Eitarō Shindō

During the 17th Century roving bands of hatamoto were causing trouble in the new capital city of Edo and constantly fought with the townspeople at...

In 11th-century feudal Japan, following the exile of an idealistic governor, his wife and children are separated by slave traders; the children,...

Ryutaro Otomo as the Edo magistrate Umon Kondo is out to solve a crime that centers around the murder of a jail guard & the escape of a criminal who...

1962 Japanese movie

In postwar Tokyo, a blunt, alcohol-soaked doctor diagnoses a swaggering young yakuza with tuberculosis, forging an uneasy bond that’s tested when...

Kazuo Miyagawa’s prizewinning black-and-white cinematography draws out the moral shadings of Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata’s 1952 novel...

The year is 1805. Napoleon ruled Europe. Ienari is the 11th Tokugawa Shogun. An incident, which was an open official secret, took place on the...

Chuji Kunisada runs into strange adventures which tests his skill as a samurai as he untangles intrigue and murder against the backdrop of the...

Kindaichi challenges the mystery of an incident in which three sisters were killed one after the other according to an ancient tradition on an...

Tasuke stumbles across Kokichi, a distraught man whom having lost his fiancee to Lord Kawakatsu is ready to commit suicide. Tasuke learns that...

When the wife of a 17th-century Kyoto scrollmaker is falsely accused of having an affair with his best employee, the pair flee the city and find...

The second part of an action-packed action movie about the struggle between smugglers, the Japanese Coast Guard and G-men. Having caught a suspicious...

A kabuki actor is assassinated during a New Year celebration show, in front of everyone, fortunately the great detective Umon is among the audience....

Follows five sex workers employed at a Japanese brothel while the nation debates the passage of an anti-prostitution law.

During the Edo Period, a noblewoman's banishment for her love affair with a lowly page signals the beginning of her inexorable fall.

Ayako becomes the mistress of her boss in order to pay her father's debt and prevent him from going to prison for embezzlement.

Jidai-geki by Nobuo Nakagawa. Most likely a star vehicle for Kanjuro Arashi

The sixth episode of Hashizo Okawa's "Wakasama Samurai" catch series.

After living a traumatic experience in Tokyo, Yukiko returns to Kyoto, where Hatsuko, her mother, runs a brothel, which upsets Yukiko very much.

Japan, 1137. The Taira family, a samurai clan, becomes involved in the disputes between Emperor Toba and the monks of Mount Hiei.

Shinnosuke is introduced to Shizu as a prospective marriage partner, but he falls in love with her widowed sister Oyu. Convention forbids Oyu to...

Bright samurai movie innovatively adapted from a classic story. A traveling masterless samurai is asked by a daughter of an established samurai...

With one million yen in stolen cash, Kurita plans his escape to Hokkaido with an unwilling bar girl named Katsumi.

Young Lord Gentaro (Otomo Ryutaro) takes a journey to Edo in search of his future wife. Easier said than done, evil forces lurk in Edo and Gentaro...

Film adaption by Kenji Misumi

After settling the matter of shogunal succession, the retired Old Lord of Mito finds himself in a sea of trouble when he gets involved in the...

Bored Hatamoto film #20

1954 Japanese movie

An all-star cast highlights this Jidai-Geki classic. Set in the samurai era, this is the tale of period Yakuza. One of the real classics in this...

During the seventh-year memorial service for Katsugoro and Genji, Ikari Genji himself emerged from the coffin brought in by the hearse seeking...

In 8th-century China, the Emperor grieves the death of his wife. The Yang family wants to provide the Emperor with a consort so that they may...

A geisha in the Gion district of Kyoto feels obliged to help her lover when he asks to stay with her after going bankrupt and leaving his wife....

An innocuous comment during a weapon inspection wounds the pride of low-ranking samurai Shinpachi, leading to an argument with his superior. The...

1961 Toei comedy

Bored Hatamoto film #19

Bored Hatamoto movie #11

Another adaptation of Tange Sazen.

