tatakatta Kyoushitac...
A 19-year-old girl burdened by a cruel destiny, a 41-year-old man living in atonement, and a forbidden love that cannot be accepted by the people around them. Breathless Summer is as much a social drama as it is a love story. Takei plays said girl who learns that her mother never recorded her birth in their family register. While falling into despair after finding out the secret about her birth yet wholeheartedly trying to live to regain "herself", she happens to run into a former journal...
The story of Kishi Keiichitaro, a dashingly handsome pathologist who is intensely eccentric and brutally honest, but also holds one of the most brilliant minds. A pathologist is a physician whose job is to determine a diagnosis of disease or cause of death based on an assortment of data, including a patient's tissue, bodily fluids, organ samples, blood, etc....
Princess Go was the youngest of the most famous three sisters in Japanese history, who each led a remarkable life in an age of turmoil and civil war. Go loses her parents in the war, marries three times, and feuds with her own sister in competing for power. Go's husband becomes the second Tokugawa Shogun and she ensures her prominence as she gives birth to a son who later becomes the third Shogun and a daughter, a wife of the Emperor. The drama describes the age of the civil war through the eyes...
"The Family", the program commemorating the 55th anniversary of the launch of the TBS TV station, is a social drama depicting the inside story between bureaucrats, politicians and big businesses over a bank merger revolving around the family discord between Daisuke Manpyou, the owner and president of Hanshin Bank, and his eldest son, Teppei....
Kiyokazu (Kinya Kitaoji) retires from the company where he worked for many years. He will begin a new job as a temp at a game center affiliated with his former company. After finishing his last day of work, he goes home. To celebrate his 60th birthday, his wife Yoshie (Yoshiko Nakada), son Kenji (Masahiro Komoto), daughter-in-law Takako (Naomi Nishida) and grandson Yuki (Takuro Ohno) are there waiting for him. Something causes Kiyokazu to become angry and he leaves home....
SMAP×SMAP was an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it aired from 22:00 to 22:54 every Monday. The show's usual ratings were higher than 20%, which is considered high since most variety shows range from 10-20%. Each episode begins a variety of skits, comedic performances, and/or games. These are followed by Bistro SMAP, in which the SMAP members compete against each other to impress celebrity judges w...
On September 15, Keicho, a young man, Takezo, whose life was ruined by the war in Sekigahara wandered around like a wild beast. Only his lover Otsu and the pacifist monk Takuan understood Musashi, who escaped from the hands of the Ochimusha hunters and turned against everyone. Then, a crisis loomed over Takezo as he fled into the mountains. At the same time in the village of Jokyoji in Echizen, the sword prodigy Sasaki Kojiro, in his quest for strength had defeated his own master, Tomita Seigen ...
Based on the award-winning novel by Shiba Ryotaro, the drama is set in Japan several centuries back in the Sengoku period. It depicts the struggles of three historical warriors, Saito Dosan, Oda Nobunaga and Akechi Mitsuhide....
In this drama based on an award-winning story by author Sato Masayoshi, Kitaoji Kinya stars as Kuwayama Jubei, a samurai who travels through Japan keeping the peace....
Daimon Michiko is a 37-year-old freelance surgeon who is part of a questionable “doctor placement service” that has her wander from hospital to hospital. The harsh environment at the hospitals led many doctors to retire from their positions, forcing hospitals to make use of said program to fill the empty spots at least temporary. However, Michiko doesn’t look like a doctor at all with her flashy clothes and eccentric attitude. In the first episode she raises objections to a certain operation whi...
"Blackboard ~ Jidai to Tatakatta Kyoushitachi~," revolves around teachers in different time periods having to deal with the problems of that era. The first episode stars Sakurai as Shirahama, a junior high school teacher who taught his students about "dying for your country" during wartime. After later losing his right arm in the war, he returns to teaching but is burdened and conflicted by what he taught his students in the past. The second episode of "Blackboard ~Jidai to Tatakatta Kyoushitac...
A historical drama about the days of youth of the famous yakuza boss, the protector of ordinary people Chuji Kunisada. The film was made to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Kinya Kitaoji's acting career....
