Shinobu Hashimoto

A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.

A heinous crime and its aftermath are recalled from differing points of view. (imdb)

Kanji Watanabe is a longtime bureaucrat in a city office who, along with the rest of the office, spends his entire working life doing nothing... (imdb)

Ryunosuke is a sociopathic samurai without compassion or scruples. When he is scheduled for an exhibition match at his fencingschool, the wife of his opponent begs Ryunosuke to throw the match, offering her own virtue in trade (imdb)

In Kurosawa's HAMLET-like story of corporate scandal in post-war Japan, a young man attempts to use his position at the heart of a corrupt company to expose the men responsible for his father's death. (imdb)

Lured by gold, two greedy peasants escort a man and woman across enemy lines. However, they do not realize that their companions are actually a princess and her general. (imdb)

A ruthlessly ambitious lord, egged on by his wife, works to fulfill a prophesy that he would become Emperor. (imdb)

Episodes from the lives of a group of Tokyo slum-dwellers: Rokkuchan, a retarded boy who brings meaning and routine to his life by driving an imaginary streetcar (imdb)

An elder ronin samurai arrives at a feudal lord's home and requests an honorable place to commit suicide. But when the ronin inquires about a younger samurai who arrived before him things take an unexpected turn. (imdb)

During peace in 1725, aging swordsman Isaburo is living a henpecked life when his clan lord requests that Isaburo's son marry the lord's mistress... (imdb)

February 17 to March 3, 1860, inside Edo castle. A group of assassins wait by Sakurada Gate to kill the lord of the House of Ii... (imdb)

Kiichi Nakajima, an elderly foundry owner, is so frightened and obsessed with the idea of nuclear extermination that his family decides to have him ruled incompetent. Nakajima's fervent wish is for his family to join him in escaping from Japan to the relative safety of South America. Harada, a civil volunteer in the case, sympathizes with Nakajima's conviction, but the old man's irrational behaviour prevents the court from taking his fears seriously. (imdb)

Two detectives investigate the murder of a 60-year-old policeman. The victim is well-liked, and there does not seem to be any motive for the murder. The investigation finally leads to the discovery of the hidden past of a young rising composer. (hkflix.com)

Izo Okada, a ronin (masterless samurai), desperately seeks a way out of his financial straits. He allies himself with the Tosa clan under the ruthless leader, Takechi, and imagines that he has come up in the world. But Takechi makes Izo a killer and a puppet, filled with self-loathing and a need to stop Takechi. (imdb)

A war widow with a young boy manages a farm with her bossy mother-in-law. When a reporter comes to interview her, the two begin an affair. He turns out to be married and won't leave his wife. Her older brother tries to marry off his children and hang on to/ extend his farm through an advantageous marriage in the face of threatened land confiscation and the desire of his children to get comfortable urban jobs instead of the backbreaking work in the paddy fields under parental control. (imdb)

Following the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military and the government clash over the demand from the Allies for unconditional surrender. Minister of the Army Anami leads the military officers who propose to fight on, even to the death of every Japanese citizen. Emperor Hirohito, however, joins with his ministers in asking the unthinkable, the peaceful surrender of Japan. (imdb)

Study of the relationship between children of the Ainu tribe in Hokkaido and their pure Japanese neighbours and schoolmates. (bfi.org.uk)

A sarcastic movie that takes jabs at the practices of the medical profession.

Based on the true story of the trial of four innocent men for the murder of an old couple.

When the Tokugawa Shogunate ruled the land, Tatsuno castle in Wakisaka Clan's home of Harima held an established custom: an inspection of the arms warehouse. During one of these inspections, government inspector Magodayu Okuno finds a slight bit of dirt on the tip of a spear, which sparks an argument with a low-ranking member of the Wakisaka Clan.

Teiko, a young newlywed, bids farewell to her new husband, Kenichi, in a Tokyo station, as he leaves to conclude business in Kanazawa, promising to return on December 12. But the 12th comes and goes with no word from Kenichi. Teiko's only clue to her husband's whereabouts is a couple of strange postcards she finds among his belongings. When Kenichi's employers invite her to Kanazawa to help them locate him, Teiko finds herself embroiled in a complicated mystery. (sansebastianfestival.com)

Kansuke Yamamoto (Toshirō Mifune) is a general of warlord Shingen Takeda (Kinnosuke Nakamura). Yamamoto has a ruthless but effective approach to battle and politics, and advises Takeda on almost everything he does, including the assassination of the lord of neighboring Suwa. Of Lord Suwa's household, Princess Yu (Yoshiko Sakuma) refuses to commit suicide, and the film comes to center on a love triangle between the lord, his general, and the princess. (Wikipedia)

A veteran police officer and his younger partner search for a fugitive in heat of the summer.

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

"Kiri no Hata" revolves around the failings of the Japanese judicial system and the efforts of the sister of a falsely indicted defendant to gain representation by a prominent Tokyo defense attorney. (KG)

When a married woman has an affair with a young musician, feudal Japanese law requires that both offenders pay with their lives. However, the woman's husband blames himself for his wife's straying and attempts to thwart the law demanding capital punishment. (imdb)

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

A spy drama set London about a Japenese policeman.

Re-make of the Samurai Rebellion (1967). The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped away from her husband by the lord. The husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to get her back. (imdb)

The Three Kingdoms period begins as the walled fortress of Hsin Yang falls to invaders. Centered around this historical event, The Last Days of Hsin Yang follows the escape of the prince of Hsin Yang as he hides with a small family and escapes from the sacked and burning city. Epic battle scenes employ hundreds of extras, and forest swordplay is reminiscent of House of Flying Daggers. (amazon.com)

When a married man begins an affair with a woman from his past, he comes to suspect her young son intends to murder him. (Criterion)

Dramatic story of one man trying to make a difference. (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)

Based on a 1956 television feature on Japan's national network, NHK, this is one of Uchida's rarest films. A socially conscious drama with a contemporary backdrop, Dotanba focuses on the attempts to rescue a group of trapped miners. (The Movie Database)

Lt. Koji Kitami is a navigator-bombardier in Japan's Naval Air Force. He participates in the Japanese raid on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in 1941 and is welcomed with pride in his hometown on his return. As Japan racks up victory after victory in the Pacific War, Kitami is caught up in the emotion of the time and fights courageously for the standard of Japanese honor. (The Movie Database)

Lt. Col. Senda resists the idea of sending Japanese fighter pilots on suicide missions. He believes that what is really necessary for Japan to regain momentum in the war is for the air force to gather its most brilliant pilots into an elite squadron and use the unit to pinpoint attacks on the Americans. Disrespected by the kamikaze pilots who think the "non-suicidal" pilots are afraid, the unit redeems itself by stunning victories. (imdb)

A Japanese detective, Kikuchi, is framed for a murder and sent to prison. When he is paroled, he joins a private detective agency to investigate his case and investigates Mitsue Takazawa, the wife of a local trading firm whom is really a crime lord responsible for Kikuchi's imprisionment and now sets sights on Setsuko, a woman Kikuchi becomes romantically involved with. (imdb)

Racked by earthquakes and volcanos, Japan is slowly sinking into the sea. A race against time and tide begins as Americans and the Japanese work together to salvage some fraction of the disappearing Japan.

At Rabaul, ace pilot Wakabayashi leads a rapidly depleting squad of airmen trying to defend Japanese forces from air attacks. Known as "Devil" Wakabayashi, he rules with an iron fist – taking issue with men who spend their time in local bars and pointedly refusing to send rescue craft for crashed pilots. (Windows on Worlds)

As Japan joins in a political pact with Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is appointed supreme commander of the Japanese fleet. With Japan headed inexorably toward war, Yamamoto, despite his misgivings, believes the only possible victory lies in destroying the American fleet by surprise at Pearl Harbor. The attack succeeds, but fails to sink the American carrier fleet.

Afraid of the ultimate consequences, a married man, who is having an affair with an employee, inadvertently becomes the only person who can free an accused murderer.

After mastering swordsmanship at the dojo of Chiba Shusaku, and being unable to serve a clan due to his illness, Hirate Miki became a ronin who wound up as bodyguard to Shigezo of Sasagawa leading up to an epic battle.

Toyomatsu Shimizu, a barber, father and husband, is suddenly arrested by the Prefectural Police as a war criminal and sued for murder. According to the accusation, he "attempted to kill a US prisoner", which was an order from his superior. He is sentenced to death by hanging. Prior to execution, he writes a long farewell letter to his family "If I ever incarnate, I hate to be a human being any more.... Oh yes, I would like to be...a shellfish living on the rock-bottom of the sea."

One relatively peaceful post-war day in Japan, a barber and good family man, is unexpectedly arrested by the Prefectural Police, declared a suspected war criminal, and subsequently sued for murder by the American occupation forces.

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.

Features a haunted well with yet another blind masseur's vengeful ghost.

A young doctor falls into despair over land development. He plans to revenge the disgrace inflicted upon his sister, who was raped by the developers gang and whose engagement was broken as a result but a problem arises. (KG and me)