Best from Japan
by vibevanessa | created - 27 Feb 2022 | updated - 08 Mar 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
Not Rated | 79 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sugata, a young man, struggles to learn the nuance and meaning of judo, and in doing so comes to learn something of the meaning of life.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Yukiko Todoroki, Ryûnosuke Tsukigata
Votes: 5,631
2. The Most Beautiful (1944)
Not Rated | 85 min | Drama
World War II film about female volunteer workers at an optics plant who do their best to meet production targets.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Sôji Kiyokawa, Ichirô Sugai, Takako Irie
Votes: 2,409
3. Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two (1945)
Not Rated | 83 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sugata returns to prove his judo mastery in a match against Western opponents.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Ryûnosuke Tsukigata, Akitake Kôno
Votes: 2,706
4. The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945)
Not Rated | 59 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
A Japanese general and his men disguise themselves as monks in order to pass an enemy border patrol.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Ken'ichi Enomoto, Masayuki Mori
Votes: 4,368
5. No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
PG | 110 min | Drama
The daughter of a politically disgraced university professor struggles to find a place for herself in love and life, in the uncertain world of Japan leading into WWII.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Setsuko Hara, Susumu Fujita, Denjirô Ôkôchi, Haruko Sugimura
Votes: 3,962
6. One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama, Romance
During a Sunday trip into war-ravaged Tokyo, despairing Yuzo and optimistic Masako look for work and lodging, as well as affordable entertainments to pass the time.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Isao Numasaki, Chieko Nakakita, Atsushi Watanabe, Zekô Nakamura
Votes: 3,679
7. Drunken Angel (1948)
Not Rated | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A drunken doctor with a hot temper and a violence-prone gangster with tuberculosis form a quicksilver bond.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Toshirô Mifune, Reizaburô Yamamoto, Michiyo Kogure
Votes: 13,363
8. The Quiet Duel (1949)
95 min | Drama
A surgeon gets syphilis from a patient when he cuts himself during an operation. The doctor's life is destroyed, but unlike the patient, he doesn't destroy others along with him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Miki Sanjô, Kenjirô Uemura
Votes: 3,902
9. Stray Dog (1949)
Not Rated | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
During a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Eiko Miyoshi
Votes: 18,941
10. Scandal (1950)
Approved | 105 min | Drama
A celebrity photograph sparks a court case as a tabloid magazine spins a scandalous yarn over a painter and a famous singer.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Shirley Yamaguchi, Yôko Katsuragi, Noriko Sengoku
Votes: 4,671
11. Rashomon (1950)
Not Rated | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The 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.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 180,523 | Gross: $0.10M
12. The Idiot (1951)
Not Rated | 166 min | Drama, Romance
A Japanese veteran, driven partially mad from the war, travels to the snowy island of Hokkaido where he soon enters a love triangle with his best friend and a disgraced woman.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Setsuko Hara, Masayuki Mori, Toshirô Mifune, Yoshiko Kuga
Votes: 5,662
13. I Live in Fear (1955)
103 min | Drama
An aging Japanese industrialist becomes so fearful of nuclear war that it begins to take a toll on his life and family.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Eiko Miyoshi
Votes: 5,542
14. Ikiru (1952)
Not Rated | 143 min | Drama
A bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Shin'ichi Himori, Haruo Tanaka
Votes: 87,592 | Gross: $0.06M
15. Seven Samurai (1954)
Not Rated | 207 min | Action, Drama
Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki
Votes: 366,931 | Gross: $0.27M
16. Throne of Blood (1957)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 55,973
17. The Lower Depths (1957)
Not Rated | 137 min | Drama
In a Japanese slum, various residents play out their lives, dreaming of better things or settling for their lot. Among them is a man who pines for a young woman but is stymied by her deceptive family.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Kyôko Kagawa, Ganjirô Nakamura
Votes: 5,949
18. The Hidden Fortress (1958)
Not Rated | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Lured by gold, two greedy peasants unknowingly escort a princess and her general across enemy lines.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara
Votes: 42,256
19. The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
Not Rated | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A vengeful young man marries the daughter of a corrupt industrialist in order to seek justice for his father's suicide.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Kyôko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi
Votes: 14,025
20. Yojimbo (1961)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tôno, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa
Votes: 131,388
21. Sanjuro (1962)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Yûnosuke Itô
Votes: 41,141
22. High and Low (1963)
Not Rated | 143 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An executive of a Yokohama shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyôko Kagawa
Votes: 53,229
23. Red Beard (1965)
Not Rated | 185 min | Drama
In 19th-century Japan, a rough-tempered yet charitable town doctor trains a young intern.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yûzô Kayama, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Reiko Dan
Votes: 21,109
24. Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
G | 144 min | Action, Drama, History
The story of the 1941 Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, and the series of preceding American blunders that aggravated its effectiveness.