Broadcast TV drama NHK broadcast on January 4 to December 13, 1987 (Showa 62). In the questionnaire survey conducted by NHK, it is shining in the most favorite river drama. The original is Yamaka Sosaichi's novel "Date Masamune", the biggest drama on the theme of the Date house was the first time in 17 years since the "Shinnogi remained" (1970), which painted Datejo in the Edo period. It depicts the life of Matsudo Date of Sengoku warrior · Date Masamune who built the foundation of Sendai clan ...
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Izumi Sakuragi is a new police sergeant with the Special Investigations Office, which was set up within the Metropolitan Police in November last year. The new investigation team uses DNA analysis and the latest in forensics science to investigate cold cases as well as cases suspected to involve missing persons....
Ooka Echizen is the commissioner of the two-acre Minami-machi Magistrate’s Office, located in Edo Castle. He keeps order within the town....
Yaemori Alice is a chef with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) whose favorite phrase is “Cooking is chemistry.” She’s not good at communicating with people, but has an amazing memory, and holds a vast amount of knowledge, especially in her favorite subject, chemistry. A mysterious young man called Sakae Kousei shows up at the popular restaurant “Alice no Okate” looking for a live-in part time job, which is run by Alice’s childhood friend. Although Kousei seems abrasive and unfriendly, he is kind a...
Higurashi Tabito has lost four out of his five senses--his sense of sound, smell, taste, and touch. The only sense he has is sight, which he relies on for his job as a detective who has to investigate and find various missing objects. He works at the detective agency with Yukiji, his buddy and manager, and Tei, his adopted daughter. No matter what it is, Tabito always finds the missing object. His investigative methods, however, are a little bizarre. His eyes seem to be able to see everything, i...
Ometsuke Asahina Kawachinokami Masakiyo - holds the position of inspector overseeing the daimyo on behalf of the shogun and the council of elders. When signs of rebellion appear in various areas across Japan, while receiving a secret order from Elder Tsuchiya Sagaminokami, Asahina hides her identity and heads to the area as a secret magistrate and crushes the evil that is plaguing the world with her ruthless hand....
After the end of the reign of the second Shogun Hidetada, the country was still in turmoil. Meanwhile, Iemitsu, who took the place of the third shogun, is carrying out a number of political reforms. However, Yui Shosetsu, plans to overthrow the Tokugawa family......
A newspaper reporter (Masahiro Motoki) uncovers a secret "Okinawa pact" between the Japanese and U.S. government. A woman who is the deputy director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs becomes a key figure in the story....
Onda Kokoro is an oncologist called Dr Onkoro for short by the people around her and teased that she was born for this path. She got married to Takumi, whom she had known since she was a student, and they had a son. Life was going smoothly for her. But three months ago, her husband fell in an accident and remained unconsciousness even though he underwent emergency surgery. Although Kokoro puts on a brave face at work, she still has not been able to accept reality. One day, she meets Kajiyama Kao...
After being paralysed while on a case Detective Ichiro Onizuka returns to Shinjuku East to solve unsolved cases....
Genjuro’s crime was assassination, his punishment was to survive a faked execution and lose his home, lose his identity, and emerge as Maboroshi Shinigami, the Phantom Assassin....
The 47th NHK Taiga Drama is a life story of Princess Atsu, who was born in Kagoshima Prefecture, then called Satsuma, and became the wife of Tokugawa Iesada, the 13th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate. She accedes to the highest rank in Ooku, the inner palace of the Edo castle where women related to the reigning shogun resided. Iesada dies soon after their marriage and Atsuhime assumes the name Tenshoin at the age of 23. She exerts herself for the Tokugawa clan and for the nation during the uphea...
This series, produced to commemorate the 65th anniversary of TV Asahi, tells the story of Riku Kariyama, an architectural designer passionate about bridge construction. He faces an unexpected difficulty of being imprisoned, but he never gives up, continuously searching for a path of hope and rebirth. The intricate suspense and heart-pounding, stirring human stories intertwine, weaving a grand drama....
Lord Sanada along with his deadly ninja assassins Kirigakure Saizo and Sarutobi Sasuke attempt to restore the rule of the Toyotomi during the brutal period just after the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate....
The story of Musashi Miyamoto is one of the most famous and often filmed sagas in Japanese film and television history. Almost every production is based upon Eiji Yoshikawa's monumental MUSASHI novel and starts with Musashi fighting in the famous Battle of Sekigara in 1600 and ends with the equally famous duel at Ganryu Island in 1612. SOREKARA NO MUSASHI (literally "And Then...Musashi" picks up where Eiji Yoshikawa's novel ends and tellsthe story of what happened afterwards....
The story of the battles between the 3 related families Kishu, Mito, and Owari, as each vies for the shogun’s seat in the line of succession. Highlighting the series are many fights between the young lord’s Negoro ninja helpers and their mortal enemies, the Koga ninja. History comes alive with the bloody blades of the three families at war within the highest levels of government as the search for a new shogun continues!...
The 40th NHK Taiga Drama is Hojo Tokimune. It tells the dramatic and turbulent life of young shikken Hojo Tokimune, and his successful defense of Japan from invasion by Mongolia in the 1200's. It is a tragic story of betrayal and clan wars and Hojo Tokimune is at the center of it all. The main focus of the story is Hojo Tokiyori's older sons, their relationship, and their views and actions concerning Kublai Khan's attempted invasion. The two brothers, Tokimune and Tokisuke, are torn apart by pol...
The year is 1805. Napoleon ruled Europe. Ienari is the 11th Tokugawa Shogun. An incident, which was an open official secret, took place on the foothills of Mt. Fuji. Fearing attacks from within and without, the Shogunate planned to build a training castle utilizing the most advanced techniques. Two master castle architects, Sato Kikutaro and Kumai Hakuten, were selected to compete for the honor of building this castle. Lord Mizuno Dewa has even ordered the townspeople to assist both sides with t...
Chuji and his family become the primary target of gangs in Nikko headed by Hasshu marshal Nakayama and boss Sukegoro Iioka. Chuji is then aided by boss Shigezo Sasagawa, Ishimatsu, and a few young yakuza....
An entertaining youth drama, which tells about the struggle of a young swordsman Yamanaka Shikanoske (Kinya Kitaoji) and his friends who resist the tyranny of the Mori clan in a war-torn country during the Sengoku period! The film starred teenage Toei company of that time....
Drawn by the exorbitantly high hourly wage of 112,000 Japanese yen, ten men and women gather at a mansion. Everyone thinks the simple psychology experiment will get them some quick cash... until one of them winds up dead. The participants are overcome with frenzied suspicion. Various deadly weapons are left in their rooms and they are killed off one by one....
Near the end of the nineteenth century, as the balance of power shifts from Shogunate towards the Emperor, Japan restlessly awaits the dawning of a new age. But not all are content...The Shinsengumi, a small army of samurai, farmers and peasants, band together to do battle against the tide of history. Their leader, Isami Kondo is a man who rises from farmer to fighter to head the fierce Shinsengumi brigade. Using a stern hand and a heart of gold, he rallies his men in defense of the tottering Sh...
The film tells the story of a man who was washed ashore on an uninhabited island after a ship wrecked by a storm, and after twelve years, he returned to human society....
Takeo (Kiniya Kitaoji), son of a wealthy car industry executive, is unhappy with his job and goes to Singapore to become a fisherman. At first ridiculed by the local fishermen, he eventually gets their respect but his rebel temper pushes him to find new adventures in Alaska....
In 1929 the fossil of a 500,000 year old man is discovered in China. In 1941 the Japanese army confiscates this find, but during the war the remains disappear. Based on these factual events, this movie takes off with a science fiction story involving a space rocket which places a satellite in orbit containing a secret cargo. The satellite crashes on a remote island and footprints are found in the sand leading away from the crash site. A story of how an ancient primitive cave-dwelling family cont...
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Rokuheita Narumi is fascinated by oriental art and works as the director of the Saho Art Museum in Nara. His wife, Noriko, is unable to leave Tokyo, despite his wishes, and the two live separately. Feeling lonely and neglected by her husband, she immerses herself in the depraved life of the city and continues to have a loveless relationship with a doctor, Katsumori. One day, Narumi arrives in Tokyo and learns of Noriko's affair, but he cannot divorce her for the sake of their child, so he devote...
Tatsuo, a reverent lumberjack, seeks to disrupt plans to build a marine park on his family land, instead promoting his traditions in reactionary ways....
A vicious plot that would change the course of Japanese history is set in motion when assassins conspire to kill Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. Things heats up as Iemitsu plans a journey across Japan where assassins lie in wait. Working with elder statesman Okubo Hikozaemon is Musashi Miyamoto who wants to unravel the mystery of who is behind this plot and things heat up further when some of them are the greatest swordsmen in the land!...
