Renzaburô Shibata

An orphan raised by a Samurai goes on a quest to find himself and discovers a way to bring samurai to their knees.

Hanpei, son of the only servant of a concubin who has turned mad, rumored to have been fathered by a dog, is rejected by his fellow samurais. He becomes a great gardener. But the local lord, son of the mad concubin of the beginning, turns out to be mad as well. Hanpei can run quicker than a horse, and is a natural born swordsman. These talents allow him to be a professionnal killer. Now Hanpei has a place. But the one that follows the path of the sword will have to pay a price. (thelostforum.net)

Nemuri Kyoshiro, a youthful and cynical ronin with unparalleled skill, is approached by both sides in a game of corruption, ambition, and double crosses. The leader of the Kaga clan, who thinks he has killed his smuggling partner, fears that the shogunate will discover his illegal activities. He learns of evidence that will prove his guilt. Meanwhile, his partner is not dead, and, assisted by a master of Shorenji boxing, is looking for revenge and for his loot.... (imdb)

When the Shogun's elderly Finance Minister cuts off the allowance of one of the Shogun's widowed daughters to help avert a financial crisis, she responds by sending assassins after him. Kyoshiro befriends the old man and defends him, earning himself the enmity of the vengeful princess as well.

Kyoshiro demonstrates his skill by slicing the clothes from the body of a female opponent, and gets involved in a plot that could spell his doom! (imdb)

During a time when Christians were severely persecuted in Japan, a dying Christian man begs Kyoshiro to protect a saint who is in hiding. In doing so he encounters resistance from a group of opium smugglers and learns much about his own shadowy past.

In SWORD OF FIRE, Nemuri is hired to kill an innocent girl who is hiding out as a washerwoman in a small town. Realizing that she has done nothing wrong, Nemuri concocts a plan to mete out justice to those who want her dead.

When the lord of clan has a son, the son will take his father's place. However, as the child gets older, the clan lord realizes that he is not the father of the child, and decides to have him murdered. Saved by a servant, the son is put into hiding and believed to be dead. So when his father dies, the son decides to claim what is rightfully his, namely, the leadership of the clan. The clan, however, has different ideas, so the young man decides to let his sword reason with his would be usurpers.

After being humiliated by Kyoshiro, the Princess Kiku is out for revenge. But the only thing her private Ninja army gets is the Full Moon Cut. In desperation she kidnaps an orphan girl that Kyoshiro has befriended, and holds her hostage hoping to ambush the heroic Kyoshiro.

Kyoshiro gets drawn into a complicated plot revolving around the remnants of a failed anti-Shogunate uprising, who are secretly organizing a new attack on Edo castle.

This harrowingly gruesome and macabre story derived from Rensaburo Shibata's tale, recounts a family curse in all senses of the term.

The Son of the Black Mass returns in this ninth installment in Daiei's longstanding Nemuri Kyoshiro series. This time Raizo Ichikawa as Nemuri is called to see that a gold statuette of the Virgin Mary gets safe passage to Kyoto from the prying hands of a sect of murderous Christian ronin that call themselves the Black Finger Group. (imdb)

Two devious retainers are competing to take control of a fief when the current Lord dies, but involving Kyoshiro in the conflict against his will is the textbook example of a bad idea - especially when the collateral damage starts to tick him off. (imdb)

Nemuri arrives at a small village, a fight is posed then postponed, there's a place called the Devil's Fortress and people are being kept locked there and tortured by the villainy occupants, then at some point the villainy occupants are introduced to us by name and a shadowy connection to the Shogun is implied. (imdb)

Just when you think Kyoshiro's life can't get any stranger, someone starts running around raping and murdering, and leaving notes proudly proclaiming that he did it. Tracking down the real culprit willtake him along a twisted trail that involves the Shogun's harem, hidden christians, and positively pregnant politics! (animeigo.com)

In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi concerted with Tokugawa Ieyasu and attacked the army of the Hojo Clan. Confronted as such, the Hojo army focused their clan at Odawara Castle, and posted an attacking force along the mountains of Hakone. Against this backdrop is one of the best movies to come out of Toei Studios during the Golden Age. A lone swordsman named Mayadono Kyonosuke sets out to right an injustice from 5 years before. (kurotokagi)

Sakai Nobunari an Elder in 'Honmaru'and Mizuno Tadakuni an Elder in 'Nishinomaru' have been at odds behind the scenes over the marriage of Tokugawa Ieyoshi, heir to the Shogunate. Kyoshiro, who has come back in Edo after 3 years is involved in it against his will. It's because he gets to know Lady Mihoyo who is a spy for Sakai and looks exactly like his late mother. As she couldn't complete her mission she has nowhere to go. Kyoshiro shelters her from both parties that seek her life. (themoviedb

Inspector General Kanjuro Sano conspires with the future shogun twin brother. They replace Ieyoshi Tokugawa with his twin, but it becomes a problem when suspicion arises and Nemuri Kyoshiro gets involved. (themoviedb)

Nemuri Kyoshiro this time get involved in a feud between two clans and get the target of one of the clans from where he meet a half breed like himself. Also some dolls play an important role. Getting an opportunity to meet with another half-Caucasian swordsman, Kyoshiro finds himself involved in a series of dangerous encounters.

A samurai seeks revenge for the death of his master.

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...

Now elderly in his 70s, Nemuri Kyoshiro, master swordsman, faces his final challenge - note actor Masakazu Tamura played the leading character in 1970's and 1990's. (own synopsis)

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 ...