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- DirectorKenji NakanishiStarsKeiko KitagawaMasahiro KômotoShuntarô MiyaoIto is a young woman, but is not just a pretty face. She wields a sword better than a samurai; better than any man. That is until one day she finally finds someone who is her match on the sword. She is smitten, but is not available any longer. She can, however, become involved in investigating an ensuing crime. Her talent will come in handy.
- DirectorTetsuo ShinoharaStarsNoriyuki HigashiyamaRinko KikuchiMai AsoSet in the fictional Unasaka domain, the story involves a samurai who's obligated to follow an order that could destroy his relationship with his own younger sister.
- StarsRichard ChamberlainToshirô MifuneYôko ShimadaAn English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in the complex political games in feudal Japan.
- DirectorMitsuo KurotsuchiStarsSomegorô IchikawaYoshino KimuraKôji ImadaA young swordsman is forced into a tough situation. He must resolve a potential power struggle that involves his adolescent crush Fuku.
- DirectorShigemichi SugitaStarsMieko HaradaTatsuya NakadaiNanami SakurabaAn elderly samurai who spent his life as a heya-zumi (essentially a freeloader off his family) is given one last chance to redeem himself, namely by picking up his sword to protect his beloved grandniece from a cruel samurai.
- DirectorShigemichi SugitaStarsTatsuya NakadaiTakako TokiwaKazuki KitamuraA samurai drama The Return tells the story of an ailing outlaw who returns to his hometown after a 30-year journey. In the village of his youth, he decides to save a girl in dire straits.
- StarsKenjirô TsudaAyane SakuraTatsuhisa SuzukiA young girl named Rin seeks to avenge her parents, who were ruthlessly killed by a group of master swordsmen, with the help of cursed samurai Manji, who is seemingly immortal.
- DirectorMasahiro AndôStarsTomoya NagaseYuri ChinenKôichi YamaderaA swordsman from a strange land is caught in a struggle between morality, righteousness, and devotion as he reluctantly agrees to take a raggedy boy and his dog to a remote, Buddhist temple.
- StarsDaisuke NamikawaEmi ShinoharaSeizô KatôThe series starts off at a tournament where a one armed samurai faces a blind one and quickly flashes back to reveal the history between the two fighters.
- DirectorBanmei TakahashiStarsKankurô NakamuraYuki UchidaRyushin Tei'Zen' Buddhist teacher Dogen Zenji is a very important religious person during the Kamakura period, 750 years ago. After his mother died, he decides to move to China and settle as a Buddhist teacher. One bright morning, enlightened, Zenji returns to Japan as a devoted evangelist of the 'new' Buddhism. However, this new form of Buddhism is not accepted in all communities.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiTsutomu YamazakiKen'ichi HagiwaraA petty thief with an utter resemblance to a samurai warlord is hired as the lord's double. When the warlord later dies the thief is forced to take up arms in his place.
- DirectorKihachi OkamotoStarsToshirô MifuneKeiju KobayashiMichiyo AratamaFebruary 17 to March 3, 1860, inside Edo castle. A group of assassins wait by Sakurada Gate to kill the lord of the House of Ii, a powerful man in the Tokugawa government, which has ruled Japan for 300 years. They suspect a traitor in their midst, and their suspicions fall on Niiro, an impoverished ronin who dreams of samurai status, and Kurihara, an aristocratic samurai who befriends Niiro. Niiro longs to identify his father, knowing he is a high-ranking official who will disclose himself only if Niiro achieves samurai status. With American ships in Japan's harbors, cynicism among the assassins, and change in the air, Niiro resolves to reach ends that may prove ephemeral.
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiMichiyo AratamaChikage AwashimaA Japanese pacifist, unable to face the dire consequences of conscientious objection, is transformed by his attempts to compromise with the demands of war-time Japan.
