Kiyoshi Atsumi

Kiyoshi Atsumi

Born: March 10, 1928
Died: August 4, 1996
in Tokyo, Japan
Kiyoshi Atsumi (渥美 清 Atsumi Kiyoshi), born Yasuo Tadokoro (田所 康雄 Tadokoro Yasuo, 10 March 1928 in Tokyo – 4 August 1996 in Tokyo), was a Japanese film actor. He started his career in 1951 as a comedian at a strip-show theater in Asakusa. After two years of fighting pulmonary tuberculosis, he made his debut on TV in 1956 and on film in 1957. His vivid performance of a lovable, innocent man in a film “Dear Mr. Emperor” (Haikei Tenno-Heika-Sama) in 1963 established his reputation as an actor.

Later he became the star of the highly popular Tora-san series of films, from the original Otoko wa Tsurai yo (translated in English as 'It's Tough being a Man') in 1969 to the 48th film released in 1995, the year before his death.

The enduring success of the series made him synonymous with the Tora-san character, and many Japanese regarded his death as the death of Tora-san, not the death of Yasuo Tadokoro or Kiyoshi Atsumi.

Movies for Kiyoshi Atsumi...

Tora-san, Wish You Were Here
Title: Tora-san, Wish You Were Here
Character: Tora-san
Released: December 27, 2019
Type: Movie
The 50th film in Tora-san series, using the old footages and newly shot scenes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the series. The adult Mitsuo, Tora-san’s nephew, who runs into Izumi, his first love, whom he had once promised to marry. The familiar faces of Kurumaya Cafe, which Tora-san’s family ran in Shibamata, also return. Catching up with old friends, it is always their dearest memories of Tora-san which everyone shares on such occasions…
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Tora-san's Tropical Fever Special Version
Title: Tora-san's Tropical Fever Special Version
Character: Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
Released: November 22, 1997
Type: Movie
Carrying a bag full of samples, Mitsuo makes rounds to shoe stores in remote cities. While staying at budget hotels, his thoughts turn to Tora-san.
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Tora-san to the Rescue
Title: Tora-san to the Rescue
Character: Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
Released: December 23, 1995
Type: Movie
Tora-san works hard to bring together his nephew, Mitsuo, and Mitsuo’s girlfriend who is engaged to someone else.
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Tora-san's Easy Advice
Title: Tora-san's Easy Advice
Character: Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
Released: December 23, 1994
Type: Movie
Mitsuo, unhappy in his new job as a shoe salesman, is invited to a festival and is introduced to a friend’s sister. Tora-san meanwhile helps an injured housewife on her yearly vacation.
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Tora-san's Matchmaker
Title: Tora-san's Matchmaker
Character: Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
Released: December 25, 1993
Type: Movie
After failing to find a job, Mitsuo becomes a fisherman on a small island, and develops a crush on a young nurse there. Tora-san, dispatched to bring Mitsuo back home, himself falls in love with an attractive but troubled woman visiting her father.
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A Class to Remember
Title: A Class to Remember
Character: (cameo)
Released: November 6, 1993
Type: Movie
A cantankerous but loveable high school teacher teaches a night school in a poor neighborhood for adult students on the fringes of Japanese society.
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Tora-san Makes Excuses
Title: Tora-san Makes Excuses
Released: December 26, 1992
Type: Movie
Tora-san Makes Excuses is a 1992 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Kumiko Goto as his love interest or "Madonna".
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Tora-san Confesses
Title: Tora-san Confesses
Character: Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
Released: December 23, 1991
Type: Movie
When Izumi can't stand seeing her mother flirt with other men, she leaves home. She sends a letter to Mitsuo and Mitsuo goes looking for her. But Izumi unexpectedly meets Tora-san.
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Tora-san Takes a Vacation
Title: Tora-san Takes a Vacation
Character: Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
Released: December 22, 1990
Type: Movie
Mitsuo goes to Nagoya to visit Izumi, whose father left Izumi’s sad, bar hostess mother for another woman, so together they decide to confront him in Oita. Meanwhile, Izumi’s mother befriends Tora-san and together they travel to Oita to meet them, with Tora-san quickly falling for her en route.