Directors: Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku, Toshio Masuda, Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Martin Balsam, Sô Yamamura, Jason Robards, Joseph Cotten
Votes: 37,219 | Gross: $29.55M
25. Dodes'ka-den (1970)
Not Rated | 140 min | Drama
Various tales in the lives of Tokyo slum dwellers, including a mentally deficient young man obsessed with driving his own commuter trolley.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Yoshitaka Zushi, Kin Sugai, Toshiyuki Tonomura, Shinsuke Minami
Votes: 7,623
26. Dersu Uzala (1975)
G | 142 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The Russian army sends an explorer on an expedition to the snowy Siberian wilderness where he makes friends with a seasoned local hunter.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Maksim Munzuk, Yuriy Solomin, Mikhail Bychkov, Vladimir Khrulyov
Votes: 33,528
27. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 136,238 | Gross: $4.14M
28. Dreams (1990)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Fantasy
A collection of tales based upon eight of director Akira Kurosawa's recurring dreams.
Directors: Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baishô, Toshie Negishi, Mieko Harada
Votes: 29,193 | Gross: $1.96M
29. Rhapsody in August (1991)
PG | 98 min | Drama, War
Three generations' responses to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Sachiko Murase, Richard Gere, Hisashi Igawa, Narumi Kayashima
Votes: 7,551 | Gross: $0.52M
30. Madadayo (1993)
134 min | Drama
Following World War II, a retired professor approaching his autumn years finds his quality of life drastically reduced in war-torn Tokyo. Denying despair, he pursues writing and celebrates his birthday with his adoring students.
Directors: Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Tatsuo Matsumura, Hisashi Igawa, George Tokoro, Masayuki Yui
Votes: 6,156 | Gross: $0.05M
31. A Message from Akira Kurosawa: For Beautiful Movies (2000 Video)
81 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary in 10 parts covering the filmmaking of Kurosawa around the theme of making the perfect movie or as he says: A Beautiful Movie.
Director: Hisao Kurosawa | Stars: Akira Kurosawa, Kazuko Kurosawa
Votes: 164
32. Akira Kurosawa: My Life in Cinema (1993 TV Movie)
118 min | Documentary, Biography
In a long dialogue, Nagisa Oshima interviews Akira Kurosawa, leading him to share his thoughts about filmmaking, his life and works, and numerous anecdotes relating to his films and his various film activities.
Director: Shizuo Satô | Stars: Akira Kurosawa, Nagisa Ôshima
Votes: 83
33. Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences (2006 Video)
55 min | Documentary
This documentary made by the Criterion Collection examines the history of the Samurai in Japan. Also looks at what inspired Kurosawa to make his masterpiece 1954 film Seven Samurai in a post WW2 Japan.
Director: Marty Gross | Stars: Stephen Prince, Joan Mellen, Tadao Satô, David Desser
Votes: 52
34. Kurosawa and the Censors (2007 Video)
25 min | Documentary, Short
Danish film scholar, Lars-Martin Sorensen, describes US censorship of Japanese film during the American occupation of Japan (1945-1952) and the challenges Kurosawa faced from these censors ... See full summary »
Stars: Robert Fischer, Lars-Martin Sorenson
Votes: 10
35. Snow Trail (1947)
89 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Three bank robbers on the run from the police hide out in a remote mountain lodge high up in the snowy Japanese Alps.
Director: Senkichi Taniguchi | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Kosugi, Akitake Kôno
Votes: 742
36. Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980)
PG | 162 min | Drama, History, War
A 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.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ken'ichi Hagiwara, Jinpachi Nezu
Votes: 38,186
37. Shogun (1980)
TV-MA | 109 min | Adventure, Drama, History
An English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in the complex political games in feudal Japan.
Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Shimada, Furankî Sakai
Votes: 15,682
38. Shogun (1980 TV Movie)
159 min | Adventure, Drama, History
An English navigator becomes both pawn and player in the deadly political games in feudal Japan.
Director: Jerry London | Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Shimada, Furankî Sakai
Votes: 5,060
39. Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)
Not Rated | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Zatoichi tries to unrest the mob rule over a small village all while the gang leader's bodyguard is actually the Yojimbo, secretly taking the gang down from the inside. Will the two heroes realize in time that they are on the same side?
Director: Kihachi Okamoto | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Shintarô Katsu, Ayako Wakao, Osamu Takizawa
Votes: 2,830
40. The Sword of Doom (1966)
Not Rated | 120 min | Action, Drama
Through his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopath samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.
Director: Kihachi Okamoto | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Yûzô Kayama, Yôko Naitô
Votes: 12,077
41. Samurai Assassin (I) (1965)
122 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
February 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 ... See full summary »
Director: Kihachi Okamoto | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Keiju Kobayashi, Michiyo Aratama, Yûnosuke Itô
Votes: 2,509
42. The Rickshaw Man (1958)
103 min | Drama
A poor rickshaw driver finds himself helping a young woman and her son after the woman's husband dies suddenly.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Hideko Takamine, Hiroshi Akutagawa, Chishû Ryû
Votes: 1,173
43. Samurai Banners (1969)
165 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A shrewd 16th Century samurai helps a daimyo expand his realm.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yoshiko Sakuma, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Yûjirô Ishihara
Votes: 819
44. Samurai Rebellion (1967)
Not Rated | 128 min | Drama
The 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.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Gô Katô, Tatsuyoshi Ehara
Votes: 14,096
45. Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)
TV-PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Musashi Miyamoto is challenged to a duel by a confident swordsman Sasaki Kojiro. He agrees to fight him in a year's time.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Mariko Okada, Kôji Tsuruta, Kaoru Yachigusa
Votes: 6,702
46. Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955)
TV-PG | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
Musashi Miyamoto returns to Kyoto after years of absence. After a series of fights against the Yoshioka School, he challenges its master to a duel.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Mariko Okada, Kôji Tsuruta, Kaoru Yachigusa
Votes: 6,963
47. Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954)
Not Rated | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
Depicts the early life of the legendary warrior Musashi Miyamoto; his years as an aspiring warrior, an outlaw and finally a true samurai.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Mariko Okada, Rentarô Mikuni, Kurôemon Onoe
Votes: 9,511
48. The Bushido Blade (1981)
R | 104 min | Action, Drama, History
A steel samurai blade that was to be given to the American ambassador by the Emperor of Japan is stolen. American sailors and Japanese samurai are sent to find it.
Director: Tsugunobu Kotani | Stars: Richard Boone, Toshirô Mifune, Mike Starr, Timothy Patrick Murphy
Votes: 438
49. Mifune: The Last Samurai (2015)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary, Biography
A feature-length documentary about the life and films of legendary actor Toshiro Mifune, weaving together film clips, archival stills, and interviews with such luminaries as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. Narrated by Keanu Reeves.
Director: Steven Okazaki | Stars: Wataru Akashi, Kyôko Kagawa, Takeshi Katô, Hisao Kurosawa
Votes: 1,383 | Gross: $0.06M
50. The Life of Oharu (1952)
Not Rated | 133 min | Drama
Follows a woman's fight and survival amid the vicissitudes of life and the cruelty of society.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichirô Sugai, Toshirô Mifune
Votes: 7,646
51. Wedding Ring (1950)
96 min | Drama
A jewelry store president begins to fall for the doctor treating her husband's illness.
Director: Keisuke Kinoshita | Stars: Kinuyo Tanaka, Toshirô Mifune, Jûkichi Uno, Kenji Susukida
Votes: 215
52. Vendetta of a Samurai (1952)
82 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Mataemon Araki, a renowned swordsman, helps a young man find vengeance.