- DirectorTakashi KoizumiStarsKoji YakushoTakako MatsuKyôko KagawaThe last samurai who lead an army of 690 against an enemy of 50 thousand - In 1867, political power returned to the Emperor and 260 years of the Tokugawa Shogunate came to an end, resulting in the domains being divided either into the Eastern Army or the Western Army. In 1868, the battle of Toba-Fushimi started the Boshin War. Tsuginosuke Kawai, the chief retainer of a small domain in Echigo called Nagaoka, decided not to belong to either army and practice "armed neutrality." Battle was the norm in the samurai era, but he strongly felt that war was not the answer and that it could not protect the citizens. Kawai tries to peacefully negotiate but it goes south, and being a hereditary feudal lord of the Tokugawa Shogunate, he eventually decides to stick to his duties and decides to exchange gunfire with the Western Army. Kawai was a man who loved his wife deeply and wished for nothing but the best for his country. The last battle of a man who hoped for a world without war begins now.
- DirectorGordon HesslerStarsShô KosugiDavid EssexKane KosugiIn the seventeenth century, Japan is divided between two forces. The Eastern Army, lead by the Warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the Western Army, which fights for Toyotomi's clan. Despite wining a recent battle, things look grim for the Eastern Army. Toyotomi's Army has a supply of modern firearms, a weapon which might turn the tides of war. Tokugawa Ieyasu sends his trusted samurai Mayeda, and his son Yourimune, to Spain. There, they are to purchase five thousand muskets. But it's a dangerous journey, and there are many who plot against them, and when they finally arrive in Spain, nothing goes the way they expected.
- DirectorHideo GoshaStarsTatsuya NakadaiTetsurô TanbaYôko TsukasaA guilt-haunted samurai warrior attempts to stop a massacre taking place.
- DirectorToshio MatsumotoStarsKatsuo NakamuraJûrô KaraYasuko SanjoAfter being robbed by a geisha, a ronin warrior carves a bloody path to seek revenge.
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsToshirô MifuneYôko TsukasaGô KatôThe mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped away from her husband by the lord. The husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to get her back.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMachiko KyôMasayuki MoriThe rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.
- DirectorTakashi KoizumiStarsAkira TeraoYoshiko MiyazakiShirô MifuneDuring a downpour, a generous ronin and his supporting wife are stranded at a country inn. The ronin comes to the attention of a lord who wants to hire him as an instructor for his men, who treat the ronin with disrespect.
- DirectorHideo GoshaStarsTetsurô TanbaIsamu NagatoMikijirô HiraWhen poor peasants kidnap a magistrate's daughter to coerce him into reducing their unfair taxes, a wandering ronin decides to give them some help.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKazuya NakayamaKaori MomoiRyûhei MatsudaAn executed samurai takes an existential journey throughout time, space and eternity in search of bloody vengeance.
- DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsNobuko OtowaJitsuko YoshimuraKei SatôTwo women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.
- StarsEbizô IchikawaRyôko YonekuraIsao HashizumeOrphaned when he was not yet ten, Musashi grows up skilled in the martial arts. During the Battle of Sekigahara, he fights on the side of the losing Toyotomi forces, but eludes the enemy as they hunt down the vanquished soldiers. He then spends years wandering the countryside mastering the sword. As his fame spreads throughout the nation, men seek him out to test their skills against him--most notably Sasaki Kojiro who faces Musashi in the ultimate duel at Ganryujima.
- DirectorDaisaku KimuraStarsJun'ichi OkadaHidetoshi NishijimaHaru KurokiDriven away by a corruption scandal, a samurai returns years later, causing consternation among both the guilty and the innocent.
- DirectorMitsutoshi TanakaStarsToshiyuki NishidaSaki FukudaShôzô EndôAn achievement-type of story: a builder/carpenter/architect goes through trials and tribulations to construct an impressive castle for his employer, the major Japanese historical figure, Oda Nobunaga.
- DirectorTakeshi KitanoStarsTakeaki AbeYoshiyoshi ArakawaTadanobu AsanoLord Oda Nobunaga plans to control Japan where rival warlords battle by waging war against several clans. His vassal Araki Murashige stages a rebellion and promptly disappears.
- DirectorKon IchikawaStarsKen TakakuraKiichi NakaiRie MiyazawaA group of disgraced samurai plan a decade long revenge against a corrupt lord.
