Isuzu Yamada
Also Known As: Исудзу Ямада, ایسوزو یامادا
Biography: Isuzu Yamada (山田 五十鈴, Yamada Isuzu, 5 February 1917 – 9 July 2012) was a Japanese stage and screen actress whose career spanned seven decades. Yamada was born in Osaka as Mitsu Yamada, the daughter of Kusudu Yamada, a shinpa actor specialising in onnagata roles, and Ritsu, a geisha. Yamada debuted as a film actress in 1930 at age twelve, appearing in the Nikkatsu film Tsurugi wo koete. She soon became one of Nikkatsu's top actresses, but it was her portrayals of strong-willed modern girls in Kenji Mizoguchi's Osaka Elegy and Sisters of the Gion in 1936 at the new Daiichi Eiga studio that earned her popularity and critical acclaim. Moving to Shinkō Kinema and then to Toho, she became a star with Mikio Naruse's Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro (1938). During the second half of the 1950s, Yamada's main attention shifted towards the stage, but she still appeared in a number of distinguished films like Naruse's Flowing (1956), Yasujirō Ozu's Tokyo Twilight (1957) and Akira Kurosawa's The Lower Depths (1957) and Throne of Blood (1957). Other directors she worked with during this decade include Keisuke Kinoshita, Kaneto Shindō and Shirō Toyoda. In addition to her theatre engagements, she appeared on television, including the long-running Hissatsu series. Her last TV appearance was in 2002. Yamada died from multiple organ failure in Tokyo on 9 July 2012 at the age of 95. She was married four times, to actor Ichirō Tsukita, to producer Kazuo Takimura, to actor Yoshi Katō, and to actor Tsutomu Shimomoto. Her daughter with Tsukita, Michiko, became known as the actress Michiko Saga (1935–1992). Description above from the Wikipedia article Isuzu Yamada, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Department: Acting
Place of Birth: Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Birthday: February 05, 1917
Deathday: July 09, 2012
Adult: No
Gender: Female
Popularity:
Known For:
Throne of Blood
Overview: Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1957-01-15
Popularity:
Bangaku no issho
Overview: Yamanaka Sadao's fourth feature film. The Life of Bangaku
Genres: History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1933-06-15
Popularity:
Yojimbo
Overview: A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
Genres: Drama Thriller
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1961-04-25
Popularity:
The Lower Depths
Overview: Residents of a rundown boardinghouse in 19th-century Japan, including a mysterious old man and an aging actor, get drawn into a love triangle that turns violent. When amoral thief Sutekichi breaks off his affair with landlady Osugi to romance her younger sister, Okayo, Osugi extracts her revenge by revealing her infidelity to her jealous husband.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1957-10-01
Popularity:
Love in the Mountains
Overview: A mother and her daughter who run a quiet mountain hotel, and guests who visit the hotel. A girl who does not know what a broken heart is, the attractive joy of first love, and separation is like parting with life. The mother-daughter duet with Isuzu Yamada attracted a lot of attention at that time. Haruko Wanibuchi, demonstrated rare attractiveness and pure charm by playing a heroine living in a beautiful and pure first love.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1959-10-23
Popularity:
Wild Lion
Overview: A gripping historical drama that follows the explosive growth of Katsu Kaishu, the hero of the Meiji era, and the interesting human image of his father, Kokichi, who lived for the common people, his neighbors and his children. A film about paternal and maternal love and conjugal love in the creation of mankind, about the healing power of which laughter and tears have. The film that became the last work of the giant star Tsumasaburo Bando.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1953-08-12
Popularity:
Pineapple Butai
Overview: The story of the role played by Japanese-American soldiers from Hawaii in the Korean War of the 1950s.