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Tora-san, My Uncle
Title: Tora-san, My Uncle
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 27, 1989
Type: Movie
Tora-san's nephew Mitsuo is exchanging letters with Izumi, a former classmate whose parents divorced and took her out of Tokyo.
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Tora-san Goes to Vienna
Title: Tora-san Goes to Vienna
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: August 5, 1989
Type: Movie
During his wandering throughout Japan, Tora-san meets a suicidal man. He travels with the man to Vienna, but winds up homesick for Japan.
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Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial
Title: Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 24, 1988
Type: Movie
In his travels through Japan, Tora-san meets and falls in love with a female doctor, however he is afraid of committing to a relationship.
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Hope and Pain
Title: Hope and Pain
Released: August 6, 1988
Type: Movie
The adventures and tribulations of a group of students during the years following the II World War.
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Tora-san Plays Daddy
Title: Tora-san Plays Daddy
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 26, 1987
Type: Movie
A playboy-gambler friend of Tora-san’s dies and, abandoned by his mother, his little boy suddenly turns up in Shibamata. Searching for the boy’s mother, Tora-san meets a cosmetics saleslady and the three become a surrogate family, with Tora-san as “daddy”.
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Tora-san Goes North
Title: Tora-san Goes North
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: August 15, 1987
Type: Movie
When his travels take him to rural Hokkaido, Tora-san helps a cantankerous old veterinarian (Mifune) in his relationships with his estranged daughter, and a woman in whom he is secretly interested.
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Children on the Island
Title: Children on the Island
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: July 11, 1987
Type: Movie
The story of a teacher who comes to a village on the Inland Sea and the relationship that develops between her and her 12 pupils.
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Tora-san's Bluebird Fantasy
Title: Tora-san's Bluebird Fantasy
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 20, 1986
Type: Movie
During his travels, Tora-san comes across a traditional theater he used to visit, and discovers that one of his old friends has died. Tora-san and his family help the friend's daughter, who becomes romantically involved with an aspiring artist.
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Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies
Title: Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies
Character: Kihachi
Released: August 2, 1986
Type: Movie
Director Ogata discovers a new female star in Koharu Tanaka, who works selling candy at a studio theater and she is given a part as a bit player. After the studio's top leading lady is embroiled in a scandal, Koharu is suddenly thrust into the limelight when she replaces her in a film and gains instant fame and fortune. But the going is not always easy, and she soon seeks help from unexpected quarters.
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Tora-san's Island Encounter
Title: Tora-san's Island Encounter
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 28, 1985
Type: Movie
Tora-san's family's neighbor, Akemi, who had been married in Marriage Counselor Tora-san (1984), runs away from her husband, who is only interested in work. Tora-san follows her to Shikinejima, and attempts to bring her back to her home. In doing so he encounters a school-reunion group who are traveling to meet their elementary school teacher, which is a reference to the film Twenty-Four Eyes by Keisuke Kinoshita. Tora-san joins them and falls in love with the teacher.
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Tora-san, the Go-Between
Title: Tora-san, the Go-Between
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: August 3, 1985
Type: Movie
In Nagasaki, Tora-san and an acquaintance help an old woman who has fallen and injured herself. She invites them to her home where the three share a night of eating and drinking. The old woman's health deteriorates and she dies. At her funeral, Tora-san falls in love with the old woman's daughter, but winds up acting as a go-between for her and a young law student.
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Tora-san's Forbidden Love
Title: Tora-san's Forbidden Love
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 28, 1984
Type: Movie
Tora-san spends several days at the home of a hard-working salaryman ("salaried worker"), who abruptly disappears. When the man's wife asks Tora-san to help find him, he falls in love with her, and secretly hopes the husband will not be found.
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Marriage Counselor Tora-san
Title: Marriage Counselor Tora-san
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: August 4, 1984
Type: Movie
In Shibamata, Tokyo, Tora-san's family prepares for a wedding. Meanwhile, the traveling Tora-san meets an old acqaintance in Iwate Province. Tora-san refuses to drink with him, afraid that the acquaintance, now settled and married, will again become attracted to Tora-san's wandering existence. Tora-san becomes attracted to a female barber, but must break off their relationship so that she too can live a secure life. She instead gets into an abusive relationship with a motorcyclist.
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Tora-san Goes Religious?
Title: Tora-san Goes Religious?
Character: Kuruma Torajiro
Released: December 28, 1983
Type: Movie
Tora-san visits brother-in-law Hiroshi's hometown to attend a memorial service for his late father. When the local temple priest becomes intoxicated, Tora-san wearing the priest's robe delivers the memorial speech, much to his family's surprise. Thinking he's found his true calling, Tora-san decides to join the order, and falls for the priest's divorced daughter.
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Tora-san's Song of Love
Title: Tora-san's Song of Love
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: August 6, 1983
Type: Movie
Tora-san returns to his family home to learn that his brother-in-law cannot go to Mitsuo's (Tora-san's nephew) athletic event. Tora-san volunteers to take his place, but gets into an argument with his brother-in-law's boss and returns to the road. He meets a young woman in Niigata who, unbeknownst to him, is a popular enka singer.
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Tora-san, the Expert
Title: Tora-san, the Expert
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 28, 1982
Type: Movie
Tora-san gets into an argument with his uncle and sets out on the road again. In Kyushu he meets a young woman named Keiko and the shy zoologist Saburō, and attempts to play matchmaker between the two when they all return to Tokyo.
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Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san
Title: Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: August 7, 1982
Type: Movie
During his travels, Tora-san gets drunk with an old man in Kyoto. Though Tora-san never fully comprehends his importance, the old man is a Living National Treasure ceramist. At his home, Tora-san makes a good impression on the old man's maid, who apparently falls in love with Tora-san.
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Tora-san's Promise
Title: Tora-san's Promise
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 28, 1981
Type: Movie
Tora-san returns to his family's home to attend an elementary school class reunion. After he embarrasses himself by getting drunk and insulting all his ex-classmates, he resumes his travels. In Kyushu he meets an outspoken 18-year-old girl who becomes enamored of Tora-san and follows him around. One of Tora-san's old friends is terminally ill and makes Tora-san promise him to marry his wife once he is gone.
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Tora-san's Love in Osaka
Title: Tora-san's Love in Osaka
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: August 8, 1981
Type: Movie
When his travels bring him to Osaka, Tora-san falls in love with a local geisha. He helps her to track down her estranged brother, and informs his family that he plans to marry her. His plans are foiled when the geisha informs Tora-san that she is engaged.
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Foster Daddy, Tora!
Title: Foster Daddy, Tora!
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 27, 1980
Type: Movie
After a friend and business colleague dies, Tora-san visits the man's daughter, then takes her to Tokyo so she can study for a night school exam.
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Tora-san's Tropical Fever
Title: Tora-san's Tropical Fever
Released: August 2, 1980
Type: Movie
When cabaret singer Lily writes Toraya about her illness, Tora-san rushes to Okinawa to be by her side.
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A Distant Cry from Spring
Title: A Distant Cry from Spring
Character: Kondo
Released: March 15, 1980
Type: Movie
The quiet life of a mother and her young son living on a farm in Hokkaido is changed by the arrival of a man who ignites flames of romance in the heart of the mother and shows her boy the importance of grit and kindness, but then he leaves with the autumn wind.
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Tora-san's Dream of Spring
Title: Tora-san's Dream of Spring
Character: Kuruma Torajiro
Released: December 28, 1979
Type: Movie
Tora-san's opinions about Americans get challenged when another wandering peddler Michael Jordan stops by Shibamata.
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Tora-san, the Matchmaker
Title: Tora-san, the Matchmaker
Character: Torajiro
Released: August 4, 1979
Type: Movie
Tora-san helps out a runaway bride.
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Talk of the Town Tora-san
Title: Talk of the Town Tora-san
Character: Tora
Released: December 27, 1978
Type: Movie
After a chance encounter with Hiroshi's father on a bus, Tora decides to get serious and reflect on the mortality of man. His plans are derailed when a beautiful lady starts working at Toraya.
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August without Emperor
Title: August without Emperor
Character: Kubo
Released: September 23, 1978
Type: Movie
Taking the Chilean coup as an example, a group of young officers plan to overthrow the Japanese government on V-J Day. They aim to abolish the post-war constitution, restore the national army and revive the traditional spirit of Japan. As the conspiracy is exposed, the coup squadrons are wiped out one by one. The remaining squadron takes over a night train bound for Tokyo.