Genjuro’s crime was assassination, his punishment was to survive a faked execution and lose his home, lose his identity, and emerge as Maboroshi Shinigami, the Phantom Assassin. When his wife is kidnapped and tortured to reveal his whereabouts and dragged to the executioner for crucifixion by corrupt clan officials, Genjuro faces an army of swords to save her. Evil men aim to frame Genjuro for another murder. For their scheme they need only one thing, Genjuro’s dead body. Genjuro will have to cu...
The crescent shaped scar on his forehead is a license given him by the Shogun to kill anyone he deems to be a villain. A strong performance that reflects well upon his father, with interesting stories, these films are required viewing. When Saotome hears rumors of a Daimyo's plot to overthrow the Shogun, he launches an investigation. With the help of his sister Kikuji, his stewart, Kinai and a mysterious woman they begin to unravel the web of treachery....
Two infantry regiments of the Imperial Japanese Army—210 men overall—tackled Mt. Hakkoda in the winter of 1902 to prepare for war with Russia....
Abandoned in the barren wasteland of Kyoto, a savage, enraged orphan does whatever it takes to survive in the wild. When he crosses paths with civilization, he must learn to tame the beast within....
Shonosuke Furukehashi (Hiroshi Tamaki) is a young samurai and the second son of Sozaemon (Bunchin Katsura) of Togane Domain, Kazusa Province. Sozaemon serves as an attendant, but one day, he is suddenly suspected of accepting bribes. Forged documents written in handwriting startlingly identical to his offer incontrovertible evidence. Framed for accepting bribes he knows nothing about, Sozaemon commits ritual suicide for his “crime”. Shonosuke’s elder brother Katsunosuke (Satoshi Hashimoto), an a...
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1962 Japanese movie...
Set at the end of the feudal period. A woman spends most of her early life in prison, incarcerated by political opponents of her father. When she is released at the age of 44, the power struggles of her clan continue to disturb her life and the man whom she loves....
Though a farmer and his fellow villagers in this Japanese film resist the effort to turn the unspoiled region in which they live into a land development, they are ultimately unsuccessful....
While Hirono is in prison, his rival Takeda turns his own crime organization into a political party, whose two executives stir up new tensions in their thirst for power....
Jubei is a Japanese merchant who learns tricks from Western merchants to get ahead in the game....
Oda Nobunaga and Nōhime were originally married to mend a hostile relationship between neighbouring regions. Unfortunately, they were like oil and water, making for a somewhat unhappy marriage. When Oda's enemy, Imagawa Yoshimoto, attacks Owari with his vast army, Oda is devastated by the overwhelming gap in military strength. However, Nohime encourages him not to despair, and the pair draw up a tactical plan that will allow them to overcome the odds....
The story of beautiful Christian nun, Kyoko who is the object of affection for two very different men - one the happy-go-lucky yakuza gangster, Haruhiko who is the next-in-line to takeover the ragtag "Tenryu Gumi" gang and the other bumbling police detective Kumashiro. The Tenryu Gumi is a collection of misfits and other troublemakers but are relatively peaceful due to their Christian beliefs. Their bitter rivals are the more traditional "Kuroiwa Gumi", a much more sadistic and violent group led...
An exciting historical drama that dynamically depicts the life of Minamoto no Yoshitsune from the period of his stay on Mount Kurama to his reconciliation with his brother Yoritomo....
Pure love story...
The life story of Japan’s greatest leader, Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose shogunate ruled the nation for almost 300 years has never been told like this before. From the early days as a supporter of Imagawa Yoshimoto, then on to his days with Oda Nobunaga, leading to his wars against and ultimate victory over the Toyotomi to become shogun is a fascinating tale of his military genius coupled with a native intelligence that allowed him to become the last of the great warlords and ultimately the leader of t...
Kanno is a Yakuza. He had to kill Matsuoka who betrayed their boss. Kanno knew Matsuoka had a 3-year-old daughter named Youko. Before he gave himself to the police, he asked his trusted man to take care of her. While in prison, Kanno kept sending letters to Youko, disguising as an uncle in Brazil. 15 years later, Kanno is released. He is determined to live legitimately, however the Yakuza has not forgotten his wicked deed!...