Genres: War
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1959-12-27
Popularity:
Professional Killer
Overview: Directed by Mansaku Itami.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1932-06-03
Popularity:
The Undefeated Woman
Overview: The Undefeated Woman
Genres: Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1958-10-21
Popularity:
Osaka Elegy
Overview: Ayako becomes the mistress of her boss so she can pay her father's debt and prevent him from going to prison for embezzlement.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1936-05-28
Popularity:
The Stand in Hakone
Overview: A period film about a peasant revolt in the region near Mount Fuji, occasioned by high officials' depriving the farmers of their water rights.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1952-03-14
Popularity:
Flowing
Overview: Otsuta is running the geisha house Tsuta in Tokyo. Her business is heavily in debt. Her daughter Katsuyo doesn't see any future in her mother's trade in the late days of Geisha. But Otsuta will not give up. This film portraits the day time life of geisha when not entertaining customers.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1956-11-20
Popularity:
Oyuki the Virgin
Overview: When a civil war threatens to break out, two geishas flee from their village with aristocrats. During the long journey, the socially inferior women prove to be morally superior to their betters.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1935-10-05
Popularity:
A Man from Akagi
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1950-10-07
Popularity:
The Great Wall
Overview: In 221 BC, Qin Shihuangdi conquered the rest of China. Qin's great accomplishments and also his serious faults are showed in this film. Qin adopted autocratic dictatorship and led a luxurious life: abolition of feudalism and the centralization of power in the form of a now-hereditary bureaucracy loyal to himself; burning books and burying scholars; the construction of a sumptuous palace for his concubines and also the Great Wall.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1962-11-01
Popularity:
The 26 Martyrs of Japan
Overview: Jesuit priests in Japan during the 17th century are persecuted by the shogunate to for trying to spread Christianity.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1931-10-01
Popularity:
Tokyo Twilight
Overview: Two sisters find out the existence of their long-lost mother, but the younger cannot accept the fact that she was abandoned as a child.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1957-04-30
Popularity:
Sisters of the Gion
Overview: Umekichi, a geisha in the Gion district of Kyoto, feels obliged to help her lover Furusawa when he asks to stay with her after becoming bankrupt and leaving his wife. However her younger sister Omocha tells her she is wasting her time and money on a loser. She thinks that they should both find wealthy patrons to support them. Omocha therefore tries various schemes to get rid of Furusawa, and set themselves up with better patrons.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1936-10-15
Popularity:
Kurosawa
Overview: Documentary on film maker Akira Kurosawa
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2000-12-24
Popularity:
Yataro's Hat - Comings and Goings
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1932-03-17
Popularity:
Woman Boss
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1970-01-15
Popularity:
Shinpen Tange Sazen: Sekigan no maki
Overview: Another adaptation of Tange Sazen.
Genres: History Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1939-12-20
Popularity:
Happy Daughter
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1934-05-03
Popularity:
The Downfall of Osen
Overview: In Tokyo, Osen is the servant girl of an unscrupulous antiques dealer, Kumazawa, who takes in the penniless Sokichi Hata. Kumazawa mistreats Sokichi and Osen, while swindling some Buddhist monks out of their temple treasures. When Kumazawa is arrested, Osen agrees to help Sokichi finance his dream of going to medical school. They live in a humble room, and eventually the only way Osen can find enough money for them is to prostitute herself during the day, without Sokichi knowing. (Will Gilbert)
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1935-01-20
Popularity:
The Sword
Overview: Kiyone Sakurai, an apprentice swordmaker makes a sword for his guardian, Kozaemon Onoda. Onoda breaks the sword while defending his lord which eventually leads to his death at the hands of Naito, when Naito demands to marry his daughter Sasae. Sasae vows to avenge her father's death and pleads for Kiyone Sakurai to make a special sword for her. So Kiyone and his fellow swordmaker Kiyotsugu go to the master swordsmith Kiyohide Yamatomori to learn their craft and forge the sword. - Will Gilbert
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1945-02-08
Popularity:
A Billionaire
Overview: An ethical, young tax collector new to his area encounters increasingly absurd individuals and groups coping with their post-war woes.
Genres: Comedy Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1954-11-22
Popularity:
Until Victory Day
Overview: An Invention laboratory is working on the creation of a performance 'bomb' in the shape of a rocket that could be delivered to the front in order to entertain and amuse the national troops. Inside this rocket would be tiny performers. Once launched from the laboratory and landed amidst the Japanese troops the soldiers could enjoy the performers. The laboratory succeeds and the rocket is built. It bears the insignia, 'until the victory days.' The Japanese government began a program of shooting and disseminating propaganda and entertainment movies for its troops during World War II. It is a lost film.
Genres: Comedy War
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1945-01-25
Popularity:
Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro
Overview: Drama about a couple and how they found themselves related with music, their egos and each other.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1938-09-29
Popularity:
Shozo, a Cat and Two Women
Overview: Shozo is plagued by the needs of his ex-wife and his current one, but prefers the company of his cat.
Genres: Comedy Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1956-10-09
Popularity:
Daredevil in the Castle
Overview: During the raging war between the Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans, the swordsman Mohei (whose family has been completely decimated) is recruited by Toyotomi to overcome the seat of power, Osaka Castle. Mohei's daredevil skills will be put to severe tests.
Genres: History War Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1961-01-03
Popularity:
The Lovelorn Geisha
Overview: A woman and her daughter are in love with the same man, a chef at the restaurant that the mother manages. He is slightly crippled from frostbite in his years in Siberian labor camps and considers himself 'already dead'.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1960-07-12
Popularity:
Kagebōshi
Overview: On the night the shogunate's treasury was breached, the guard Utsugi had already been taken down. His colleague Ryunosuke felt responsible and decided to catch the culprit, not only for the sake of the beautiful wife of Utsugi, Chika, but also for his own honor. Chika's younger brother Shinjiro and the powerful Uechi family living near Ryunosuke's abode, join hands to support Ryunosuke. Counterfeit coins begin to surface—a scheme by the corrupt faction led by Yanagisawa. The henchman behind this is Koyamada Tesshin, who gathers ronin to amplify Yanagisawa's power. Among those ronin is Tendo Sakon—a man who drinks silently and plays the flute when in a mood.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1950-01-03
Popularity:
Zoku kagebōshi ryūkoaiutsutsu
Overview: A continuation of the prior film (影法師).
