Hideji Ôtaki

When a powerful warlord in medieval Japan dies, a poor thief recruited to impersonate him finds difficulty living up to his role and clashes with the spirit of the warlord during turbulent times.

A truck driver stops at a small family-run noodle shop and decides to help its fledgling business. The story is intertwined with various vignettes about the relationship of love and food.

When the legendary blind swordsman attempts to make up for his role in the death of an elderly woman by rescuing her daughter from a life of prostitution, he soon finds himself beset by deadly foes on all sides.

Samurai Koheita Mochizuki, who goes by the nickname Dora-Heita, meaning "alley cat" or "playboy," pretends to be an alcoholic magistrate but is in actuality an envoy from the daimyo sent to clean up the corrupt and lawless town. His task is complicated by the unexpected arrival of his mistress Kosei. (imdb)

The tragic story of Gonza, a handsome ladies man, set in the Tokagawa Period, a time in which appearences are very important... (imdb)

Fifth film in the Lone Wolf & Cub Series. 5 warriors challenge Ogami to duels. Each has 1/5th of Ogami's assassin fee and 1/5 of the information he needs to complete his assassination. His mission is to kill a mad Daimyo before he destroys his clan! (imdb)

At the beginning of the film the father-in-law of the protagonist dies unexpectedly of a heart attack. The remainder of the film is episodic, moving from one incident to another over the course of the three-day funeral, which is held (as is customary) in the home. (imdb)

The year is 1988. Aliens from the Empire of Galaxies establish a base on Venus and launch a surprise attack on Earth. As the invaders' spaceships quickly defeat the world's armies and destroy New York, Moscow, Paris, and London, a United Nations Space Bureau team led by Professor Takigawa manages to finish construction of Earth's last line of defense, the space battleship Gohten. (DVD)

A grand old Japanese hotel is trying to get a prestigious contract as the site of a summit meeting of important foreign officials. Unfortunately, this hotel is quite popular with the Yakuza and is a favorite target of theirs for extortion. They employ a variety of schemes to con the hotel out of 'hush-money.' The hotel needs to rid itself of the Yakuza and finally begins to fight back by hiring Mahiru Inoue, a lawyer who is an expert at dealing with these criminals on their own terms. (imdb)

An ancient evil threatens to destroy modern-day Tokyo in this supernatural chiller based on Hiroshi Aramata's novel and featuring conceptual designs by H.R. Giger. A thousand years have passed since madman Masakado was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, though the lingering influence of his blackened soul has haunted Tokyo ever since... (allmovie.com)

Several young women are killed in an isolated village, leading to an intriguing search for their killer.

During a military training exercise in snowy mountains, things go awry.

Warlords Kagetora and Takeda each wish to prevent the other from gaining hegemony in feudal Japan. The two samurai leaders pursue one another across the countryside, engaging in massive battles of cavalry and infantry. Younger and less brutal, Kagetora must find the strength to be as brutal as his opponent, but at what cost? (imdb)

Nayoko (Nobuko Miyamoto) is a geisha who brings luck to the men with whom she sleeps. Because of her role as a geisha, Nayoko comes into contact with some of the most powerful men in Japan. She then learns and observes the world of power politics. (asianwiki.com)

A prison officer hands in his resignation after his wife's death, to drive to the port where she wants her ashes scattered at sea. (imdb)

Set in 1937, this is the story of Asakichi, who is played by Shiuntaro Katsu, best known as being Zatoichi in 26 films. Asakichi has been disowned by his father for gambling, so he heads off to make his living in cockfighting. He, in quick order, wins some money, takes up with a fallen geisha and quickly comes in conflict with the yakuza. Besting their top man, Asakichi, is drawn into the life of a yakuza despite his efforts to remain outside of it. (imdb)

Tora-san returns to his family's shop in Shibamata, Tokyo to find himself accused of being the father of a 17-year-old girl. It turns out that Tora-san had only given help to the girl's mother after her husband had left her. Tora-san becomes infatuated with the female archeology student who is staying with his family, and attempts to take up intellectual pursuits to get near her.

Old fisherman takes a journey so he'll no longer burden his granddaughter Haru. Together they visit family in search of a new home.

Intrepid detective Kindaichi (Ishizaka) tracks down a triple murderer using Haiku poem clues. (Audie Bock)

A large earthquake hits Tokyo, which was predicted by a seismologist but was ignored. (imdb)

A tough police detective is falsely accused of corruption, and goes on the run to clear his name. He is assisted by the beautiful daughter of a rich man. (imdb)

A bio-pic of Japanese adventurer Uemura Naomi, this movie traces his professional life and his exploits. Uemura is an interesting character. He's soft spoken on the outside, but inside he has this lion's courage and dogged determination to push the boundaries of physical and mental limitations.

An international gang fights with other families at postwar Kobe. (thehawaiiherald.com)

Fleeing from China, where the Japanese army is in retreat, Kisaburo, a vindictive soldier who always questions the orders of his officers, falls in love with a Chinese spy, they're on different sides of this war, and yet. But soon he'll be forced to choose between the love for his woman and sacrifice for his country. (japanesesamuraidvd)

Private detective Kindaichi investigates a series of murders in scenic rural Japan.

Tokyo is suddendly covered by a dome shaped electromagantic cloud for an unknown reason and is totally blocked and isolated from other parts of the world. The temperature inside the cloud is slowly increasing. The Soviet Pacific fleet is getting closer. The U.S. is forcing Japan to form a new government. Scientists and research workers outside Tokyo have to race against time to find out how to get through the cloud in order to rescue the 12,000,000+ lives in Tokyo and the fate of the country.

Koki Hirota was the only civilian hanged as a Class A war criminal by the Tokyo Tribunal after World War II. His execution remains controversial and this drama makes the case that he always worked for peace. He did not defend himself against the capital charge because he failed to stop the aggression of the Imperial Army.

Eiji, also known as Choji, quits the shipyard to start Izakaya Choji (snack bar) with his wife Shigeko on the outskirts of Hakodate. (imdb)

A brother and sister leave the big city to live with their veterinarian father when their mother is hospitalized. As they are adjusting to their new life filled with natural beauty, they adopt an abandoned puppy. When it is discovered that the puppy is actually a wolf, they choose to return the baby wolf to its mother in the forest rather than let it live a life in captivity. (imdb)

Set in a rural village outside of Tokyo, 'Brother And Sister' is a dark drama of obsessive family relationships marked by both violence and tenderness. Mon, the eldest daughter of an authoritarian father who has come into hard times, moves to Tokyo to earn a living. When she returns home pregnant, her brother Inokichi's rage sends her back to the city where she takes up the life of a streetwalker. (Mydramalist)

Ten years before the outbreak of the Second World War in Asia, a Japanese Go master and his Chinese rival meet in China to play a game of Go (loosely described as an Asian version of chess). It soon becomes evident that the Chinese master's son is the most talented player that the Japanese master has ever encountered, and he convinces the boy's father to let him bring the child back to Japan to train him as a professional Go player... (Simon Levy)

Oshima, a rich girl married Shinzo, and her cousin girl Sawa has been jealous of Oshima deeply. Sawa cursed Oshima so Shinzo could not hold her and do anything at all. Shinzo hated Oshima, and he made love with Sawa.

Yuri Ebara is inexplicably laid off, abandoned by her closest friend, and is suddenly asked to move out of her apartment. As she nears rock bottom, she begins to suspect someone is out to drive her insane, or worse. (imdb)

A woman works as a prostitute and attendant to make a living at a bathhouse. She is athletic and is an avid runner. She has met and adopted a white dog and the two have become inseparable. It is the biggest tragedy and calamity when the dog is found dead, killed, or murdered. The woman swears to find justice by finding the murderer and making things right.

Egami Mei is a genius surgeon, but is somehow still lacking. On other hand, his younger sister Satsuki is poor at studying. (imdb)

When eight-year-old Tistou is sent home from school after being unable to stop falling asleep at lessons, his father decides that he will continue his education by learning from observation of real life, and where better to start than in the garden! With the gardener Mr. Moustache, Tistou discovers he has a remarkable gift—the green thumbs: everything he touches grows into beautiful plants.