Yoshirô Aoki

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)

A destitute ronin bearing the name of Kiba Okaminosuke wanders into a tiny, impoverished hamlet run by Ochise, a blind woman who owns a troubled messenger service--a business whose profits barely keep the meager town going. Delivering the corpses of two of her escorts he found on the road, Ochise explains her dire and desperate situation to the wandering samurai. (lonewolvesandhiddendragons.blogspot.com)

The story of Sanshiro Sugata, a young man who wants to learn the new art of judo. A wise teacher reveals to Sanshiro that judo is not merely a means of combat nor a demonstration of physical skill, but an art which reveals the artist to himself. (imdb)

The film, about a student rebellion when a school's administration refuses to acknowledge complicity for a student's suicide, garnered him attention outside of school and was released theatrically. (KG)

Those cold-blooded Ninja-nailing killers-for-hire are back, and bloodier than ever! Echo of Destiny, the kinetic second film in the Shadow Hunters saga, is a tale rich in intrigue, betrayal, and gory death. Retained by a great Damiyo to escort an illegal cannon to safety, the three Shadow Hunters must carve their way through a legion of Ninja (and more of those sexy female assassins) in order to complete their commission. (rightstuf.com)

A fisherman, opposed to the construction of a nuclear power plant, is murdered by a gang of right-wing extremists who are puppets of the corrupt contractor. The dead man's devoted wife concocts a plan of revenge. (Japanese Cinema Essential Handbook)

The Execution Game (1979) opens with Narumi's abduction, his torture, and his guns-ablazing escape from an abandoned warehouse, a lengthy, violent passage that proves to merely be a test by a mysterious group who wants Narumi to assassinate the hitman currently in their employ. (makeminecriterion.wordpress.com)

The Taisho era was a time of turbulence in Japan. From new marks of modernity to full-blown riots, a sense of revolution filled the air. The Dam Dam Group is a small anarchist organization led by Daijiro, a silver-tongued "Benshi", a performer who provides narratives for silent films, playing multiple roles. In other words, he was a master at the art of deception, a handy talent when it came to 'doing jobs' for his group. His revolutionary ideals attracted many to his squadron but among them...

Former policeman Matsushita Hiroshi is a professional marksman shootist. When his keen eye catches his target in the dry urban darkness, the hard, breathless action begins.