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.
The adventures of a modern day descendant of a famed Edo era thief are the basis for this short supernatural comedy romp.
Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.
Hokkaido at the end of the Taisho era is Kitami. On the day his wife died of a dystocia, Bakuro Yonetaro fell asleep after being kicked by a sick woman Yuki at a vague shop after violence.
A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
Residents of a rundown boardinghouse in 19th-century Japan, including a mysterious old man and an aging actor, get drawn into a love triangle that turns violent. When amoral thief Sutekichi breaks off his affair with landlady Osugi to romance her younger sister, Okayo, Osugi extracts her revenge by revealing her infidelity to her jealous husband.
Bored Hatamoto movie #29
On New Year's Day 1716, Munenaga of Owari and Yoshinao of Kii were both named as candidates for the title of 8th Shogun. The wise and just Munenaga is plunged into a dispute with Tokugawa Yoshinao that will lead to one of them ascending the throne. This is an exciting and informative film that brings the brilliant history of Japan to the surface in a new light.
1962 Japanese movie
Woman melodrama by Shiro Toyoda
Two broke sweethearts wander war-scarred Tokyo on a single Sunday, stretching 35 yen as they chase housing, small pleasures, and a little hope.
Based on the comic by Ichio Matsushita
Bored Hatamoto film #20
A young woman begins murdering all those responsible for her ailing father's condition. Because the girl is so outwardly sweet and innocent, the detective looking into the deaths does not suspect her.
Bored Hatamoto film #19
Japanese silent film from 1928, ranked as Kinema Junpo's second-best Japanese movie of the year.
A hard-working new employee at a trading company is promoted through the company president's business. However, he quarrels with his wife over something trivial, and her wife runs away from home, causing a fuss, but she returns to normal. Selected by Kinema Junpo as the 5th-best Japanese movie of 1926.
Kota and Kosuke, from the Hikyaku-ya shop in Edo, went to Kyoto. Contrary to their carefree appearance, they carry a secret letter concerning the Aoba clan from Kyoto. A samurai who calls himself Okuma Danemon joins them on their journey, and soon people begin to appear one after another, seeking to get a secret letter...
A playwright moves to a rural neighborhood to avoid the distractions of the city, but he discovers there are plenty of ways to get sidetracked in his new home, too.
1954 Japanese movie
1950 Japanese movie
The life in a small village in Shikoku and the love story between two young people.
1962 Japanese movie
1962 Japanese movie
1951 Japanese movie. The characters of Mito Kōmon and Yaji and Kita are brought together
A ghost interrupts the journey of two young noblemen who are disguised as merchants.
Two friends accidentally run into a young, homeless woman, so they take her in.
Fourth film in the 'Travels of Lord Mito' franchise.
Fifth film in the 'Travels of Lord Mito' franchise.
In the eleventh year of the Tenpō era, the Kawarazaki-za theater in Edo buzzed with excitement for a new production of "Kanjinchō" by Naritaya, featuring music by the master Kineya Rokusaburō. However, Naritaya's requests to change some of Rokusaburō's most painstakingly crafted parts of the composition angered his disciple, Shinjirō, leading to a conflict and Shinjirō's abandonment of the shamisen. One day, Shinjirō was captivated by the mysteriously beautiful dance of Oaki, a traveling performer's daughter, who seemed to be channeling her art into a form of revenge.
Shinzō, the heir of the prominent Edo lumber dealer Yamashiroya, left home when his stubborn father, Chōzaemon, dismissed his lover, the maid Oyasu. Shinzō and Oyasu set up a household near a soba shop in Fukagawa, but Shinzō struggled financially, turning to gambling and fighting, while Oyasu worked as a tea server in a theater, constantly harassed by a small-time gangster, Rikichi, for cigarette money. The only ones concerned about Shinzō and Oyasu were Shinzō’s sister, Omitu, and her dance teacher, Oyoshi. Later, Shinzō managed to get a job at another lumber dealer, but after a conflict with the detective Hansuke, who was also infatuated with Oyasu, Shinzō accidentally dropped lumber into the river and was fired. Unaware that Oyasu had borrowed money from a bar to repay the lumber dealer, Shinzō left to earn money in the Mito clan's crew quarters and ended up rescuing Rikichi from a dice game trouble.
Two obaachans become fast friends listening to music in front of a record store. They both boast about their loving sons but in reality, one had just escaped a retirement home and the other was looking for an escape from her son and daughter-in-law. With nowhere to go, the two wander around, befriending a cosmetics salesman and a kind waitress who give them beer. This biting social satire starring two memorable grandmothers, scripted by Yôko Mizuki, picked up on Japan’s aging population problem far ahead of its time.
My Daughter's Only Wish tells the story of a poorly paid and clumsy office clerk, played with much comedic talent by Atsushi Watanabe. His biggest problem: His daughter Hideko is too clever and is expected by her teachers to enter the school for higher girls after graduating from primary school. But how is our poor clerk supposed to pay the school fees? How does poor Hideko feel about the situation? How can they cope with the envious colleagues who have less brighter daughters? And - an important question for Hideko's mother - what will the neighbours think? What's the point about getting a good education for girls anyway?
A Japanese version of the musical comedy "Yes, Mr. Brown"
1949 Japanese film
1949 drama film
A farmer’s boy, obsessed with his balsa-and-paper flying models and with dreams of real aircraft, develops a friendship with the daughter of the local squire, who introduces the lad to her pilot brother and his flying officer friends; through hard work, and despite the handicap of a lowly class status, he eventually succeeds in qualifying as a pilot and joining the air force.
The film tells the story of a young nobleman who finds himself alone in the midst of turmoil in his 70,000 koku estate, where he is surrounded by his beautiful younger sister Yukihime, who helps him, his beloved Namie and many other family members.
Aspiring to an easy job as personal physician to a wealthy family, Noboru Yasumoto is disappointed when his first post after medical school takes him to a small country clinic under the gruff doctor Red Beard. Yasumoto rebels in numerous ways, but Red Beard proves a wise and patient teacher. He gradually introduces his student to the unglamorous side of the profession, ultimately assigning him to care for a prostitute rescued from a local brothel.
On a Tokyo dump’s shantytown edge, interwoven vignettes follow residents scraping by: a boy who “drives” an imaginary trolley, a homeless father and son designing a dream house, a young woman brutalized at home, drunks, schemers, and saints of small kindnesses. Kurosawa crafts a ragged mosaic of hardship, fantasy, and flickers of grace that keep people moving forward.
A village samurai with money, power and great masculinity goes to the flourishing city of Edo to have some fun and practice. And here he is attacked by a beautiful thief... A light comedy historical drama.
An aging foundry patriarch, gripped by terror of nuclear annihilation, tries to uproot his family to Brazil. When they petition to have him declared incompetent, a family-court counselor witnesses his obsession slide into ruin—and asks whether ignoring the atomic threat is any saner.
1948 adaptation of Golden Devil
1948 adaptation of Golden Devil, part 2
In 1691 a terrible fire broke out in Denmacho, Yotsuya, burning down the towns around it, up to the shores of Shibaura. A month and a half later, another fire broke out, this time in Komagome, burning down the two gates of Asakusa and Sujikai, and continuing on into the night. As the government Elders consider evidence that these fires were arson, a fire breaks out in Hirakawa-cho, outside of Hanzo Gate. Nishonmaru catches on fire and burns down completely. When this rash of fires even strikes Kyoto, the task of finding who’s behind the arson, and stopping them falls to the Shogun’s uncle, the Elder Lord of Mito. Together with his trusted bodyguards, Kaku and Suke, the trio set of to save Japan from this scourge of evil. Featuring virtually all of their most famous stars, this is the best film in the Toei series about Mito Komon, one of Japan’s most popular historical figures who traveled through the country incognito to check on the people and fight injustice.
In Kyoto, a samurai named Boredom Otoko, Saotome Mondonosuke , appears and helps a woman being chased by a spy named Genshichi. Unfortunately, the woman is shot and killed. Later, Genshichi explains that the woman was a member of a band of thieves, and because she was let go once, the police officer, Genjuro Mazaki, was demoted to a desk job. Consumed by guilt, Boredom Otoko...
1946 Japanese movie
1953 Toho adaptation of Natsume's novel.
Three humorous love stories set in rural Japan.
Japanese comedy film.
Set in a bustling 1950s parlor, a beautiful counter clerk falls for a wealthy businessman’s son, only to have their romance derailed by a ruthless loan shark and a mounting family debt. As the parlor faces ruin, the narrative weaves through slapstick antics, musical numbers by Enka legends, and surreal interviews with real-life cultural figures. A chaotic "blueprint" for the Pachinko subgenre, this musical dramedy captures the obsession and desperation of the silver balls.
Kotaro Shimoyama, once a government official, loses his job and separates from his wife, Sachie. He now resides with his daughter, Haruko. By chance, he apprehends a criminal and reconnects with his former colleague, Sakamoto, leading him to become a security guard at a film studio. Haruko, secretly a singer, rises to stardom within the same studio. Unbeknownst to each other, they both work there. As the studio faces turmoil, their hidden identities are unveiled...
Two groups are after the legendary Yagyu Secret Scrolls. A princess of a disgraced clan and her loyal servant want it to clear their family's name. And a rival clan wants it to destroy the Yagyu family. Only master swordsman, Yagyu Jubei stands in their way. What is the secret that is hidden away in the scrolls?
This is the second film in the popular black and white series about the master swordsman, Yagyu Jubei. When the Yagyu clan falls victim to rival Kasumi spies, Yagyu Jubei is called to action to protect them. But in performing his duty, he becomes the target of those who wish to destroy his clan.
Fourth sequel to "Story of Second Class Private".
Fifth sequel to "Story of Second Class Private".
Second "Pfc. Story" sequel and the ninth and final sequel to "Story of Second Class Private", the only one in both series not directed by Seiichi Fukuda.
Japanese comedy film.
Set in the Sengoku period, Tokugawa vassal Yakurota (Kenichi Enomoto) helps the older sister and twin sister of the Matsudaira family who are in love with his best friend Iori while also resolving the conflict between the Tokugawa and Oda Nobunaga.
A small community in wartime Japan learn how to make do with less.
Third film in the 'Travels of Lord Mito' franchise.
Bored Hatamoto movie #15
Bored Hatamoto film #21
The year is 1805. Napoleon ruled Europe. Ienari is the 11th Tokugawa Shogun. An incident, which was an open official secret, took place on the foothills of Mt. Fuji. Fearing attacks from within and without, the Shogunate planned to build a training castle utilizing the most advanced techniques. Two master castle architects, Sato Kikutaro and Kumai Hakuten, were selected to compete for the honor of building this castle. Lord Mizuno Dewa has even ordered the townspeople to assist both sides with their land surveys and preparations. This leads to fear on the part of farmers that their land will be taken away from them, and sets off a series of events which rock the nation to its very roots. With an all-star cast, this is an important story with relevance to current times. One of Ichikawa Utaemon's finest performances, a true classic!
A 1943 film.
The Way of Drama unfolds in the world of kabuki in Osaka, but also addresses the politics of popular culture and the rivalry between theatrical styles like those used by amateur actors to dramatise contemporary events.
When Kaneko Ichinosuke aims to avenge his father who was wrongly accused of embezzlement, the samurai Kochiyama Soshun agrees to assist.
A samurai plots to reclaim his estranged wife after she leaves him over a murder scandal. When her sister falls victim to a scheme, he and his friend manipulate events, but their plans lead to supernatural vengeance.
Three young women make a suicide pact, but they grow to have a better understanding of themselves.
Based on the comic by Kaoru Akiyoshi
Japanese romantic comedy film.
A swordsman must foil a minister's sinister plan to assassinate the shogun.
Oichi may have met her match as she vies against the evil beauty that has set her sights on destroying her. She must face numerous other challenges before confronting her greatest rival. While longing to live and love like other women, she realizes that she can never have a normal life, her sword which she holds on to like a security blanket will always come between her and such a life...
Saotome, a sword master and guard of the Shogunate, pursues the mystery of a deadly aerial weapon that is responsible for the multiple deaths in town.
This is a paradise of dream and illusion, a country of Raccoon Dogs. The Bat Tribe lives in a neighboring country took a young prince of Raccoon Dogs as a hostage, and try to take a Buddhist saint from the temple by force.
When a woman unfairly suspects her husband of flirting with a shop assistant, she decides to flirt with their landlord to get revenge. Considered to be a lost film.
1716, Yoshimune becomes the 8th Shogun as high Shogunate officials are attacked. While the government tries to keep these incidents under wraps, they must take any means possible to get to the bottom of this mystery and find out who is behind them.
When Yumiko Tsuyama, a potter by profession, comes inquiring about a room for rent in an old mansion overlooking Osaka, she finds a bizarre collection of characters already living there. The unlikely leader of this menagerie is Yoda Goro, who speaks four languages fluently, is an expert in cabbage rolls, and has written how-to books encompassing every aspect of human existence.
A sentimental tale of the filial love between shogun Iemitsu (matinee idol Hasegawa) and his loyal old retainer Hikoza (comedian Roppa, playing somewhat against type).
A maiden is murdered by a mysterious ninja, unfortunately two young ladies witness this, good thing the bored Lord is walking by, he saved the girls but was too late to save the maiden, quickly he finds himself mixed up in a mystery of murdered maidens, an unknown ninja clan, attempted assassinations towards himself and a cursed vampire bat cave, can the bored Lord solve this puzzle before maidens lose their lives?
Picked up and raised on an island in the Seto Inland Sea, Yasukichi's only trait is his innate mischievousness. However, because his love for his hometown is exceptionally stronger than anybody's, he is trying everything he can to somehow help the inhabitants of the island which are going through a recession. He saddles himself with a debt to bring a cheap band onto the island and tries to market the underwater sightseeing ship on the island without regards for the Marine Act.
Tragicomic road movie set during the Edo period. It follows a samurai, his two servants – including spear-carrier Genpachi – and the various people they meet on their journey, including a policeman in pursuit of a thief, a young child and a woman who is to be sold into prostitution.
Two thrill seeking young lords sneak out of their castles and travel under the disguise of townsmen.
Police detectives investigate the link between a serial killer's machinations and a teenage boy who committed suicide.
A Japanese stage actor in Yokohama is terminally ill, and is determined to end his life, but doesn’t know to have inherited a large sum of money from Switzerland.
Period drama directed by Yasushi Sasaki.
Period drama directed by Yasushi Sasaki.
A dashing edition with fights , love, and laughter, in which the sorrows and joys of the guiltless world are colored by the guiltless travel crow, Ayame 's Gantaro, with the turbulent and exciting Wakizashi Hitoshi .
A group of shady politicians want to make money after a typhoon by claiming the schoolhouse has been destroyed and then cashing in on building a new one.
Comedy by Kiyohiko Ushihara. Once a full-length feature film, now only 14 minutes remain.
Saotome Mondonosuke pursues the culprit who placed a malicious curse upon Shogun Tsunekichi.
The first part of the series of films based on the Japanese epic novel Nanso Satomi Hakkenden by Kyokutei Bakin
Life of a bachelor gynecologist in a hospital for women.
