Denjirô Ôkôchi

Sugata, a young man, struggles to learn the nuance and meaning of judo, and in doing so comes to learn something of the meaning of life. (imdb)

Yukie, the well-bred daughter of a university professor, is shocked when her father is relieved of his post for his political teachings... (imdb)

A fugitive lord and his bodyguards and followers, all disguised as monks, traverse a forest, where they must avoid capture and outsmart the border guards. (imdb)

In this government-suggested sequel, Sugata again grows as a judo master, and demonstrates his (and by extension, all Japanese) superiority to the foreign warrior. (imdb)

The Yagyu family's elder son sends an old, cheap-looking pot to his younger brother, ignoring that the pot contains a map showing where a treasure of a million ryo has been hidden. He tries to recover it but his brother's wife has sold it to some junk dealers. The pot ends up with Yasu, a kid whose father was killed and who Tange Sazen now looks after.

Contemporaneous Japanese WWII film about war in the Pacific.

A gambler from a small village becomes a samurai and later an outlaw hero in turbulent feudal Japan.

Chuji is forced to escape from his small village and become an outlaw.

This film relates the life of a legendary thief, Jirokichi the Rat in an exquisite original story and through the revolutionary use of dynamic intertitles (imdb)

Ohara Shosuke-san lived about 200 years ago in Aizuwakamatsu. He loved sleeping late, hot springs baths and, of course, sake. He was gregarious, generous and famous for his extravagant merrymaking. Ohara Shosuke-san began his life rich. Yet he loved the simple joys of life such as taking a bath in the morning (Japanese normally bathe in the evening) that he soon spent his fortune. Despite the loss of his wealth he remained a kind and helpful friend and neighbour to all who knew him. (KG)

Yaji and Kita: The Battle of Toba Fushimi is a 1928 Japanese film directed by Tomiyasu Ikeda.[1] This comedy film showcases the acting talent of Denjirō Ōkōchi and acts as a complementary film to Yaji and Kita: Yasuda's Rescue, which is part of the Yaji and Kita series. An 8-minute remnant of the film was released on DVD by Digital Meme with a benshi accompaniment by Midori Sawato. The version in the National Film Center is 23 minutes long.

One of Japan's most popular folklore characters, Tange Sazen, the One-eyed and One-armed swordsman, must rescue the Yagyu Clan from the treachery of a Master plotting to take over their postion as the Shogun's sword instructors. This is generally considered the definitive version of the story, with some unusual twists and turns along the way. (japanesesamuraidvd.com)

Based on the classic novel by Murasaki Shikibu, written over 1000 years ago. Genji, the son of the emperor, has gained renown among the nobility of Kyoto for his charm and good looks, yet he cannot stop himself from pursuing the one object of desire he must never obtain: his father's young and beautiful bride. Following the tragic onsequences of his obsession, Genji wanders from one affair to another, always seeking some sort of resolution to his life. (KG)

Hibari takes on the role of Mori no Ishimatsu, a young man who gets involved with real-life Yakuza legend, Shimizu no Jirocho, 'Boss of the Tokaido'. Ishimatsu manages to interfere with a dispute between the Shimizu and their competition, the Marugame family, even going so far as to become an avenger's assistant. It's not the first time Hibari has played a man in a film (also in Benten Kozo), and her acting skills are at their best as she mixes in a bit of humor along with excellent swordpl (japanesesamuraidvd.com)

Biographical movie about Colonel Kato, an officer serving with the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in Southeast Asia, he was highly respected by his pilots for his fairness and excellent flying ability. (imdb)

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a brilliant tactician, is a loyal subject of the emperor, despite his grave misgivings about leading Japan's navy into war with the United States. He opposes the attack on Pearl Harbor, but overruled, leads his forces to the best of his ability... (letterboxd)

The story of Yoshinaka and the three women who love him. (The Movie Database)

In 1701, the ruling shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi placed Asano Takumi-no-kami Naganori, the lord of Ako, in charge of a reception of envoys from the Imperial Court in Kyoto. He also appointed the protocol official Kira Kozuke-no-suke Yoshinaka to instruct Asano in the ceremonies. On the day of the reception, at Edo Castle, Asano drew his short sword and attempted to kill Kira after he had insulted Asano. For this, he was sentenced to commit seppuku, but Kira went without punishment. (The Movie Database)

Toei's 10th anniversary film, featuring an all-star cast from the golden movie era of the 1960s. A famous story of the 47 loyal samurai. When Lord Asano is unjustly executed, his loyal retainers strike back for revenge. (The Movie Database)

The last film of director Itami took inspiration from Les Miserables. Transpiring during the Southwestern War of 1877 in Japan, which was the last civil war in the country, a criminal escapes prison only to be found by a monk. The criminal decides to turn a new leaf based on their conversation and goes on to become a town's mayor. He hears news of a mistaken arrest and identity. The revelation of truth is the start of a series of miseries. (imdb)

Three IJN flyers Mikami (Susumu Fujita), Kawakami (Masayuki Mori) and Murakami (Akitake Kono) are good friends, and they are all renowned for their torpedo techniques. Mikami is posted as a staff officer at a base on an island in the Pacific. Kawakami and Murakami later joins him as the base squardron is reinforced. The enemy task force approaches the island and all three of them attack the fleet, killing themselves in the process. (imdb)

Tanuma Kandayuu is a high class samurai of the house of Nabeshima. He finds a lavish board of Go at Kinbei's store. He recommend Kinbei to offer it to his lord. Kinbei hesitates at first, since he knows the board has some weird history. It is believed that one game played on the board requires one death. (imdb)

In 1732 the restoration of Nikko Tokugawa Shrine began. The financial burden which fell upon the daimyo lord who was appointed 'Restoration Minister' was a method the shogunate used to weaken the lords. Usually the most powerful clans that the shogun feared the most were chosen, but this time the financially strapped Yagyu clan was appointed to the task. (kurotokagi)

1930s Japanese film based upon the novel series Daibosatsu toge by Kaizan Nakazato.

The sequel to the 1935 film Great Bodhisattva Pass

Tetsunosuke, an eccentric doctor and an owner of a fencing school, takes aim against corrupt authorities. (themoviedb)

This film was made by the Japanese occupation authorities in the Philippines as a propaganda film to show the Philippine people the "benefits" of the Japanese invasion and takeover of their country.

One of Japan's most enduring stories is the true-life yakuza boss Jirocho of Shimizu and his gang as they took over the Tokaido Highroad and went on to everlasting fame. Many of the gang members have become household names although their backgrounds and how they came to join the group are mostly lost in the mists of a time gone by. This is the tale of Masa, who arrived in Shimizu Port hungry and down on his luck.

Set in the Edo period, the film deals with two brothers falling in love with the same girl. The younger brother is badly injured in a sword fight and while nursing him back to health, the girl falls in love with him. Having lost out in love, the older brother gets into a desperate fight in which he's eventually slain. Only 12 minutes of footage survive.

With plenty of action, and a strong story about the growth and development of an expert swordsman, who just happens to be from an extremely privileged background.

The second film in the 20 Duels of Young Shingo trilogy directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda.

This is the first part of the story that is based on the serial novel by Tsunoda Kikuo.

This is the second part of the story that is based on the serial novel by Tsunoda Kikuo.

It is 1921 and a town has a newspaper which prints urgent bulletins as required. The Washington-based CITES treaty, in which Japan participates, puts a limit on the number of warships any country can possess. As a result, Japan has to decommission a ship to its makers' disappointment. An institute of technology's laboratory designs a new ship. Due to fewer ships, sailors have to retire and are also disappointed...

The lord of Aizu Shirakawa-han was a descendant of Tokugawa, therefore the people in Aizu were strongly loyal to Tokugawa. Even the farmers were proud of it. The tragedy was, the last shogun of Tokugawa himself agreed to Taisei-hokan, the restoration of imperial rule, nevertheless, the Aizu army refused to surrender.

The adventures of a feisty girl, Oyuki and Santa, a homeless child she saves mixed in with a plot to make ill gotten gains by illicitly cornering the rice market. (imdb)

Jiromaru (Kinnosuke Nakamura) investigates the dark "Ghost Ship" in search of his father. Meanwhile, Princess Yuki (Yumiko Hasegawa) and Chacha (Eiko Maruyama) are kidnapped by pirates, so after dedicating himself to rescuing them for the second time, he decides to accept his grandfather's challenge to become a navigator, just like his deceased father.

Jiromaru (Kinnosuke Nakamura) investigates the dark "Ghost Ship" in search of his father. Meanwhile, Princess Yuki (Yumiko Hasegawa) and Chacha (Eiko Maruyama) are kidnapped by pirates, so after dedicating himself to rescuing them for the second time, he decides to accept his grandfather's challenge to become a navigator, just like his deceased father.

Staying true to the Bard's original vision, this is highlighted by one of the finest swordfights that Toei ever put on film. This amazing motion picture proves that sometimes even the greatest classics, such as Hamlet can be improved upon with the right combination of talented scriptwriters and actors. Okawa Hashizo shines as the young lord in the grips of tragedy beyond compare. (KG)

Fifteen years after Ishida Mitsunari lost in the battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu foresees his unavoidable battle with Toyotomi Hideyori and goes into Fushimi Castle. At night, Hattori Hanzo, the leader of 36 Iga members who were performing as guards of the castle, perceives the existence of a ninja and captures the sneaker. Unexpectedly, the ninja turns out ...