Director: Kazuo Mori | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yuriko Hamada, Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Katayama
Votes: 283
53. Samurai Saga (1959)
111 min | Action, Drama, Romance
Japanese version of 'Cyrano de Bergerac', a poet/swordsman with a huge nose who loves a woman who loves another. Ignoring his true feelings, he helps them get together.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Akira Takarada, Keiko Awaji
Votes: 448
54. Tetsuko no heya (1976– )
35 min | Talk-Show
Stars: Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Meiko Nakamura, Makoto Ôtake, Tomio Umezawa
Votes: 33
55. Akira (1988)
R | 124 min | Animation, Action, Drama
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshô Genda
Votes: 205,300 | Gross: $0.55M
56. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
G | 86 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
When two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi
Votes: 380,419 | Gross: $1.11M
57. Fireworks (1997)
103 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Nishi leaves the police in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into depression, he makes questionable decisions.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Ôsugi, Susumu Terajima
Votes: 33,188 | Gross: $0.23M
58. Spirited Away (2001)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi
Votes: 849,793 | Gross: $10.06M
59. Harakiri (1962)
Not Rated | 133 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
When a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsurô Tanba
Votes: 68,701
60. Godzilla (1954)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like beast.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi
Votes: 39,680 | Gross: $2.42M
61. The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur who also happens to be a master swordsman.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Masayo Banri, Ryûzô Shimada, Hajime Mitamura
Votes: 5,906
62. The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (1962)
Not Rated | 72 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The blind masseur and swordsman, Zatoichi, learns of a powerful political figure's secret and is quickly tailed by a group of killers.
Director: Kazuo Mori | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Yaeko Mizutani, Masayo Banri, Tomisaburô Wakayama
Votes: 2,782
63. New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)
Not Rated | 91 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.
Director: Tokuzô Tanaka | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Mikiko Tsubouchi, Seizaburô Kawazu, Fujio Suga
Votes: 2,380
64. Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963)
Not Rated | 86 min | Drama, Adventure, Action
A yakuza gang targets the blind masseur Zatoichi after he defeats their group in a wrestling match. Meanwhile a long lost love of Zatoichi's returns to his life.
Director: Tokuzô Tanaka | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Miwa Takada, Masayo Banri, Jun'ichirô Narita
Votes: 2,018
65. Zatoichi on the Road (1963)
PG | 85 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Zatoichi promises to deliver a maiden safely home but finds two dangerous gangs have a mysterious interest in the young girl.
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Shiho Fujimura, Ryûzô Shimada, Reiko Fujiwara
Votes: 1,986
66. Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold (1964)
Not Rated | 83 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Zatoichi is mistaken for a thief. To clear his name he must find and defeat the real villain.
Director: Kazuo Ikehiro | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Shôgo Shimada, Mikiko Tsubouchi, Machiko Hasegawa
Votes: 1,835
67. Zatoichi's Flashing Sword (1964)
Not Rated | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After being wounded in a fight, Zatoichi is nursed to health by a young woman and her father. Now indebted to the family, he works to protect their ferry business from local thugs.
Director: Kazuo Ikehiro | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Tatsuo Endô, Takashi Etajima, Ryûtarô Gomi
Votes: 1,707
68. Adventures of Zatoichi (1964)
Not Rated | 86 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The blind swordsman tries to locate a girl's missing father.
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Miwa Takada, Eiko Takashiro, Kichijirô Ueda
Votes: 1,534
69. Zatoichi's Revenge (1965)
Not Rated | 84 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After Zatoichi learns of his sensei's murder he uncovers a horrible conspiracy involving the local government and crime family.
Director: Akira Inoue | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Norihei Miki, Mikiko Tsubouchi, Takeshi Katô
Votes: 1,524
70. Zatoichi and the Doomed Man (1965)
Not Rated | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The blind masseur and swordsman, Zatoichi, searches for proof an imprisoned man's innocence.
Director: Kazuo Mori | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Kanbi Fujiyama, Eiko Takashiro, Masako Akeboshi
Votes: 1,368
71. Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)
Not Rated | 87 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A samurai with a high skill in chess makes friends with Zatoichi, who finds that things become peculiar in his presence.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Mikio Narita, Chizu Hayashi, Kaneko Iwasaki
Votes: 1,595
72. Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966)
Not Rated | 83 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Promising to make a delivery for a dying man, the blind swordsman Zatoichi comes across the usual crime gangs but also meets a blind monk who brings into question his use of violence.
Director: Tokuzô Tanaka | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Shigeru Amachi, Jun Hamamura, Mayumi Ogawa
Votes: 1,294
73. Zatoichi's Pilgrimage (1966)
Not Rated | 82 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Zatoichi's trek through 88 temples to atone for his violent past is interrupted as he stumbles into a village terrorized by a violent yakuza boss.
Director: Kazuo Ikehiro | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Michiyo Yasuda, Kunie Tanaka, Hisashi Igawa
Votes: 1,210
74. Zatoichi's Cane Sword (1967)
Not Rated | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Zatoichi, while fighting off the usual group of gangsters, meets the apprentice of the swordsman who created his blade, who relays bad news about the sword.
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Shiho Fujimura, Yoshihiko Aoyama, Makoto Fujita
Votes: 1,399
75. Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In a town where debt-ridden peasants are being ruthlessly exploited, Zatoichi is forced to take sides between a cruel yakuza boss and his seemingly altruistic rival.
Director: Satsuo Yamamoto | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Rentarô Mikuni, Kô Nishimura, Yûko Hamada
Votes: 1,369
76. Zatoichi Challenged (1967)
Not Rated | 87 min | Drama, Adventure, Action
After an artist is threatened by the yakuza into creating valuable but highly illegal pornography, the law aims to execute him. Zatoichi, having been honor bound to protect the man and his family, must now run against the law.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Jûshirô Konoe, Miwa Takada, Yukiji Asaoka
Votes: 1,509
77. Zatoichi and the Fugitives (1968)
Not Rated | 82 min | Drama, Action, Adventure
Zatoichi runs afoul of some evil fugitives, working for a corrupt law official.
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Kayo Mikimoto, Kyôsuke Machida, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 1,294
78. Samaritan Zatoichi (1968)
Not Rated | 84 min | Drama, Action, Adventure
Zatoichi is tricked by a crime gang into killing a man. Realizing his mistake, he sets out to protect the dead man's sister, who is conflicted in accepting his help.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Yoshiko Mita, Makoto Satô, Kô Nishimura
Votes: 1,309
79. Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Adventure, Action
Zatoichi meets an infamous blind leader of a gangster organization as he contends with a gloomy ronin widower.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Reiko Ôhara, Pîtâ, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Votes: 1,552
80. Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman (1971)
Not Rated | 94 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Two of Japan and China's greatest heroic swordsman find themselves caught in a plot to protect a young child. But will national distrust and simple misunderstanding keep the two kindred spirits apart?
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Jimmy Wang Yu, Michie Terada, Kôji Nanbara
Votes: 1,720
81. Zatoichi at Large (1972)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Action, Adventure
On the road, Zatoichi meets a dying pregnant woman and delivers the child moments before she passes. Honor bound, he sets out to find the next-of-kin who he discovers have their own problems.
Director: Kazuo Mori | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Rentarô Mikuni, Hisaya Morishige, Etsushi Takahashi
Votes: 1,098
82. Zatoichi in Desperation (1972)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After accidentally causing an old lady's death, Zatoichi seeks out her daughter to atone for the tragedy, consequently getting into all sorts of trouble.
Director: Shintarô Katsu | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Kiwako Taichi, Kyoko Yoshizawa, Yasuhiro Koume
Votes: 1,146
83. Zatoichi's Conspiracy (1973)
Not Rated | 88 min | Action, Drama
Zatoichi returns to his home village for the first time in over ten years to find much has changed and that corruption abounds.
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Yukiyo Toake, Eiji Okada, Kei Satô
Votes: 1,089
84. Fight, Zatoichi, Fight (1964)
Not Rated | 87 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When Zatoichi witnesses the murder of a young mother he promises to deliver the baby to the father. Along the way he gains the help of a reluctant criminal.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Saburô Date, Kôji Fujiyama, Chikara Hashimoto
Votes: 1,885
85. Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)
Not Rated | 84 min | Action, Adventure
The story of a Ronin (i.e. a masterless samurai) who wanders the countryside of Japan with his small child, having various adventures.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Fumio Watanabe, Gô Katô, Tomoko Mayama
Votes: 8,879
86. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
Not Rated | 81 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Trailed by a clan of female ninja, Ogami is paid to assassinate a clan traitor accompanied by three killers known as the Gods of Death.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ôki, Akiji Kobayashi
Votes: 6,861
87. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972)
R | 89 min | Action, Drama
Ogami Itto volunteers to be tortured by the yakuza to save a prostitute and is hired by their leader to kill an evil chamberlain.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Gô Katô, Yûko Hama, Isao Yamagata
Votes: 5,607
88. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (1972)
Not Rated | 81 min | Action, Thriller
Ogami is hired to kill a tattooed female assassin. Gunbei Yagyu, an enemy samurai, happens upon Ogami's son, and sees his chance for revenge.
Director: Buichi Saitô | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Yoichi Hayashi, Michi Azuma, Akihiro Tomikawa
Votes: 4,959
89. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (1973)
Not Rated | 89 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Five warriors challenge Ogami to duels. Each holds a part of information needed to complete the assassination of a mad clan leader.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Michiyo Yasuda, Akihiro Tomikawa, Shingo Yamashiro
Votes: 4,625
90. Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (1974)
Not Rated | 83 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the sixth and final film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, the final conflict between Ogami Itto and the Yagyu clan is carried out.
Director: Yoshiyuki Kuroda | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Junko Hitomi, Gorô Mutsumi
Votes: 4,300
91. Floating Clouds (1955)
123 min | Drama, Romance
A tragic social drama set in post war Japan and concerns a lonely woman trying to find purpose and stability in a devastated Tokyo.
Director: Mikio Naruse | Stars: Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Mariko Okada, Isao Yamagata
Votes: 3,146
92. Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Approved | 78 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Scout pilots for a fishing fleet are startled to discover a new monster named Anguirus alongside a second Godzilla. The monsters make their way toward Osaka as Japan can only brace for tragedy and relive the horror of Godzilla once more.
Directors: Motoyoshi Oda, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Hiroshi Koizumi, Setsuko Wakayama, Minoru Chiaki, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 8,331
93. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)
Not Rated | 91 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A UN reporter broadcasts a report on the appearance of a prehistoric monster that emerges from hibernation while a pharmaceutical company seeks publicity with a monster of their own. (US Version)
Directors: Ishirô Honda, Tom Montgomery | Stars: Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, Yû Fujiki, Michael Keith
Votes: 11,231 | Gross: $2.73M
94. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
Not Rated | 89 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Mothra's egg washes ashore and is claimed by greedy entrepreneurs who refuse to return it to her fairies. As Godzilla arises near Nagoya, the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Akira Takarada, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Yû Fujiki
Votes: 10,316
95. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Not Rated | 85 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A detective is assigned to protect a princess who prophecies the Earth's end with the arrival of a powerful space monster. Mothra and her fairies must persuade Godzilla and Rodan to set aside their differences or face the invader alone.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Yôsuke Natsuki, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akiko Wakabayashi
Votes: 7,931
96. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
PG | 83 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A young man searching for his brother steals a boat that shipwrecks on Letchi island, where terrorists have enslaved the Infant Island natives. Discovering Godzilla asleep, he and some others decide to awaken him to liberate the natives.
Director: Jun Fukuda | Stars: Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, Chôtarô Tôgin, Hideo Sunazuka
Votes: 6,376
97. Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
G | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Astronauts investigate Planet X and encounter the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". As one astronaut forms a romance with a mysterious woman, he uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Nick Adams, Akira Takarada, Jun Tazaki, Akira Kubo
Votes: 7,450
98. Son of Godzilla (1967)
PG | 84 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A reporter stumbles upon weather experiments on a tropical island, discovering giant mantids, a cast away woman, and an infant monster that Godzilla must adopt and learn to raise as one of his own.
Director: Jun Fukuda | Stars: Tadao Takashima, Akira Kubo, Bibari Maeda, Akihiko Hirata
Votes: 5,883
99. Destroy All Monsters (1968)
G | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
At the end of the 20th century, all of Earth's monsters have been safely rounded up and sent to Monsterland for scientific study. Chaos erupts when a race of she-aliens known as the Kilaaks unleashes the monsters on the world.
Directors: Ishirô Honda, Jun Fukuda | Stars: Akira Kubo, Jun Tazaki, Yukiko Kobayashi, Yoshio Tsuchiya
Votes: 7,579
100. All Monsters Attack (1969)
G | 70 min | Action, Adventure, Family
A latchkey child living in the industrial city of Kawasaki confronts his loneliness through his escapist dreams of Monster Island and friendship with Minilla.
Directors: Ishirô Honda, Jun Fukuda, Kengo Furusawa | Stars: Kenji Sahara, Machiko Naka, Tomonori Yazaki, Hideyo Amamoto
Votes: 5,489
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