Akihiko Hirata

A crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent. (imdb)

A 400-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex, woken from undersea hibernation off the Japanese coast by atomic bomb testing, attacks Tokyo. (imdb)

A pharmaceutical company captures King Kong and brings him to Japan, where he escapes from captivity and battles a recently released Godzilla. (imdb)

After years on the road establishing his reputation as Japan's greatest fencer, Takezo returns to Kyoto... (imdb)

With his closest friend, Matahachi, Takezo (the town's wild, orphan kid) leaves his village to join an army on its way to battle... (imdb)

Scientists experimenting with changes in weather on a tropical island get more than they bargained for when Godzilla shows up to battle humongous insects and protect his newborn child. (imdb)

When a village is besieged by giant caterpillars, a more horrifying discovery is made in their underground home... (imdb)

Shipwreck survivors are found on Beiru, an island previously used for atomic tests. Amazingly free of radiation effects, they believe they were protected by a special juice given to them by the natives. A joint expedition of Rolithican and Japanese scientists explores Beiru and discovers many curious things... (imdb)

Aliens arrive on Earth and ask permission to be given a certain tract of land for their people to live on. But when they are discovered to be invaders, responsible for the giant robot that is destroying cities, the armed forces attempt to stop them with every weapon available. (imdb)

Aliens rebuild Mechagodzilla with the help of a demented scientist who has discovered a creature called Titanosaurus, which they intend to team up to defeat Godzilla. This was the last Godzilla movie made until 1985. (imdb)

Aliens intend to take over the planet and, just in case Godzilla tries to interfere, have built a mechanical version of him to put an end to his interference. The Earth humans summon the legendary King Seesar to assist Godzilla in the battle. (imdb)

A 164-foot monster reptile with radioactive breath is revived, thanks to nuclear testing. It goes on a mad rampage, destroying Tokyo - how will they kill it?

The year is 1988. Aliens from the Empire of Galaxies establish a base on Venus and launch a surprise attack on Earth. As the invaders' spaceships quickly defeat the world's armies and destroy New York, Moscow, Paris, and London, a United Nations Space Bureau team led by Professor Takigawa manages to finish construction of Earth's last line of defense, the space battleship Gohten. (DVD)

Two scientists on an expedition to the mountains of northern Japan search for a supposedly extinct species of butterfly when they are killed by a mysterious landslide. When a team of investigators goes out to find the cause of the disaster, the culprit makes itself known in the form of a huge lizard/dinosaur who the local natives have named Baran (Varan). (dvddrive-in.com)

The legend of the birth of Shintoism. In Fourth Century Japan, the Emperor Keikoh's son Ouso expects to succeed his father on the throne, but Otomo, the Emperor's vassal, prefers Ouso's stepbrother Waka, and conspires to have Ouso die on a dangerous mission he has contrived. (imdb)

Professor Nishiyama, after studying and interpreting the prophecies of Nostradamus, realizes that the end of the world is at hand. Unfortunately, nobody listens to him until it is too late. As the effects of mankind's tampering of the earth - radioactive smog clouds, hideously mutated animals, destruction of the ozone layer - rage out of control, the world leaders hurtle blindly toward the final confrontation. (imdb)

When a narcotics deal goes sour and a suspect disappears, leaving only his clothes, Tokyo police question his wife and stake out the nightclub where she works. His disappearance stumps the police - until a young scientist appears who claims that H-Bomb tests in the Pacific, evidenced by a "ghost ship" that has turned up in the harbor, have created radioactive creatures - "H-Men" - who ooze like slime and dissolve anyone they touch. (imdb)

Having been rescued from the ruins, an American reporter recounts his strange story - a number of ships disappear in violent and bizarre accidents, leading to an official investigation and the discovery of the horrible truth. Torn from its undersea niche by the testing of hydrogen bombs is the towering behemoth, Godzilla. (wtf-film.com)

A 36 year old man, bored by everything in his life, get's smashed and unwittingly promises to write a story for a magazine. Stuck for a subject he decides to write about about his ordinary life and his dysfunctional family... to his surprise his musings become a critically acclaimed best-seller... however, in the end, he remains as uninteresting as always.

A lavish retelling of the true story of the final voyage and ultimate destruction and sinking of the battleship Yamato, Japan's greatest flagship during the Second World War. (imdb)

This movie shows the blood-soaked battles of Sakai, the highest-scoring Japanese naval fighter ace (at least 65 confirmed kills; some unconfirmed reports state 130) who survived World War II. It also depicts the final suicide mission of a Japanese bomber over port Moresby and the August 7, 1942 mission by Zeros and Betty bombers to attack the American landing force on Guadalcanal.

After a long stint working in Alaska, Jiro returns to his hometown. He soon learns that his father, the town's mayor, was murdered and, in his absence, the yakuza gangs have seized control of the town. Jiro quickly becomes dangerously obsessed with finding his father's killer. (imdb)

Yukiko Nogami is rescued during a mountain blizzard by handsome forester Shinkichi, and the two subsequently fall in love. But when Shinkichi dies in an avalanche, Yukiko leaves the mountains in despair and takes a job in a bar where she becomes deeply involved in the personal lives of several of the patrons. One day she thinks she sees Shinkichi alive, but it turns out to be a gangster named Hayakawa, a man on the run who bears an astonishing resemblance to Yukiko's lost love. (The Movie Database)

Kikumori runs a cabaret on the docks, while his friend Kaji operates transport boats. When a gang of drug dealers tries to force the pair to cooperate in a smuggling scheme, conflict arises between the two friends. Falsely blamed for murder, Kikumori is blackmailed into an attempt to sabotage Kaji's boats and kill him. But the friendship between the two men proves an obstacle to the gangleader's plans. (The Movie Database)

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. (The Movie Database)

Lt. Col. Senda resists the idea of sending Japanese fighter pilots on suicide missions. He believes that what is really necessary for Japan to regain momentum in the war is for the air force to gather its most brilliant pilots into an elite squadron and use the unit to pinpoint attacks on the Americans. Disrespected by the kamikaze pilots who think the "non-suicidal" pilots are afraid, the unit redeems itself by stunning victories. (imdb)

At Rabaul, ace pilot Wakabayashi leads a rapidly depleting squad of airmen trying to defend Japanese forces from air attacks. Known as "Devil" Wakabayashi, he rules with an iron fist – taking issue with men who spend their time in local bars and pointedly refusing to send rescue craft for crashed pilots. (Windows on Worlds)

A 1957 drama starring Kinuyo Tanaka based on a story by Hideji Hôjô

After defeat at the Siege of Osaka several survivors attempt to deliver a young prince to safety. (imdb)

Men are being murdered by a psycho called "The Telegian," who uses a matter-transmitting device to locate his victims.

Afraid of the ultimate consequences, a married man, who is having an affair with an employee, inadvertently becomes the only person who can free an accused murderer.

While extracting water from the Martian polar ice caps, ancient carvings are uncovered describing an alien spacecraft crashing into Jupiter, postponing plans to turn Jupiter into a second Sun. (imdb)

Toyomatsu Shimizu, a barber, father and husband, is suddenly arrested by the Prefectural Police as a war criminal and sued for murder. According to the accusation, he "attempted to kill a US prisoner", which was an order from his superior. He is sentenced to death by hanging. Prior to execution, he writes a long farewell letter to his family "If I ever incarnate, I hate to be a human being any more.... Oh yes, I would like to be...a shellfish living on the rock-bottom of the sea."

A legendary actress thought to be dead is discovered living in an isolated mansion. A screenwriter is tasked with writing her comeback film, which leads the two to live under the same roof.