Tetsuya Watari
Biography: He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University. Watari belonged to the karate club at university. He made his screen debut in 1964, in Isamu Kosugi's Abare Kishidō, and received one of the Elan d'or Awards. At Nikkatsu, Watari appeared in such films as Tokyo Drifter and the Outlaw series. Watari was mentored at Nikkatsu by Yujiro Ishihara. When Nikkatsu shifted to focusing on Roman Porno films in the early seventies, Watari was one of many actors who left the studio. Watari was due to play the main role in Kinji Fukasaku’s film Battles Without Honor and Humanity, but because of illness he was not able to appear. In 1974, he was forced to step down from the lead role of Katsu Kaishū in the Taiga drama Katsu Kaishū on NHK, again because of illness, after appearing in only nine episodes. In 1976, Watari won best actor of Blue Ribbon Award for his role in Kinji Fukasaku`s film Yakuza Graveyard. In Japan, Watari is probably still best known for his role as Keisuke Daiomon in the detective series "Seibu Keisatsu" on TV Asahi. He also appeared in the popular detective drama "Taiyō ni Hoero!" as a replacement for Yujiro Ishihara in 1986. Watari became the president of Ishihara Promotion after Yujiro's death in 1987 but in 2011 he resigned due to his declining health. On June 10, 2015 he was hospitalised after suffering a heart attack and underwent surgery. Seven days later it was announced that he was in rehabilitation and would be discharged from hospital in about a month. He had a younger brother, Tsunehiko Watase, who was also an actor. As a singer, Watari is known for his hit song "Kuchinashi no Hana" and he appeared in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 1974 and 1993. He died of pneumonia on August 10, 2020, at the age of 78.
Place of Birth: Not available
Birthday: December 28, 1941
Deathday: August 10, 2020
Popularity:
Known For
Lady Joker
2004-12-11
Lady Joker
Overview: Men and women caught up in a downward spiral of corruption, discrimination, poverty and death are the focus of this detective-thriller/social-drama inspired by the unsolved 1984 kidnapping of a Japanese candy company president.
Genres: Thriller Crime Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2004-12-11
Popularity:
The Summit of Mt. Fuji
1970-02-28
The Summit of Mt. Fuji
Overview: The Japanese government decides to install a radar on the top of Mt. Fuji, in order to detect typhoons as far as 800 km south of the Japanese archipelago, but the task will not be easy.
Genres: Drama Adventure
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1970-02-28
Popularity:
The Cleanup
1969-12-31
The Cleanup
Overview: A real all-star cast turns out for this modern yakuza yarn.
Genres: Crime Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1969-12-31
Popularity:
Goryokaku
1988-12-30
Goryokaku
Overview: After the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, there was a series of battles fought while the former supporters of the Tokugawa shogunate retreated to the north where they actually started a sovereign nation that was recognized by more than one European country. Survivors of the Shinsengumi were among the followers of Enomoto Takeaki who took them to the northernmost island of Ezo where they fought their final battle at the star shaped fort, Goryokaku. The Japanese Civil Wars fought in the name of the emperor signaled the complete end of the feudal system and Japan’s entry into the modern world as those brave samurai tried to halt progress and learned that the age of modern warfare and weaponry had passed them by. Swords were no match for rifles and cannons, nor was any man a match for the power of the imperial flag. Japanese loyalty to the emperor has long defined the nation and culture despite the changing times.