A rural high school takes part in a mountain-climbing exercise and are caught in a sudden typhoon....
Takeshi (Takashi Tsukamoto), an Italian restaurant chef, and Ruri (Saki Aibu) could have been lovers, but Takeshi was too comfortable with their current relationship that he chose to stay best friends with her. Now, Ruri is engaged to another man and Takeshi is deep in regret. He runs through the night of Tokyo to tell her his true feelings before it’s too late, but right as he stands in front of Ruri, an unfortunate accident takes his life away. However, a twist of fate brings them back togethe...
An American scientist constructs a laser satellite with hopes of preventing any nuclear conflicts from occurring. However, after a fatal error from both the US and the USSR governments, war breaks out and humanity faces a new bloodshed....
Master swordsman and loya 'Hatamoto' (direct vassal to the Shogun), Saotome Mondonosuke, is sent to investigate an intrigue centering on the Date Clan. The 300th film in the long and illustrious career of Ichikawa Utaemon, one of the most popular Japanese film stars of the period; it brought out an all-star cast as well....
Shohei Kazama (Kinya Kitaoji), who travels all over the country and works as a special police chief, is new to the Iwaki Tokiwa Police Station in Fukushima Prefecture. Kenichi Nishino (Yuma Nakayama) and Kanji Takizaki (Hiroki Okada), the head of the criminal division, express their repulsion. Dai Kuramochi (Hiroshi Katsuno), an alumnus of the Fukushima Prefectural Police, tries to calm him down, but for some reason he continues to show hostility. At that time, Hisashi Ono's (Ichiro Ogura) body ...
In the spring of Genroku 14 (1701), Oishi Kuranosuke (Tamura Masakazu), the chief retainer of the Asano family in Ako domain is shocked to learn that his feudal lord, Asano Takumi-no-kami Naganori (Tamayama Tetsuji), had stabbed Kira Kozukenosuke Yoshinaka (Nishida Toshiyuki), the master of ceremonies, at Edo castle. Lord Asano was ordered to commit ritual suicide and the Ako clan abolished. Facing up to the gravity of this unfair ruling, since only one party was being punished instead of both a...
In 1959, a body of a flight attendant of an international airline is found, strangled. Detective Rokuro Fujisawa takes charge of the investigation with a young detective Ichimura and his investigations lead him to Father Tolbeck as a suspect. But the police are forced to move very discreetly as the time was right after the Second World War, when a sensitive situation that involves Western people and religion is likely to become an international issue. The investigation leads to an unexpected dis...
Based on the life of artist Yumeji Takehisa...
The struggles of a low-ranking samurai (Nakamura) coming to terms with the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the end of Japan's feudal age with the 1868 Restoration....
Mito Domain Samurai Seki Tetsunosuke must pay the consequences for his role in the assassination of Great Elder Ii Naosuke. Based on true events....
Shiro Akitsu goes on a relentless search for his abducted 7-year-old daughter, with the aid of an Ainu dog summoned by a whistle she gave him....
A Japanese sailor finds a colony of Eskimos in the Arctic and decides to stay with them. He comes off at a certain moment to look for his luck in the gold rush in Alaska. But he does not forget them....
A genius sushi chef travels to New York to battle it out with the local competition there....
Two young men are recruited into the Japanese air force just before outbreak of WW2 by the test pilot of Japans new super fighter - the Zero. The movie is told in reverse from the point of one of the young men who don't qualify for the pilot training and instead joins the ground crew. It chronicles the entire history of the famous fighter from the first prototype test flights all through the war....
A very beautiful Japanese woman is in love with Persian carpets. She is being chased by lecherous Saburi Shin and a handsome young photographer. Lecherous Saburi Shin knows what she wants, and is able to produce it for her....
After eight years in prison, Takeshi’s mission is a big heist from his own clan’s gambling parlor....
Sabu and his pals hold a pauper's funeral for Sabu's mother. His brother Jiro arrives home, fresh out of jail, and Sabu pointedly states that Jiro is not invited. Jiro meanwhile is planning a big job - steal 40 million in cash and drugs, and he invites Sabu and gang to act as decoys, for 50,000 each. The sting is a success, but the double-crossing starts almost immediately. Sabu discovers how little of the take they were promised and hides the stash. Jiro and his slimy partner pressure the kids ...
