Kin'ya Kitaôji

Tokugawa Ieyasu befriends another daimyo, Oda Nobunaga, and becomes a military leader.

Hirono, now dug deep into a Japanese crime family based in Hiroshima, finds a new adversary in the person of Katsutoshi Otomo (Sonny Chiba), a ruthless killer who is willing to do anything to promote his family's interests. Meanwhile, Shoji Yamanaka (Kinya Kitaoji) is an ambitious criminal who quickly scales the hierarchy of the Muraoka family, but his fall proves as sudden as his ascent. (All Movie Guide)

n this violent and morally ambiguous crime drama from master genre filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku, Takeda (Akira Kobayashi), a longtime leader of one of Hiroshima's Yakuza families (the Japanese Mafia), attempts to resolve the longtime war between various mob factions by reshaping his organization into a political organization that would be both powerful and legal. (All Movie Guide)

Feudal Japan. Kamo Serizawa and Isami Kondo turn a collection of student fencers into a band of assassins known as the Shinsen Group, devoted to the Tokugawa shogunate and to an elegant code of action and behavior. Kondo leads the band against the forces of the Emperor in hopes of preventing his restoration to the throne. (imdb)

The villagers in a beautiful remote area of Japan are divided into the woodsmen, who worship the mountain goddess, and the fishermen, who worship the goddess of the sea. These traditions are threatened by a planned marine park. Tatsuo is a macho lumberjack who hunts boars and monkeys with the young Ryota.

During a military training exercise in snowy mountains, things go awry.

Ten people who agree to take the same lucrative "job" find themselves locked in an underground complex and forced to play a murder game for seven days (imdb)

A lonely gangster tries recruiting men to plunder a respected and powerful gang. (imdb)

Zushio and his sister Anju are kidnapped and sold to a cruel slave-master. Will they ever be reunited with their mother again?

A woman interested in Persian carpets learns of the 5000-year history behind one carpet, and begins to look for something even more important in life than love and happiness... A co-production between Toho Studios and the Mitsukoshi department store. Based on a novel by Hiroyuki Itsuki. (movie.goo.ne.jp (translated))

Set in 1937, this is the story of Asakichi, who is played by Shiuntaro Katsu, best known as being Zatoichi in 26 films. Asakichi has been disowned by his father for gambling, so he heads off to make his living in cockfighting. He, in quick order, wins some money, takes up with a fallen geisha and quickly comes in conflict with the yakuza. Besting their top man, Asakichi, is drawn into the life of a yakuza despite his efforts to remain outside of it. (imdb)

Vice Admiral Takajiro Ohnishi could see that Japan's defeat in WWII was inevitable. He came to realize that the only way to force a negotiated solution was to convince the Americans that invading Japan would cause massive casualties on both sides. The cold logic of suicide attacks, where one man and one plane could kill hundreds, seemed the only solution. (letterboxd.com)

In 1929 the fossil of a 500,000 year old man is discovered in China. In 1941 the Japanese army confiscates this find, but during the war the remains disappear. Based on these factual events, this movie takes off with a science fiction story involving a space rocket which places a satellite in orbit containing a secret cargo. The satellite crashes on a remote island and footprints are found in the sand leading away from the crash site. (themoviedb)

The beautiful Yumechiyo returns home with the crushing news that her atom-bomb-induced illness is leukemia. With less than 6 months to live she falls in love with a young man. (imdb)

An American scientist constructs a laser satellite with hopes of preventing any nuclear conflicts from occurring. However, after a fatal error from both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. governments, war breaks out and humanity faces a new bloodshed. (imdb)

The life and times of Kûkai, a Japanese monk who studies Esoteric Buddhism in the far reaches of India, China and Tibet, then uses their combined influence to establish the Shingon school during the Heian period in early 9th Century AD. (letterboxd.com)

A farmer and his fellow villagers try to resist the effort to turn the unspoiled region in which they live into a land development, they are ultimately unsuccessful.

Koki Hirota was the only civilian hanged as a Class A war criminal by the Tokyo Tribunal after World War II. His execution remains controversial and this drama makes the case that he always worked for peace. He did not defend himself against the capital charge because he failed to stop the aggression of the Imperial Army.

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)

A troupe of Chinese acrobats go to Japan to help celebrate the building of a shrine. At the same time a series of mysterious assassinations take place. Master swordsman Saotome try to solve the puzzling crimes. (themoviedb)

Film number 22 in one of the longest running feature series in Japan, has bored samurai Hatamoto embroiled in a plot against the shogun amidst intrigue regarding a prized banner. There is more to distract the master swordsman Hatamoto however. His concubine and her brother are kidnapped. (imdb)

Saotome Mondonosuke is a "Hatamoto" or direct retainer of the Shogun. The crescent shaped scar on his forehead is a license given him by the Shogun to kill anyone he deems to be a villain. A strong performance that reflects well upon his father with interesting stories, these films are required viewing. When Saotome hears news about counterfeit gold and of an old friend that has gone missing, he begins to suspect that things are not what they seem... (japanesesamuraidvd)

The crescent shaped scar on his forehead is a license given him by the Shogun to kill anyone he deems to be a villain. A strong performance that reflects well upon his father, with interesting stories, these films are required viewing. When Saotome hears rumors of a Daimyo's plot to overthrow the Shogun, he launches an investigation. With the help of his sister Kikuji, his stewart, Kinai and a mysterious woman they begin to unravel the web of treachery. (japanesesamuraidvd)

Recently released from prison for a murder sentence, a yakuza boss's wife leaves Hong Kong for a fresh start, but a betrayal leads to her return. (themoviedb)

The Straw Hat Pirates are taking on Gild Tesoro, one of the richest men in the world.

Genjuro’s crime was the assassination, his punishment was to survive a faked execution and lose his home, lose his identity, and emerge as Maboroshi Shinigami, the Phantom Assassin. When his wife is kidnapped and tortured to reveal his whereabouts and dragged to the executioner for crucifixion by corrupt clan officials, Genjuro faces an army of swords to save her. Evil men aim to frame Genjuro for another murder. They need only one thing for their scheme: Genjuro’s dead body.

A vicious plot that would change the course of Japanese history is set in motion when assassins conspire to kill Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. Things heats up as Iemitsu plans a journey across Japan where assassins lie in wait. Working with elder statesman Okubo Hikozaemon is Musashi Miyamoto who wants to unravel the mystery of who is behind this plot and things heat up further when some of them are the greatest swordsmen in the land!

A woman works as a prostitute and attendant to make a living at a bathhouse. She is athletic and is an avid runner. She has met and adopted a white dog and the two have become inseparable. It is the biggest tragedy and calamity when the dog is found dead, killed, or murdered. The woman swears to find justice by finding the murderer and making things right.

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. And who should reappear... (Letterbox'd and me)