Genres: Action History Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1988-12-30
Popularity:
The Wild Sea
1969-10-15
The Wild Sea
Overview: Yoji Kitami, a fisherman's son, is a student in Tokyo. His father had died at sea and Taichiro, his brother, is sending him to the university. But the outbreak of violence by radical students and blockade of classrooms make studying impossible and Yoji goes home. Fortunately, he meets Katsuyuki Shinoda, a childhood friend, who works on a whaling vessel. Yoji decides to join him and rediscover a meaning in life. But finding sidework on a whaler is not so easy and Ogaki, a veteran harpooner, curtly turns him down. But finally, deeply touched by Yoji's earnestness, Ogaki reluctantly agrees to take him with them. Rules are very strict, for even one slight slip-up may jeopardize the safety of the entire ship. For a long time, it seems like a living hell, but with patience and courage, he begins to learn the ropes. And the day they sight their first whale, Yoji comes into his own and finds the real meaning of life.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1969-10-15
Popularity:
The Blazing Continent
1968-12-14
The Blazing Continent
Overview: A youthful Nikkatsu drama about a Japanese painter who travels to Australia and falls in love.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-12-14
Popularity:
Tokyo Drifter
1966-04-10
Tokyo Drifter
Overview: After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to Kurata's top operative, Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo. When the fiercely loyal Tetsu declines, Otsuka taps unstoppable Tatsuzo the "Viper", a ruthless gun-for-hire, to assassinate him. As the Viper trails his target through the countryside, the agile Phoenix Tetsu grows concerned that one of his former associates has betrayed him.
Genres: Thriller Crime Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1966-04-10
Popularity:
Yakuza Graveyard
1976-10-30
Yakuza Graveyard
Overview: A police investigator cracks down on yakuza business, but once he realizes the police are in negotiations with certain factions, he sides with his own syndicate of choice.
Genres: Action Crime Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1976-10-30
Popularity:
前科・仮釈放
1969-05-14
前科・仮釈放
Overview:
Genres: Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1969-05-14
Popularity:
Rebellion Reward
1973-02-17
Rebellion Reward
Overview: The film tells about drug trafficking from Vietnam to Tokyo and Okinawa. Tetsuya Watari plays a photographer who uses his camera as a blackmail weapon. He is on the trail of a narcotics smuggler (Mikio Narita) and his beautiful contact (Haruko Wanibuchi). Watari meets a former gangster (Yujiro Ishihara) who is seeking revenge against Narita, his former partner. Watari and Ishihara become allies and hijack the dope shipment. But Narita threatens the life of Haruko, who turns out to be Ishihara's sister, and demands the dope in return for the girl.
Genres: Drama Crime Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1973-02-17
Popularity:
Graveyard of Honor
1975-02-15
Graveyard of Honor
Overview: A self-destructive man becomes a powerful member of the Japanese mafia but quickly loses his self control. Based on the true story of Rikio Ishikawa.
Genres: Crime Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1975-02-15
Popularity:
Seishun no Sabaki
1965-04-14
Seishun no Sabaki
Overview: University karate club member Kikuo is actually the son of a yakuza boss. However, he disliked his father's business and never spoke about his family at school. One day, his father, Tatsuzo, becomes the guardian of the Yamanaka-gumi.
Genres: Action Crime
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1965-04-14
Popularity:
Velvet Hustler
1967-10-06
Velvet Hustler
Overview: A young yakuza hitman named Goro does a job and needs to hideout away from Tokyo for a while. He hangs out with loose women and hard men and always manages to stay one step ahead of the law. In his exile, he comes under suspicion for a murder and meets the girlfriend of the murdered man. They develop a strange bond while unbeknown to Goro, another hitman is after him for the job he did in Tokyo.
Genres: Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1967-10-06
Popularity:
East China Sea
1968-10-05
East China Sea
Overview: Rokurō starts a part-time job on a fishing boat, but the ship has an engine failure in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-10-05
Popularity:
Exiled to Hell
1969-01-22
Exiled to Hell
Overview: It is the end of the Taisho era (1912-1926), and at the Hanazuki-tei theatre in Asakusa, the famous performance of storyteller Koiso Kikuji and performer Kataoka Koshin is reaching its climax when the Tawaraya family interferes... This is an entertaining action film bursting with righteousness and humanity, centred on men who try to live righteously against a corrupt boss who preys on the performers.
Genres: Drama Crime
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1969-01-22
Popularity:
The Aftermath of War
1967-11-18
The Aftermath of War
Overview: After World War II life in Japan was hard. There was lawlessness, rapine, never enough food or money. One girl, raped by three men, called out the name of Kentaro before she died and this was something that people in this small section of downtown Tokyo remembered. Life went on, however, and local boss Hiramatsu Daizo decided to build a market, aided by his daughter Aya. They met opposition until one day a young man named Kentaro appears who it is rumored he was the vengeful lover of the murdered girl. He lives with Sabu and Yukari, the children the girl looked after before she died, and helps with the market, coming to the rescue with a bulldozer when Daizo is threatened by a rival group. When Daizo is finally killed, Kentaro carries on the work. Finally the market is completed, the rival group makes a last stand but is machine-gunned down by Kentaro who, after saying that he was not the one whose name the dying girl called out, leaves town for good.