- DirectorKazuo KurokiMasahiro MakinoStarsYoshio HaradaKanako HiguchiRenji IshibashiA group of masterless samurai living in Edo's red light district must fend off a militia bent on wiping out local prostitutes.
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsKôki MaedaOshiro MaedaRyôga HayashiTwelve-year-old Koichi, who has been separated from his brother Ryunosuke due to his parents' divorce, hears a rumor that the new bullet trains will precipitate a wish-granting miracle when they pass each other at top speed.
- DirectorJ.F. LawtonStarsChristopher LambertJohn LoneJoan ChenAn American businessman visiting Nagoya, Japan, meets a woman in a hotel bar. Returning to her room, 3 ninjas kill her and wound him, but he sees the ninja boss' face. Now, he's the prime target of a dangerous ninja cult.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsKikunosuke OnoeHitomi KurokiMao InoueJapan, 250 years ago. Soetsu is a moneylender who is killed by the cruel samurai Shinzaemon. His body is dumped in the Kasenega-Fuchi river. According to legend, all who drown in the river will never surface again. 20 Years later, Shinkichi, the handsome son of Shinzaemon, coincidentally meets Toyoshiga, the daughter of Soetsu. They fall in love. It is a doomed love, as the spirit of Soetsu is far from dead.
- DirectorTadashi ImaiStarsKinnosuke NakamuraTetsurô TanbaYoshiko MitaAfter killing a high-ranking officer in an illegal duel, a low-ranking samurai is declared insane and challenged to a fixed duel by the vengeful clan to which his dead opponent belonged to.
- DirectorKatsuhide MotokiStarsTôri MatsuzakaFumino KimuraKyôko YoshineIwane, Kinpei and Shinnosuke are childhood friends. They also trained at the same dojo, hung out together and dreamt together. Iwane, Jinpei and Shinnosuke also become relatives through marriage. Her husband exacts revenge and kills her when news spreads that one of the men's wives is cheating. The woman's brother next rises in vengeance, which leads to murder, which brings about an order of retribution in turn. The woman's affair is becoming a bloodbath.
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsJun'ichi OkadaRie MiyazawaArata FurutaA troubled young samurai seeks revenge for the death of his father.
- DirectorHideyuki HirayamaStarsEtsushi ToyokawaChizuru IkewakiKôji KikkawaA talented but troubled Edo Period swordsman, Kanemi Sanzaemon. Three years earlier, Kanemi killed a woman, Renko, the corrupt mistress of the powerful daimyo Tabu Ukyou. Unexpectedly, Kanemi received a lenient sentence for his crime and is allowed to return to his clan after only one year of imprisonment. Following his return, Kanemi is faced with the death of his wife, Mutsue. Thereafter, Kanemi lives with and cares for his wife's niece, Satoo, who has secret affections for Kanemi and expresses them by helping change his bleak outlook on life. Meanwhile, Kanemi's develops his unique "bird-catching" sword technique which he will soon put to test in battle for the first time against the fearsome swordsman, Hayatonosho Obiya.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTatsuya NakadaiKeiju KobayashiA crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen trying to save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneYûzô KayamaTsutomu YamazakiIn 19th-century Japan, a rough-tempered yet charitable town doctor trains a young intern.
- DirectorFumihiko SoriStarsHaruka AyaseShidô NakamuraYôsuke KubozukaIchi is a blind woman who roams about town with her shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese guitar), but she has exceptional sword skills with which she fights off yakuza and other villains.
- DirectorHaruki KadokawaStarsTakaaki EnokiMasahiko TsugawaAtsuko AsanoIn 16th century Japan, two samurai engage in massive battles across the countryside, one attempting to conquer and the other attempting to defend his land while repressing his love for a woman after taking a vow of celibacy.
- DirectorYôjirô TakitaStarsKiichi NakaiKôichi SatôYui NatsukawaA samurai goes to extraordinary lengths to provide for his family.
- DirectorNagisa ÔshimaStarsDavid BowieTom ContiRyuichi SakamotoDuring WWII, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British POW and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid bloodshed.
