Hizuru Takachiho

The Tragedy of Bushido

A 16-year-old youth is ordered to commit ritual suicide to follow his deceased lord into death and preserve the honor of his clan. His elder brother's wife, who has raised him as if he were her own child, asks her husband for permission to spend a single night with the young man and teach him the pleasures of the flesh, out of motherly mercy. However, the following day, an official decree is issued to ban suicide through fidelity...

Prison Gambler

A film about the confrontation between two yakuza groups in the brutal Miike prison, which contained 1,500 inmates. The second film in the series Gambler / Bakuto directed by Shigehiro Ozawa.

Avenging Father

Shimizu Port of Chivalry

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 genre. In this dramatic portrayal of the real-life gambling boss Jirocho, a good-hearted and honest boss sets out to take revenge for a fellow boss. At the same time, the other local bosses, in a bid to increase their own power, plot to dispose of Jirocho. Starring Kataoka Chiezo in one of his signature roles, this is an excellent portrayal of a figure who is not well known outside of Japan. Co-starring Nakamura Kinnosuke, this exciting tale of period yakuza brings history to life.

The Third Shadow Warrior

In the mountain regions of Hida, the dreams of a peasant named Kyonosuke, who longed to be a samurai, come true when he becomes one of three doubles, of shadows, of Lord Yasutaka. After months of intense and cruel training, he faces his destiny when the Lord and the other two shadows are killed in battle and he must take on the role of Lord Yasutaka....

Stepbrothers

In a military family, an illegitimate son is brutalized by his brothers. A patriarchal, feudalistic household where dissent is forbidden is used to reveal the whole imperialist system that afflicted Japan between 1921 and 1946.

Stakeout

Two detectives begin a stakeout based on the slim chance of catching a murderer whom they suspect will try to reunite with an old flame.

Youth in Fury

A reckless student contemplates terrorism in a prescient film that confirmed Shinoda as a fearless member of Shochiku's iconoclastic New Wave. At the height of student protests, Shimojo takes his aggressions to another level, beset by seemingly insoluble feelings of alienation.

Fight, Zatoichi, Fight

Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman returning home with her baby. When gangsters mistake her for Zatoichi and kill her, Zatoichi determines to escort the baby to its father. He gains the reluctant help of a young pick pocket and together they travel to find the baby's father. But they do not reckon on the father's reaction to their arrival, nor on their own growing feelings for the child.

Good-for-Nothing

Yoshida's first feature follows the lives of young students against a background of jazz, emptiness and boredom. The plot is fairly simple: a "good-for-nothing" from a poor background falls in love with the young secretary of his rich friend's father. The woman senses good in him and tries to lead him on the right path.