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Stage-Struck Tora-san
Title: Stage-Struck Tora-san
Released: August 5, 1978
Type: Movie
Tora-san leaves Shibamata once again after an argument with his family and finds himself at an inn where he meets Tomekichi, a young man who looks up to Tora-san.
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Tora-san Plays Cupid
Title: Tora-san Plays Cupid
Character: Torajirō
Released: December 24, 1977
Type: Movie
Tora-san becomes friends with Toraya's newest tenant, a pachinko-playing electrician that goes by the nickname Watt. Tora attempts to match Watt with a young waitress.
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Village of Eight Gravestones
Title: Village of Eight Gravestones
Character: Kosuke Kindaichi
Released: October 29, 1977
Type: Movie
The heir to a family fortune discovers that a curse has been placed on it, put there centuries before by a band of samurai warriors. Adaptation of novel by Seishi Yokomizo
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The Yellow Handkerchief
Title: The Yellow Handkerchief
Character: Watanabe Kacho
Released: September 30, 1977
Type: Movie
The story is about a convict released from prison for an old murder who is thinking about returning to his ex-wife and his former life. If she puts a yellow handkerchief on the window, it would mean that she wants him back at home.
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Tora-san Meets His Lordship
Title: Tora-san Meets His Lordship
Released: August 6, 1977
Type: Movie
Tora-san befriends the descendant of a feudal lord. The man asks Tora to locate his deceased son's wife who resides somewhere in Tokyo.
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田舎刑事 時間よ、とまれ
Title: 田舎刑事 時間よ、とまれ
Released: July 2, 1977
Type: Movie
A family murder case that occurred in Hita City, Oita Prefecture. A murderer whose statute of limitations is about to expire is shown on TV, and detective Kiyoshi Atsumi heads to Tokyo, but... The upstart Keiju Kobayashi, his old friend Etsuko Ichihara, and Atsumi. The postwar experiences of three people who were tossed about by the war overlap. The screenplay by Satoru Hayasaka, the music by Kousuke Kanno, and above all, the performances of Atsumi and Ichihara make this a masterpiece in the history of TV dramas. A two-hour version was later created as an art festival award-winning work.
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Tora-san's Pure Love
Title: Tora-san's Pure Love
Character: Torajiro
Released: December 25, 1976
Type: Movie
When Tora-san's infatuation with his nephew's school teacher causes family turmoil, he leaves on his travels again. When he returns, he falls in love with the teacher's mother.
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Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset
Title: Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: July 23, 1976
Type: Movie
Tora-san arrives in Shibamata on Mitsuo's first day of school only to find that on his account, Mitsuo was embarrassed. After a fight with his family, he goes to a bar to drink, then brings home a surly old man with a sad story, whose identity will surprise everyone. Later, Tora meets Botan, a geisha.
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The Village
Title: The Village
Released: April 12, 1976
Type: Movie
This appears to be a labor of love. Its about a village which is given the opportunity to put on a musical. They would have to pay the overhead and, being that they are farmers and always busy and not rich, question the wisdom and feasibility of such an idea. A spokesperson for the acting troupe Ms. Kono lays out the whole thing and they must decide. You get little slices of rural life in Japan far, at least in sentiment, from Tokyo. The best thing about this film is that it has heart. The acting is good, but it is really about the simple storyline of outing on a show. Films rarely get made with such simplistic plots these days. Enjoy this little slice of what city people call “the simple life”.
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Tora-san, the Intellectual
Title: Tora-san, the Intellectual
Character: Torajiro
Released: December 27, 1975
Type: Movie
Tora-san is inspired to pursue an education after a visit to the grave of a woman he met years ago. When he returns to Shibamata with the intent to study, he falls for Toraya's new tenant instead.
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Tora-san Meets the Songstress Again
Title: Tora-san Meets the Songstress Again
Character: Tora
Released: August 19, 1975
Type: Movie
Tora-san visits Hokkaido and is reunited with Lily. Now divorced, she plans to resume her singing career and renews her unusual relationship with Tora-san.
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Tora-san's Lullaby
Title: Tora-san's Lullaby
Character: Torajiro
Released: December 28, 1974
Type: Movie
After Hiroshi is injured in a workplace accident, Torajiro gives Sakura the money he has saved and leaves to work as a traveling salesman once again. During his travels, Torajiro meets a father who shares a drink with him. In the morning, Torajiro is shocked to learn that the man has left his baby behind and a note asking Tora to take care of the child.
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The Castle of Sand
Title: The Castle of Sand
Character: Movie Theater Manager
Released: October 19, 1974
Type: Movie
Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.
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Tora-san's Lovesick
Title: Tora-san's Lovesick
Character: Torajiro
Released: August 10, 1974
Type: Movie
After Torajiro's latest attempt to find a bride goes awry, he starts traveling again and runs into Utako (last seen in Tora-san's Dear Old Home), now a widow.
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Tora-san Loves an Artist
Title: Tora-san Loves an Artist
Released: December 25, 1973
Type: Movie
Tora-San returns to Shibamata just before his family leaves on a trip for Kyushu. Later, he encounters an old school chum and begins to have feeling for his artist sister.
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Tora-san's Forget Me Not
Title: Tora-san's Forget Me Not
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: January 4, 1973
Type: Movie
On the road again, Torajiro meets a kindred spirit in Lily, a lounge singer.
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Tora-san's Dream-Come-True
Title: Tora-san's Dream-Come-True
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 29, 1972
Type: Movie
When Tora-san returns to visit his family, he is surprised to find an arrogant professor occupying his room. The professor and Tora-san become rivals for the affection of Chiyo.
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Home from the Sea
Title: Home from the Sea
Character: Matsushita
Released: October 28, 1972
Type: Movie
On a beautiful island in Seto Inner Sea, Seichi and Minko make their living by transporting rocks to construction sites by boat. They cherish the deepest affection for this piece of land they call home, and the simple life they lead. But rapid industrial growth makes it all but impossible to continue their chosen living style, and they are forced to leave their beloved hometown in search of a brighter future. But their hometown lingers on their hearts, and they dream of a time when they may once again return.
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Tora-san's Dear Old Home
Title: Tora-san's Dear Old Home
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: August 5, 1972
Type: Movie
While Sakura and Hiroshi struggle to save funds to build a house, Torajiro befriends three young women on vacation during his travels.
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My Voiceless Friends
Title: My Voiceless Friends
Character: Tamiji Nishiyama
Released: April 29, 1972
Type: Movie
A man who survived the war carries the will of his comrades in arms, walking across the country visiting the bereaved families.
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Tora-san's Love Call
Title: Tora-san's Love Call
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: December 29, 1971
Type: Movie
Taking a message from Hiroshi's father to heart, Torajiro attempts to give up his wandering ways.
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Tora-san, the Good Samaritan
Title: Tora-san, the Good Samaritan
Character: Torajirō Kuruma
Released: April 28, 1971
Type: Movie
After a quarrel with his mother, Torajiro sets off to find a bride.
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Tora-san's Shattered Romance
Title: Tora-san's Shattered Romance
Character: Torajirô Kuruma
Released: January 15, 1971
Type: Movie
Torajiro becomes homesick during his travels after watching a television report about his hometown and meeting a young woman that reminds him of his sister Sakura. Meanwhile, a new tenant moves into Toraya restaurant.
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Where Spring Comes Late
Title: Where Spring Comes Late
Character: Traveler
Released: October 24, 1970
Type: Movie
The story is set in 1970 during the time of the first EXPO in Japan. The film’s main figure is a miner who suddenly becomes unemployed because the mine he worked in was shut down. He decides to resettle with his whole family to Hokkaido in northern Japan and start a new life as a farmer.
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Tora-san's Runaway
Title: Tora-san's Runaway
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: August 26, 1970
Type: Movie
After an encounter with a dying yakuza's son and at his sister Sakura's urging, Torajiro attempts to change his vagrant lifestyle and become an honest worker with a steady job.
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Charming Men
Title: Charming Men
Character: Okera Goro
Released: June 13, 1970
Type: Movie
One day, when Goro (Kiyoshi Atsumi) returns to his poor tenement house from a trip on a deep-sea tuna boat, his neighbor's daughter Haruko (Mitsuko Baisho) also returns from the juvenile classification center on the same day. However, at a welcome party held by Goro for Haruko, a drunk friend crashes into Haruko's house with a dump truck and is forced to leave. Goro plans to marry Haruko to a rich man and force her to pay dowry, but...