- DirectorTakashi YamazakiStarsMinami HamabeRyunosuke KamikiSakura AndôPost war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsMasaharu FukuyamaKoji YakushoSuzu HiroseA courtroom drama centered around the murder of a factory president.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsTadanobu AsanoNao ÔmoriShin'ya TsukamotoAs sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of achieving.
- DirectorYôji YamadaStarsKen TakakuraChieko BaishôKaori MomoiThree complete strangers embark on a road-trip to Hokkaido.
- StarsShun OguriEiko KoikeKôji YamamotoA story of Hojo Yoshitoki, and 12 other lords who supported Minamoto no Yoritomo as he became the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate.
- DirectorYoshiaki KawajiriStarsKôichi YamaderaEmi ShinoharaTakeshi AonoA vagabond swordsman is aided by a kunoichi and a spy in battling a demonic clan of killers - led by a ghost from his past - who are bent on overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate.
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiKomaki KuriharaWakako SakaiThe story takes place in feudal Japan, when any commerce with the rest of the world was strictly prohibited. An idealist suddenly appears in an isolated inn (the one that the title refers to), the head-quarters of a group of smugglers, with stolen money intended to ransom his loved one who is forced to work in a brothel.
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsRentarô MikuniMichiyo AratamaMisako WatanabeA collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiMayumi OgawaKie NakaiThis gripping docudrama is a fictionalized account of what could happen to a Japanese family when one of their sons shames them in front of the entire nation.
- DirectorHiroshi InagakiStarsToshirô MifuneYoshiko SakumaKinnosuke NakamuraA shrewd 16th Century samurai helps a daimyo expand his realm.
- CreatorMotoka MurakamiStarsMiki NakataniWayne LeGetteTakao OsawaA brain surgeon named Minakata Jin faints at the hospital and awakens to find himself transported back in time to the Edo period.
- StarsIssei TakahashiSeiyô UchinoFusako Urabe2007's Japanese NHK Taiga drama Furin Kazan (meaning 'Wind, Forest, Fire & Mountain' NOT The Trusted Confidant as stated above) contains everything you could want in this type of series- characters, action, intrigue, philosophy etc delivered by a superb cast. This is the story of a one-eyed limping ronin called Yamamoto Kansuke whose expertise in military tactics & strategy brings about the rise of the Takeda Clan. While most films made on the subject focus on the warlord Takeda Shingen, Kansuke is very much the focus here. The series is set during the turbulent Warring States Period in the mid-16th century when provincial warlords were constantly attacking each other. The benefits of sound strategy were immense & Kansuke's shrewd manipulation of the enemy reaps dividends for Takeda Shingen. It would be pointless to try to explain any more of the plot - the series spans 50 episodes of 45mins each! Everything from the storyline to the direction to the acting recommends this as one of the finest of the annual NHK dramas. Uchino Masaaki is superb as the wily Kansuke while Gackt turns in a spellbinding performance as the mystical Lord of Echigo. After each episode is a short documentary describing the modern-day sites of the battles/castles/shrines portrayed in the series but be warned! These often give away information not yet shown in the series & can act as a spoiler. Apart from that, Excellent Stuff.
- StarsMasaharu FukuyamaShimba TsuchiyaMasaomi KondôThe story focuses on the life of Sakamoto Ryoma, who lived from 1835 to 1867. He was an important leader in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa Bakufu, eventually bringing about the Meiji Restoration.
- DirectorTakeshi MayaStarsTakeshi MayaChisa YokoyamaShane KosugiWhen Jin's territory was invaded by the cruel enemy, Riku, the new leader of the group, decided to rescue Mai who had been kidnapped.
- CreatorShin'ichirô WatanabeStarsKazuya NakaiGinpei SatoAyako KawasumiFuu, a waitress who works in a teahouse, rescues two master swordsmen, Mugen and Jin, from their execution to help her find the "samurai who smells of sunflowers."
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsSakura AndôEita NagayamaSoya KurokawaA mother demands answers from her son's teacher when her son begins acting strangely.
- DirectorDave BoyleStarsAyako FujitaniPepe SernaKazuki KitamuraA mystery outside of San Francisco brings together small-town sheriff Paul Del Moral, Japanese author Aki Akahori, and a traveler from Reno who soon disappears, leaving behind his suitcase and a trail of questions.