This happened at a post station on the Shinshu road. Takizo Hoshigoe, a wanted man who has been missing since breaking through the Oto checkpoint, came to this post station longing for his hometown and stayed at Shinanoya. A farmer named Sakubei, who was struggling to pay his taxes, came to sell his daughter Omitsu.
Original work by Hyakken Uchida.
The 5th and final part of the series of films based on the Japanese epic novel Nanso Satomi Hakkenden by Kyokutei Bakin
The sixth episode of Hashizo Okawa's "Wakasama Samurai" catch series.
1961 Japanese movie
Sixth film in the ‘Travels of Lord Mito’ franchise.
A masterpiece of life sketches overflowing with heartwarming affection and laughter that portrays the modern common people with humor and pathos, focusing on the daily life of Sanpei Mejiro, a salaryman for over twenty years who finds a little happiness in life in his poor but joyful home.
Japanese silent film from 1925 featuring Kinuyo Tanaka.
Early Japanese silent film by Hiroshi Shimizu.
Japanese silent film from 1926. (Obo-chan meaning "Young Master.") Written by Ayame Mizushima, the first female screenwriter in Japan.
Japanese silent film from 1928.
Japanese silent film from 1928.
Japanese silent film from 1928.
Japanese silent comedy from 1928.
Japanese silent film from 1928.
Because of her husband’s suicide, a young widow finds herself suddenly cast into a life of solitude, with only her beloved child in her arms. At first, her pure devotion is directed toward the memory of her late husband, but before long it transforms into a fierce, consuming love for her child. That very love, however, drives her onto a perilous path, leading inexorably toward the tragic fate of a doomed flower. Ah, Mother! For what sin must you endure the scourge of the world? This work is offered in silence and reverence—above all to mothers everywhere. [Adapted from the promotional poster.]
Japanese silent film from 1929.
A feature-length work based on Kan Kikuchi’s newspaper novel, adapted for the screen by Kōgo Noda. With performances by stars such as Shizue Ryūda, Kinuyo Tanaka, and Yukiko Tsukuba, alongside handsome leading men like Shin’ichirō Komura, Hikaru Yamauchi, and Ichirō Yūki, the film outshone its contemporaries. The collaboration between director Heinosuke Gosho and cinematographer Mitsuo Miura, recently returned from America, gave rise to a work of first-class quality in the Japanese film world, distinguished by its brilliance and delicacy.
Japanese silent film from 1929.
Japanese silent film from 1929.
Japanese silent film from 1930 with an acclaimed performance by Sumiko Kurishima.
Japanese silent film from 1930.
A modern girl suddenly intrudes into a widower's family home.
The three-hour Ai yo jinrui to tomo ni are / Love, Be with Humanity (1931) starts as a satire of alienation in the world of money, develops into a lumberland epic with a forest fire on Sakhalin Island, turns into a tragedy of King Lear dimensions, and manages to amaze the blasé audience with a happy end in the Wild West.
The three-hour Ai yo jinrui to tomo ni are / Love, Be with Humanity (1931) starts as a satire of alienation in the world of money, develops into a lumberland epic with a forest fire on Sakhalin Island, turns into a tragedy of King Lear dimensions, and manages to amaze the blasé audience with a happy end in the Wild West.
Japanese silent film from 1931.
A young samurai learns that he is the illegitimate son of the Shogun. Hoping to reunite with his birth father, he travels to Edo to find Shogun Yoshimune.
Daisuke Hamamura (Hiroshi Inuzuka), a driving instructor, is rather unremarkable and doesn't attract the attention of the women around him; the only one who shows interest is the landlord, Rie (Chieko Murata). One day, Daisuke finds a puppy and names it "Chibi." When he sleeps with Chibi in his arms, he inexplicably begins to dream of beautiful women, and soon he has pleasant dreams of beautiful women every night. Then, one day, Chibi runs away, and Daisuke takes time off work to search for him, but he can't find him anywhere.