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Tora-san's Grand Scheme
Title: Tora-san's Grand Scheme
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: February 26, 1970
Type: Movie
After winning big at the races, Torajiro Kuruma wants to take his aunt and uncle on a trip to Hawaii to partly pay the great filial debt he feels he owes them, but the plan hits a snag. Also, a pretty kindergarten teacher rents a room at Toraya.
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Tora! Tora! Tora!
Title: Tora! Tora! Tora!
Character: Cook #1 (uncredited)
Released: January 26, 1970
Type: Movie
In the summer of 1941, the United States and Japan seem on the brink of war after constant embargos and failed diplomacy come to no end. "Tora! Tora! Tora!", named after the code words use by the lead Japanese pilot to indicate they had surprised the Americans, covers the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which plunged America into the Second World War.
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Tora-san, His Tender Love
Title: Tora-san, His Tender Love
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: January 15, 1970
Type: Movie
Traveling salesman Kuruma Torajirō falls in love with an inn manager as New Year's approaches.
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Tora-san's Cherished Mother
Title: Tora-san's Cherished Mother
Character: Torajiro Kuruma
Released: November 14, 1969
Type: Movie
Kuruma Torajiro is discovered looking around Kyoto for someone special to him.
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Women Can't Be Beaten
Title: Women Can't Be Beaten
Released: October 1, 1969
Type: Movie
An uptight young man comes to suspect that his factory worker girlfriend has a secret involving his boorish older brother.
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It's Tough Being a Man
Title: It's Tough Being a Man
Character: Torajirô Kuruma
Released: August 27, 1969
Type: Movie
Tora-San, an itinerant peddler who is thrown out of his father's house twenty years before but reconnects with his aunt, uncle and sister Sakura. Tora wreaks some havoc in their lives, like getting drunk and silly at a marriage meeting and ruining Sakura's chance to marry someone, as well as just being a real pain to those around him. There is a sentimental side to him also, and the best way to describe him is that he grows on you.
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Scrap Collectors
Title: Scrap Collectors
Released: November 28, 1968
Type: Movie
Based on a story by Akiyuki Nosaka.
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The Day the Sun Rose
Title: The Day the Sun Rose
Released: November 23, 1968
Type: Movie
Shinkichi, a peasant employed as a cloth-dyer, has a dream: in the midst of the civil war which ravages Japan, he hopes to revive the long-banned custom of the Kyoto Gion Festival, and by doing so, bring together the warring clans and rampaging brigands in peaceful celebration.
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In Broad Daylight
Title: In Broad Daylight
Character: Katsuji 'Watakatsu' Watanabe
Released: October 26, 1968
Type: Movie
After his company goes bankrupt, Katsuji Watanabe resorts to pickpocketing again with his old swindler buddies. However, one by one, his friends start getting caught. Katsuji decides to play a high stakes game of robbing the proceeds of a department store.
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Title: It's Tough Being a Man
Released: October 3, 1968
Type: TV
The original TV Drama series the famous Tora film series was based on.
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It's Tough Being a Man (Television Drama DVD Edit Edition)
Title: It's Tough Being a Man (Television Drama DVD Edit Edition)
Released: October 3, 1968
Type: Movie
This is the DVD version of the TV show, which consists of a single video that plays the first and last episodes of the tv show bridged by an edit recapping the major events of the lost middle episodes.
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The Man Without a Map
Title: The Man Without a Map
Character: Tashiro
Released: June 1, 1968
Type: Movie
A private detective is hired to find a missing man by his wife. While his search is unsuccessful, the detective's own life begins to resemble the man for whom he is searching.
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風来忍法帖 八方破れ
Title: 風来忍法帖 八方破れ
Released: May 8, 1968
Type: Movie
The second of two films based on the novel by Futaro Yamada.
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Neon taiheiki
Title: Neon taiheiki
Released: April 13, 1968
Type: Movie
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New Year Trip
Title: New Year Trip
Released: January 3, 1968
Type: Movie
A comedy about a good-natured train conductor Shinsaku helping his old friend Miwako find her missing brother.
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Green Light to Joy
Title: Green Light to Joy
Character: Yoshitaro Hirai
Released: December 6, 1967
Type: Movie
Drama about the friendship between a lonely laborer (Atsumi) and a young woman (Hoshi) unable to enter college.
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Traveling in Party
Title: Traveling in Party
Released: November 12, 1967
Type: Movie
A comedy about Hikoichi, a mediocre train conductor who falls in love with a beautiful widow Sayuri.
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Express Train
Title: Express Train
Released: June 3, 1967
Type: Movie
Atsumi Kiyoshi, famous for his role in Torasan, stars as Aoki Goichi, a veteran train conductor who dedicates himself in providing quality service to his passengers. With his many years of experience, he never fails to find solutions for any troubles that occur along the way. A comedic drama revolving around the lives of those who ride the express train.
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Our Wonderful Years
Title: Our Wonderful Years
Character: Teiji Yoshida
Released: September 30, 1966
Type: Movie
The story of a selfless mother and her family throughout the decades, from th 1920's to the 1960's.
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Kutsukake Tokijiro: The Lonely Yakuza
Title: Kutsukake Tokijiro: The Lonely Yakuza
Character: Minobu no Asakichi
Released: April 1, 1966
Type: Movie
Tokijiro has the unfortunate duty according to the code of the gamblers to join in the fighting when afforded a night’s stay and meals at the home of a town boss. Though he dislikes killing, the strength of his swordsmanship will be tested time and time again in the bloody tale.
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Gamblers' Luck
Title: Gamblers' Luck
Released: March 19, 1966
Type: Movie
A group of ne'er-do-wells live happily in the slums of what is now Tokyo and have a number of adventures: they get drunk and go whoring, revenge themselves on cruel landlords, animate the corpse of a money-lender in order to frighten people. Then they assist at the marriage of a lovely girl and almost kill themselves gambling to provide her with a dowry.
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The Betrayers Out!
Title: The Betrayers Out!
Released: January 15, 1966
Type: Movie
Shochiku's popular series of gang films, this one has the hero returning from prison bent on revenge. He runs into Chinese hoodlums, blackmailers and gold-smugglers. But he also aids and abets young lovers yet, despite his help, their love ends in tragedy and he tracks down his prey in Kobe.
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The Song of the Bwana Toshi
Title: The Song of the Bwana Toshi
Character: Toshi
Released: July 5, 1965
Type: Movie
Traveling to Africa in a cultural exchange program, a young Japanese engineer discovers a world completely unlike the one he knows. His interaction with the Africans he meets reveals to him that he has been living a lie, and that he is not the man he thought he was.
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風来忍法帖
Title: 風来忍法帖
Released: May 16, 1965
Type: Movie
The first of two films based on the novel by Futaro Yamada.
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The Glamorous Ghost
Title: The Glamorous Ghost
Character: Hospital Guard
Released: October 3, 1964
Type: Movie
Based on the novel by Naoki Prize-nominated author Taro Takeshita, a thriller full of black humor. A jealous husband murders his adulterous wife, then embarks on a crusade to extort all the wealthy men whom she had affairs with.
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Dear Mr. Prime Minister
Title: Dear Mr. Prime Minister
Character: Kakumaru
Released: April 29, 1964
Type: Movie
Kakumaru (Kiyoshi Atsumi) is an unpopular manzai performer who is too good-natured but has a very bad manners. Moulin, Kakumaru's former partner, gained popularity through her comedy routine with his wife Rouge, and in contrast to Kakumaru, she became a popular talent. Meanwhile, Kakumaru, inspired by his master's death, decides to move to Tokyo and reunites with Mulan. However, Moulin is caught having an affair by Rouge and is in trouble. For now, he introduces Kakumaru to an entertainment company, but instead of performing manzai, Kakumaru is entrusted with the job of firing a boiler. Kakumaru is completely tired and spends his days drinking alcohol, but one day he meets his childhood friend Ayako again...
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How to Make Money
Title: How to Make Money
Released: February 1, 1964
Type: Movie
Japanese comedy film.
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The Honest Fool
Title: The Honest Fool
Released: January 15, 1964
Type: Movie
Yasugoro, goes to live in a quiet town where he falls in love with the priest's daughter-in-law. His does not declare his love because she is married, but he goes on a mission to please her, and is blinded. Then her husband dies and she remarries before Yasugoro can confess his love.
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Zoku Haikei Tenno Heika Sama
Title: Zoku Haikei Tenno Heika Sama
Character: Zensuke Yamashita
Released: January 1, 1964
Type: Movie
Based on Muneta Hiroshi's military novel. The main character, Yamaguchi Zensuke, is a military dog soldier. He joins the army and winds up sent overseas to China as a part of the military dog unit. He's ridiculed by others due to his inability to advance.
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Okashina yatsu
Title: Okashina yatsu
Character: Kashô Sanyûtei
Released: November 1, 1963
Type: Movie
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Onna yajikita-tatchi ryokō
Title: Onna yajikita-tatchi ryokō
Released: July 13, 1963
Type: Movie
1963 Japanese movie
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To Your Majesty, The Emperor
Title: To Your Majesty, The Emperor
Released: April 28, 1963
Type: Movie
A conscript from a poor background writes the Emperor asking if he can stay in the army when his service is up.
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Escape from Hell
Title: Escape from Hell
Character: Ichibei
Released: January 27, 1963
Type: Movie
This suspense drama set in the mid 1700's depicts the plan of the Tokugawa rulers to send a number of homeless men to a remote island Sado to perform forced labor. Living conditions on the island are terrible and the men soon become rebellious. Based on a short story by Seichō Matsumoto.
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Sing, Young People
Title: Sing, Young People
Character: Driver
Released: January 6, 1963
Type: Movie
A story about four best friends and their lives inside and outside college. Then suddenly one of them receives a surprising offer to be a movie star.
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Aitsu bakari ga naze moteru
Title: Aitsu bakari ga naze moteru
Released: November 18, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Tōkyō sanosa musume
Title: Tōkyō sanosa musume
Released: September 16, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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Ottamage ningyo monogatari
Title: Ottamage ningyo monogatari
Released: June 15, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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A Carpenter and Children
Title: A Carpenter and Children
Released: June 10, 1962
Type: Movie
A carpenter, Shigetsugu, learns a lesson of love and humanity from five orphaned children and an affectionate woman named Oritsu. It's a winning combination of drama and humor. The warm friendship that grows between the carpenter, the woman and the children making this into a true masterpiece.
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The Ambitious Youth
Title: The Ambitious Youth
Character: Mitsuo Aoi
Released: June 3, 1962
Type: Movie
As descendent of famed fishmonger Isshin Tasuke, young feisty Ishii Tasuke uses his talent to flourish his employer’s food business.
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A Country Boss
Title: A Country Boss
Character: Sasaki
Released: January 25, 1962
Type: Movie
A country boss gives up his way of life because of his daughter's marriage.
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Good Rascals
Title: Good Rascals
Character: Ushi
Released: January 14, 1962
Type: Movie
A group of men living a low life in Edo help each other to make the best out of their lives.
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Nippon no obaachan
Title: Nippon no obaachan
Released: January 3, 1962
Type: Movie
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.
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Jirocho' s Days of Youth: Whirlwind on the Tokaido
Title: Jirocho' s Days of Youth: Whirlwind on the Tokaido
Released: January 3, 1962
Type: Movie
Adventures of famous yakuza boss Jirocho and his disciples who settle in Kofu.
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Snow in the South Seas
Title: Snow in the South Seas
Released: September 29, 1961
Type: Movie
Japanese soldiers stranded in Manokwari, New Guinea, improvise a theater play to keep their spirits up and endure the extremely difficult conditions.
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Jirocho’s Days of Youth: The Youngest Boss in the Tokai Region
Title: Jirocho’s Days of Youth: The Youngest Boss in the Tokai Region
Released: June 21, 1961
Type: Movie
He was married to his lover's butterfly and started a new residence. But good things do not last. In his uncle, Uzaemon in Kawashima, Yoshiji Akaji, Yoshimoto's lender, and Kanehira Akagi, the older brother of the former loan of Mishima, played a challenge. It is said to open the ladies' room to the settlement of Wada island. Although Jiro headed to Shigetsugu for arbitration, he was forced to surrender. In such a case, Jiro became chased by Kinpei and others.
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Obon, The Moll Dipper
Title: Obon, The Moll Dipper
Released: April 16, 1961
Type: Movie
Modern comedy, based on the popular manga.
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若社長と爆発娘
Title: 若社長と爆発娘
Released: March 6, 1960
Type: Movie
Japanese comedy film.