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1950-01-08
Popularity:
風雲金毘羅山
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1950-09-02
Popularity:
江戸いろは祭
Overview: Hatamoto Akabane Tanaka once ruined his life with alcohol in his youth, leaving behind his wife and son, Hanji, to embark on a journey. He killed a man on the Shikoku route, but later returned to Edo, reforming his ways. Concerned about Hanji, he tracked down the wet nurse, O-Kane, to whom he had entrusted the boy. To his surprise, Hanji had become a respectable young man, now a subordinate of the gang leader, Tatsugorou. During a New Year visit to the Shiba Shinmei shrine, a minor altercation led Hanji to meet the geisha Koina, the wicked servant Miya-toku, and the sumo wrestler Naruto. Hanji and Naruto hit it off and formed a bond like brothers. However, Naruto's father was the very man Tanaka had killed. Naruto had been seeking vengeance against his father's killer. During a chance encounter at a restaurant, Naruto witnessed the reunion of Hanji and Tanaka, realizing Tanaka was his father's killer.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1953-01-22
Popularity:
振袖釼法
Overview: In Marugame Domain of Shikoku, a low-ranking foot soldier named Tagami Genbachi was envied for marrying Tsuji, the most beautiful woman in the domain. However, due to a personal grudge held by Horikawa Gentazaemon, the swordsmanship instructor, Genbachi met an untimely and bitter death through foul means within the precincts of the Hachiman Shrine. Due to the domain's oppressive treatment of those of low status, Tsuji, now with her infant son Botaro, was dispossessed of her home and exiled.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-07-26
Popularity:
Arashi Tatsunari
Overview: Can a woman love two men at the same time? Set against the backdrop of Kyoto's rich history, this story depicts a woman's difficult choice for love. Ayako, played by Yukiyo Toake, is an international conference coordinator. Torn between her childhood sweetheart (played by Kenji Sawada) and her English professor (played by Noboru Nakaya), Ayako will seek answers to love, marriage, and choice.
Genres: Drama Romance TV Movie
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1982-08-25
Popularity:
荒木又右衛門
Overview: Watanabe Kazuma and Kawai Matagorō from the Bizen Okayama Ikeda clan were close friends, but they inevitably became enemies after Matagorō killed Kazuma's younger brother, Gentayū, and fled. Seeking assistance, Kazuma asked his brother-in-law, Araki Mataemon, for help, but Mataemon refused, saying that it was against the code for a brother to avenge another brother's death. On the other hand, the lord of the clan, Ikeda Tadao, ordered a search for Matagorō, who was found to be sheltered by the Hatamoto, including Andō Jiemon, in Edo. Tadao was furious but unable to act. Matagorō, in Edo, came to regret his birth as a samurai. He met and fell in love with Okō, a bathhouse maid. As the discord between the Hatamoto and the Ikeda clan deepened, Tadao died of illness. Seizing the opportunity to ease the conflict, the shogunate ordered the Ikeda clan to be succeeded by the young lord Katsugorō and to relocate to the Ikeda clan of Inshū Tottori. Meanwhile, Matagorō was exiled from Edo.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-09-21
Popularity:
A Matter of Valour
Overview: Chushingura has been made into a movie several times before, but this time it will be presented in a widescreen version with all natural colors and a new look. Written by Masato Ide and directed by Tatsuo Osone. This is a magnificent scroll of images that depicts on a grand scale the triumph of the Genroku era that shook the citizens of Edo, the peaceful capital of Japan. The top stars of the film, shinpa, shingeki, and kabuki worlds at the time of production were lavishly cast, and a huge budget was invested to create a large set for this highly acclaimed and moving epic.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1957-08-10
Popularity:
The Revenge Champion
Overview: Lost film, directed by Tomu Uchida. This film is a very funny comedy that makes fun of the moral code of the samurai Bushido, which has become obsolete and turned into an empty form during the period of feudalism.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1931-12-18
Popularity:
Christ in Bronze
Overview: Christ in Bronze is a 1955 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Minoru Shibuya. It was entered into the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-10-11
Popularity:
Modern People
Overview: A section chief at the Bureau of Construction is in a shady relationship with a construction company. Then a new, young and honest subordinate is assigned to work under the section chief. Once he learns about the shady relationship, however, the new subordinate skillfully conceals the corruption and joins the corrupt, shady relationship.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1952-09-03
Popularity:
The Motherland Far Far Away
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1950-03-05
Popularity:
Taikoki - The Saga of Hideyoshi
Overview: From birth Hideyoshi was a restless, defiant spirit--a child of the poorest of the poor. Cast out of his peasant cottage, he would live by his wits, driven by his burning ambition to become a samurai and to find a warlord worth pledging his sword to. This is the story of his rise, and the thunderous battle he pinned his hopes on. The challenge that had already ruined and bloodied the armies of higher-ranking samurai than Hiyoshi. The battle that brought him rank, fame and fortune and transformed him into Hashiba Hideyoshi, right-hand man to the ruthless Lord Oda Nobunaga, and would drive him on to conquer Japan.
Genres: History Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1958-08-10
Popularity:
大当り男一代
Overview: Shinzō, the heir of the prominent Edo lumber dealer Yamashiroya, left home when his stubborn father, Chōzaemon, dismissed his lover, the maid Oyasu. Shinzō and Oyasu set up a household near a soba shop in Fukagawa, but Shinzō struggled financially, turning to gambling and fighting, while Oyasu worked as a tea server in a theater, constantly harassed by a small-time gangster, Rikichi, for cigarette money. The only ones concerned about Shinzō and Oyasu were Shinzō’s sister, Omitu, and her dance teacher, Oyoshi. Later, Shinzō managed to get a job at another lumber dealer, but after a conflict with the detective Hansuke, who was also infatuated with Oyasu, Shinzō accidentally dropped lumber into the river and was fired. Unaware that Oyasu had borrowed money from a bar to repay the lumber dealer, Shinzō left to earn money in the Mito clan's crew quarters and ended up rescuing Rikichi from a dice game trouble.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1956-01-22
Popularity:
Namida no hanamichi
Overview: Nakamura Yukinojō, Edo's most popular actor, discovered that his parent's enemy, Ohara Genba, had changed his name to Isshiki Kurōnosuke and become a hatamoto, a direct retainer of the shogun. Yukinojō's younger brother, Shingorō, traveling to Edo from their hometown, helped the town boy Kiyohē and his daughter Michi from troublemakers led by Kumosuke. This act led to a reunion with Yukinojō through the assistance of their associate, Daisaburō.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1956-02-19
Popularity:
A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land
Overview: Onna Hitori Daichi wo Yuku (A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land, Kinuta Production, 1953) was the second feature film directed by Kamei Fumio, who is known as a master of documentary films, and followed his “Haha Nareba Onna Nareba(Become a Mother, Become a Woman)” (1952).
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1953-02-20
Popularity:
A Boy and Three Mothers
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1958-02-18
Popularity:
風来物語 あばれ飛車
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1960-09-28
Popularity:
風来物語任侠篇
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1959-10-28
Popularity:
The Spell of the Hidden Gold
Overview: Historical drama about a sleepy-eyed ronin.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1958-10-21
Popularity:
Home Sweet Home
Overview: The Ueki family may not be wealthy, but smiles are never in short supply. The father is awarded prize money for 25 years of service to his workplace, but has it stolen on the way home from the ceremony...
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1951-03-21
Popularity:
Miniature
Overview: Ginko, a poor cobbler's daughter, becomes a geisha to support her family. She passes from one geisha house to the next, trying to find love and hope in the process. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't escape her sad fate.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1953-04-01
Popularity:
Keshô yuki
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1940-02-14
Popularity:
Miss Okichi
Overview: Kenji Mizoguchi is credited as “supervisor” on this rare Japanese genre film, which stars the stunning Isuzu Yamada (Osaka Elegy, Throne of Blood) as a professional criminal, part con woman and part martial artist, who falls in love with a young man from the straight world.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1935-08-29
Popularity:
Minamoto Yoshitsune
Overview: A historical scroll depicting the story of the tragic fate of the young samurai Minamoto Yoshitsune, based on the novel by Genzo Murakami. The action of the first part takes place in the late Heian period, when the Taira clan came to power, and Genji was oppressed. The great dream and ambitions of Genkuro Yoshitsune in his youth are depicted, he joins forces with his older brother Yoritomo to raise an army to defeat the Taira clan, and the second part depicts the fall of the clan, persecution and murder.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-07-30
Popularity:
Tange Sazen - Dai-ippen
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1933-01-02
Popularity:
Fencing Master
Overview: Swordfighting instructor Danpei works at a local theater in Tokyo, instructing the actors how to fight realistically.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1950-08-26
Popularity:
Suronin Chuya
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1930-07-15
Popularity:
Kantaro of Ina
Overview: War-time jidaigeki by Eisuke Takizawa.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1943-01-03
Popularity:
Kurama Tengu: Acrobat in a lion mask
Overview: Two child performers lose their money, but are saved by the masked avenger Kurama Tengu. When the children return the favor in foiling an attempt on the hero's life, they find themselves in need of protection once again...
Genres: Drama Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1951-07-12
Popularity:
The Inner Palace Conspiracy
Overview: A period mystery in which an unconventional priest exposes the truth behind the bizarre death of a maid in the shogun's harem. Kinuyo Tanaka stylishly plays a constantly intoxicated geisha in this all-star entertainment film.
Genres: Adventure History Mystery
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1951-01-13
Popularity:
The Fighting Firemen
Overview: Kichigoro, a firefighter from the Maeda family of the Kaga Principality, rescues Oshimo, the younger sister of Jirokichi, a city firefighter from the Ha-gumi group, from a samurai who is trying to kidnap her. Oshimo has feelings for Kichigoro. At this moment, a fire warning bell sounds in the city...
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1939-06-22
Popularity:
Mission Accomplished
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1960-02-17
Popularity:
Buddha
Overview: An Indian prince leaves his world of comfort and riches behind to wander and meditate for six years in search of spiritual enlightenment. Siddartha (Cojoin Hong) turns his back on the old religion when people are starving needlessly and holy rituals include human sacrifices. During his meditations, he is tempted by erotic dancing women, demons, and the evil machinations of his criminal cousin. Devastate to attain the spiritual perfection and become the Buddha. He travels to convert followers by his kindness and wisdom, gaining a multitude of believers when he stops an elephant from crushing a local priest. Buddha of course goes on to become one of the great religious leaders of the world.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1961-10-31
Popularity:
Five Men of Edo
Overview: During the 17th Century roving bands of hatamoto were causing trouble in the new capital city of Edo and constantly fought with the townspeople at every turn. The leader of these ruthless samruai was Mizuno Jirozaemon, who despite his high rank was in deep financial distress, thus leading to a tragedy that shook the very streets of the city.Opposing him was Banzui-in Chobei, the ‘Protector of the Weak’ who was willing to put his life on the line to save the 808 districts of Edo from the 80,000 hatamoto whose violent behavior threatened to destroy the fabric of society. Starring Bando Tsumasaburo, the first great star of the silver screen along with mega-star Ichikawa Utaemon, this is a story not to be missed. Torn from the pages of history, this true story has been told many times, but never as powerfully as this!
Genres: Action Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1951-11-22
Popularity:
Black River
Overview: A university student moves into an apartment building and becomes involved with a waitress. The landlord then attempts to evict the tenants and sell the building through illicit means.
Genres: Crime Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1957-10-23
Popularity:
The Comb of Oroku
Overview: Once a wealthy local land owner, Toranosuke has long since fallen on hard times. Social ostracism befalls those who neglect communal duties and Toranosuke's life goes down hill by being exiled from the village. The story evolves around brother and sister Umakichi and Oroku left alone by their father.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1935-05-09
Popularity:
Fireworks Over the Sea
Overview: A fishing union depends on two brothers to make up the losses caused by the dishonest captains they replaced.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1951-10-25
Popularity:
Chutaro of Banba
Overview: Based on the play ”Mabuta no haha” by famed author Shin Hasegawa, this is the first major starring role for Tomisaburo Wakayama. This heartfelt story concerns a wandering gambler from Banba by the name of Chutaro. Set during the Tenpo Period, Chutaro runs afoul of Boss Sukegoro of Iioka. Pursued by vengeance seeking swordsmen, Chutaro displays his phenomenal martial art skills. Abandoned as a child, he seeks to find his long lost mother, while at the same time fighting off numerous attacks by Iioka’s men.
Genres: Drama Action Adventure
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-03-29
Popularity:
A Mother's Love
Overview: A bar girl tries to pass her three children, each from a different father, to rural relatives.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1950-06-27
Popularity:
How Sorrowful
Overview: The story of a novelist whose wife is confined in a mental hospital. His love for her drives him to write about her, though he runs into trouble when her parents accuse him of cashing in on her misfortune.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1956-09-07
Popularity:
The Way of Drama
Overview: The Way of Drama unfolds in the world of kabuki in Osaka, but also addresses the politics of popular culture and the rivalry between theatrical styles like those used by amateur actors to dramatise contemporary events.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1944-05-11
Popularity:
誰よりも金を愛す
Overview: Japanese comedy film.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1961-02-02
Popularity:
The Snake Princess
Overview: When Sentarô’s father is killed by a drunken samurai, Sentarô avenges him. His deed puts him on the run and leaves his sister behind. While running from both the authorities and the assassins, Sentarô meets with the beautiful travelling-actress Oshima who takes him under her protection.
Genres: History Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1940-04-03
Popularity:
Deep River Melody
Overview: A poignant story about a young couple, Setsu and Chozo, who are torn apart to save Setsu's father's restaurant.
Genres: Romance Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1960-09-13
Popularity:
Such is Life
Overview: Japanese drama film.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-11-01
Popularity:
Ichiyo Higuchi
Overview: Japanese film based on the life of writer Ichiyo Higuchi (1872-1896).
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1939-05-31
Popularity:
The Spell of the Hidden Gold
Overview: Historical drama about a sleepy-eyed ronin.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1958-10-21
Popularity:
The Horse Boy
Overview: A humble page fathers a child by the daughter of a clan official and is banished. Years later, the child, now a stable boy, is reunited with his father, but feudal codes threaten their happiness. Uchida’s poignant masterpiece condemns the inflexible class system and launches an indictment of values that favor symbolic objects over human life. The film’s focus is on character rather than swordplay, and charged performances - especially child actor Motoharu Ueki - add to the emotional power.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1957-02-19
Popularity:
Tsukigata Hanpeita
Overview: During the ultra-violent era of the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate one man rose above the rest with his ideas of how to overthrow the corrupt government and end the bloodshed between the Choshu and Satsuma clans which would ultimately lead to the alliance of these 2 clans and restoration of the emperor to full power. Based on the play that made Sawada Shojiro famous, this is the story of Tsukigata Hanpeita, a forward looking samurai from Choshu, who along with Katsura Kogoro and Sakamoto Ryoma of Tosa worked to bring their dream of a new era in Japan.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1952-05-29
Popularity:
Bonchi
Overview: Kikuji is the scion of an Osaka merchant family whose traditional power is matrilineal. Instructed by his overbearing mother and grandmother to give them an heiress for the family business, he stands by helplessly as his wife is thrown out of the house for producing a son. Driven to a life of dissipation - his mistresses also fail to produce daughters - in the end he is just too tired to care.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1960-04-14
Popularity:
The Song Lantern
Overview: A self-absorbed young actor humiliates an elderly Noh performer, who then commits suicide. His act of cruelty compels his father to disown him, leading the once promising actor to a life on the streets. But his desire to win back the respect of his father and the affection of the dead actor's daughter pushes him toward a more noble existence. Naruse employed a delicately structured mise-en-scene in this family melodrama, which evokes the work of Josef von Sternberg.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1943-02-11
Popularity:
365 Nights
Overview: A touching drama about a love triangle between a young architect, Koroku, and two women, Ranko and Teruko. Ranko comes from a wealthy family and is offering to repay Koroku’s family debts in exchange for marriage, but Koroku is in love with his landlord’s daughter, Teruko. Things are further complicated when the wicked Tsugawa takes interest in both women, for his own marriage.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1962-09-09
Popularity:
Yukiko and Natsuyo
Overview: Adaptation of a novel by Nobuko Yoshiya that was serialized in "Shufu no tomo" between 1939 and 1940.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1941-08-14
Popularity:
Three Loves
Overview: In a mountain village, Heita, a translator's son, is a gifted boy but is shunned by the villagers. He can imitate birds' cry and befriends another boy who works in a brewery. Heita also finds solace in the village pastor Yasugi and his teacher Michiko, but they too have problems of their own.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1954-12-29
Popularity:
Lord for a Night
Overview: Lord for a Night is a 1946 Japanese film directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1946-07-11
Popularity:
Onna keizu
Overview: 1942 adaptation of Izumi Kyoka's novel.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1942-06-11
Popularity:
The Man Who Waited
Overview: A bizarre murder at a hot springs resort threatens to disrupt an Edo detective's (Hasegawa) vacation. When his hot-blooded wife (Yamada) starts snooping around, however, he finds himself reluctantly drawn in to the case.
Genres: Drama Crime Mystery
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1942-04-23
Popularity:
Hiroshima
Overview: The film shows the bombing of Hiroshima and the horrific aftermath following the detonation of an atomic bomb on humans for the first time in history.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1953-10-07
Popularity:
音楽大進軍
Overview: A 1943 film.
Genres: Drama Music
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1943-03-18
Popularity:
In Search of Mother
Overview: His mother abandoned him as a child, so he had no choice but to live outside society. Even so, he grows up determined to reunite with her. Worried that she might be living in misery, he saves his money to help, only to find that she has married into wealth and social position and has no intention of seeing her outcast Yakuza son...
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1931-03-13
Popularity:
The Man Who Disappeared Yesterday
Overview:
Genres: Mystery History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1941-01-09
Popularity:
Four Sisters
Overview: A story about the lives of four sisters and their manipulative mother who must come to terms with each of their decisions in life.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1962-07-01
Popularity:
Goodbye to Glory
Overview: A story of an ardent young man who laid down his life for his country.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1960-04-01
Popularity:
Suspicion
Overview: A car going at 25 mph plunges into the sea at Shinko Harbour, Toyama prefecture. Inside is the local business magnate Fukutaro Shirakawa, who perishes. Riding alongside him and surviving unhurt is his second wife, Kumako. It soon comes to light that Kumako’s husband was insured for 300 million yen and she is arrested on suspicion of murdering her husband for the insurance money. The newspapers denounce her as an evil woman, while the public is in no doubt about Kumako’s crime. Ritsuko Sahara is chosen as her defence attorney but the pair clash over almost everything...
Genres: Crime Drama Mystery
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1982-09-11
Popularity:
Burden of Love
Overview: The female members of the family of the Minister of Health and Welfare, who has just proposed a program of birth control, become pregnant one after the other. - Nikkatsu
Genres: Comedy Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-03-18
Popularity:
Sure Death
Overview: A group of seemingly ordinary merchants is really a band of assassins for hire. When they discover that all the assassins in Edo are being killed they must act quickly to find the culprit.
Genres: Drama Crime Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1984-06-16
Popularity:
Sure Death! Brown, You Bounder!
Overview: When the Shogunates greatest secret is stolen, the fate of the nation hangs in the balance. The Shogunate sends an incompetent cop, Tanaka, to Kyoto to act as a stalking horse. Hoping the thieves will kill Tanaka and the Ninja Spies will kill the thieves. But what the Shogunate doesn't realise is that Tanaka's even more incompetent assistant Mondo is in fact the leader of a gang of revengers for hire, there motto is "Sure Death" (or your money cheerfully refunded). Mondo doesn't know that everyone knows about the secret, but they all think he does. Poor Mondo, he not only has to deal with crazed Shogunate extremists, oddball ninjas, crooks who work for the Emperor and bicycle riding foreign death squads. He also have to deal with a wife and a crazy mother-in-law!
Genres: Drama Crime Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1985-06-29
Popularity:
Banquet Under the Midnight Sun
Overview: In old Edo, Kakunojo (Chiezo), a dandy about town, falls in love with Oichi (Isuzu Yamada), whose merchant family is much beyond Kakunojo's status. He nevertheless pursues her until her initial disgust breaks down into fondness, then romantic feelings, inducing her to abandon her fiance on their wedding day.
Genres: Action Romance
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1932-10-13
Popularity:
The Greatest Man in the World
Overview: In the midst of the depression, two ronin rack their brains to come up with a dishonest scheme. Taking a man from the countryside, they fashion him into Ise Isenokami, the finest swordsman under the sun. Pretending to be his followers, they visit various sword fighting dojo. Out of fear upon hearing the name Isenokami, they pay him off and do not let him enter their training halls. The impostor eventually comes face to face with the real Isenokami after rescuing his daughter, Oyae, who is caught up in a minor incident.
Genres: Drama Action Comedy
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1932-01-14
Popularity:
The Elegant Swordsman
Overview: This film tells the story of a ronin's search for his parents, but primarily is a group portrait of life in a Tokugawa-era tenement. Considered a lost film.
Genres: History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1934-03-01
Popularity:
The Battle of Kawanakajima
Overview: This epic depicts the battle between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen. The focus of the story is the struggle by the unit leader in charge of the main supply wagons and the supply troops to transport materiel to the Uesugi army. To this are added episodes involving an itinerant woman.
Genres: Drama History War
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1941-11-30
Popularity:
Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director
Overview: In 39 interviews with actors and actresses, writers, producers and staff members, interspersed with film excerpts and stills, Shindō recounts the life and career of his friend and mentor Mizoguchi.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1975-05-24
Popularity:
Shogun's Samurai
Overview: Following the death of the second Tokugawa shogun, it is revealed that he was poisoned by retainers of his son Iemitsu in hopes of gaining him the shogunate despite the stammer and birthmark which undermine his respect. Iemitsu and his brother Tadanaga become bitter rivals for the shogunate, and the land is split into factions, eventually erupting into warfare. Iemitsu's mentor, his fencing instructor Yagyu, is fixated upon securing Iemitsu the shogunate and ends up betraying everyone, even his own family, in pursuit of the goal.
Genres: Action Drama Adventure
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1978-01-21
Popularity:
The Orphan Brother
Overview: 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.
Genres: History Animation Family Fantasy Adventure
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1961-07-19
Popularity:
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Throne of Blood'
Overview: Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one focuses on "Throne of Blood" (1957).
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2002-10-25
Popularity:
The Days of Evil Women
Overview: The common-law wife and daughter of a wealthy old man plot to murder him and steal his fortune, with the help of their male acquaintances.
Genres: Drama Comedy Crime
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1958-11-30
Popularity:
The Day Before
Overview: A forceful indictment of the devastating effects of war and nationalistic fanaticism on the average man, who, in the face of the absurdity of violence, is reduced to apathy or victimhood.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1939-10-20
Popularity:
The Seasons of Love
Overview: A family is slowly falling apart: the father is absent from the start, the mother a kept woman thanks to her children, the son is being cheated on by his wife, one daughter is forced to marry an older man against her will, while the other has retreated into smug moral superiority.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1958-06-10
Popularity:
The Hidden Treasure
Overview: Shochiku's commemorative 3000th film production; a suspenseful period drama.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1959-04-05
Popularity:
Schoolgirl Records
Overview: A "slice-of life" film about a group of high school girls in 1940s Japan.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1941-08-27
Popularity:
Glory on the Summit
Overview: A treasury official passed over for promotion and obsessed with careerism interferes in the lives of his three sons, who seek escape from his relentless pressure in the mortal danger of mountain climbing.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1962-07-29
Popularity:
Growing Up
Overview: A boy falls in love with a girl. Neither of them know that she's to be sold to a brothel.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-04-01
Popularity:
The Shop Curtain
Overview: Based on the novel by Toyoko Yamazaki.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1958-06-15
Popularity:
Farewell to Dream
Overview: A coming-of-age story portrayed as the loss of all youthful illusions. Sixteen-year-old Yoichi dreams of becoming a sailor. His parents are fishmongers, and Yoichi lives together with them and his four siblings in cramped living conditions. His beloved younger sister is given to a wealthy, childless uncle; his best friend moves away; the girl he fell in love with from afar is with someone else: little by little, Yoichi loses all the people that are important to him.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1956-04-17
Popularity:
The Shrikes
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1961-03-01
Popularity:
Devil’s Statue
Overview: A gallant swordsman takes on the forces of evil with the help of his trusty friends.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1952-05-01
Popularity:
Princess Sen in Edo
Overview: A gorgeous tragic love picture scroll depicting a beautiful woman who weeps over her strange fate and falters in her search for true love!
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1960-01-14
Popularity:
The Killing of Otsuya
Overview:
Genres: History Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1951-02-17
Popularity:
Hanjiro of Kusama: Bird of Passage
Overview: A kindhearted wandering gambler named Hajiro gets involved in a crisis of a village as he passes through and decides to lend a sword in hopes to rescue them.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1960-05-29
Popularity:
Down Town
Overview: A woman struggles to raise her young son on her own in postwar Japan, finding companionship with a kind laborer while still hoping for the return of her missing husband.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1957-10-29
Popularity:
Case of a Young Lord 9: Black Camellia
Overview: Escaping the hustle and bustle of Edo, the Young Lord came to Oshima Island in Izu to take a vacation. Unexpectedly, the island's boss, Amimoto, was brutally murdered with a harpoon. As usual, the Young Lord sets out to solve the case. However, most of the islanders have a grudge against Amimoto, and there are so many suspects that he is at his wits' end this time. Set against the beautiful sea of Izu and the majestic Mt. Mihara, the Young Lord's brilliant deductions and his secret sword Ichimonjo-Kakureshi cut through the mystery!
Genres: Mystery
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1961-09-23
Popularity:
Four Marriages
Overview: Based on a short story by Dazai Osamu, produced under the national film law. The film's hero falls in love with the youngest daughter of a family he is visiting to arrange an engagement for his friend who has been drafted to fight in the war.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1944-09-28
Popularity:
Shanghai Moon
Overview: It is presumed to be a lost film.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1941-07-01
Popularity:
The Body
Overview: The sexual experiences of the passionate Sakiko, from her fling with her boss in her first job to her ending up as a prostitute.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1962-11-08
Popularity:
The Big Ambition
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-03-30
Popularity:
Actress
Overview: Sumako, a country girl, becomes a great actress with the help of Hogetsu,a scholar who brought some of European realism to the Japan's stage. The relationship leads to the end of his marriage and the breakup of his Arts Society. This is another version of Kenji Mizoguchi's film "The Love of Sumako the Actress" ("Joyû Sumako no koi"), from the same year. Both tells the story of the famous actress Sumako Mitsui (1886-1919), considered the first great modern theater actress in Japan. Mizoguchi himself is said to have preferred Kinugasa's version.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1947-12-29
Popularity:
Ai Sureba Koso
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-07-05
Popularity:
Chushingura
Overview:
Genres: Drama History Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1954-10-17
Popularity:
Satsuma-bikyaku
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1951-12-22
Popularity:
Become a Mother, Become a Woman
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1952-01-17
Popularity:
Castle of Revenge
Overview: The film vividly shows the misadventures of Oishi Kuranosuke and the human dramas inside the castle, which lead to the surrender of Ako Castle after seppuku by its lord Asano Takumi-no-kami and the termination of his family's power. This is the first film of the Ako Castle trilogy.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1952-04-24
Popularity:
Musashibo Benkei
Overview: A 1942 Jidaigeki by the veteran jidaigeki filmmaker Kunio Watanabe about the legendary warrior Musashibo Benkei with Hideko Takamine portraying Minamoto no Yoshitsune (who is, of course, a man). The film climaxes in the famous encounter/fight btw Benkei and Yoshitsune at the Gojo Bridge.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1942-01-07
Popularity:
Hirate Miki the Swordman
Overview: The man is chased by losing the beauty and preciousness of love and the foundation of life without overcoming the hardship of life.
Genres: Drama Action
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1954-10-19
Popularity:
At the End of the Clouds
Overview: A movie that depicts the tragic fate of many Yokaren flight-academy pilots.
Genres: War Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1953-06-09
Popularity:
The Siege of Osaka
Overview: The Siege of Osaka
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1937-04-01
Popularity:
Secret
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1960-04-05
Popularity:
Ishigassen
Overview: Across the Inagawa River that runs through the center of the village, the children of the two villages scrambled for a swimming pool, and each time a stone battle took place. Takemaru, the only son of the priesthood of Tada Shrine, was weak and was always forced to carry stones. However, neither swimming nor stone-throwing was a secret to his sick mother, Kouko... Seishi Matsumaru, Ryuichi Yoshida, and Ado Matsuyama were adapted from "Tenmangu" and "Ishigassen", directed by Mitsuo Wakasugi of "Waran Hayashi", and photographed by Hanjiro Nakazawa of "The Last Women".
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1955-12-13
Popularity:
Martial Arts Encyclopedia
Overview: Martial Arts Encyclopedia
Genres: History
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1934-02-08
Popularity:
Onatsu Detective Case: Mad Slasher
Overview: Japanese crime film
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1960-08-23
Popularity: