Sônosuke Sawamura

Blind swordsman/masseur Zatoichi is pursued by the retainers of a lord who fear that he will reveal a secret weakness of their master. Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love: his own brother... (imdb)

Itinerant masseur and master swordsman, the blind Zatoichi, is near the village of his teacher, Hikonoichi, so he decides to visit. He learns of Hikonoichi's recent robbery and murder and the imprisonment of his virginal daughter, Osayo, in a brothel... (imdb)

What is the life of a Geisha like once her beauty has faded and she has retired? Kin has saved her money, and has become a wealthy money-lender, spending her days cold-heartedly collecting debts. Even her best friends, Tomi, Nobu, and Tamae, who were her fellow Geisha, are now indebted to her. Kin has two former lovers who still pursue her; one she wants to see, and the other she doesn't. But even the one she remembers fondly, when he shows up, proves to be a disappointment. (imdb)

A car strikes an unseen object; blood spreads from an invisible source which becomes visible as the bleeding man dies. He carries with him a suicide note dedicated to his only friend, who is also an invisible man. An eager young reporter tracks down Takemitsu Nanjo, a war veteran who makes his living visibly, painting his face like a clown's and carrying advertising signs. His favorite neighbor is a little blind girl whose mother is running afoul of local gangsters.

Hibari takes on the role of Mori no Ishimatsu, a young man who gets involved with real-life Yakuza legend, Shimizu no Jirocho, 'Boss of the Tokaido'. Ishimatsu manages to interfere with a dispute between the Shimizu and their competition, the Marugame family, even going so far as to become an avenger's assistant. It's not the first time Hibari has played a man in a film (also in Benten Kozo), and her acting skills are at their best as she mixes in a bit of humor along with excellent swordpl (japanesesamuraidvd.com)

Inspired by a female tattooed dice dealer, a country-man decides to leave his hometown in order to accomplish his dream: to become a mounted bandit in Manchuria. Working as a docker, he later meets a young woman from Hiroshima who wants to go to Brazil.

A wandering yakuza in search for the man responsible for slicing up his father and an amateur samurai searching for the whereabouts of his own father are thrown together on the outskirts of a mob infested seaside village. (imdb)

Young girl Kichiza searches for her missing brother and the person responsible for the death of her parents. (letterboxd)

AKA The Oiwa Phantom; About 1786 the doings of a demented lord results in many masterless samurai, including Iyemon who is used to luxury and cannot adjust to the hand-to-mouth conditions & piecework of umbrella making. Having hired ruffians to make him look like a superior swordsman, he arranges for himself the opportunity of a profitable marriage. He hires the half-blind masseur Takuetsu to seduce or rape his wife, so that she can be divorced or killed for adultery. (themoviedb)

Masakichi was a troublemaker until he found a right girl to marry. Unfortunately, his happiness is short-lived - she kills herself after being raped.

A family is brutally murdered in their own home and the official government's sake dealer is framed as a rebel by a corrupt member of the Shogun's Council of Elders. Young Lord decides to take on the Shogun's vile chief attendant.

The murder mystery solving Young Lord has moved on from helping out with minor crimes and infractions, taking up a new hobby of archery which may wind up putting his life at stake when he runs afoul of the shogun's chief attendant, a man so vile that Young Lord decides to take him on and find out who is really pulling the strings from behind the scenes as a family is brutally murdered in their own home...

With plenty of action, and a strong story about the growth and development of an expert swordsman, who just happens to be from an extremely privileged background.

Nishina Saburouta is a powerful but corrupt priest. One night, an old samurai who couldn't bear him anymore attempts to kill him, but without success. Saburouta is rescued by his niece, Keisuke at the last moment. Keisuke is a a good-for-nothing. Since that event, he always turns to his uncle when he needs money. Recently Keisuke feels his uncle isn't as generous as he used to be, he suspects that Saburouta has found out about the illicit relationship between Keisuke and his uncle's young mistre