About small-time gangster Asakichi's chaotic life in the 1930s. His gambling addiction means that he must not continue working in the family business. Instead he supports himself by arranging cockfights. He becomes ex-geisha Okinu's patron and lover, and falls directly into disfavor with the yakuza....
This is the true story of the last officially recorded case of adauchi, when a young man avenged the death of his father by brutally killing the murderers in broad daylight. Samurai revenge killings, or adauchi, was considered a rightful and noble act of honor and virtue.But all that changed abruptly on February 7, 1873, when adauchi became prohibited as part of the Meiji Restoration’s goal to Westernize Japan....
In turbulent 16th-century Japan, the leaders of a minor fief have their child taken from them as a political hostage. His mother and his clan endure years of tribulations until he can return....
Kazuhiko Kogure, who is a 2nd grade student in middle school, falls off from one of the school's rooftop. There were other male students on the roof when Kazuhiko Kogure fell off. According to the other students there, Kazuhiko Kogure tried to jump to another school building, but missed. Fortunately, Kazuhiko Kogure only fractured his leg and ribs. According to Kazuhiko Kogure's mother Hidemi, the school insists it was students playing around and did not involve bullying. Hidemi though, doesn't ...
The life and times of Kûkai, a Japanese monk who studies Esoteric Buddhism in the far reaches of India, China and Tibet, then uses their combined influence to establish the Shingon school during the Heian period in early 9th Century AD....
The story of beautiful Christian nun, Kyoko who is the object of affection for two very different men - one the happy-go-lucky yakuza gangster, Haruhiko who is the next-in-line to takeover the ragtag "Tenryu Gumi" gang and the other bumbling police detective Kumashiro. The Tenryu Gumi is a collection of misfits and other troublemakers but are relatively peaceful due to their Christian beliefs. Their bitter rivals are the more traditional "Kuroiwa Gumi", a much more sadistic and violent group led...
In the 14th year of the Genroku period, Asano, the head carpenter of Edo Castle, attacked Kira, the master of ceremonies, with a sword, leading to Asano's forced suicide and Kira's punishment being overlooked. Over a year later in Edo city, Shimohashi Hyogo, a carefree ronin and the nephew of Yagyu Yoshitaka, is ordered by his uncle to investigate the activities of the Ako Ronin, a group sympathetic to Asano's cause. However, Hyogo, who sympathizes with the Ronin's plight, helps out in times of ...
In this tale of bravery and honor among the roving gamblers of old Japan, the heroic Jirocho, Boss of the Tokaido is called upon to help a young yakuza named Eijiro after he runs afoul of the new samurai officials who have taken over his hometown. Expertly portrayed by Kitaoji Kinya (son of the all-time great star Ichikawa Utaemon), this young man stands up for the townspeople and puts his life on the line. Jirocho, played by superstar Nakamura Kinnosuke, a boss known for his honor and valor soo...
Yakuza Gang War is at the height in North Kyūshū Area in the summer of 1950, particularly between the Okagen Group and the rising Hashiden Gang. Now with the mediation/interference of the Americans, they decide to settle it in a peaceful, *democratic* way, that is, to settle it with a baseball game. Now, with its money and power, The Hashiden group soon recruits a group of gamblers known to be good at baseball from the whole country. So, what is the Okagen Gumi gonna do?...
The 224-minute compilation edition of Battles Without Honor and Humanity compiles these four movies: Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Deadly Fight in Hiroshima, Proxy War, Police Tactics....
Final part of epic drama about war and its effects upon human beings, follows the fortunes of the Godai family through the Sino-Japanese War through the Soviet Union's sudden attack upon Japanese troops at the end of the war....
Upon his arrival to Dragon Island, ronin Yagi Hanzo, is propositioned by various shady individuals representing rival gangs to lend his services to them. Branded an enemy for his refusal to become involved with either side, he soon finds himself caught up in an intrigue extending beyond petty gang rivalries, involving a plot by Daimyo in Kyoto to overthrow the government....
The story of two young men whose ambition is to become the personal bodyguards to the Shogun's uncle, Lord Mito Komon. Portrayed by a pair of up and coming stars, Sasaki Sukesaburo (Matsukata), the son of a widower and Atsumi Kakunoshin (Kitaoji), whose mother is a widow find themselves constantly in trouble and are forced to become two of the most powerful fighters in all Japan. The stories about Mito Komon and his travels througout Japan are many, but this is one that had yet to be told. The ...
