Yoshitaka Asama

A family drama set in the late nineteenth century Japan, as the feudal Shogun period was giving way to the Meiji Restoration. (Empire Pictures)

Munezo Katagiri (Nagase), an honest and low ranking samurai is trapped in a state of personal and professional imbalance. Secretly in love with his family's maid, Kie (Tabata), Munezo begins an uneasy courtship with her, knowing that a relationship is impossible. Raised to respect traditions from the past and the demanding moral code of the samurai, circumstances have now forced Munezo to look to the future... (Tartan Films)

Base on the novel "Going Home" by Pete Hamill, the screenplay was written by director, Yôji Yamada. This film is about an ex-convict who has been release from prison and made an enounter with a young couple. They decided to travel together. On the way home, the convict recollects the past with the young couple and hopes that his wife will forgive him.

Tetsuo is a young man living in Tokyo, who falls in love with a deaf-mute factory girl. (imdb)

Gakko tells a simple heartwarming story of a group of students and their teacher, in one of the public night schools in Japan providing them education at the Junior High level. With night schools, you know that the students are working adults, and the narrative takes its time to dwell on the characters' backgrounds, and their interactions with the teacher, how he helped them in their times of need, or simply being the beacon of hope for them. (imdb)

Tora-san, the näive and romantic peddler, returns once more to his home in Hokkaido where, as usual, he falls in love with a lovely young lady. The girl this time is Rinko Ueno, who has come home in an attempt to repair her relationship with her gruff veterinarian father, Junkichi 'Jun' Ueno. Tora-san gets caught up in the entanglements not only between Rinko and her father but between Dr. Ueno and Etsuko, a restauranteur with amorous plans for the ornery veterinarian. (imdb)

widow struggles to maintain a small farm in a remote area of Hokkaido, fighting the elements and raising her young son. One brutally stormy night, a stranger appears at the door looking for shelter. Though wary, the widow offers him her hospitality. He leaves, but then returns in the spring and asks for work, desiring only room and board in return... (imdb comments)

A quasi-docu-drama pertaining to the monumental process to bring a performance troupe to a small Japanese village to perform for one night. (dvdbeaver.com)

Tora san, a drifter, falls for Lily, a kind nightclub singer who shares his lifestyle.

A widow who has raised her autistic son decides to return to school.

The environment and the movie stars at a Japanese film studio in the early '30s are recreated in this drama. Director Ogata (Ittoku Kishibe) discovers a new female star quite by accident. Koharu Tanaka (Narimi Arimori) works selling candy at a studio theater when she is given a part as a bit player. After the studio's top leading lady is embroiled in a scandal, Koharu is suddenly thrust into the limelight when she replaces her in a film and gains instant fame and fortune. (answers.com)

A tale of young love and friendship. Onkel, with the help of Kosuke, is trying to win the affection of beautiful Fusako. They manage to convince her to participate in an acting competition at the school festival...

Tora-san returns to his family's home to attend an elementary school class reunion. After he embarrasses himself by getting drunk and insulting all his ex-classmates, he resumes his travels. In Kyushu he meets an outspoken 18-year-old girl who becomes enamored of Tora-san and follows him around. One of Tora-san's old friends is terminally ill and makes Tora-san promise him to marry his wife once he is gone.

The film opens with Tora-san arriving home in Shibamata, at the family's sweets shop in Tokyo, just as his sister Sakura and her husband, Hiroshi are visited by their son's substitute teacher, 20-something Masako Yagyu. Of course Tora-san instantly falls for the pretty young woman. As his embarrassed family looks on, Tora-san completely usurps the meeting away from Sakura and Hiroshi, chatting away and trying to charm the teacher, even to the point of walking her home.

The well-intentioned, kind-hearted, and somewhat awkward but always lovable Tora-san makes one of his periodic visits to his sister and her family in Tokyo. His nephew, Mitsu, is depressed because he has failed his university entrance examination, and also because Izumi, a young girl he is in love with, has transferred to a school in Saga, Kyushu. Mitsuo leaves home and finds her, but her bad-tempered uncle disapproves of her riding around with a young man from Tokyo.

Tora-san becomes involved with a lady barber, Fuko, after she unsuccessfully lobbies for a job with a local barber then cutting Tora-san's hair. They have much in common, even a nickname, but mostly a shared unhappiness and wanderlust. They decide to travel together to Hokkaido, but are joined by a gloomy single father, Eisaku Fukuda trying to reconcile with a wife who left him some time before.

Tora-san returns home from his hobo trip to Tora-ya cafe in Shibamata, to his usual line up of relatives consisting of step sister Sakura, her husband Hiroshi, his uncle Ryuzo who's the owner of the cafe, aunt Tsune, and president of next door printing company Tako. Tora confesses that he has an important announcement about a lady named Okinu later in the evening. Everyone at the house is convinced that it will be his engagement announcement, and are excited.

Tora-san returns to his family's home in Shibamata, Tokyo, to find a large American peddler living in his room, leading to various conflicts. As Tora-san struggles through his love with the local Madonna (references?) the American admits to falling for Sakura. Ultimately the two men find they have more in common than they thought

When his travels bring him to Western Japan, Tora-san decides to pay his respects to the late Hyoichiro Suwa, his sister's father-in-law. He gets drunk with the priest at the temple, falling in love with the priest's daughter in the process. When the priest is too hung-over to deliver a eulogy the next morning, Tora-san takes his place, with great success. Tora-san's sister and his brother-in-law's family show up for Hyoichiro Suwa's memorial service, and an argument breaks out over his estate.

Tora-san's family's neighbor, Akemi, who had been married in Marriage Counselor Tora-san (1984), runs away from her husband, who is only interested in work. Tora-san follows her to Shikinejima, and attempts to bring her back to her home. In doing so he encounters a school-reunion group who are traveling to meet their elementary school teacher. Tora-san joins them and falls in love with the teacher.[

Hama-chan's supervisor is promoted after many frustrating years with his wayward, fishing-obsessed underling, and Hama-chan's new boss naively tries to retrain him. Later, Su-san and Hama-chan go on a business trip, where they meet a beautiful, warm-hearted truck driver.

In the late Edo Period, a fishing-crazy warrior is kicked out of his clan and leads an itinerant existence with his long-suffering sister. He finds a kindred spirit in the leader of another clan.

Hama-chan gets his construction company a big contract to build a museum through one of his fishing friends. But the man proves difficult to work with, especially after the he insists on a ludicrous design that will make everyone look foolish. The contract in jeopardy, Su-san enlists Hama-chan's help.

Hama-chan's sales department gets a new supervisor, a hard-working taskmaster that's the very opposite of carefree, irresponsible Hama-chan. The veteran employee decides to find his boss, a divorced father, a new wife. The supervisor loves a bar hostess "mama-san," but is unable to confess his true feelings until Hama-chan comes to his rescue.

Su-san burnt out, and suddenly resigned as president of the company and run away. Hama-chan looked for him and finally found out him at the office building where Hama-chan used to work. Su-san got a job as a caretaker of that building.

Mr. Takano, a company employee, announces plans to take an early retirement so he can return to his home town and spend his days fishing. Su-san and Hama-chan envy his decision, and Hama-chan conspires to visit Takano, even though he has no vacation time left.

Hama-chan's construction company once again faces the prospect of downsizing in the shrinking Japanese economy. Despite this, Hama-chan goes on vacation where he meets the firm's downsizing consultant, who has doubts about her career.

Hoping to find rest from his wandering life, Tora-san returns home. He becomes infatuated with a widow and leaves to travel again, keeping his feelings secret.

Tora-san meets three women on vacation when he travels to Fukui. One of the women meets him at his home, and he believes she has fallen in love with him, unaware that she hopes to marry a potter in the countryside.

When Tora-san returns to visit his family, he is surprised to find an arrogant professor occupying his room. The professor and Tora-san become rivals for the affection of Chiyo.

Tora-san watches the family shop while the rest of his family takes a vacation to Kyushu. An old friend introduces Tora-san to his sister Ritsuko, and he promptly falls in love with her. She is an artist and has no time for Tora-san.

During his travels Tora-san meets a troubled father with a baby. He shares a drink with the man who then abandons the baby into Tora-san's care. At his hometown in Shibamata, Tokyo, the family is worried about who will take care of the family shop once Tora-san's aunt and uncle have died. Tora-san arrives with the baby causing family and neighbors to speculate that he is the father.

Tora-san meets an old girlfriend on his travels. When she returns home with him, his family attempts to arrange a marriage between the two. After a misunderstanding occurs, the woman leaves, and the family is left regretting that they interfered.

In his travels through Japan, Tora-san meets and falls in love with a female doctor, however he is afraid of committing to a relationship.

In the midst of Japan's rising economy of the mid-1980s, the itinerant Tora-san becomes drunk with a hard-working company section chief. After an hour commute, the two sleep off their night's revelry at the section chief's home in Ibaraki Prefecture. When the section chief disappears due to the pressure of his job, Tora-san helps his wife to find the man, while secretly hoping they do not, as he has fallen in love with her.

Tora-san returns to his family's shop in Shibamata, Tokyo to find himself accused of being the father of a 17-year-old girl. It turns out that Tora-san had only given help to the girl's mother after her husband had left her. Tora-san becomes infatuated with the female archeology student who is staying with his family, and attempts to take up intellectual pursuits to get near her.

During his travels, Tora-san meets Ikenouchi, a drunken old man whom he assumes is poor and homeless. Tora-san takes the old man home. When he wakes up, Ikenouchi begins ordering Tora-san's family around in such an authoritarian manner that no one can muster the courage to suggest he leave. On the road again, Tora-san meets Botan, a geisha who has lost her life savings to a dishonest customer. He and his family's neighbor are determined to help her out.