Genres: Drama Crime Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1967-11-18
Popularity:
Profile of a Boss' Son
1970-01-24
Profile of a Boss' Son
Overview: Four years ago, Teppei Hondo killed two people from the Shinwa group for the murder of his brother. After serving a 3-year prison sentence, he considered returning home, but his father, the boss of the Honda Group, told him to stay away for another year, so he went to sea. In the end, having returned, he again finds himself embroiled in a showdown between the yakuza.
Genres: Drama Crime Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1970-01-24
Popularity:
Your Life
1966-08-13
Your Life
Overview: A moodo/akushon yakuza picture with heavy emphasis on poignant seishun romance.
Genres: Action Crime
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1966-08-13
Popularity:
The Code of Man
1968-02-13
The Code of Man
Overview: Tetsuya Watari, a modern youth idol, co-stars with Tetsuro Tamba for the first time, and a young man who survives freely is an action giant who swings down the iron arm of justice and anger toward evil
Genres: Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-02-13
Popularity:
Clockwork- Goodbye Winter
1986-10-10
Clockwork- Goodbye Winter
Overview: Ayumi Ishida won the Blue Ribbon for the Best Actress.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1986-10-10
Popularity:
Abduction
1997-06-07
Abduction
Overview: The film opens with kidnappers of a corporate executive making an unusual ransom demand: that a wizened executive from another company haul large bags of money through downtown Tokyo as the media documents his every move. When the first old man almost dies from exhaustion, a second, and eventually a third elderly corporate fat cat is ordered to do the same. The police detective assigned to the case (Tetsuya Watari) and his younger partner (Masatoshi Nagase) are livid with indignation at this sorry spectacle. They learn that these four men were involved in a massive industrial spill that poisoned an entire rural hamlet 20 years previous. Suddenly, the detective -- who studied in the States and apparently absorbed some John Wayne-like mannerisms in the process -- isn't sure who are the victims and who are the villains.
Genres: Action Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1997-06-07
Popularity:
Kanto Kanbu-kai
1971-04-24
Kanto Kanbu-kai
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1971-04-24
Popularity:
Ruthless Gambler
1969-06-28
Ruthless Gambler
Overview: Unlike traditional gangster movies, it is a gangster swashbuckler that mixes romance and humanity with a yakuza lover as the main character. A young man who heard that his former boss was killed is imprisoned by slashing his family's minions, and his lover is tortured by the enemy, but rescued by the imprisoned young man's nemesis.
Genres: Action Crime Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1969-06-28
Popularity:
Villain
2012-11-30
Villain
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2012-11-30
Popularity:
Spartan Education
1970-08-12
Spartan Education
Overview: In a match where professional baseball referee Yuzo Tagami was observing a young referee, Hara, a player who got angry at the indecisive judge, knocked the referee down. Tagami lived with his wife and five children, but when he returned home, Hara, who had been suspended for a month, wanted to receive Tagami's Subaruta training.
Genres: Comedy Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1970-08-12
Popularity:
Outlaw: Gangster VIP
1968-01-13
Outlaw: Gangster VIP
Overview: Goro had grown up in the yakuza world. As an active member of the Mizuhara family crime syndicate, he expressed his loyalty by always putting himself in the forefront of every battle. Violence never bothered him. However, after being sentenced to three years in prison for stabbing a rival gang’s hit man, he becomes disenchanted with the Yakuza life style. Goro is determined to start anew, but karma catches up. His two closest friends are murdered by his ex-boss. He is left with two options: to kill or be killed.
