“Jun’ai Monogatari (Story of Pure Love),” 1957 drama, 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Directed by Tadashi Imai. Starring Shinjiro Ebara, Hitomi Nakahara, Kaoru Kusuda, Eiji Okada and Kunie Tanaka.
A tragic love story between an atomic bomb victim, Mitsuko, and her lover, Kantaro, who struggle to survive during the post war period.
“Kakekomi Onna to Kekedashi Otoko (KAKEKOMI),” 2015 jidaigeki drama, 2 hours and 23 minutes.
Directed by Masato Harada. Starring Yo Oizumi and Erika Toda.
Set in the Edo period during a time when the divorce rate was actually much higher than the present day.
The government has announced a thrift ordinance and the lives of common people get worse. During this time, a nunnery called Tökei-ji in Kamakura becomes known for offering refuge to women while they’re in the process of divorcing their husbands or are otherwise trapped in bad situations. Many of whom are being abused by their husbands.
Shinjiro is a doctor and wants to be a literary writer. He stays at a Kashiwaya Inn located at Tökei-ji to get ideas for a book he plans to write about various situations and tactics involved in divorce arbitration. While there, he attempts to offer friendly advice to several of the women regarding their new lives, but in the process winds up getting dragged into their troubles.
“Kantsubaki (A Midwinter Camellia),” 1992 drama, 1 hour and 54 minutes.
Directed by Yasuo Furuhata. Starring Nishida Toshiyuki, Minamino Yoko, Takashima Masahiro and Katase Rino.
A bittersweet love story between Iwago, a yakuza, and a beautiful young geisha named Botan.
“Kurobedani no Daikenkyaku (The Swordsman in the Golden Valley),” 1960 samurai film, 1 hour and 26 minutes.
Directed by Yasushi Sasaki. Starring Utaemon Ichikawa and Michiyo Kogure.
A story of a samurai involved in a gold rush in a canyon.
“Oedo Kenka Matoi (Cantankerous Edo),” 1957 jidaigeki, 2 hours and 7 minutes.
Starring Ryutaro Otomo and Hibari Misora.
A former samurai becomes the town fire chief.
“Okon no Hatsukoi (First Love of Okon),” 1958 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Directed by Kunio Watanabe. Starring Hibari Misora and Michiko Hoshi.
A fox in disguise, Okon, returns the favor to a man who rescued her from a fatal trap.
“Sanbyaku Rokujugo-ya (365 Nights),” 1962 drama, 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Directed by Kunio Watanabe. Starring Hibari Misora, Ken Takakura and Yukiji Asaoka.
A touching drama about a love triangle between a young architect, Koroku, and two women, Ranko and Teruko.
Ranko comes from a wealthy family and is offering to repay Kotaro’s family debts in exchange for marriage, but Kotaro is in love with his landlord’s daughter, Teruko. Things are futher complicated when the wicked Tsugawa takes interest in both women, for his own marriage.
“Satomi Hakkenden Dai-sanbu (Sorcerer’s Orb 3),” 1954 samurai film, 52 minutes.
Directed by Toshikazu Kono. Starring Chiyonosuke Azuma, Kinnosuke Nakamura and Ryunosuke Tsukigata.
Four sacred warriors continue their search for the remaining members while also discovering the magical powers that lay in their own orbs.
“Shingo Nijuuban Shobu Dai-Ichibu (Shingo’s Challenge, Part 1),” 1961 samurai film, 1 hour and 28 minutes.
Starring Hashizou Okawa and Satomi Oka.
Aoi Shingo is the son of the Shogun, but he has never met his father. As a child in many ways isolated from his parents, he made an early decision to take on the solitary lifestyle of a swordsman and eventually becomes recognized as the best swordsman in Japan. However his fame has not only made him the target of a rival, but also a pawn of corrupt government officials who convince his father, Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, to order his arrest.
“Shinsengumi Onitaicho (Fall of the Shogun’s Militia),” 1954 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 54 minutes.
Directed by Toshikazu Kouno. Starring Chiezo Kataoka and Kinnosuke Nakamura.
The story about the rise and fall of the famed mercenaries, Shinsengumi, who are hired by a crumbling feudal government.
“Tarao Bannai Kimenmura no Sangeki (The Tragedy in the Devil Masked Village),” 1978 drama, 1 hour and 28 minutes.
Starring Akira Kobayashi and Kuniyasu Atsumi.
Tarao’s services are called upon to solve the mysterious death of bride-to-be, Mariko, who was found dead with an eerie mask of a devil.
“Wakasama Zamurai Torimonocho Kuroi Tsubaki (Case of a Young Lord 9),” 1961 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 34 minutes.
Directed by Tadashi Sawashima. Starring Hashizo Okawa and Satomi Oka.
Young master comes to rescue Okimi who is suspected of murders in Izu.
“Yagyu Bugeicho Katame Suigetsu no Ken (The Yagyu Military Art: Yagyu List),” 1963 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 24 minutes.
Directed by Yasuto Hasegawa. Starring Jushiro Kone and Hiroki Matsukata.
Jubei must stop evil plot of Lord Hayatonosho who secretly plans to overthrow the Shogunate.
“Yojinbo Ichiba (Three Outlaws),” 1963 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 36 minutes.
Directed by Teruo Ishii. Starring Hashizo Okawa and Hiroki Matsukata.
Young Yanokichi and Niikichi fight against evil Toragoro who extorts money from the local sake breweries.
“Yoko-zakura (Yoko the Cherry Blossom),” 2015 drama, 1 hour and 54 minutes.
Directed by Gen Takahashi. Starring Takashi Sasano and Yuki Kazamatsuri.
Based on an inspiring true story, “Yoko the Cherry Blossom” chronicles the life of Masaaki Takaoka, a high school teacher in rural Japan. He creates the very first artificially pollinated hybrid cherry blossom, to fulfill a promise he made to his beloved students before they were sent off to the battlefields to fight in World War II. Masaaki becomes obsessed with his lifelong project to create a new type of cherry blossom tree that can blossom anywhere, in any climate, so that the spirits of his students would have a place to meet, just like he promised. After more than 30 years, a stubborn Masaaki does the impossible, successfully creating YOKO, the first-ever artificially created cherry blossom. He donates the beautiful trees to anyone who wants them, eventually giving away more than 30,000 cherry trees as a symbol of world peace and harmony. His beautiful YOKO Cherry Blossoms now bloom in over 20 countries around the world.
