Rantaro Mine

Appassionata (1984)

This story is based on the novel "Jo no mai" by Tomiko Miyao which is based on the life of painter Shōen Uemura (1875–1949), the first woman to be awarded the Order of Culture. The title refers to the masterpiece bijinga ("picture of a beautiful woman") that Uemura ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Sadao Nakajima
CAST:  Mariko Okada  •  Yûko Natori  •  Morio Kazama  •  Kunihiko Mitamura

This story is based on the novel "Jo no mai" by Tomiko Miyao which is based on the life of painter Shōen Uemura (1875–1949), the first woman to be awarded the Order of Culture. The title refers to the masterpiece bijinga ("picture of a beautiful woman") that Uemura ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Sadao Nakajima
CAST:  Mariko Okada  •  Yûko Natori  •  Morio Kazama  •  Kunihiko Mitamura

Fireflies in the North (1984)

Set in the icy wilderness of Hokkaido during the early days of the Meiji era, where the brutal warden of Kabato Prison terrorizes convicts sentenced to forced labor to build the roads needed to open up the territory.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Hideo Gosha
CAST:  Tatsuya Nakadai  •  Shima Iwashita  •  Koichi Sato  •  Ai Saotome

Set in the icy wilderness of Hokkaido during the early days of the Meiji era, where the brutal warden of Kabato Prison terrorizes convicts sentenced to forced labor to build the roads needed to open up the territory.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Hideo Gosha
CAST:  Tatsuya Nakadai  •  Shima Iwashita  •  Koichi Sato  •  Ai Saotome

Crest of Betrayal (1994)

Weaving two storylines together: the first is the story of 18th-century shogunate intrigue and loyalty, and the second is a ghost story about a beautiful woman who falls victim to passion and evil.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kinji Fukasaku
CAST:  Koichi Sato  •  Saki Takaoka  •  Keiko Oginome  •  Renji Ishibashi

Weaving two storylines together: the first is the story of 18th-century shogunate intrigue and loyalty, and the second is a ghost story about a beautiful woman who falls victim to passion and evil.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kinji Fukasaku
CAST:  Koichi Sato  •  Saki Takaoka  •  Keiko Oginome  •  Renji Ishibashi

Uzumasa Limelight (2014)

Fewer samurai films are being made, and the Uzumasa studio has fallen on hard times. One day, veteran "kirareyaku" (whose job it is to be felled with a sword by a film's star) actor Kamiyama is tasked with teaching sword action techniques to fledgling actress ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ken Ochiai
CAST:  Seizō Fukumoto  •  Chihiro Yamamoto  •  Masashi Goda  •  Hirotaro Honda

Fewer samurai films are being made, and the Uzumasa studio has fallen on hard times. One day, veteran "kirareyaku" (whose job it is to be felled with a sword by a film's star) actor Kamiyama is tasked with teaching sword action techniques to fledgling actress ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ken Ochiai
CAST:  Seizō Fukumoto  •  Chihiro Yamamoto  •  Masashi Goda  •  Hirotaro Honda

Ninja the Monster (2015)

The shogunate announced “ninja prohibition order”. Gohime (Aoi Morikawa) and her party travel to Edo to ask for Nagano han’s relief. Denzo (Dean Fujioka) is a former ninja, with a mysterious past, now travelling with Gohime's party as security. While in the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ken Ochiai
CAST:  Dean Fujioka  •  Aoi Morikawa  •  Soko Wada  •  Rantaro Mine

The shogunate announced “ninja prohibition order”. Gohime (Aoi Morikawa) and her party travel to Edo to ask for Nagano han’s relief. Denzo (Dean Fujioka) is a former ninja, with a mysterious past, now travelling with Gohime's party as security. While in the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ken Ochiai
CAST:  Dean Fujioka  •  Aoi Morikawa  •  Soko Wada  •  Rantaro Mine

Fall Guy (1982)

Ginshiro, threatened by poor repute and upcoming star Tachibana, forces his friend Yasu to marry Konatsu, Ginshiro's pregnant mistress; Yasu becomes a stuntman to make ends meet.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kinji Fukasaku
CAST:  Keiko Matsuzaka  •  Morio Kazama  •  Mitsuru Hirata  •  Daijirô Harada

Ginshiro, threatened by poor repute and upcoming star Tachibana, forces his friend Yasu to marry Konatsu, Ginshiro's pregnant mistress; Yasu becomes a stuntman to make ends meet.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kinji Fukasaku
CAST:  Keiko Matsuzaka  •  Morio Kazama  •  Mitsuru Hirata  •  Daijirô Harada

Sure Death 4 (1987)

Having been demoted for failing to prevent the murder of one of his superiors, Mondo is startled by a group of masked thugs who are soon attacked in turn by an unseen force. He begins to suspect the work of assassins, but whose side are they on?  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kinji Fukasaku
CAST:  Makoto Fujita  •  Hiroaki Murakami  •  Kazuko Kato  •  Ken Nishida

Having been demoted for failing to prevent the murder of one of his superiors, Mondo is startled by a group of masked thugs who are soon attacked in turn by an unseen force. He begins to suspect the work of assassins, but whose side are they on?  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kinji Fukasaku
CAST:  Makoto Fujita  •  Hiroaki Murakami  •  Kazuko Kato  •  Ken Nishida

Lone Wolf & Child: Assassin on the Road to Hell (1989)

The tale of Ogami Itto and his son Daigoro has come full circle with the greatest sword actor of all time, Wakayama Tomisaburo now playing Lone Wolf's mortal enemy, the evil Lord Yagyu Retsudo, who masterminded Ogami's fall from grace. Brilliant sword actor ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tokuzō Tanaka
CAST:  Hideki Takahashi  •  Tomisaburō Wakayama  •  Meiko Kaji  •  Kiyoshi Nakajo

The tale of Ogami Itto and his son Daigoro has come full circle with the greatest sword actor of all time, Wakayama Tomisaburo now playing Lone Wolf's mortal enemy, the evil Lord Yagyu Retsudo, who masterminded Ogami's fall from grace. Brilliant sword actor ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tokuzō Tanaka
CAST:  Hideki Takahashi  •  Tomisaburō Wakayama  •  Meiko Kaji  •  Kiyoshi Nakajo

Faces (2016)

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 ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tomohiko Yamashita
CAST:  Ken Matsudaira  •  Ken Ishiguro  •  Hayato Onozuka  •  Shōhei Hino

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 ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Tomohiko Yamashita
CAST:  Ken Matsudaira  •  Ken Ishiguro  •  Hayato Onozuka  •  Shōhei Hino