Genres: Crime Action Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-01-13
Popularity:
Monument to the Girl's Corps
1968-09-21
Monument to the Girl's Corps
Overview: In 1943, critical developments in the Pacific War have placed Japan at a disadvantage, although the fiery breaths of war hadn't yet reached Okinawa Normal School for women. Nothing seemed the least bit out of the ordinary, as Kazuko and her friends enjoyed a day of sports. A year later the war takes a devastating turn, as US forces plan an amphibious attack known as "Operation Iceberg" on the Ryukyu island.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-09-21
Popularity:
Conflagration
1975-07-12
Conflagration
Overview: Global South guerrillas hijack the Japanese oil tanker Arabian Light, threatening to blow it up in Tokyo Bay, unless the Cabinet complies with an economically devastating ultimatum.
Genres: Adventure Action Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1975-07-12
Popularity:
The Unruly Ronin's Journey
1991-10-31
The Unruly Ronin's Journey
Overview: A ronin named Azami Onijuro travels the Nikko Highway, he is being followed by the bounty hunter Daihachi and Yukata Danzen. He is pursued by his past as a covert spy under Lord Matsudaira. Due to certain circumstances, Onijuro betrayed him and became a wandering ronin. Ever since, he's been hunted by Matsudaira's subordinates and bounty hunters. After saving the tough and fiery woman Omom from yakuza trouble, Onijuro and his companions head to Akame-shuku (inn town). Here, a conflict brews between the Tsurugame family led by Genroku and the lawless monk group led by Tetsuzan, a former sumo wrestler gone rogue. Onijuro sides with Tetsuzan, while Daihachi and Danzen side with Genroku. This intricate web of allegiances and confrontations unfolds against the backdrop of the bustling post-town.
Genres: Drama Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1991-10-31
Popularity:
Outlaw: Heartless
1968-08-01
Outlaw: Heartless
Overview: Goro Fujikawa (Tetsuya Watari) was indebted to Mitsugimoto. Sawada, a low rank yakuza with a gambling problem owed Mitsugimoto three million yen. This equation can only lead to one answer. Mitsugimoto needs to pay and Goro's coming to collect.
Genres: Crime Action Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-08-01
Popularity:
Outlaw: Goro the Assassin
1968-11-02
Outlaw: Goro the Assassin
Overview: On a cold winter day, Goro Fujikawa (Tetsuya Watari) and Masahiko murder the mob boss of Meishin-Kai. The deed costs them time in prison, but Goro had no shred of regret. When Goro is released 2 years later, Masahiko is dying in prison hospital and entrusts his last wish; "find my sister and take care of her." Goro leaves as a free man with a mission, but soon finds that he might have been better off in jail.
Genres: Crime Action Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-11-02
Popularity:
Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2
1968-04-28
Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2
Overview: Goro (Tetsuya Watari) wants to put his dark past behind. He heads to Hirosaki City to offer his condolences to Yumeko and to reunite with Yukiko (Chieko Matsubara), but finds that Yumeko is fatally ill. Although Yukiko was taking care of her, she is pressed for money. Goro wants to help and knows that there is only one way to come up with fast money.
Genres: Crime Action Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-04-28
Popularity:
Outlaw: Black Dagger
1968-12-28
Outlaw: Black Dagger
Overview: A street war breaks loose between two rival gangs in the Kansai region of Japan. Goro is in the middle of action. Through a knife fight against Sueo, a high profile gangster from Busou-kai, Goro notices a familiar face approaching him from amidst the chaos - his girlfriend, Yuri. Goro had sent her to safety, but she had returned, aching to see him. Caught between Goro and his enemy knife, she reunites with her love - the price was her life.
Genres: Action Crime Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-12-28
Popularity:
Outlaw: Kill!
1969-03-14
Outlaw: Kill!
Overview: Goro has always been a lone wolf. When he arrives at an industrial city in Keihin, there is certain restlessness in the air. The Iriezaki family and the Kanto Touyu-kai were in the midst of a territorial dispute. Goro was quick to notice, but had no intent to take sides. At a department store nearby, he sees an elevator lady being harassed by a couple of hoodlums. Goro decides to intervene. Unbeknownst to him, the hoodlums are Touyu-kai members – and the girl has strong ties with the opposing family.