A film adaptation of the original novel by Kazuo Dan. This exciting film, set in Asia on the eve of violent changes, tells the story of a young man...

In this movie, Sashichi tries to catch a serial killer who kills his victims with shurikens.

A humble page fathers a child by the daughter of a clan official and is banished. Years later, the child, now a stable boy, is reunited with his...

Bunkichi disguises himself as a yakuza to solve a mysterious death.

A ghost interrupts the journey of two young noblemen who are disguised as merchants.

A family of Kyoto textile workers struggles after tragedy.

Aboard a ship connecting Kyoto and Osaka, Osan was pickpocketed by a sham blind biwa player. A man who looked like a merchant retrieved the wallet...

Based on the novel by Junichiro Tanizaki. Story of the beautiful blind daughter of a wealthy businessman who falls in love with a servant.

In Marugame Domain of Shikoku, a low-ranking foot soldier named Tagami Genbachi was envied for marrying Tsuji, the most beautiful woman in the...

1950 Japanese movie

Sequel to "Island of Horrors" (獄門島, 1949).

Comedy has the proprietors of a tonkatsu (deep-fried pork) restaurant match wits with a Chinese developer.

It was supposed to be about a love story, but it was and was not. An aircraft mechanic working for the government is matched by his boss with the...

Early adaptation of the book "The Inugami Clan", featuring the detective Kōsuke Kindaichi.

Shinzō, the heir of the prominent Edo lumber dealer Yamashiroya, left home when his stubborn father, Chōzaemon, dismissed his lover, the maid...

Adaptation of the Riichi Yokomitsu novel.

Bored Hatamoto film #17

This 1956 adaptation of the novel with the same title puts more focus on the characters and their interactions than the previous version.

The year is 1805. Napoleon ruled Europe. Ienari is the 11th Tokugawa Shogun. An incident, which was an open official secret, took place on the...

1962 Japanese movie

A hotshot investigator solves a series of gruesome murders in this exciting and dark classic.

Kunisada Chuji is a common folk hero who looks out for poor people in the country who are at the mercy of corrupt officials. Intent on fulfilling a...

1950s Japanese comedy.

Fourth film of the Bannai Tarao series starring Chiezo Kataoka

The tale of real-life Yakuza boss Shimizu Jirocho is told from his earliest beginnings as a gambler on the road as he forms his gang and sets out on...

Jirocho and his henchmen befriend Ishimatsu, a wanderer in Mishima.

1949 drama film

Swordfighting instructor Danpei works at a local theater in Tokyo, instructing the actors how to fight realistically.

A film about the Ghost of Okiku that's based on the kabuki play Bancho Sarayashiki.

1962 Japanese movie

Shimizu Jirocho, the president, manages two businesses: Izumo Kanko-sha and the group inn "Daikokuya." There is a system where customers from Izumo...

A story of young people in the immediate aftermath of World War II, their post-war careers, sorrows, and triumphs.

Gombei is Nameless, a wanderer who is skilled with a sword and has a great sense of humor, who tries to save the good people of the Kiso Valley, he...

A Golden Age drama depicting the exploits of passionate patriot Uotaro Toge in the midst of a mysterious standoff over the Secret Book of Aoi, which...

The second film about the adventures of Chosichiro Matsudaira. This time he fights against conspirators whose goal is to replace the 4th Shogun...

Wandering swordsman Kanbei, parading through town with a sign that reads "Seeking fights, selling my life cheap." One day, he receives a request from...

A man with two identical faces challenges the wicked and lawless escaped prisoner to an unsuitable battle, intertwining with the chilling image of...

Master swordsman and loyal 'Hatamoto' (direct vassal to the Shogun), Saotome Mondonosuke, is sent to investigate an intrigue centering on the Date...

One of the most popular history-based characters is back when Magistrate Saemonojo Toyama no Kinsan investigates the tragic shipwreck of the...

War-time jidaigeki by Eisuke Takizawa.

Set in Qingdao, China, a Japanese company locates an office there and begins work and cooperation with a local Chinese company for business. Many...

As Part I opens, Jubei (Denjiro Okochi), the best of sea skippers, is unable to overcome the stormy seas of Luzon. All hands on board the Kannonmaru...

Two child performers lose their money, but are saved by the masked avenger Kurama Tengu. When the children return the favor in foiling an attempt on...

In Kyoto, a samurai named Boredom Otoko, Saotome Mondonosuke , appears and helps a woman being chased by a spy named Genshichi. Unfortunately, the...

A dynamic story depicting the rise to power of Oda Nobunaga. The story of a young man on the battlefields of the Sengoku era, who possessed character...

Shino, a resilient young woman sold into prostitution must navigate the gritty realities of the red-light district to survive. Within the confines of...

Chiezo's two-guns-at-all-costs film, directed by Ozawa Shigehiro (Kengo Tengu Matsuri) from a screenplay by Matsuura Kenro (The Dice Magistrate)....

In post-war Japan, Michiko, a disillusioned young woman trapped in a loveless marriage, confides in her younger cousin, Tsutomo, and the two become...

1940 Japanese movie

One after another, expedition teams were being attacked in the Himalayas. With the unprecedented boom in snow men, the public began to make a fuss...

Shogun Yoshitane’s order to recover the secret scroll triggers a series of ninja warfare during the Muromachi period.

Tragicomic road movie set during the Edo period. It follows a samurai, his two servants – including spear-carrier Genpachi – and the various...

Set in the pleasure district of Kyoto, Tamiko (Yoshiko Mita, in her first lead role) is a young girl attending high school by day and training as a...

Based on the original story by Seishi Yokomizo, House of Spider Webs is a gorgeous historical drama thriller starring Kinnosuke Nakamura and directed...

Suzuko, a woman in her twenties who has a brother with political problems (due to communist reprisals), lives for over five years in a love affair...

A young female president of a company who hates men and a new male employee who hates women: a one-on-one fight in which sparks fly! A cheerful youth...

Kimie, a traveling guitarist, performs at various inns at help out her sickly mother. One night while out with her mother, Otoshi, Kimie unexpectedly...

Three humorous love stories set in rural Japan.

Based on the story of Shimizu no Jirocho.

Young lord Saburo Nobuyasu struggles to find comfort in life. His arranged marriage to Tokuhime, daughter of one-time family enemy Oda Nobunaga,...

Banjun organizes a group of con men to fleece the greedy and rich.

Following the death of Mr Masago, his wife Satomi loses the family's cosmetics company to Mr Mogy due to huge amount of withdrawal debt caused by her...

Japanese film.

Japanese comedy film.

A story about the nature of office workers today.

Japanese comedy film.

Nakamura Yukinojo gains popularity in Edo's kabuki scene as a handsome onnagata (a male actor who plays female roles). But hidden behind the placid...

Japanese noir.

A film produced by Toho and Watanabe Productions as part of the Crazy Movie project featuring The Crazy Cats comedy group and jazz band members. It...

The Crazy Cats try to steal 1,000,000,000 yen in laundered Yakuza money.

Chubei, the adopted son of an Osaka courier, falls desperately in love with the courtesan Umegawa. To prevent a wealthy client from purchasing her,...

A princess finds life behind the protection of her brother and the high walls of the mansion to be quite dull, so she takes on another identity and...

The premature death of a young mother serves as inspiration for her husband and son.

During the Warring States era, Hozoin Kakuzenbo and Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, being best friends, spend their days acquiring skills of the spear, sword...

Reputedly based on Frank Capra’s 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, A Descendant of Tarô Urashima is about a repatriated soldier who becomes...

Umon’s services are called upon when innocent bystanders, Kayo and Minokichi, along with the ronin, Gontaro are mistakenly identified as suspects...

The serial killing of a samurai each night by strangulation at various temples confounds investigators and brings a chill to the residents of Edo....

Detective Tarao investigates the deaths of police officers who were involved in solving a kidnapping case.

Mr. Mito, a former president of an instant food company, with two young men’s help, solves the quality problems and wins a big ramen contract with...