Tora-san returns to his family home in Shibamata, Tokyo, but soon leaves again due to squabbles involving a dog they have named Tora-san. During his travels in Shikoku, Tora-san makes the acquaintance of a descendant of a local daimyō. The old man asks Tora-san to find his son's widow in Tokyo, whom he had previously alienated.

Tora-san plays at matchmaker, trying to arrange a romance between Ryōsuke and Sachiko. His advice proves disastrous and Tora-san instead falls in love with Ryōsuke's sister.

Tora-san returns from his travels throughout Japan to his family's home in Tokyo to find his uncle recovering from an illness. After a family fight erupts, he returns to the road and becomes friends with Tomekichi. When the pair come to Tokyo, they both fall in love with stage dancers.

Mistakenly believing that his brother-in-law's boss is planning to commit suicide, Tora-san attempts to prevent him.

Tora-san convinces the hesitant Hitomi to go through with her plans to marry her intended spouse.

Lily, the lounge singer with whom Tora-san fell in love in film 11 (Tora-san's Forget Me Not, 1973) and film 15 (Tora-san's Rise and Fall, 1975) sends Tora-san a letter informing him that she is terminally ill. Tora-san rushes to Okinawa--taking his first plane trip in the process--to be at her side and nurse her to health.

Tor-san takes care of the teenage daughter of a friend after he dies. He takes the girl to Tokyo where she wishes to study, and becomes worried over her romantic life.

When his travels bring him to Osaka, Tora-san falls in love with a local geisha. He helps her to track down her estranged brother, and informs his family that he plans to marry her. His plans are foiled when the geisha informs Tora-san that she is engaged.

During his travels, Tora-san gets drunk with an old man in Kyoto. Though Tora-san never fully comprehends his importance, the old man is a Living National Treasure ceramist. At his home, Tora-san makes a good impression on the old man's maid, who apparently falls in love with Tora-san.

Torah returns to Shibamata. There he learns that his mother Kiku is bored in the city. Reluctantly, he is persuaded to visit them. There is a dispute between the two, because the mother wants grandchildren and Torah seems unable to ever win a wife for himself. Sadly Torah draws away again travels on and meets the sweet Hanako. She appears to be mentally a little slow. He lovingly cares for her and gives her his address. Later on she shows up in Shibamata.

Teen Mitsuo is looking for a job. He gave some interviews already, but was unsuccessful. That's why he wants to give up and gets into an argument with his parents. He looks for work in some distant areas and lands on the island Kotojima in the inland sea, where he finds work as a fisherman. The family asks Mitsuo's Uncle Tora-san to bring him back. Torah is not particularly successful there but he finds another reason to stay on Kotojima: the sweet and beautiful Yoko.

Tora-san gets into an argument with his uncle and sets out on the road again. In Kyushu he meets a young woman named Keiko and the shy zoologist Saburō, and attempts to play matchmaker between the two when they all return to Tokyo.

Tora-san returns to his family home to learn that his brother-in-law cannot go to Mitsuo's (Tora-san's nephew) athletic event. Tora-san volunteers to take his place, but gets into an argument with his brother-in-law's boss and returns to the road. He meets a young woman in Niigata who, unbeknownst to him, is a popular enka singer.

During his travels, Tora-san comes across a traditional theater he used to visit, and discovers that one of his old friends has died. Tora-san and his family help the friend's daughter, who becomes romantically involved with an aspiring artist.

It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Kumiko Goto as the love interest.

During his wandering throughout Japan, Tora-san meets a suicidal man. He travels with the man to Vienna, but winds up homesick for Japan.

Vagabond Tora-San (Kiyoshi Atsumi) meets an old flame while helping his nephew's (Hidetaka Yoshioka) girlfriend (Kumiko Goto) solve personal crises.

During his stay in a seaside village, Japan's favorite drifter meets a lonely female barber with marriage on her mind.

All of the Tora-san movies had the same basic plot with some minor variations. Kuruma Torajirō (or Tora-san), a traveling salesman whose sole possessions include only the contents of a small suitcase, the clothes on his back and some pocket money, wanders from town to town peddling his wares. He yearns to return to his home in Shibamata, Katsushika, Tokyo.

Featuring ATSUMI Kiyoshi as the lovable loser KURUMA Torajiro, the 48-film Tora-san series holds the Guinness World Record for the longest running film series starring the same actor. In a typical story-line from the series, Tora-san visits a different part of Japan where he meets a beautiful young woman, and tells her if she ever needs help, she should come visit him in his small hometown of Shibamata.

Carrying a bag full of samples, Mitsuo makes rounds to various shoe stores in remote cities. While staying at budget hotels, his thoughts turn to Tora-san.

Bored with school, 15-year-old Daisuke Kawashima embarks on a pilgrimage to visit the 7,000-year-old cedar tree on distant Yakushima Island. Through his journey, Daisuke meets a number of interesting people, including friendly truck driver Sumire and a mysterious mountaineer girl. (imdb)