Genres: Crime Action Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1969-03-14
Popularity:
It Is a Long Walk
2000-09-15
It Is a Long Walk
Overview: Screen icon Sayuri Yoshinaga stars in this historical melodrama about geishas in the southern city of Nagasaki set during the 1920s. Though she was sold to a geisha house at a young age, Aihara (Yoshinaga) has since become a master samisen player and woman of great elegance. Though not especially rich, she doles out money to street kids, in particular, a pretty young flower vendor named Oyuki, who becomes Aihara's godchild of sorts. Yet when a geisha (Reiko Takashima) from a rival red-light district insults Aihara and her brethren, she fights back. Soon an all-out geisha war looms. Dapper businessman and amateur scholar Tojiro Koga (Tetsuya Watari) appears on the scene and defuses tempers -- suggesting that difference be settled through a competition of artistic abilities. Smitten with her talent and mature beauty, Koga invites Aihara to record Nagasaki folk songs before they disappear forever
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2000-09-15
Popularity:
Shura Group Part 3
2002-01-01
Shura Group Part 3
Overview: Ryuji Inahara changed the name of the Inahara-gumi to the Inahara-kai, and accordingly unified the emblem of the Inahara-kai. Then, in 1961, Inahara-kai opened a new headquarters office in Roppongi, Tokyo. Further incidents and conflicts await Ryuji and the Inahara-kai.
Genres: History Crime
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2002-01-01
Popularity:
Stray Dog
1973-09-29
Stray Dog
Overview: When his pistol is stolen, police detective Murakami is humiliated, especially when the gun is later implicated in a crime. Working with his superior, Chief Detective Sato, Murakami works feverishly to trace the location of his pistol, ultimately clashing with a gang of youthful Okinawans.
Genres: Crime Thriller Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1973-09-29
Popularity:
Chase That Man
1972-02-23
Chase That Man
Overview: The story of the desperate struggle between the police and a large crime syndicate.
Genres: Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1972-02-23
Popularity:
Night Train to the Stars
1996-10-19
Night Train to the Stars
Overview: “Night Train to the Stars” is a biography of the fascinating life of Kenji Miyazawa, one of Japan's most beloved fantasy novelists. Miyazawa is an idealist pledging with his friend Kanai to work for the improved life of farmers. Troubled by his family’s interest in money making and social status, he leaves home after graduating high school to join a Buddhist sect in Tokyo. After falling out with a friend, and receiving news about his sister re-emerging pneumonia, he decides to return home where starts his own experimental school, teaching new farming methods to young local farmers while also instructing them in music and arts. It was only after his death, through the help of his brother Seiroku, that his writings became widely read.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1996-10-19
Popularity:
Savage Wolf Pack
1969-02-22
Savage Wolf Pack
Overview: A professional hunter, Tetsuya, returns from Alaska to find that his hometown had become a lawless slum. He is shocked to learn that his younger sister had committed suicide after being raped by unknown men. One day, he rescues a girl from being attacked by some gang, and discovers that the same gang had driven his sister to death. Using his lethal hunting skills, Tetsuya begins to take revenge…
Genres: Drama Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1969-02-22
Popularity:
Human Revolution II
1976-06-19
Human Revolution II
Overview: Dramatic story of one man trying to make a difference.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1976-06-19
Popularity:
第1回欽ちゃんのシネマジャック
1993-05-22
第1回欽ちゃんのシネマジャック
Overview: Kin chan no Cinema Jack is an anthology film starring Yuen Biao and produced by Jackie Chan
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: cn
Release Date: 1993-05-22
Popularity:
The Black Sheep
1967-01-03
The Black Sheep
Overview: Young female teacher Kyoko Miyake relocates to a small seaside town with her runaway little sister, but their new life is complicated by hoodlum-like Jiro Yamazaki (the black sheep of the title) who is related to the family hosting them and whom they keep running into, but can't help but to feel sympathy for. Of course, rumours start fast in a small town, but delightfully she doesn't really care at all. This is another very solid Shogoro Nishimura film.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1967-01-03
Popularity:
The Final Winner?
1968-08-28
The Final Winner?
Overview: In a high school, two men are fighting over a beautiful female teacher who has been assigned as an English teacher.
