Ken Takakura
Ken Takakura (高倉 健, Takakura Ken), born Gouichi Oda (February 16, 1931, in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan), was a Japanese actor best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brings to his roles. Takakura gained his streetwise swagger and tough-guy persona watching yakuza turf battles over the lucrative black market and racketeering in postwar Fukuoka. This subject was covered in one of his most famous movies, Showa Zankyo-den (Remnants of Chivalry in the Showa Era), in which he played an honorable old-school yakuza among the violent post-war gurentai. A graduate of Meiji University in Tokyo Takakura happened by an audition in 1955 at the Toei Film Company, and decided to look in. Toei found a natural in Takakura as he debuted with Denko Karate Uchi (Lightning Karate Blow) in 1956. Japan experienced a boom in gangster films in the 1960s as the Japanese people struggled with the generational differences between those raised in pre-war and post-war Japan and these were Takakura's stock and trade. His breakout role would be in the 1965 film Abashiri Prison, and its sequel Abashiri Bangaichi: Bokyohen (Abashiri Prison: Longing for Home, also 1965), in which he played an ex-con antihero. By the time Takakura would leave Toei in 1976, he had appeared in over 180 films. Takakura gained international recognition after starring in the 1970 war film Too Late the Hero as the cunning Imperial Japanese Major Yamaguchi, the 1975 Sydney Pollack sleeper hit The Yakuza with Robert Mitchum and is probably best known in the West for his role in Ridley Scott's Black Rain (1989) where he surprises American cops played by Michael Douglas and Andy García with the line, "I do speak fucking English". He again proved himself bankable to Western audiences with the 1992 Fred Schepisi comedy Mr. Baseball starring Tom Selleck. While he has slowed down a bit in his older years, he is still active. His most recent film was the 2005 Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles by Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ken Takakura, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia....
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Railroad Man
as Otomatsu SatoA railway stationmaster at a dying end-of-the-line village in Hokkaido is haunted by memories of...
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Mr. Baseball
as UchiyamaJack Elliot, a one-time MVP for the New York Yankees is now on the down side of his baseball...
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The Yakuza
as Tanaka KenAmerican private eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from...
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The Bullet Train
as Tetsuo OkitaA Japanese bullet train is threatened with a bomb that will explode automatically if the train...
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47 Ronin
as Kuranosuke OishiKon Ichikawa's retelling of the classic true story of Samurai honor. When a young clan lord is...
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A Distant Cry from Spring
as Kosaku TajimaThe quiet life of a mother and her young son living on a farm in Hokkaido is changed by the...
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Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
as Gou-ichi TakataTakada, a Japanese fisherman has been estranged from his son for many years, but when the son is...
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Antarctica
as UshiodaTwo Japanese scientists, Ushioda and Ochi, develop a bond with their sled dogs while on an...
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The Yellow Handkerchief
as Yusaku ShimaThe story is about a convict released from prison for an old murder who is thinking about...
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Winter's Flower
as Hidetsugu KanoKanno is a Yakuza. He had to kill Matsuoka who betrayed their boss. Kanno knew Matsuoka had a...
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Never Give Up
as Takeshi AjisawaSpecial forces officer Ajisawa leaves his paramilitary group to take care of his newly-adopted...
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Too Late the Hero
as Major YamaguchiA WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the...
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Station
as Eiji MikamiA detective goes out of his way to crack the case of a serial killer who specialises in...
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The Revolt
as Keisuke MiyagiWhen a young soldier is killed while trying to prevent his younger sister, Kaoru, from being...
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New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stormy Cape
as uncreditedFormer inmate Katsuji gets involved in the horse gambling business while lending a helping hand...
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Mount Hakkoda
as Captain TokushimaTwo infantry regiments of the Imperial Japanese Army—210 men overall—tackled Mt. Hakkoda in the...
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A Fugitive from the Past
as AjimuraThree robbers escape with loot from a heist before one of them kills the others. Their corpses...
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Gambler's Legacy
as Tsukuda GinjiroA yakuza member embarks on a trail of revenge for his murdered boss. Senzo, the successor of the...
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Miyamoto Musashi: Birth of Two Sword Style
as Sasaki KojiroIn the third installment of Yoshikawa's novel Musashi, things continue from the 2nd film at the...
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The Big Boss
as uncreditedA shooting incident occurs at the Asahina family gambling hall in Tokyo's Joto district. It is...
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Manhunt
as MoriokaA tough prosecutor is falsely accused of theft and goes on the run to clear his name. He is...
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Japan's Top Gangster
as Kazuo TaokaA boy born in a poor village in Tokushima spends his days idly until a chance meeting sets him...
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Dearest
as Eiji ShimakuraThe posthumous wish of Eiji's wife is for her ashes to be scattered in the ocean near her...
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Buddies
as KadokuraBased on a celebrated book by Kuniko Mukoda, this film directed by Yasuo Furuhata tells of a...
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The International Gang of Kobe
as Masato DanIn 1947, in Kobe, Japan, a local street gang fights for their survival when its turf is overrun...
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Demon
as ShujiShuji was once a feared member of the Yakuza crime syndicate, but he's reformed his ways,...
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The Pledge
as uncreditedWhen Omuro Yahachi of the Omuro family is selected as Mutsumikai Soke's successor, the conflict...
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The Firefly
as Yamaoka ShujiJapanese film icon Ken Takakura, who has starred in over 100 films, stars in this elegiac look...
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House of Gamblers
as uncreditedKen Takakura stars as Ryoji one of the Aramasa family's loyal lieutenants whao takes the burden...
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Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro
as Sasaki KojiroThe fifth and final installment with the build up of the epic battle between Sasaki Kojiro and...
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New Prison Walls of Abashiri
as Katsuji SuehiroFormer soldier, Suehiro Katsuji, fights violent gangs and powerful Chinese merchants during the...
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Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Game
as Shogo HanaokaThe third chapter of the ‘Red Peony Gambler’ saga depicts the happiness and sadness of Red Peony...
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Miyamoto Musashi: The Duel at Ichijo Temple
as Sasaki KojiroIn the fourth installment, Musashi's potentially greatest opponent Kojiro jumps in and out of...
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Classmates
as First Lieutenant KenmochiA story of young students trained to become Kamikaze pilots in World War II.
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Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza
as uncreditedWith his penultimate film, Uchida revisited one of his popular prewar titles, 1936’s Theatre of...
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Memoir of Japanese Assassinations
as Saburo AizawaThis anthology film consists of nine incidents in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when...
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Wolves, Pigs & Men
as Jiro Kuroki, the second brotherSabu and his pals hold a pauper's funeral for Sabu's mother. His brother Jiro arrives home,...
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New Prison Walls of Abashiri 2
as uncreditedSuehiro Katsuji, a prisoner of Abashiri, is sent to Shikoku to work at a dock where a fierce...
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The Prickly-Mouthed Geisha Goes to Sado
as uncreditedJapanese comedy film.
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Red Peony Gambler: Second Generation Ceremony
as Koji YashiroThe industrual revolution comes to Japan with the introduction of the railroad system. This led...
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The Last Kamikaze
as Koji YashiroWith World War II is coming to its end and Japan nearing defeat, Japanese military leaders step...
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Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star
as Self (archive footage)A retrospective on the career of Robert Mitchum through interviews with friends and co-workers,...
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Choji Snack Bar
as EijiEiji lives a quiet life running a small Izakaya with his wife. He spends his days cooking for...
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Brave Red Flower of the North
as uncreditedAn exciting tale of action on the distant northern island of Hokkaido around the beginning of...
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Great Jailbreak
as Ichiro KozueA group of prisoners attempts to break the Abashiri prison. This film can be considered a...
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The Kanto Scarlet Cherry Gang
as KuramotoThe Ni Family is the most well know and respected group of firefighters in the Kanto region....
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Red Peony Gambler
as Naoki KatagiriRyuko was raised by her father, a gambler named Senzo Yano in Kumamoto, Kyushu, after her mother...
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Tales of President Mito
as Sukesaburo SasaMr. Mito, a former president of an instant food company, with two young men’s help, solves the...
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The Domain: The Naniwa Story
as uncreditedSecond film of Makino's Nihon Kyokakuden series set in Osaka's harbor. The series also known as...
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Lullaby for a Tough Guy
as uncreditedA ruffian joins the ranks of the emperor’s guards.
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Golgo 13
as Duke Togo / Golgo 13Live-action adaptation of the hit manga. Golgo 13, also known by the pseudonym Duke Togo, is a...
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Brutal Tales of Chivalry 5: Man With The Karajishi Tattoo
as Hanada HidejiroHidejuro is sent to prison after killing the boss of a rival family. After being released, he...
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Abashiri Prison
as Shinichi TachibanaAbashiri Prison is located in the coldest place in Japan. Two men, handcuffed together have...
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Lady Sen and Hideyori
as NaomoriFrom the late 1500's through the founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate many battles were fought as...
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Jakoman and Tetsu
as TetsuIn a village subsisting on its herring fishery, a one-eyed criminal named Jakoman terrorizes the...
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The Biggest Gamble
as Shuzo HonjoWhen Honjo is selected as Kansai district's chairman, Iwasa of the rival gang asks Itsuki to do...
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Patience Has An End
as Isamu TekadaYoung coal miner Takeda leaves Kyushu in search of a better job in Tokyo, only to fall into the...
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An Outlaw
as MinamiAssassin Nanjo goes on a solitary mission to take revenge on the man who trapped him into a...
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The Kamikaze Guy
as uncreditedAn elaborate criminal tango based around treasure hidden during WWII.
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Ken San
as SelfKEN SAN pieces together the puzzle of the life and legacy of Japan's mythical acting icon, Ken...
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Rogue
as Isamu ObaCoal miner Isamu Oba is forced to quit his village and leave his mother and siblings behind....
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The Domain: Duel at Thunder Gate
as uncreditedThe life of entertainers in Asakusa’s pleasure quarters. An exciting yakuza story with superb...
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The Outsiders
as Ichitaro KazamoriA drama about relations between Japanese immigrants and the indigenous Ainu on Hokkaido, the...
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Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2
as Shinichi TachibanaTwo convicts just released from prison find a green bauble filled with diamonds — and try to...
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New Prison Walls of Abashiri: High Stakes at Abashiri
as uncreditedPrisoner Katsuji must fend for himself and his prison mates in the fierce battle involving a...
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Brutal Tales of Chivalry
as Seiji TerajimaAfter World War II, their town was a pile of rubble. Gennosuke, the second generation boss of...
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Life of Hishakaku
as uncreditedAfter eloping with a prostitute named Otoyo, Hishakaku takes refuge in the Kogane family’s turf....
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Prison Walls of Abashiri 4
as Shin'ichi TachibanaA gripping tale of friendship set against the backdrop of Hokkaido. Shinichi sets out to earn a...
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The Drifting Avenger
as Ken KatoKen, son of a former samurai settles with his family in the west from Japan. Soon his family is...
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The Japan Derby Race
as uncreditedA story about a man who stakes his life on horse racing.
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The Longest Tunnel
as Go AkutsuAfter a passenger ship sinks in 1954, Go Akutsu devises a life-saving project in the form of a...
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The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry
as uncreditedThird part of Nihon Kyokakuden series is set in Kanto in 1924. Ken Takakura playing a ship's...
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The Domain
as uncreditedThe feud between two rival delivery companies, Kibamasa and Okiyama, heats up as the head of...
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Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 2
as uncreditedHidejiro is a wandering yakuza with a ‘karashi botan’ (Chinese lion and peony) tattoo. Owing a...
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Flower, Storm and Gangster
as 'Smiley' KenA gang of bank robbers plan a big robbery, but they all plot to betray each other after the...
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Bloodiest Flower
as uncreditedA dramatic captivating tale tells of widowed Tei (Junko Fuji), she has become a coalmine...
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Gang Loyalty and Vengeance
as AsanoA modern gang version of Chushingura, chronicling almost scene for scene the Brave 47 Ronin...
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Samurai Geisha
as Shimada SeikichiPopular geisha Shinji (Fuji Junko) must defy a gang who plot to steal a lucrative coal business...
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Glorious Fights
as Ichiro TakitaA young leader of the Yamazaki family of Nagasaki, Takida (Ken Takakura) is an A-bomb survivor....
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Outlaw Under a Blue Canopy
as uncreditedSheriff Goro goes undercover to investigate drug smugglers.
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Prison Boss
as uncreditedRival gangs fight over ownership of bicycle race track.
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The Domain: Where The Blade Enters
as uncreditedThe Domain: Where The Blade Enters
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Karate Cop
as Detective MikamiA martial arts master/detective investigates a series of murders and helps a deaf bathhouse...
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The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka
as uncreditedA geisha helps a runaway who looks just like her.
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With Songs in My Heart
as uncreditedSayuri, a young woman born to a simple life on a farm, moves to Tokyo to pursue a life long...
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Black Rain: Making The Film
as Self (archive footage)A documentary on the making of the film, Black Rain, which actually encompasses 4 parts,...
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The Chivalrous Life
as Ryuma IbukiRyoma is a former military man who gets to know the leader of a yakuza group and begins to work...
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G-men of Japan 4: Special Armed Unit Mobilization
as uncreditedThe fourth installment of G-men of Japan
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All Rascals
as uncreditedIshihama is planning a casino robbery with his wife and mother-in-law. They meet a man named...
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The Second Bullet is Marked
as uncreditedTsunokichi and Ken face off against a rival yakuza in Kyushu.
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Manchurian Sunset
as ShintaroA film adaptation of the original novel by Kazuo Dan. This exciting film, set in Asia on the eve...
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Men Fighting Whales
as Yosuke YamagamiA film about the rivalry between Captain Gondo and the harpooner Yosuke Yamagami, working on the...
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Showdown in Blood
as uncreditedHayata and his best friend Ushijima came to Tokyo to become champions. Hayata repeatedly sought...
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Abashiri Prison: Duel in the South
as uncreditedThis is the sixth film in the "Abashiri Series," based on an original idea by Hajime Ito, and...
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Brothers Serving Time
as uncreditedWhile imprisoned, Tatsu encounters Danshi, a man who is a big honcho in the prison pecking...
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A Story from Abashiri Prison—Duel in Snow Storm
as Shin-ichi TachibanaConvict son revenges innocent father's death.
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The Homeless
as Jokichi AnabukiTwo inmates are simultaneously released from jail, but go their separate ways, only to cross...
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Devil's Nursery Rhyme
as Kosuke Kindaichi1961 Toei adaptation of Yokomizo's novel.
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Detective Duel
as uncreditedA friendly rivalry turns into romance for Yukiko, an elite female detective, and a handsome...
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Song of Kagoshima
as Shuhei TategamiYumemi, the president of Shirayuri Tours, visits Kagoshima in an attempt to save the contract...
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Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Traitor Shall Die
as uncreditedThe ninth and final film in the Contemporary Tales of Chivalry series.
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The Domain: Severed Relations
as uncreditedThe Domain: Severed Relations
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Third Generation Boss
as uncreditedBased on Kazuo Taoka's autobiography, this film follows a Kobe gangster as he builds the small...
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The Great Road
as uncreditedThe story of a certain engineer from his youth until he retired from the Japanese National...
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Brutal Tales of Chivalry 6
as uncreditedThis is the sixth film in the Brutal Tales of Chivalry series
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Lightning Karate Blow
as uncreditedKen Takakura's screen debut, following his admission into Toei ranks via the studio's annual New...
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Four Hours of Terror
as Captain YamamotoAirline captain saves passengers from a brutal murderer on a plane during four hours of terror.
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Feisty Edo Girl Nakanori-san
as Kenichi OkaDaughter of a lumber shop in Edo strives to protect her family business from the competitor.
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Gambler Biography
as uncreditedHistorical Yakuza gangster film set the early years of the Showa era.
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Prison Walls of Abashiri 3
as Shinichi TachibanaUpon returning to his hometown of Nagasaki, recently released prisoner Tachibana Shinichi must...
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The Chop Professor
as uncreditedJunpei Kihara, a young president of the University's wrestling club, is nicknamed "Mr. Chop"....
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A Fishwife's Tale
as uncreditedHibari Misora plays Yoshiko, the popular daughter of a fish market owner. After discovering that...
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The Deep Blue Sea
as uncreditedTo fulfill a friend’s dying wish, a young sailor Kenji takes on the task of delivering an...
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The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 3
as uncreditedPopular geisha Koharu suspects that Yusaku, a handsome stranger she falls in love with, is...
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The Boss
as uncreditedTeruo Ishii portrays the bitter conflict over the right to develop land in a gripping and...
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A Hoodlum At The Risk Of His Life
as uncreditedA reporter is framed for murder while investigating organized crime. Upon being released from...
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New Prison Walls of Abashiri: The Vagrant Comes to a Port Town
as uncreditedKatsuji takes revenge on evil Tamaru who forcefully took control of the fishery business run by...
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Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country
as uncreditedBased on Ito Hajime's original story, this is the seventh installment in the "Bangaichi" series,...
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Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: Forbidden Love
as Hidejiro HanadaA story of lone wolf struggling with human compassion and duty.
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New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm
as uncredited
The Domain: Kanda Festival Showdown
as uncreditedThe Domain: Kanda Festival Showdown
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365 Nights
as uncreditedA touching drama about a love triangle between a young architect, Koroku, and two women, Ranko...
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Histories of the Chivalrous
as uncreditedA Kansai gang is up to conquer the whole country under the mask of a patriotic group. However...
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The Path of the King
as Ryutaro FudoWhen the aging leader of the yakuza gang Maeda-gumi decides to retire, many of the gang members...
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Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Lone Wolf
as uncreditedThe karashi Botan returns in the third chapter of the incredible Showa Zankoden series. This...
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See You
as uncreditedEven while having tremendous technology, now have a funeral shop walk picking up the car was...
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Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 4
as uncreditedFierce war breaks out when Shujiro’s rival clan attempts to sabotage his lucrative construction...
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Man of the World
as uncreditedAn upstanding young man who is popular with the ladies takes on a corrupt group of men in his...
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The Sand City in Manchuria
as HariWhen the plague threatens a small town in Manchuria, a young doctor finds himself struggling to...
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Bad Angel
as uncreditedOne of the earliest of subeban/ girl boss type eiga
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Sister with Sister
as Hiroshi IshiokaYoshiko finds new life and love interests when she takes a new job as an office worker.
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Men in a Rough Town
as Fumio SoneAn action-packed, dramatic gangster film.
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Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack
as uncreditedToei studios last ninkyo eiga of the 70's.
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The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 4
as Kenichi HanamuraA comedy of a high-spirited geisha, Koharu, who is at risk of being trapped in a conspiracy to...
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No Advice Taken
as uncreditedA comical love story between two college students — Hitomi, a strong-willed girl, and Shogo, a...
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The Bullet and the Horse
as uncreditedA number of recently released prisoners become involved in a racket with a rancher who is a...
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Jet Air Base 101
as Jiro NakataThe first batch of flight control officer candidates, full of yearning for the sky, are...
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Storm Party
as uncreditedMany outlaws are gathered at the front line of the Japanese Army in a shock troop.
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Meteor Karate Strike
as uncreditedSequel to the movie Denko karate uchi.
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The detective whose path was crossed by a snake
as uncreditedStarring Ken Takakura, this TV special depicts a detective (Akira Hayasaka) who lives in a harsh...
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A Portrait of the Author
as SelfActor Takakura Ken visits Santa Cruz in Portugal and traces the footsteps of the writer Dan...
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SMAP×SMAP
as Bistro GuestSMAP×SMAP was an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the...
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Korekara: Umibe no Tabibitotachi
as uncreditedThrough the lives of people aging in a seaside retirement home, the drama depicts the aging...
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Older brother
as EijiThe series tells about the life of construction foreman Eiji and his sister. Both have a love...
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An Elegy of Tyrole
as Tateishi JiroIn the past, it was bustling with coal mines, but due to the closure of the mine one after...
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