- DirectorJûzô ItamiStarsTsutomu YamazakiNobuko MiyamotoKin SugaiWhen Wabisuke's father-in-law unexpectedly dies, the family goes through a series of events and occurrences as the funeral unfolds over three days in their home.
- DirectorTatsuya MoriStarsKoshi MisakiYuka KouriAkira EmotoA incident happened on 1923 on the Great Kanto earthquake
- StarsLee Min-hoChoi Joon-YoungSoji AraiBased on the New York Times bestseller, this sweeping saga chronicles the hopes and dreams of a Korean immigrant family across four generations as they leave their homeland in an indomitable quest to survive and thrive.
- DirectorKeishi OtomoStarsTakuya KimuraHaruka AyaseManabu HamadaThe story of a man and a woman that extends over 30 years in the Warring State period.
- DirectorShigemichi SugitaStarsKoji YakushoKôichi SatôNanami SakurabaAn army of loyal samurai plot to revenge their unjustly executed lord.
- CreatorJ.T. RogersStarsAnsel ElgortKen WatanabeRachel KellerA Western journalist working for a publication in Tokyo takes on one of the city's most powerful crime bosses.
- DirectorWim WendersStarsKoji YakushoTokio EmotoArisa NakanoHirayama cleans public toilets in Tokyo, lives his life in simplicity and daily tranquility. Some encounters also lead him to reflect on himself.
- DirectorHiroyuki NakaoStarsKahoJun KanameKaz KobayashiYuichi Kaname (Jun Kaname) works as a time scoop hunter for the Time Scoop Company. The company exists sometime in the future and uses time travelling techniques to send its employees into the past to record how they live. Yuichi works with time navigator partner Minami Furuhashi (Anne Watanabe). The duo then travels back in time to the 16th century and monitors the Azuchi Castle, built by Oda Nobunaga and burned down 6 years later. (Source: Asian Wiki)
- StarsHiro KanagawaHayate MasaoStephen TurnbullAn exploration of the warring kingdoms of feudal Japan when several powerful warlords fought to become absolute ruler.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsKinnosuke NakamuraShin'ichi ChibaHiroki MatsukataAfter the Tokugawa shogun's death by poisoning, his sons Iemitsu and Tadanaga compete for the shogunate, dividing the land into warring factions. Iemitsu's mentor, betrays all to secure Iemitsu's power, leading to widespread conflict.
- StarsMasato SakaiYô ÔizumiSeiyô UchinoThe life of Japan's last great battlefield commander is chronicled in this historical drama. In war-torn 16th century Japan, Sandana Masayuki bravely leads his small clan to survival during a brutal time through cunning strategy.
- DirectorTai KatôStarsHashizô ÔkawaHiroko SakuramachiNaoko KuboHired on a mission by the government, Shinzo soon finds himself in the center of a conspiracy looking to unearth a mythical clan and their hidden gold.
- DirectorYun-ho YangStarsYang Dong-geunAya HirayamaMasaya KatôIt is a Korean boy who went to Japan and started to learn Karate from his brother.
- DirectorKazuhiko YamaguchiStarsJirô YabukiShin'ichi ChibaTsutomu HaradaThis movie is based on the true life story of a Korean fighter named Choi Bae-dal (who later changed his name to Masutatsu Oyama), the founder of Kyokushin Karate in Japan.
- DirectorKazuhiko YamaguchiStarsBin AmatsuShin'ichi ChibaJun FujimakiThis movie is based on the true life story of a Korean fighter named Choi Bae-dal (who later changed his name to Masutatsu Oyama), the founder of Kyokushin Karate in Japan.
- DirectorKazuhiko YamaguchiStarsShin'ichi ChibaKôjirô HongôHideo MurotaThis movie is based on the true life story of a Korean fighter named Choi Bae-dal (who later changed his name to Masutatsu Oyama), the founder of Kyokushin Karate in Japan.
- DirectorKenji MizoguchiStarsKinuyo TanakaYoshiaki HanayagiKyôko KagawaIn medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression.