Young man in Tokaido proclaiming to be the illegitimate child of Shogun Yoshimune becomes part of a plot to seize power.
“Headphone Lullaby,” 1983 drama, 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Directed by Shigeyuki Yamane. Starring Masahiro Motoki, Hidehiro Yakushimaru, Toshikazu Fukawa and Tatsuo Umemiya.
A story of friendship, love and sportsmanship surrounding high school students, Kazama, Ando and Yoshii.
“Heitai Gokudo (Enlisted Yakuza),” 1968 action film, 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Directed by Kiyoshi Saeki. Starring Tomisaburo Wakayama and Shingo Yamashiro.
A gang leader Shimamura is forced to join the army in 1937 and fight in China.
“Hibotan Bakuto Oryu Sanjo (The Valiant Red Peony Gambles Her Life),” 1970 drama, 1 hour and 39 minutes.
Directed by Tai Kato. Starring Junko Fuji and Kanjuro Arashi.
Oryu the gambler travels to find young Okimi who was orphaned after her mother’s death several years ago.
“Hitokiri Kannon Uta (Swordsong),” 1970 drama, 1 hour and 28 minutes.
Directed by Takashi Harada. Starring Bunta Sugawara and Tomisaburo Wakayama.
A story about a priest who is on a mission to reunite a young boy with his missing mother.
“Iya na Onna (Desperate Sunflowers),” 2016 drama, 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Directed by Hitomi Kuroki. Starring Yo Yoshida and Yoshino Kimura.
Tetsuko is straight as an arrow and is a career-driven attorney, while her more free-spirited cousin, Natsuko, is a schemer who can con the best of them. Tetsuko has had a bugaboo about Natsuko since they were kids. One day, the cousin tracks her down because she needs a legal defense against a romantic interest she tried to hustle. Tetsuko reluctantly takes the case, but after she wins, the irresponsible client disappears without paying for legal fees. Natsuko shows up again to enlist her cousin’s help on another suspect legal problem, but the reunion does not go well. However, Tetsuko soon learns some life lessons from her free-spirited, swindling cousin.
“Kizudarake no Jinsei Furui Yatsu de Gozansu (A Scarred Life 2),” 1971 drama, 1 hour and 33 minutes.
Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa. Starring Koji Tsuruta and Tomisaburo Wakayama.
Members of the same yakuza gang are forced to fight each other.
“Mito Komon (Lord Mito),” 1957 samurai film, 1 hour and 38 minutes.
Directed by Yasushi Sasaki. Starring Ryunosuke Tsukigata, Chiezo Kataoka and Utaemon Ichikawa.
This most celebrated all-star movie version of the popular series features Tsukigata Ryunosuke as Mito Komon, the sage who wanders the countryside rectifying government corruption along with his faithful attendants Suke and Kaku.
“Naniwa no Koi no Monogatari (Their Own World),” 1959 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 46 minutes.
Directed by Tomu Uchida. Starring Konnosuke Nakamura, Ineko Arima and Chiezo Kataoka.
A tragic love story between a wealthy man Chubei and a prostitute Umekawa.
“Oshidori Dochu (Happily Tied to the Road),” 1959 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 28 minutes.
Directed by Yasushi Sasaki. Starring Hashizo Okawa and Kyoko Aoyama.
A wandering gambler Hanjiro saves sisters with no one to depend on.
“Soretsu Shinsengumi Bakumatsu no Doran (The Shogun’s Guard: Valor in Turbulence),” 1960 jigaigeki, 1 hour and 42 minutes.
Direceted by Yasushi Sasaki.
Starring Chiezo Kataoka, Ryutaro Otomo, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kotaro Satomi, Hashizo Okawa and Shinobu Chihara.
The famous story of Shinsengumi, a military force that guarded the Shogun at the end of the Edo Period.
“Tono, Risoku de Gozaru! (The Magnificent Nine),” 2016 drama, 2 hour and 9 minutes.
Directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura. Starring Sadao Abe and Eita.
In a poor town in northern Japan in the eighteenth century, the residents suffered in great poverty due to heavy taxes imposed by the feudal lord. Juzaburo who worries about the future of his hometown and his eight fellow merchants come up with a secret plan of loaning a large sum of money to their lord from whom they collect interest and which they distribute them to the town’s people to escape poverty. But if their plan is uncovered, they will definitely be decapitated… Do-or-die intellectual battle begins!
“Toyama no Kinsan Saikoro Bugyo (Magistrate of Dice),” 1961 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Directed by Kokichi Uchidate. Starring Chiezo Kataoka and Chiyonosuke Azuma.
Magistrate Kinshiro fights with a group of villains plotting the assassination of the Shogun in Edo.
“Umon Torimonocho Beni Tokage (Case of Umon: Red Lizard),” 1962 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 31minutes.
Directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda. Starring Ryutaro Otomo and Shunji Sakai.
Umon goes on an investigation to unveil the murderer known as Red Lizard.
“Wakasama Zamurai Torimonocho Senketsu no Haregi (Case of A Young Lord Part 4), 1958 jidaigeki, 59 minutes.
Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa. Starring Hashizo Okawa and Michiko Hoshi.
A master swordsman unveils the truth behind the mysterious murder of a man who dies with a bloody wedding gown in his hand.
“Yagyu Bugeicho Kengo Midaregumo (The Yagyu Military Art: The Buried Conspiracy),” 1963 jidaigeki, 1 hour and 24 minutes.
Directed by Koukichi Uchidate. Starring Jushiro Konoe and Hiroki Matsukata.
Yagyu Jubei must protect the Yagyu scroll that holds the secret of the infamous assassination plotted by the Tokugawa government 30 years ago.
“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 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 who were sent to the battlefields to fight in World War II would have a place to meet, just like he promised… After more than thirty years, a stubborn Masaaki successfully creates 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 to over 20 countries around the world as a symbol of world peace and harmony.
