Father Avenger (1987)

Sandy Cruise

The news that the fifth Shogun Tsunayoshi was seriously ill caused a fierce struggle for the post of sixth shogun between the Mito faction and the faction of Chief Adviser Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu. Two mysterious love stories develop against the background of a violent conspiracy that arose because of a strange painting in the sand. And then the empty-headed ronin Morio Jushiro will flash his enchanted sword in this unique, thrilling story full of unexpected twists. Adapted from the novel "Sunae Jubaku: Asahishinbunsha" by Seji Hajime.

Sakurada Gate Incident

Mito Domain Samurai Seki Tetsunosuke must pay the consequences for his role in the assassination of Great Elder Ii Naosuke. Based on true events.

Hunter in the Dark

Yataro Tanigawa, a one-eyed hired assassin, impresses yakuza boss Gomyo Kiyoemon with his skill. Gomyo hires Tanigawa as his bodyguard, or yojimbo, to protect him during an inter-clan conflict. Tanigawa quickly rises in stature in the clan, but finds his boss's enemies almost overwhelming.

Okiku and the World

Two rogue vagrants make their living as "manure men", turning the waste from the tenement toilets into fertiliser sold to local farmers. Enter Okiku, the only daughter of a fallen samurai, and amongst the overflowing piles of excrement, a well-nourished love story unfolds.

A Samurai Chronicle

A retired samurai must redeem himself for a crime that he committed earlier in his life.

Sorcerer's Orb: Part 3

The third part of the series of films based on the Japanese epic novel Nanso Satomi Hakkenden by Kyokutei Bakin.

Case of a Young Lord 10: The Mystery of the Spider Lady

Young lord investigates the mysterious death that takes place in the underworld.

Rebellion

In the mist of the warring age (Sengoku Era), the Kyushu based Hayato Clan is faced with a monumental battle to determine their survival.

Samurai Assassin

Japan, 1860. The men of the Mito clan, victims of the Ansei purge, anxiously prowl around the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle with the intention of assassinating Naosuke Ii of Hikone, tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate and responsible for their misfortune.

The Retired Samurai

Japan's greatest jidaigeki star, Mifune Toshiro is Shogun's Advisor Okubo Hikozaemon who must be coaxed out of retirement to save Shogun Iemitsu from danger. The elderly Hikozaemon has been belittled of late and has seemingly lost the will to live, much less the desire to assert himself and make Iemitsu listen to reason. The plot thickens when a lovely young woman enters the picture. Can she change Hikozaemon's mind, and thus alter the path of Japanese history? No longer a young man, can Hikozaemon gain the shogun's ear, and succeed in warning him of the evil plot to overthrow him?

Muromachi Burai

Set in war-torn 15th century Kyoto, on the eve of the Onin War, the movie centers on a band of outlaws led by Hyoe (Oizumi) a scoundrel whose lethal sword skills place him at the tip of the spear in a deadly uprising against the corrupt Shogunate and its army, led by former friend-turned-archrival, Doken (Tsutsumi).

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai

A tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai who discovers the fate of his ronin son-in-law, setting in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord.

Baian the Assassin, M.D.: Part1

Baian Fujieda, an assassin for hire, got an unusual job from his usual fixer to end up with an unexpected twist of destiny from the past.

Assassination

Assassination begins with the events of 1853 when "four black ships" anchored at Edo Bay, sparking civil unrest and the major political manoeuvring that saw the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. At a time when assassination had become a disturbing political tool, Shinoda's film follows Hachiro Kiyokawa, an ambitious, masterless samurai whose allegiances drift dangerously between the Shogunate and the Emperor.

Nobutora - Samurai Tiger

Based on the historical figure of Nobutora, the father of the famous Warring States period general Takeda Shingen. Takeda Shingen has proven himself in battle but there’s an even more capable person in his family, his father Nobutora (lit. Samurai Tiger). The son exiles the father and so the old patriarch goes to Suruga to serve the Ashikaga shogun in Kyoto. Decades later, Nobutora, now 80 years old, learns that Shingen is in trouble and the old man returns home to keep the Takeda family alive as a new leader seeks to usurp leadership of the Takeda’s and starts a fight with the great warlord, Oda Nobunaga.

Bride of White Castle

A young girl, Okimi, falls in love with Kiritaro, a handsome thief disguised as a wealthy young master.

Bored Hatamoto: Idle Vassal Tribute

Master swordsman and loya 'Hatamoto' (direct vassal to the Shogun), Saotome Mondonosuke, is sent to investigate an intrigue centering on the Date Clan. The 300th film in the long and illustrious career of Ichikawa Utaemon, one of the most popular Japanese film stars of the period; it brought out an all-star cast as well.

Echo of Love

A man is brutally murdered and his famed shamisen (a three-stringed musical instrument) called the "Yamabiko" stolen. Prince Kogenta swears to avenge his father-in-law's death and retrieve the family heirloom.

Kanei Chronicles

From all over Japan, the greatest warriors: Yagyu Jubei, Miyamoto Musashi, Araki Mataemon, and more came to test their blades in a tournament of swords. But behind the match a bloodthirsty plot is born. Tokugawa Yorinobu, a corrupt shogunate official plans to assassinate Shogun Iemitsu and take his place. With scheming samurai Yui Shosetsu and ruthless Negoro ninja leader Genyusai, he plans to incite a ronin uprising and cut a bloody trail across Japan, with terrifying Chinese gunboats to back his play. Matsudaira Izu-no-kami, councilor and friend to the shogun, along with master swordsman Yagyu Jubei and ninja master Hanzo Hattori must stop Yui Shosetsu and his army of ronin and ninja assassins from tearing the country in half and taking over the government!

The Fir Trees Remain

The 21-year-old feudal on Sendai, Tsunamune Date, was prohibited to go out in the daytime for his misbehavior during his short stay in Edo. On the next day, his 4 attendants were killed one after another. Sakai Utanokamike, the Rozyu, is turned out to be involved in this scheme, and the aim is to destroy the Date family. Tsunamune's brother Munekatsu Date who is willing to take over the family doesn't know the real purpose of Utanokami and helps him. Munesuku Harada gets to know the whole picture of the incident and takes action alone for the sake of protecting the Date family, leaving his own family. His lonely fight continues for 10 years and he got in danger in Utanokamike's house, and...

Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning

Before he was a protector, Kenshin was a fearsome assassin known as Battosai. But when he meets gentle Tomoe Yukishiro, a beautiful young woman who carries a huge burden in her heart, his life will change forever.

Onihei Crime Files Special: Okatsu from Yamabukiya

Heizo's cousin Senemon Misawa and his son Katsuzo visited Heizo's home. Heizo learns that Senemon has fallen in love with Katsutoshi, a woman who works at the Yamabukiya Tea House, and has asked her to marry him. Heizo decided to visit Yamabukiya, saying "I will try to find out if this woman is a bodhisattva or a demon." After meeting Katsutoshi Heizo, felt embarrassed and ordered Gorozo to inquire about her just in case. Gorozo, in turn, sends secret detective Rihachi to Yamabukiya with the task of keeping an eye on Katsutoshi...

Onihei Crime Files Special: Bandits

An old thief, Kuhei Sagiwara, used to visit his hometown at the foot of the Kurikara Pass in Kaga Province. Hiding from the rain, he overheard a secret conversation between three men, just like him, hiding from the rain. These three conspired to kill Heizo Hasegawa, the head of the arson and robbery police squad, and the head of these three is the outrageous villain, thief and murderer Jingoro Amikiri...

Onihei Crime Files: Unibrow

Heizo "The Demon" investigates the shop of Toshimaya the swordsmith, where 280 ryo was stolen and twelve people murdered. This particular group of theives are most dangerous because of the willingness to kill for money, but what about this mysterious unibrow, who is he? What is he up to?

The Oil-Hell Murder

The indolent son of an oil vendor becomes a regular customer of a prostitute, racks up a mountain of debt, and is disowned by his parents.

Young Lord Yakuza

Young Lord Taihei goes to Edo to find the lost family treasure, a plover incense burner, under the disguise of a ronin.

Gonza the Spearman

The tragic story of Gonza, a handsome ladies man, set in the Tokugawa Period, a time in which appearances are very important. Gonza competes with Bannojō for the honor to perform the tea ceremony to celebrate the birth of an heir to the lord of their clan. To see the sacred tea scrolls Gonza promises to marry the daughter of the family which possesses them, even though he is unofficially engaged to another. When studying the scrolls with Osai, the mother of the house, Bannojō sneaks into the house and steals their obis and runs through the town proclaiming the two as adulterers.

Vendetta of a Samurai

Mataemon Araki, a renowned swordsman, helps a young man find vengeance.

A Courtesan with Flowered Skin

Japan around 1860: popular courtesan Asagiri will be freed soon from her service, yet she cannot imagine any other existence. Until one day at a local festival, Asagiri meets the young artisan Hanjiro by chance – an encounter that changes her destiny. With a strong performance by leading actress Yumi ADACHI and exquisite camerawork and production design, A COURTESAN WITH FLOWERED SKIN succeeds in recalling the golden age of Japanese erotic film.

Sword for Hire

Soldiers Hayate and Yaheiji secretly escape from their besieged castle. Hayate has left behind his lover, Kano. On his way, Hayate is wounded and cared for by O’Ryo, who falls in love with him. But when Hayate accidentally kills her caretaker, he flees, with O’Ryo in pursuit. Subsequently, Hayate's comrade Yaheiji falls in love with Oryo. Kano, the lover left behind by Hayate, believes him dead, and becomes involved with another soldier, Jurota. When Jurota defects to the opposing army, he takes Kano with him. A double set of love triangles has developed, wherein each man and each woman loves one and is loved by another. Finally only combat and self-sacrifice can untangle the weave.

Akanishi Kakita

A samurai is ordered by his lord to go to Edo and investigate the truth behind the rumor of a rebellion against him.

The Samurai Markets

The success story of a group of ronin who fights against traffickers during the Edo Tenpo period.

Hokusai's Daughter

The life of Katsushika Oi, daughter of Hokusai and a trailblazing female artist in Japan.

Souls in the Moonlight

First part of the famous Dai-bosatsu toge trilogy, based on Kaizan Nakazato’s unfinished long series of novels (41 books, written from 1913 to 1941). Set in the last period of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Daibosatsu Toge tells the story of Tsuke Ryunosuke, a nihilistic swordmaster who doesnt hesitate to kill anyone, bad or good. Despite the authors explicit refusal, the series were later made into plays and movies several times.

The Assassination of Ryoma

Story of the last three days in the life of Sakamoto Ryoma (1836-1867), the imperial loyalist who tried to unite the Choshu and Satsuma clans and prepared the way for the Meiji Restoration (1868).

Crimson Bat, the Blind Swordswoman

A young girl named Oichi is abandoned by her mother and blinded by a lightning strike. When her guardian is killed, she learns to wield a sword from a traveling ronin. As she develops into a master swordsman, her profession becomes that of a bounty hunter. Many test her sword and many die by her skills. She travels throughout the countryside to seek her mother and her revenge.

Abacus and Sword

Set during the Meiji Restoration period of Edo era Japan, Naoyuki belongs to the 8th generation of the Inoyama family, a wealthy family known for finance & accounting. He is also a gifted mathematician and uses the abacus with extreme skills. Naoyuki works under the declining Kaga domain. Because of this, Naoyuki and his wife Koma suffer hardships as their stature and wealth dissipates.

Demons

Tells the story of the samurai Gengobe, who seeks revenge after falling prey to the schemes of a geisha and her husband.

Ronin-gai

Near the end of Japanese civil war, several disgraced ronin living in Edo's red light district attempt to regain their honor by defending a brothel from a hostile militia bent on wiping out local prostitutes.

Sleepy Eyes of Death 11: In the Spider's Lair

The titular "tarantula" is a murderous woman who, along with the brother who is in love with her, kill without warrant because they are wealthy & above the law. Kyoshiro the homeless masterless wandering samurai has nothing to lose, & no scruples anyway, so can reproach even the powerful with ease. He is thus, for all that he has broad streaks of villainy all his own, a champion of the people by default.

Kurama Tengu: The Fire Festival

The masked avenger Kurama Tengu is linked to a plot to bring down the Tokugawa shogunate, but is it really our hero, or an imposter?

Daikichi Konomura

A samurai is struggling to make ends meet at the end of the Edo period. He has students and, among other things, teaches them about the evils of the government. A member of the yakuza thugs has fallen in love with the samurai's daughter and conspires to report the father to the authorities in order to snatch the girl. The samurai's daughter has a boyfriend who hides the father and daughter from the thug.

A Warrior's Flute

Tale of tragic love between samurai and princess during Heian period.

Faces

Juzo Kimura is a wandering Ronin with a past. 15 years later, after winding up in Edo, he becomes a sword teacher to support his wife and daughter. But he has a dark side to him; at night, he becomes an assassin for hire. The fates of men living double lives cross in the shadows of Edo.

At River's Edge

A samurai Sakunosuke gets an order from clan chamberlain to kill another samurai who is married with his own younger sister. As a loyal samurai he has to accept the mission even though he has inner conflicts.

Bored Hatamoto: The Mysterious Ghost Ship

Bored Hatamoto film #20

Honno-Ji in Flames

The plot is based on the novel "Akechi Samanosuke no Koi," the final work in a trilogy by Hiroshi Kato about the forced suicide of Oda Nobunaga at the temple Honnoji. Historically, the general Akechi Mitsuhide is credited with causing Nobunaga's downfall. Kato's novel focuses on Mitsuhide's nephew Samanosuke, who fought alongside his uncle during the assault on Honnoji.