Genres: Romance
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-08-28
Popularity:
Sword and Flower
1972-04-14
Sword and Flower
Overview: Masuda Toshio film starring Watari Tetsuya and Mori Masayuki, about a lone-wolf type (Watari) seeking love and defending the honor of an elderly widower (Mori).
Genres: Crime
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1972-04-14
Popularity:
Showdown at Nagasaki
1969-10-18
Showdown at Nagasaki
Overview: When Keiji Takama returns to Nagasaki, he finds many changes. The rights of the entertainment field that had been held by his family have been taken over by the Matsui Group, a new gangster setup. So he becomes head of the Takama Group to regain lost territory. With the cooperation of all the Bosses from Tokyo to Nagasaki, who had known his father, Keiji recovers the rights to put on shows at the City Hall. As he had feared, however, Matsui begins to interfere with his plans. Keiji's men are furious, but he knows better than to take up the cudgels with Matsui at this important time. Whatever Matsui does, Keiji goes one better. Frustrated and bitter, Matsui calls in the help of Koiwa, a killer. Now, having tried his best to oust Keiji but finding that he is made of sterner stuff than he had counted on, he decides to have Koiwa do away with him for good.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1969-10-18
Popularity:
Diary of Early Winter Shower
1998-11-14
Diary of Early Winter Shower
Overview: Kounosuke Mibu and Tae Horikawa are unable to forget each other, even though they met and fell in love 20 years ago. They had promised each other that they would build a retreat in Shiguretei, but Ushio was hospitalized after a stroke a few days later, and when his wife, Takako, rushed to the hospital, she discovered their love affair, which in reality had not gone beyond kissing. Now, 20 years later, against the advice of her ikebana mentor, Tae rushes to meet Ushio at Shiguretei, only to see him clutching his chest in pain. Eventually, the design and plans for the dream retreat are seen by Tae, but she has to visit Kyoto alone... or maybe she's heading for somewhere else.
Genres: Romance
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1998-11-14
Popularity:
Theater Of Life
1972-07-15
Theater Of Life
Overview: Centred on Aonari Hyokichi, a young literary man with aspirations to become a writer, and the surrounding people, including Kira Tsuneo and Tobigashikaku.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1972-07-15
Popularity:
Flower and Dragon
1973-03-17
Flower and Dragon
Overview: Kingoro Tamai moves with his wife and son to the port city of Wakamatsu. He organizes the Tamai-gumi, a stevedore group, to vie for work with two other powerful groups. Gingo is Tamai's chief rival who falls in love with the latter's wife and tries to kill Tamai.
Genres: Action Crime
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1973-03-17
Popularity:
The Blossom and the Sword
1973-11-17
The Blossom and the Sword
Overview: 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.
Genres: Action Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1973-11-17
Popularity:
Wild Cop 2
1973-12-01
Wild Cop 2
Overview: Based on the comic Gokuburi Deka.
Genres: Action Crime Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1973-12-01
Popularity:
Wild Cop
1973-06-09
Wild Cop
Overview: Based on the comic Gokiburi Deka.
Genres: Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1973-06-09
Popularity:
Step on the Gas!
1970-10-24
Step on the Gas!
Overview: Yūji, fresh out of prison on parole, meets a stranger named Nao that asks for his assistance...
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1970-10-24
Popularity:
The Stars and I Decided...
1965-08-14
The Stars and I Decided...
Overview: The brother of an up-and-coming kendoka is mysteriously murdered while working on a new model of motorboat.
Genres: Drama Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1965-08-14
Popularity:
My Sweetheart
1967-11-03
My Sweetheart
Overview: It had been a year and four months since Mitsuo was last on a movie set. Welcomed back by director Ishizaki and his film crew, Mitsuo is excited to star as the lead in "My Sweetheart". One day, half way through production, he meets his friends from a popular rock group, "The Spiders". Through their discussion regarding the climax scene, they criticize that the script is too grim. In a notion to protect their friend's career, they decide to pay the scriptwriter a little visit.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1967-11-03
Popularity:
The Stormy Man
1966-10-03
The Stormy Man
Overview: A remake of the 1957 classic "Man Who Raised a Storm" with Watari Tetsuya in the title role.
Genres: Drama Music
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1966-10-03
Popularity:
Showdown in Gangland
1970-03-07
Showdown in Gangland
Overview: Rivalry between two young gangster groups who seek to extend their influence.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1970-03-07
Popularity:
Love Eternal
1966-07-09
Love Eternal
Overview: A deep mist envelops the port city of Yokohama. The scent of crime is everywhere. As an executive member of a drug trafficking syndicate, Kano is pretty high up in the food chain, but "status" bears no value to him. All he cares for is Ayako, the boss' mistress. After one last job, they intend to run off together to Hong Kong, but their plans are hindered when an uninvited yakuza stirs up a vicious shootout. In the midst of it all, Ayako is kidnapped.
Genres: Action Romance
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1966-07-09
Popularity:
In Tears
1965-10-01
In Tears
Overview: Hiroshi is the second officer on board the Hakuromaru. Lead by his captain, he heads out to town to recruit new crew members for their next voyage. Hiroshi is baffled when his captain approaches the Daigo-Kuroshiomaru crew, a notorious group nicknamed "the hoodlums of the sea". Their offer is greeted with scoffs and quickly turned down.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1965-10-01
Popularity:
Sangokushi: The Yangtze Is Burning!
1993-03-20
Sangokushi: The Yangtze Is Burning!
Overview: Covering roughly 13 years, from Cao Cao's victory over Lu Bu in 198 CE, through the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 CE, and the aftermath up until 211 BCE. As other players are swept from the board, the story focuses on Liu Bei and his increasingly desperate attempts to prevent Cao Cao from seizing all of China. The turning point is Liu Bei's recruitment of the best strategic mind of that generation, Zhuge Kongming, the Crouching Dragon.
Genres: Animation War History Drama TV Movie
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1993-03-20
Popularity:
Kanto Drifter
1971-02-06
Kanto Drifter
Overview: Young man returns from prison and sets out to destroy the gang that killed his friends and boss of his former gang.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1971-02-06
Popularity:
Till We Meet Again
1966-06-01
Till We Meet Again
Overview: College life starts off great for Michiko. She and her friend join the Italian Culture Research Club that performs canzone, a genre they are both in love with. The only problem is that the club doesn't have enough money to buy instruments for them to play. One day, the two come across a talent show called the "Mari Sono Look-Alike Contest" that promises the winner a cash prize. And Michiko looks a lot like the star.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1966-06-01
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The Swan Elegy
1966-10-29
The Swan Elegy
Overview: One day, Reiko, who is engaged, meets a young man named Kondo, and she likes him, although she has a fiancé. On top of this, Reiko, suffering between two men, learns from her father that she is the child of her deceased mother and uncle. In this ambitious work, Sayuri Yoshinaga takes on the role of a girl who loves two men at the same time. The latest work from the golden duo of director Katsumi Nishikawa and actress Sayuri Yoshinaga, who created many masterpieces such as “The Izu Dancer”.
Genres: Romance Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1966-10-29
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The Heart of Hiroshima
1966-09-17
The Heart of Hiroshima
Overview: One morning, Kazue is nearly knocked over by a motorbike in front of an instrument store, breaking all the records that she was carrying. The two connect instantly and begin seeing each other every day. However, Iwai, Yukio’s foster parent, is concerned - Yukio had been exposed to the atomic bomb when he was four years old and had been showing symptoms of atomic radiation, hospitalizing him in the Genbaku Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Hospital. Unfortunately, nobody knows when the symptoms may return. When Yukio passes out from anemia during work, he decides to part with Kazue. A couple of days later, Yukio tells her of his destiny at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, but Kazue passionately encourages him.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1966-09-17
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Red Glass
1966-05-18
Red Glass
Overview:
Genres: Action Crime
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1966-05-18
Popularity:
Burning Clouds
1967-05-03
Burning Clouds
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1967-05-03
Popularity:
The Man of Victory
1967-02-25
The Man of Victory
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1967-02-25
Popularity:
Dreams Come True at Night
1967-01-14
Dreams Come True at Night
Overview:
Genres: Romance Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1967-01-14
Popularity:
Song of my Life
1968-05-29
Song of my Life
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1968-05-29
Popularity:
Tokyo Drifter 2: The Sea Is Bright Red as the Color of Love
1966-11-09
Tokyo Drifter 2: The Sea Is Bright Red as the Color of Love
Overview: Sequel to Tokyo Drifter
Genres: Crime Drama Action Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1966-11-09
Popularity:
Yamato
2005-12-17
Yamato
Overview: Directed by Junya Sato and based on a book by Jun Henmi, "Yamato" has a framing story set in the present day and uses flashbacks to tell the story of the crew of the World War II Japanese battleship Yamato. The film was never released in the United States, where reviewers who have seen it have compared the military epic to "Titanic" and "Saving Private Ryan."