As descendent of famed fishmonger Isshin Tasuke, young feisty Ishii Tasuke uses his talent to flourish his employer’s food business.

Detective Umon’s services are called upon when ronin Yaichiro is killed with a peculiar weapon, a stone wrapped in a towel.

Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) was a major daimyo during the Warring State period of Japanese history. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy...

This most celebrated all-star movie version of the popular series features Tsukigata Ryunosuke as Mito Komon, the sage who wanders the countryside...

Kinnosuke of Toyama sets out on a private mission to clear his father’s name for a crime he did not commit.

Genji, the illegitimate offspring of a Japanese potentate, goes by the philosophy of "love 'em and leave 'em" as a matter of course. Only when his...

Bored Hatamoto movie #14

1942 adaptation of Izumi Kyoka's novel.

Popular geisha Koharu suspects that Yusaku, a handsome stranger she falls in love with, is involved in a robbery of precious diamond.

A man challenges a territorial fight between gangs.

Tsunokichi and Ken face off against a rival yakuza in Kyushu.

The story of Yoshinaka during the tumultuous period of warring related to us in the Heike Monogatari. Close in setting to Kinugasa’s famous Gate of...

Japanese Navy air cadets train for the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the HMS Prince of Wales.

The Way of Drama unfolds in the world of kabuki in Osaka, but also addresses the politics of popular culture and the rivalry between theatrical...

A chance meeting between two traveling gamblers leads to a case of mistaken identity when the farmers transporting gold to the governor think they...

Friendship between an ambitious young thief and an artist during the Warring States period.

A story about a spear master’s spiritual and martial discipline.

A suspenseful Ninja fantasy based on Shiba Ryotaro's novel, woven with the mysterious fate and romance of Shinzo and a beautiful Princess who find...

This epic depicts the battle between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen. The focus of the story is the struggle by the unit leader in charge of the...

In 39 interviews with actors and actresses, writers, producers and staff members, interspersed with film excerpts and stills, Shindō recounts the...

Toyama Kinshiro, a commissioner from northern Edo, goes undercover to unravel the mystery behind a series of murders. Kinshiro, played by Kataoka...

Five swordsmen are murdered and hung from a tree and the chase is on to find the killers. Two magistrates pursue the leads to solve the crime and it...

A reporter Takuo, who is sleeping in the newspaper room of the Maichō newspaper company, receives a sudden report from a reporter that the missing...

Umon goes on an investigation to unveil the murderer known as Red Lizard.

Toei’s 10th anniversary film, featuring an all-star cast from the golden movie era of the 1960s. A famous story of the 47 loyal samurai. When Lord...

Kichizaburo, a samurai keeping peace in Edo, helps a young geisha Kozome avenge her father’s death.

A young, feisty woman named Osome searches for her true love in the midst of a family crisis.

The great Okawa Hashizo, in one of his most powerful roles risks his life and limb to help save the lovely Onaka from a terrible lifestyle. Starting...

Fifth delivery in the Tarao Bannai series, following the "master detective with seven faces" who uses his signature disguise to solve crimes with a...

With her family suffering from extreme poverty, Yuko, as the eldest daughter, is sold to a successful brothel in Kyoto. There she is assigned to...

Japanese mystery film.

Taisuke is kind-hearted but overall lacks ambition. Taizo is smarter, but given to fits of emotion and impulsive violence. The samurai brothers fight...

In the midst of the warring age, a young samurai Kyonosuke defies his former lord Hojo Ujikatsu in order to avenge his parents’ deaths.

A group of five law enforcers search Edo for a missing sword.

A laid-back man tries to become a member of the yakuza.

Framed by his enemies, Manbe finds himself imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit. His only hope lies with his daughter Yuki who takes it upon...

The story of two sisters in post-war Japan. One is a geisha and the other works for the tourist board.

An action-packed, dramatic gangster film.

A modern gang version of Chushingura, chronicling almost scene for scene the Brave 47 Ronin story, transposed from the Genroku Period to the Showa...

The first film in the 1953 trilogy based on the long novel series The Great Bodhisattva Pass.

