Seven Samurai

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

1954-04-26 | ja

Samurai Rebellion

Echizen Fukui Domain. Futago Rokubei, who backs down even at the sight of a gecko, is called "Coward Samurai" by others. His sister Kane blames him for not having any marriage proposals. One day, the lord's martial arts instructor, Nito Kouken, kills one of the lord's attendants, Kano, and flees, leading the angry lord to issue an order to kill him. However, there is no one in the domain who can match the swordsmanship of Nito. Rokubei, in order to clear his long-standing dishonor, volunteers to be the one to kill Nito and sets out on the journey, leaving behind Kane who tries to stop him in tears.

1987-07-02 | ja

Shogun's Harem: The Mansion of Evil Spirits

In the era of the ninth shogun, Ieshige, the Ooku of Edo Castle was a world of only women, with Tokiwa at the head and numbering up to a thousand. The town girl Otoshi catches the eye of Oitsu-no-kata and is brought into the Ooku. Oitsu receives the favor of Ieshige and is blessed with an heir, but Oko-no-kata resents Oitsu to the point of wanting to curse her to death. At that time, rumors of an evil spirit in the unopened room spread throughout the Ooku.

1981-09-04 | ja

The Buddy: Yaji and Kita

Tajibee, a cockfighting expert from Kawachi, and Kitahachi, a carpenter from Edo, survive a shipwreck near Beppu. They rescue Sakamoto Ryoma from masked samurai, and he entrusts them with a secret letter for Saigo Takamori of Satsuma. A shogunate spy, Chizou, overhears and pursues them. Along the way, a pickpocket named Okoma steals their wallet and the letter. When they finally deliver the letter in Satsuma, they realize it was a decoy to mislead the enemy.

1982-03-12 | ja

The Orphaned Geisha

Geisha Yaeko is approached by a samurai who has just returned to Edo while she is painting a picture of camellia flowers in a temple. The samurai, whom she meets again at a drinking party, is the heir to the castle's daimyo, Yuuki Shinichiro, and the two become romantically involved despite their different social standings. Although he tells her he cannot marry her immediately, Yaeko believes in Shinichiro and continues to wait for the day they can be together. However, Shinichiro's uncle, Kuwajima, tells her to end the relationship.

1987-05-28 | ja

The Eccentric Shinza

Shinza is known for his stubborn personality and continues to hold a low-ranking position as a magistrate, despite his colleague Kato becoming the deputy chief retainer. His daughter has feelings for Hachiro, one of her father's subordinates, but she is afraid to express her emotions because of Shinza's intimidating presence. One day, Shinza gets involved in a violent incident within the castle.

1987-05-14 | ja

The Forced Marriage with Children

Kumazou, a "cleaner" for hire, encounters a woman attempting to commit suicide with her two young siblings one night. Kumazou gives them all the money he has and saves them from jumping off a bridge. The next morning, he wakes up to find that the woman and her sons have invaded his home and settled in…

1987-06-25 | ja

The Hidden Fortress

In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.

1958-12-28 | ja

Tsukigata Hanpeita

During the ultra-violent era of the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate one man rose above the rest with his ideas of how to overthrow the corrupt government and end the bloodshed between the Choshu and Satsuma clans which would ultimately lead to the alliance of these 2 clans and restoration of the emperor to full power. Based on the play that made Sawada Shojiro famous, this is the story of Tsukigata Hanpeita, a forward looking samurai from Choshu, who along with Katsura Kogoro and Sakamoto Ryoma of Tosa worked to bring their dream of a new era in Japan.

1952-05-29 | ja

The Two Musashis

Toru Emori leads the cast as Hirate Musashi while a Hiroshi Fujioka competes with him as Okamoto Musashi. They must not only contend with the Yoshioka and Yagyu fencing schools, but have to take on Chiyonosuke Azuma as Sasaki Kojiro, and deal with the women who pursue them for love. Unlike the Yoshikawa Eiji novel which is not historically accurate, this film offers a new view of Japan’s greatest hero! The film is based on the novel by Kosuke Gomi!

1981-05-29 | ja

Rashomon

Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, "Rashomon" is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.

1950-08-26 | ja

The Last Samurai

Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.

2003-12-05 | en

Zatoichi

Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.

2003-09-06 | ja

Master Fencer Sees the World

A historical drama that depicts the touching beauty of world obsession and human love in the style of light comedy, in the center of which is a young man who has a master license menkyo kaiden in the art of swordsmanship, but weak against lies and women. A remake of Bungaku no Issue, shot by Sadao Yamanaka in 1933.

1960-10-16 | ja

Murderer!

A cowardly samurai is sent as an official executioner targeting the clan's former sword instructor, a man whose sword and spear skills are second to none.

1976-10-16 | ja

Danemon Ban: The Monster Exterminator

The boozy mercenary of the title, based on the actual historical figure of Naoyuki Ban (1567-1615), attempts to rid a haunted castle of spooks.

1935-01-27 | ja

Guitar Men: The Darkest Secret of Rock 'n Roll

2007-06-28 | de

GOZEN: The Sword of Pure Romance

GOZEN is a jidageki (period piece) dramas. The word “gozen” refers to a feudal game held in the presence of a Daimyo, described as a match “one must not lose”.

2019-07-05 | ja

The Horse Boy

A humble page fathers a child by the daughter of a clan official and is banished. Years later, the child, now a stable boy, is reunited with his father, but feudal codes threaten their happiness. Uchida’s poignant masterpiece condemns the inflexible class system and launches an indictment of values that favor symbolic objects over human life. The film’s focus is on character rather than swordplay, and charged performances - especially child actor Motoharu Ueki - add to the emotional power.

1957-02-19 | ja

Blade of the Immortal

Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine.

2017-04-29 | ja