Noboru Kiritachi

Begins with the investigation of a suicide, an impoverished, elderly ex-samurai who had hanged himself because -- having pawned his real sword blades and replaced them with bamboo; this was done for him not to starve to death -- he had been unable to perform the samurai ritual of seppuku (ritual suicide, done with a sword piercing the stomach). The slum residents react by having a "wake" for the dead man, which is actually an excuse for them to drink up and make as merry as they can... (IMDB Comments)

This early-ish Naruse is best remembered for having two giants of 50s Japanese cinema in its crew - Akira Kurosawa and Ishiro Honda. Somewhat ironically, very little has been written about the film itself. It's a fascinating nonlinear study of a marriage, only one year old, beginning to crumble. Kusaku is married to Fukiko but is in love with Yayoi. A nice little film (runs under an hour) that features some flashes of the future Naruse.

When a onna-kabuki actress is murdered by poison her pet cat laps its mistress's blood and becomes the demonic cat possessed of the vengeful murder victim. The story takes place in the women's kabuki (onna kabuki), banned by a decree from the Shogun in 1629, so we can assume that the time of action is the early 17th century. (Japanesesamuraidvd.com)

One month has passed since Japan plunged into the Pacific War, but it has not yet touched the suburban life. The state of the suburbs where you can see from the train window is relaxing. It is not much different from now. Ms. Takamine, a female student, goes hiking with some of her colleagues in the suburbs.

Ken'ichi Enomoto is studying to be a great warrior, but he is a hasty youth. When he continues through with an attack when ordered to stop -- because there is no pausing in a real battle -- he is told that he will not be in the team at the fair the next day. He doesn't know what to tell his mother, but mothers know everything, don't they? So he is given a letter to carry to a priest. However, the path is haunted by ghosts and giants and fox spirits and he gets into a lot of trouble.

Song of the White Orchid was a co-production of Toho and Mantetsu, the railway that served the colonial region of Manchuria, and the first film in the Kazuo Hasegawa/Shirley Yamaguchi “Continental Trilogy.” Handsome Hasegawa runs up against an impertinent Yamaguchi; not surprisingly, in the course of the film the woman comes around and realizes the benevolent intentions of the Japanese. In Song of the White Orchid Yamaguchi leaves Hasegawa, who plays an expatriate working for the railway.

Episodic film about life in and around a rural police station, and the people in which it serves.

The Lord of Okazaki is killed by his brother-in-law. Although the Lord's widow bears a child, she is also killed. Then, a ghost cat begins stalking in the castle.

Chocolate and Soldiers (チョコレートと兵隊, Chokorēto to Heitai) is a 1938 Japanese war film directed by Sato Takeshi and one of the most effective Japanese propaganda films with a vision of the noble, obedient and honourable Japanese army fighting to defend the emperor and Japan.