Isao Natsuyagi

An impossible tale. Taro, an old man who dies homeless in Tokyo has told Yosuke, a weak-willed out-of-work salaryman about a golden statue that he left years ago in a house by the sea in Noto. Yosuke goes and he's captivated by Saeko, a young women who lives in the house where Taro left the statue. She has a strange affliction: water builds up in her and she can only vent it by wicked acts, such as shoplifting, or, more powerfully, through orgasm... (imdb)

A guilt-haunted samurai warrior attempts to stop a massacre taking place. (imdb)

In the middle of the 16th century, Hideyoshi, a power hungry warlord sets out to destroy the Momochi clan... (imdb)

A destitute ronin bearing the name of Kiba Okaminosuke wanders into a tiny, impoverished hamlet run by Ochise, a blind woman who owns a troubled messenger service--a business whose profits barely keep the meager town going. Delivering the corpses of two of her escorts he found on the road, Ochise explains her dire and desperate situation to the wandering samurai. (lonewolvesandhiddendragons.blogspot.com)

Kiba gets involved in the transport of three criminals being taken to Edo for execution. When the prisoners' escorts are called to assist a group of officials stricken by poisoned water, Kiba accepts payment as a yojimbo to see the criminals to their destination. Kiba has a soft spot for one of the prisoners, a thief named Magobei, because he bears a resemblance to Kiba's late father. (lardbiscuit.com)

Shunya Ito directed this unusual women's prison film which spawned three direct sequels and a pair of spin-offs... (Amazon.ca)

It is the early 19th century in Japan. Nariatsu, a high ranking official and son of the former Shogun, is engaged in an animal hunt. In his reckless pursuit of the game, he crosses borders to a neighboring fief and kills a peasant who happens to be in his way. The lord of that fief also happens to be nearby, and witnessing the incident, calls him out on his ruthlessness.

A military-engineered virus, released during a plane crash, kills the entire human population. The only survivors are scientists in Antarctica, who desperately try to find a cure and save what is left of the planet from further destruction. (imdb)

Yataro Tanigawa, a one-eyed hired assassin, impresses yakuza boss Gomyo Kiyoemon with his skill. Gomyo hires Tanigawa as his bodyguard, or yojimbo, to protect him during an inter-clan conflict. Tanigawa quickly rises in stature in the clan, but finds his boss's enemies almost overwhelming. (imdb)

An underlying theme of "Onimasa" is its portrayal of 20th century Japanese gangsters as cartoonish incarnations of the ancient samurai caste (the armed enforcers of feudal rule) in the era of modern capitalism. (imdb)

Desert Moon focuses on a successful internet entrepreneur Nagai (Hiroshi Mikami), whose wife Akira (Maho Toyota) and young daughter Kaai (Yukiko Ikari) left him because he neglected them for his business. A young hustler Keechie (Shuji Kashiwabara), who has emotion problems concerning his own father, becomes involved in the family's drama. (Wikipedia)

When an American is murdered in a Japanese inn, Tokyo police detective Munesue follows the trail of the killer to New York. There he is joined by a New York City detective named Shuftan and together they sort out the crime. (imdb)

Chico arrives in a city where there are two waring gangs. Chico gets wind of a large hidden stash of heroin owned by the, now dead, former leader over all of the gangs and sets off to find it and keep the two gangs at war. Meanwhile, he as befriended a small boy whose father is a samurai assassin working for the rival gang. (imdb)

A minister unofficially asks a samurai to lead a squad of assassins to eliminate an annoying Lord. Director Eiichi Kudo plays with the absurdity of the feudal system; where loyalty and honor are used to enslave men; where samurais are only tools of the political game. (asiatorrents.com)

An retired yakuza is caught in the middle of a growing conflict between two rival clans. (imdb)

Director Kazuo Hara tells the tale of the eponymous Chika and four different relationships she has during the turbulent political climate of the 1970s. Four different actresses play the role of Chika in order to emphasise the different ways she is perceived by her husband, a teacher, a student and an aging gangster. (imdb)

Warlords Kagetora and Takeda each wish to prevent the other from gaining hegemony in feudal Japan. The two samurai leaders pursue one another across the countryside, engaging in massive battles of cavalry and infantry. Younger and less brutal, Kagetora must find the strength to be as brutal as his opponent, but at what cost? (imdb)

When a large earthquake strikes off the shore of Nagashima, the local nuclear power plant explodes, and in response the authorities set up a perimeter within which everyone must be evacuated. But families on both sides of this dividing line find themselves struggling with the consequences of the disaster, and with uncertainty about the level of risk posed by the radiation released by the explosion.

In the aftermath of Japanese Emperor Hirohito's surrender to the U.S., Gen. Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) and his adjutant Gen. Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox) are faced with a decision of historic importance. (tiff.net)

Ryota Nonomiya is a successful businessman driven by money. He learns that his biological son was switched with another child after birth. He must make a life-changing decision and choose his true son or the boy he raised as his own. (imdb)

In a small town in Japan, a series of seemingly random explosion cases occur...

Su-san burnt out, and suddenly resigned as president of the company and run away. Hama-chan looked for him and finally found out him at the office building where Hama-chan used to work. Su-san got a job as a caretaker of that building.

When Tatsuya Terada (Kenichi Hagiwara) is finally found, he is informed by his family that he is the heir to the family's fortune, and to the ancient family curse. As soon as he hears of the curse, it immediately appears to take effect, as gruesome figures emerge from tombs in the vicinity. Policeman Kosuke Kindaichi (Kiyoshi Atsumi) has a different opinion about the curse, which is that someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to harass the young heir

In late Meiji period Japan, a group of Army surveyors set out to map one of the last and most dangerous unexplored mountains in the country.

In one of the best films of this type, famous detective Kindaichi solves a series of mysterious murders in a wealthy family. An excellent blend of intrigue and betrayal, set against the backdrop of wealth, this film is loaded with twists and turns and surprises at every corner. Things are never as they seem, and it will keep you guessing until the very end. A rare treasure of a mystery, like none before or since!

A young man and his sister learn that the man that they've always thought of as their grandfather was in fact the second husband of their grandmother, and that their biological grandfather was a kamikaze pilot who died during the war. They decide to find out more about him but get conflicting accounts from his former comrades-in-arms about what kind of man he was and how he ended up in a kamikaze squadron. (imdb)

An emotionally distraught young man goes on a violent killing spree after his tuberculosis keeps him from serving in World War II and is frowned upon by his fellow villagers. (imdb)

A World War II pilot (Ken Takakura) reflects on the friendships he forged in the past. (google)

What do you get when you mix a granddaughter from an extremely rich family with crime, murder, and a passion for law and justice? Kanbe Miwako, a granddaughter of a super rich millionaire becomes a detective and starts working at a male dominant police station. Her fancy fashion, elegant manners, and upper-class attitudes constantly gets on the nerves of the old-fashioned coworkers. (mydramalist.com)

Five years ago Minako spent a night with Sozo, the younger brother of her ex-husband. Now she is married to a wealthy old man, who (though he loves his young wife) is no longer able to fulfill his conjugal duties. Consequently, Minako goes to Tokyo every three months to meet Sozo, who has married the daughter of his respected teacher. (imdb)

An international gang fights with other families at postwar Kobe. (thehawaiiherald.com)

Based on the famous biography written by Yoshikawa Eiji, this year's drama boasts a list of stars that reads like a Who's Who of screen and television. Among them: Fujita Makoto, Emori Toru, Nakamura Kankuro, Nakamura Tamao, Miyazawa Rie, Watase Tsunehiko, Takashima Masanobu, Tsutsumi Shin'ichi, and Katase Rino. The younger generation is well represented too, with stars like Matsuoka Masahiro, Yonekura Ryoko, Nakama Yukie, Uchiyama Rina, and Masuda Takahisa. (mydramalist.com)

Tadanaga, the younger son of Shogun Hidetada has signed a dangerous pact with the intention of preventing his older brother Iemitsu from taking his rightful place as heir to the shogun's seat. During the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate highly skilled ninja groups carried out secret missions, and it falls upon Iga Jigoza's force of 17 ninja to infiltrate the enemy's stronghold and steal the pact from Negoro leader Saiga Magokuro. (The Movie Database)

A thug is released after fifteen years in prison for the murder of a yakuza gang boss. Things were never going to be simple and bygones were never going to be bygones of course, but to make matters more complicated the murdered boss had a young daughter upon his death. Will it be a case of vengeance? (imdb)

The wife of a yakuza lieutenant tries to keep the peace when the clan's heir suddenly dies and a succession conflict threatens to break out. (themoviedb)

Police Officer Kankichi Ryotsu is back at the Kameri Park Polic Box. He usually means to do well, but more often than not he ends up causing all kinds of trouble. (imdb)

The tale of Taira Kiyomori who started as a young inexperienced warrior who led the Heike into the battle against the brutal pirates on Setouchi.

From all over Japan, the greatest warriors: Yagyu Jubei, Miyamoto Musashi, Araki Mataemon, and more came to test their blades in a tournament of swords. But behind the match, a bloodthirsty plot is born. Tokugawa Yorinobu, a corrupt shogunate official plans to assassinate Shogun Iemitsu and take his place. With scheming samurai Yui Shosetsu and ruthless Negoro ninja leader Genyusai, he plans to incite a ronin uprising and cut a bloody trail across Japan, with terrifying Chinese gunboats...

The shogun’s half-brother, Matsudaira Naritsugu has been slated to join the Roju Council of Elders as a senior adviser even though he is criminally insane. His outrageous acts cause one of his top retainers to commit ritual suicide in protest over his lord’s crimes. Alerted to these crimes, Roju Councilor Doi asks Inspector General Shmada Shinzaemon to assassinate Naritsugu before he can be seated on the council. Gathering a band of 13, Shimada sets out on a death-defying journey to cut down

Invited for an anniversary celebration, Kindaichi, Miyuki, and inspector Kenmochi re-visit the Opera House. There they discover that a play of The Phantom of the Opera is being rehearsed again. However, it doesn't take long when members of the acting troupe are killed by the Phantom. Kindaichi will once again have to solve a murder series in the Opera House.

From Hokkaido to Tokyo, hunting dog Goro embarks on a long and grueling journey to reach home. Goro's master held a weapons smuggling case and the corruptions of those who are involved.

In prison for 50 years after massacring his corrupt workmates with a samurai sword in 1945, Ginji Sonesaki (Riki Takeuchi) is given the nickname of Ginji the Slasher. On his release he finds himself on the streets living with the homeless hiding from a man whose life he tried to end. His former boss and the object of Ginji's hatred is now a highly-regarded figure in politics but Ginji plans to remind him of his past transgressions and make him pay for ruining his life. (themoviedb.org)

From his early days as Matsudaira Motoyasu through his rise to the most powerful man in Japan as Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first of the Tokugawa Shoguns, this is the story of the man who truly unified Japan under one ruler. Tokugawa Ieyasu is quoted as saying: “People carry burdens through life as they travel a long road. Never rush” “If you think of privation as normal, you’ll be contented. If you know only about winning and losing, harm may fall upon you. Being inferior is batter than being superio

The Taisho era was a time of turbulence in Japan. From new marks of modernity to full-blown riots, a sense of revolution filled the air. The Dam Dam Group is a small anarchist organization led by Daijiro, a silver-tongued "Benshi", a performer who provides narratives for silent films, playing multiple roles. In other words, he was a master at the art of deception, a handy talent when it came to 'doing jobs' for his group. His revolutionary ideals attracted many to his squadron but among them...

Depicts a young girl who is welcomed into the inner palace during the reign of Tokugawa Ienari, the 11th Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and wins the battle of women.

A girl called Zero stands in a crowded street, her occupation an assassin. As she completes her tasks one after another, Zero has been feeling uneasy lately. As her code name suggests, she has nothing to prove her existence. She overlaps herself with the vanishing landscape and begins to wander in search of the meaning of her own existence. At the same time, a young man named One is also wandering the streets, and like Zero, he is an assassin.

Matauemon Araki (Kotaro Satomi) is a sword teacher in Yamatokoriyama. He heard from his brother-in-law, Kazuma Watanabe (Koyo Katagiri), that someone had killed Kazuma's father. The murderer was named Matagoro Kawai (Jinya Sato), who was the nephew of his close friend Jinszaemon Kawai (Isao Natsuyagi). He came to help Kazum, who is not good at swords and chasing Matazab...