The second film in the 1953 trilogy based on the long novel series The Great Bodhisattva Pass.

The final film in the 1953 trilogy based on the long novel series The Great Bodhisattva Pass.

A Hibari Misora musical about an impoverished girl and her brother in Postwar Japan.

During the middle of the Kanei Period (1624-1644) Japan was in the early stages of its most peaceful era. This left a large number of unemployed...

Saotome, a sword master and guard of the Shogunate, pursues the mystery of a deadly aerial weapon that is responsible for the multiple deaths in town.

With the help of famous yakuza Jirocho, brave and quick tempered Eijiro takes revenge on the death of his close friend.

In the mist of the warring age (Sengoku Era), the Kyushu based Hayato Clan is faced with a monumental battle to determine their survival.

Set against the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, two Osaka families navigate the radical social shifts of the early Meiji Era. As the merchant class ascends...

A 1943 film.

A Japanese army engineer (Hasegawa) on the mainland must put his personal feelings for a beautiful Chinese woman (Ri) aside if he is to succeed at...

A stage director who directs a “Mori no Ishimatsu” play time travels and becomes “Mori no Ishimatsu” himself.

A ghost story about a woman who dies a violent death and appears to the man she loves as a vengeful spirit. This film marked the turning point in...

International thief Zivaco, who can assume any identity, eludes the authorities and battles rival thief WCWC for a rare gold samurai sword.

Ginko, a poor cobbler's daughter, becomes a geisha to support her family. She passes from one geisha house to the next, trying to find love and hope...

While on the road, famed Yakuza Boss Jirocho is falsely accused of starting a peasant's uprising and chased by the law. Meanwhile, one of his...

Romantic comedy.

Sugimoto Gonkuro is travelling along from Tosa to Edo. On his journey he will meet both good and bad people.

Jurobei, a kaisen tonya (wholesaler in port) in Awa, was wronged and killed on the day of the Dance Festival by the evil merchant & the chamberlin....

Fleeing a distressing family situation, Eiko, a very young girl, becomes an apprentice to Miyoharu, a veteran geisha. Both, determined to preserve...

Fishmonger Tasuke and Shogun Iemitsu swap their identities in pretence for the protection of Iemitsu.

The Opium War is a 1943 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Masahiro Makino. "Ahen senso" in Japan refers to the First Opium War. The story of...

The sexual experiences of the passionate Sakiko, from her fling with her boss in her first job to her ending up as a prostitute.

During the late Meiji period, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Sumako, a country girl, becomes a great actress with the help of Hogetsu, a...

A kindhearted wandering gambler named Hajiro gets involved in a crisis of a village as he passes through and decides to lend a sword in hopes to...

An all-star cast highlights this Jidai-Geki classic. Set in the samurai era, this is the tale of period Yakuza. One of the real classics in this...

Finding more freedom on the high seas than in war-torn Japan, the 'Bahansen' (Pirate ships) based on the Seto Inland Sea during the Warring Period...

All is not well in an a small fishing village not far from Edo. Mysterious goings-on are happening at Echigoya’s Red Crane Mansion, and when Young...

Based on the exploits of real-life historical character Magistrate Toyama no Kinsan, this exciting tale brings the “Demon Magistrate” as he is...

One of Japan's most enduring stories is the true-life yakuza boss Jirocho of Shimizu and his gang as they took over the Tokaido Highroad and went on...

In the third entry into this mega-hit series, Isshin Tasuke, a spirited fishmonger in Edo who looks just like Shogun Iemitsu undergoes a series of...

The third part of the story about feudal boss Jirocho and his underlings.

One of the great stories from Japan’s rich history comes to life in this true tale of the bloody showdown between two rival yakuza gangs in the...

Period drama directed by Yasushi Sasaki.

Period drama directed by Yasushi Sasaki.

Revenge breeds revenge. Ikuta Denpachiro, the martial arts instructor of the Honda family in Koriyama, lost a fight to the young samurai Enjo...

Based on "Une vie" by Guy de Maupassant

In a village subsisting on it herring fishery, a one-eyed criminal named Jakoman terrorizes the inhabitants. One of them, the son of the head of one...

A sixteen-year-old who had been living on her own since her mother died, frequently gets in trouble with the police. She gets sent to an "institute"...

Jidaigeki from 1940

As it turns out, the evil hand of drugs has reached the inner palace of the Shogunate. It was thought that the opium was coming from Nagasaki, but it...

Sumida is separated from his wife and daughter when conflict erupts in Harbin. Years later, he finds that his wife passed away and her daughter was...

Junpei Kihara, a young president of the University's wrestling club, is nicknamed "Mr. Chop". One day, on the way back from visiting the hospital...

In 1887, two businessmen, Echigo-ya and Kitahara, compete for railroad construction authorization from the government. The minister states that a...

Song of the White Orchid was a co-production of Toho and Mantetsu, the railway that served the colonial region of Manchuria, and the first film in...

What is marriage? Young couple in match-making wanted to know before they decide. They visited married couples of sisters and brothers. Love comedy...

Prewar jidaigeki starring Denjiro Okochi

Japanese war movie

With flashing swordwork and a terrific story, wandering gambler Kusama Hanjiro inspires the wrath of Boss Jirotaro who has been terrorizing travelers...

Based on "Heaven and Maiko", a short story from the book "Chiisaki Hanabana" by Yoshiya Nobuko, it is the story of two girls of different family...

Japanese movie

Gensaburo Funaki and Oyuki were childhood friends, but Gensaburo misunderstood that Oyuki was hesitant to get married because he had to feed his...

In post-WWII Osaka, a middle-aged woman is forced to examine her dreary life and marriage when her husband's young and flirtatious cousin arrives for...

Saotome Mondonosuke pursues the culprit who placed a malicious curse upon Shogun Tsunekichi.

Original work by Yokomizo Seishi. The third part of Kindaichi Kosuke's story, which was collected by Chie Kataoka.

With his simple appearance, eyes shining with love and a sense of justice, and voice burning with youthful passion, the eleven students felt...

1963 Japanese movie

1960 Toei film.

At a tavern in Shimoda, Ronin Tadakazu Yamakawa saved a samurai girl named Mino from the clutches of the Benten family. When Mino's father, Kyohei...

The film depicts Ueki's all-around intelligence and how he manages to do difficult jobs for the company without a fixed salary and how he marries Mie...

1958 Toei movie.

Kyoto in the third year of Bunkyu. --Serizawa Kamo, the head of the Shinsengumi, and the group around him spend their days and nights having fun in...

Iwato Construction secures a major project in Hokkaido and promotes a key employee, but chaos follows—personal conflicts, missed deals, and a lost...

1967 Japanese movie

When a former artisan is tricked into putting his sister up as collateral for a loan by a gangster boss in a crooked gambling casino it sets in...

Yasu, the son of an exiled man, discovered his passion for swordsmanship and went to Edo, where he trained under the name Ito Yagoro. Yagyu...

"Masayoshi Ryanko" jumps into the den of the underworld swirling with smuggling and murder, and defeats the culprit with a heart-pounding pistol.

A comedy directed by Kajiro Yamamoto, based on an original idea by Koji Toita, co-written by Yasuo Tanami, who worked on "Hibari Chiemi Izumi Sannin...

The story is set in a rural village, where the village mayor gives a speech at the local community center as a theater troupe visits the village for...

The adventures of Aoi Shingo continue. Shingo is finally given permission to officially meet his father, the Shogun. However, his journey is...

Aoi Shingo, a son of the Shogun, continues his travels seeking to further his mastery of the sword. In this final episode of the popular...

The story is based on the life of a poet who lived in Japan in the Taisho era. When her fiancé is arrested she believes he has suddenly disappeared...

When the hidden longing of Okaji, proprietress of a traditional restaurant, for the celebrated actor Tōjūrō Sakata finally comes to light, a...

Hideki Yamaga runs a used bookstore in Ginza. He is a man known for his great physical strength, helping the weak and standing up to the strong, and...