Cast: Hideaki Esumi

Direction Kaneto Shindô

Cast Kichiemon Nakamura · Nobuko Otowa · Kiwako Taichi · Kei Sato

Synopsis The Black Cat (1968) follows a chilling tale set against the backdrop of a brutal civil war. A woman and her daughter fall victim to a heinous crime, brutally raped and murdered by soldiers. Following this tragedy, a series of...

Direction Takashi Nomura

Cast Jô Shishido · Chitose Kobayashi · Jerry Fujio · Shôki Fukae

Synopsis A Colt Is My Passport (1967) follows a resourceful assassin and his clever accomplice as they execute a daring getaway following a high-stakes assassination. Their actions, however, provoke the fury of a ruthless criminal organization, setting the stage for a...

Direction Seijun Suzuki

Cast Jô Shishido · Ichiro Kijima · Misako Watanabe · Akiji Kobayashi

Synopsis The Brute (1963) follows the chaotic events that unfold when an enigmatic outsider infiltrates two competing yakuza syndicates in Tokyo. The city's criminal underworld is shaken by a surge of brutality and turmoil. This film, known as Youth of the...

Direction Seijun Suzuki

Cast Tetsuya Watari · Chieko Matsubara · Hideaki Nitani · Ryuji Kita

Synopsis Tokyo Drifter (1966) follows the story of Tetsu, a former yakuza member who has left his criminal past behind to live a peaceful life. However, when a rival gang emerges and threatens to drag his former boss back into the...

Direction Jūzō Itami

Cast Nobuko Miyamoto · Tsutomu Yamazaki · Masahiko Tsugawa · Shinsuke Ashida

Synopsis A Taxing Woman (1987) follows Ryoko Itakura, a dedicated government tax inspector who has recently earned a significant promotion. Her inaugural task is to apprehend the cunning and elusive Hideki Gondo, a notorious tax evader. Ryoko's mission is fraught with...

Direction Kaneto Shindô

Cast Rentarô Mikuni · Shinobu Otake · Akira Emoto · Hideko Yoshida

Synopsis Will to Live (1999) explores the enduring legend of leaving elderly individuals in the mountains, a tale deeply rooted in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, with parallels found in folktales across the country. This narrative has inspired numerous poems throughout history....

Direction Seijun Suzuki

Cast Akira Kobayashi · Hideaki Esumi · Akiyoshi Fukae · Tamio Kawaji

Synopsis The Flowers and the Angry Waves (1964) is a thrilling, action-packed historical drama set in 19th-century Tokyo. The film follows Akira Kobayashi as a coal miner who spearheads a rebellion against a ruthless oppressor, portrayed by Tamio Kawaji, a frequent...

Direction Tatsumi Kumashiro

Cast Junko Miyashita · Melka Seri · Naomi Oka · Aoi Nakajima

Synopsis Street of Joy (1974) unfolds on the eve of a significant change in 1958, as a new law mandates the closure of all brothels. Set in the Kofukuya, a brothel known as the "house that sells happiness," the narrative follows...

Direction Noboru Tanaka

Cast Junko Miyashita · Hideaki Esumi · Genshu Hanayagi · Yoshie Kitsuda

Synopsis A Woman Called Abe Sada (1975) is a gripping film that delves into the scandalous true story of a geisha named Abe Sada, who was discovered in 1936 wandering the streets of Kyoto with a knife, a rope, and a...

Direction Tatsumi Kumashiro

Cast Junko Miyashita · Hideaki Esumi · Gô Awazu · Moeko Ezawa

Synopsis The World of Geisha (1973) unfolds in the tumultuous era preceding the Russo-Japanese War, within the confines of a geisha house where desires and financial interests intertwine. A novice client, on the brink of matrimony, finds himself inextricably drawn into...

Direction Koreyoshi Kurahara

Cast Hideaki Esumi · Tomoko Hamakawa · Chieko Matsubara · Hosei Komatsu

Direction Katsuhiko Fujii

Cast Naomi Tani · Hideaki Esumi · Terumi Azuma · Hiroshi Gojo

Synopsis Cruelty: Black Rose Torture (1975) unfolds in pre-war Japan, where Yumiko, a noblewoman, and her loyal maid embark on a journey to Tokyo to reunite with Yumiko's brother, whom they haven't seen in over a year. Yumiko's brother is involved...

Direction Kaneto Shindô

Cast Hideo Kanze · Nobuko Otowa · Taiji Tonoyama · Eijirô Tono

Direction Kirio Urayama

Cast Choichiro Kawarazaki · Toshie Kobayashi · Ruriko Asaoka · Chikako Natsumi

Synopsis The Girl I Abandoned (1969) follows Tsutomu Yoshioka, a dedicated Tokyo office worker, who is set to marry Mariko, the niece of his company's president. However, his impending nuptials are disrupted when memories of his former love, Mitsu, a rural...

Direction Kazuyuki Izutsu

Cast Noriko Watanabe · Yôsuke Tagawa · Masataka Matsutouya · Mitsuyo Asaka

Direction Motomu Ida

Cast Tomoko Hamakawa · Mari Shiraki · Kôji Wada · Akira Ôizumi

Direction Masaru Konuma

Cast Kumiko Hayano · Yûko Asuka · Hideaki Esumi · Akira Takahashi

Synopsis Image of a Bound Girl (1980) follows the story of a university professor, Keisuke, who encounters a young woman on the brink of suicide. He introduces her to the world of shibari, a traditional Japanese rope bondage art, and their...

Direction Nozomu Yanase

Cast Jô Shishido · Ryoji Hayama · Reiko Sasamori · Nobuo Kaneko

Direction Keiichi Ozawa

Cast Tetsuya Watari · Chieko Matsubara · Izumi Ashikawa · Hideaki Esumi

Synopsis Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2 (1968) follows the story of Goro (Tetsuya Watari), who is determined to leave his criminal past behind. He travels to Hirosaki City with the intention of paying his respects to Yumeko and reconnecting with Yukiko (Chieko...

Direction Tatsumi Kumashiro

Cast Ayako Ohta · Rie Kitahara · Junko Miyashita · Mitsutaka Ikeda

Synopsis Pleasure Campus: Secret Games (1980) is a frenetic high school farce that blends slapstick humor with controversial themes. Adapted from a manga, the film features characters that resemble animated figures rather than typical live-action portrayals. Director Kumashiro employs a dynamic...