A swordsman must foil a minister's sinister plan to assassinate the shogun....
The glittering Gran Tesoro, a city of entertainment beyond the laws of the government, is a sanctuary for the world’s most infamous pirates, Marines, and filthy rich millionaires. Drawn by dreams of hitting the jackpot, Captain Luffy and his crew sail straight for the gold. But behind the gilded curtains lies a powerful king whose deep pockets and deeper ambitions spell disaster for the Straw Hats and the New World alike....
A woman works as a prostitute and attendant to make a living at a bathhouse. She is athletic and is an avid runner. She has met and adopted a white dog and the two have become inseparable. It is the biggest tragedy and calamity when the dog is found dead, killed, murdered. The woman swears to find justice by finding the murderer and making things right....
Repeatedly beat to a pulp by gamblers, cops, and gangsters, lone wolf Shoji Yamanaka finally finds a home as a Muraoka family hitman and falls in love with boss Muraoka's niece. Meanwhile, the ambitions of mad dog Katsutoshi Otomo draws our series' hero, Shozo Hirono, and the other yakuza into a new round of bloodshed....
Yosuke Misaki used to be a promising prosecutor, but he suddenly quit his job. He begins a new career as a pianist. He knocks on the door of wealthy man Kentaro Katsuki who lives in a peaceful area of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Kentaro Katsuki lives with his housekeeper Michiko Tsuzuruki (Midoriko Kimura). Kentaro allows Yosuke Misaki to stay at his home. Near Kentaro Katsuki's home, lives the Sanada family. At their home, Haruka aspires to become a pianist. One day, a fatal fire breaks ou...
Vice Admiral Takajiro Ohnishi could see that Japan's defeat in WWII was inevitable. He came to realize that the only way to force a negotiated solution was to convince the Americans that invading Japan would cause massive casualties on both sides. The cold logic of suicide attacks, where one man and one plane could kill hundreds, seemed the only solution. In one of the cruel ironies of fate, Ohnishi actually succeeded; he convinced the Americans that invading Japan would be too costly in lives. ...
Saotome, a sword master and guard of the Shogunate, pursues the mystery of a deadly aerial weapon that is responsible for the multiple deaths in town....
Ohno plays the role of Tarui Shotaro, an ordinary guy who dreamed of becoming a hero when he was a child, but now gets by as a part-time worker. The unexpected story unfolds when one day, the daughter of a yakuza boss asks him to plan a make-believe kidnapping. Sato Ryuta plays Shotaro's co-worker who helps him with the kidnapping. Kanjiya Shihori plays Satsuki, the eldest daughter of the Hanazono yakuza clan, while Narimiya Hiroki plays Satsuki's college senpai who joined the Hanazono clan aft...
Recently released from prison for a murder sentence, a yakuza boss's wife leaves Hong Kong for a fresh start, but a betrayal leads to her return....
Friendship between good samurais and aborigines in Hokkaido....
A young son of a master of the Kuwana clan gets disowned for his rebellious behavior. After he goes from the mountains to the ocean defeating the evil, he becomes a fine man....
Tai Kato’s early 20th century set yakuza epic about an ordinary merchant girl (Hiroko Maki) who crosses paths with an assassin (Tetsuya Watari). The encounter sends her to jail as a suspected accomplice. Years later she marries a yakuza boss, whose gang is affiliated with working class people....
After their father quarrels with local military men, Anju and Zushio are forced to flee, but they are captured and sold into slavery. When their mother dies, they are sold to Sansho the Bailiff, a cruel man who subjects them to hideous torments. While Anju falls into a lake and is transformed into a swan, Zushio escapes and after being adopted to a nobleman grows to a young man. He will then fight to defeat the evil Dayu and free all the slaves....
Japan, 1948: Hiroki Matsukata stars as a man facing a nine year prison sentence. He incites prisoners of Shimane Prison to the biggest riot in jail history. A fighter by heart, he sees a way out of any situation, but will he survive this, the gutsiest assault ever attempted?...
A Japanese businessman is sent to Sri Lanka and meets a beautiful Japanese woman with a past. They befriend an old Japanese-Indian widow who has an estranged son in Japan....
A seemingly lazy salaryman is tasked with managing a company secret....
During the Showa era, a young yakuza survives war and injury and rises to become a clan boss with the help and respect of his sworn brothers....
A seamstress seeks the love of her life while helping a troubled couple....
A Yasuzō Masumura film about a love affair starring Ayako Wakao. The literal title is The Two Who Got Wet....
A bruised and battered corpse in Shibuya, Tokyo has the attention of the local cops. A veteran detective is assigned to the case. The last utterance of the victim is one clue that detective Imanishi has to work on. Yet, the case becomes more tangled quickly. Elsewhere, a prodigy named Waga Eiryo is composing an orchestral piece. Remake of The Castle of Sand (1974)....
A tale of two best friends in the WWII era Japan. Takao is a young man enthusiastic about joining the navy to fight for his country. He convinces his best friend Shinji to join him. As it turns out, however, Takao's poor health prevents him from entering the navy while his friend is chosen instead. As time goes by, Takao becomes a painter and changes his mind about the meaningfulness of war and fighting, while his friend goes the opposite path. Meanwhile Takao's sister falls in love with Shinji....
After a highly successful raid on Singapore Harbour, soldiers of Z Special Unit lead a new expedition in Singapore, with disastrous results....
Part of the Bored Hatamoto series. The most popular samurai in Edo, Saotome Mondonosuke, known to most as the "Bored Hatamoto" is the only one who can save the shogunate from the dastardly plot to take over the country....
When Kanbe Nagakichi has his turf taken over by Ano-Toku, the father-in-law of his sworn brother Kira Nikichi sets in motion one of the most violent gang battles in Japanese history. Forced by the situation to choose between family and yakuza honor, Nikichi faces off against the vile combination of Ano-Toku and Kurokoma Katsuzo, villains so low as to ambush their foes using snipers. Nikichi, who owes allegiance to Boss Jirocho of Shimizu asks Jirocho to spare Ano-Toku’s life until events force a...
Set in Langkawi, Malaysia, professional scammers Dako (Masami Nagasawa), Boku-chan (Masahiro Higashide), and Richard (Fumiyo Kohinata) target the Fuu Family for their next heist. Raymond Fuu, who was the head of the Fuu Family, passed away and he left behind 10 trillion yen. Dako, Boku-chan and Richard scheme to gain the inordinate inheritance. --asianwiki...
Adaptation of the novel by Kan Shimozawa....
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A story of revenge between two samurai families on the Igagoe Road. Araki Mataemon born in the province of Iga. He studied the art of the sword under the Yagyu family. He helped the younger brother of his wife Watanabe Kazuma take revenge on his enemy Kawai Matagoro. Ichikawa Utaemon plays Araki Matemon and his son Kinya Kataoji plays Kazuma....
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One night, Genjiro Tsurumi, a former ronin comes across a man being attacked by a group of assassins. The dying man is an official secret agent carrying a secret letter addressed to General Matsudaira. Genjiro meets with Matsudaira, who informs him of the existence of a mysterious group, the Hachitake... who aims to overthrow the Shogunate....
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Biopic of Date Masamune. Young Masamune upon learning of the death of Nobunaga decides that he is the man to fill those sainted clogs. The fastest way to do this is to subjugate the neighboring warlords. This is an action that results in the death of his father and younger brother and not the least brings him to the attention of Hideyoshi and not in a good way either but intervention by the regents nephew Hidetsugu and Maeda Toshiie save his neck although he is forced to move to a smaller fief a...
Bored Hatamoto film...
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Toei studios last ninkyo eiga of the 70's....
Master swordsman and loyal vassal Saotome Mondonosuke goes on a mission to find a missing princess....
Yumechiyo, a geisha house madam recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, yearns to do something constructive with the little time she has left. Through her responsibility lies in taking care of her girls, she finds purpose in providing a man innocent of a false murder charge and in the process discovers love for the first time in his arms....
Monster Strike: The Movie serves as a prequel to the net anime series based on the game of the same name. The anime tells the story of Ren, who returns to his hometown with no memories of having lived there. When a a cell phone repairman installs the Monster Strike app on his phone, Ren finds himself pulled into a real-world version of the game and begins piecing his memories together again....
Police detective Heiji is assigned to catch the masked Maboroshi gang of robbers who have terrorized all of Edo, leaving few clues as to their leader's identity....