Genres: War History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2005-12-17
Popularity:
Brother
2000-12-13
Brother
Overview: A Japanese Yakuza gangster's deadly existence in his homeland gets him exiled to Los Angeles, where he is taken in by his little brother and his brother's gang.
Genres: Crime Drama Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2000-12-13
Popularity:
Expelled from the Kanto Mob
1971-07-03
Expelled from the Kanto Mob
Overview: In the late Taisho era. Umeshima Jinbei, the president of the Kanto Umeshima Kai, divided the area into the Kuroda family to the south and the Takeuchi family to the north in order to protect the security of Kame no Ii, which had opened up in place of the Yoshiwara brothel that had been burnt down in the earthquake, and had the Kuroda family rule their respective territories. Chichibu Yasaburo, the small head of the Kuroda family, had a good reputation as the mainstay of the family and was trusted by his boss Mankichi, but Furuno, who was in love with Mankichi's daughter Mie, who was in love with Yasaburo, informally informed the Takeuchi clan and took out Mankichi's seal and borrowed money from Takeuchi in the name of Yasaburo to line his pockets.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1971-07-03
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The Human Revolution
1973-09-08
The Human Revolution
Overview:
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1973-09-08
Popularity:
Farewell to the Code
1971-09-11
Farewell to the Code
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1971-09-11
Popularity:
Great Conquest: The Romance of Three Kingdoms
1992-01-25
Great Conquest: The Romance of Three Kingdoms
Overview: Beginning during the Yellow Turban rebellion that initiated the downfall of the ruling Han dynasty. At the start of the story, both Liu Bei, its eventual protagonist, and Cao Cao, its eventual antagonist, are minor players. Liu Bei is striving to find a way to bring order to a chaotic world. As he puzzles he way toward the correct course of action, he befriends two powerful warriors, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu. Together, they take the Oath of the Peach Garden, to live and die together as warriors for justice. Meanwhile, Cao Cao is pondering how to fulfill his destiny as "a hero in a chaotic world or a villain in a peaceful one."
Genres: Animation History Action Drama TV Movie
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1992-01-25
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Pay Off Your Debt!
1970-09-01
Pay Off Your Debt!
Overview: Asakura was told he could leave the gang if he killed Takahata, but he failed and was sentenced to two years. When he was released, the Oyane group was crushed, and instead, the emerging gangster Hokuyokai was in charge of the Oyane group's territory.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1970-09-01
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Again
1984-02-18
Again
Overview: An anthology that embodies the essence of Toei action films with a stylish flair, this movie follows an aging hitman (Jō Shishido) on a quest to find a former rival he once shared the screen with. The story unfolds as he roams, creating a distinctive narrative.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1984-02-18
Popularity:
The Fatal Raid
1969-08-23
The Fatal Raid
Overview: Kazama and three others defeated Yoshie Sangyo, but the Nishio group was disbanded due to public pressure, and the territory belonged to the Hirata group.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1969-08-23
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The Earth is Born Again
1971-02-26
The Earth is Born Again
Overview: A dramatic film that recorded the history of Japan in the period of high economic growth. This work deals with Kashima Rinkai industrial zone development. The men who dream of making the overlooking wasteland as a big industrial area draw the courage to realize the ideal purely with the fishy desire swirling back to the coastal industrial area of Kashima Nada in Ibaraki prefecture.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1971-02-26
Popularity:
Shinkuna umi ga yon deru ze
1965-07-03
Shinkuna umi ga yon deru ze
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1965-07-03
Popularity: