Minoru Chiaki

Minoru Chiaki

Born: April 28, 1917
Died: November 1, 1999
in Hokkaido, Japan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Minoru Chiaki (千秋 実 Chiaki Minoru) was a Japanese actor who appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress.

In Seven Samurai he was the good-natured samurai Heihachi and he was the first of the samurai to be killed. Ironically, in real life he turned out to be the last of the seven actors to die.

Later in his career he appeared as a secondary actor in many Toei films. In 1986 he was given the Best Actor prize at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony for his performance in Toei's Gray Sunset (1985).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Minoru Chiaki, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Movies for Minoru Chiaki...

Don Matsugoro's Big Adventure
Title: Don Matsugoro's Big Adventure
Character: Amenomori Seikai
Released: December 19, 1987
Type: Movie
Don Matsugoro and his son Don Jr fight against a disgustingly reach family who tries to take over a kid's playground called Children Land.
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Gray Sunset
Title: Gray Sunset
Character: Fuyukichi Takano
Released: October 10, 1985
Type: Movie
Grandfather Fuyukichi Takano, a former university professor, gets fired from his museum job when he is affected by Alzheimer's disease, but his affliction serves to deepen family ties. Japan's submission to the 58th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
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Tokugawa Ichizoku no Houkai
Title: Tokugawa Ichizoku no Houkai
Released: May 24, 1980
Type: Movie
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Kyojin-gun monogatari: Susume eikô e
Title: Kyojin-gun monogatari: Susume eikô e
Released: March 19, 1977
Type: Movie
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Karafuto 1945 Summer
Title: Karafuto 1945 Summer
Released: August 17, 1974
Type: Movie
The film is set in Karafuto after the radio broadcast of the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War. On August 15, 1945, Soviet forces invaded Karafuto. On August 20, the postal telegraph office in Maoka suspended operations and nine of the twelve telephone operators committed suicide by taking potassium cyanide while the city was being invaded.
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Innocent Sinner
Title: Innocent Sinner
Released: July 1, 1970
Type: Movie
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Japan's No. 1 Disconnected Man
Title: Japan's No. 1 Disconnected Man
Character: Shimizu
Released: November 1, 1969
Type: Movie
Maruyama, a day laborer, is living on an abandoned ship at the port of Osaka when he meets an elusive man offering a job.
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Inu to Asachan
Title: Inu to Asachan
Released: May 13, 1969
Type: Movie
A daughter from an island in the Seto Inland Sea takes a job as a nanny in Tokyo. She thrills the hearts of fishmongers and milkmen.
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Song of Love
Title: Song of Love
Character: The Ship-master
Released: July 1, 1967
Type: Movie
The life in a small village in Shikoku and the love story between two young people.
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Libido
Title: Libido
Released: June 28, 1967
Type: Movie
aka Libido.
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Koto—The Lake of Tears
Title: Koto—The Lake of Tears
Character: Kitao Momose
Released: November 13, 1966
Type: Movie
A touching story following young shamisen string maker, Saku. Beautiful Saku moves to Lake Yogo, known for its production of quality shamisen strings, only to find her peaceful life turned upside down when a master musician takes personal interest in her.
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The Face of Another
Title: The Face of Another
Character: Apartment Superintendent
Released: July 15, 1966
Type: Movie
A businessman with a disfigured face obtains a lifelike mask from his doctor, but the mask starts altering his personality.
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Zero Fighter
Title: Zero Fighter
Released: July 13, 1966
Type: Movie
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Yakuza Vassal
Title: Yakuza Vassal
Released: March 10, 1966
Type: Movie
A young samurai defends townsfolk from evil forces.
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Cold Rice, Osan, Chan
Title: Cold Rice, Osan, Chan
Released: April 10, 1965
Type: Movie
Three stories revolve around independence, a man searching for his wife, and a poor craftsman trying to make money.
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Taking the Castle
Title: Taking the Castle
Released: March 6, 1965
Type: Movie
The Sengoku Era was coming to an end. The monopoly of the ever powerful shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa, was at a near. Only one man was brave enough to stand in Ieyasu's way - A lone wolf samurai by the name of Kagekatsu Uesugi. Inspired by Uesugi's courage to revolt, a young samurai warrior, Touzou Kuruma decides to join the fight. Their target: the Tamonyama Castle.
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Black Thief
Title: Black Thief
Released: December 24, 1964
Type: Movie
Organized thieves battle against the Shogun’s ruthless ruling in attempt to get back their land.
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Sasuke and His Comedians
Title: Sasuke and His Comedians
Character: Yukimura Sanada
Released: December 11, 1963
Type: Movie
Osaka in the early 1600s, aftermath of the historical Battle of Sekigahara; a group of orphan children are wandering through the battlefield scavenging for armour when they encounter a young boy named Sasuke with magical powers he says came from a meteor that crashed onto the Earth…
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Jolly Barbers
Title: Jolly Barbers
Character: Ebina Ginpei
Released: November 17, 1963
Type: Movie
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A House in the Quarter
Title: A House in the Quarter
Character: Jinzo Takesue
Released: November 1, 1963
Type: Movie
With her family suffering from extreme poverty, Yuko, as the eldest daughter, is sold to a successful brothel in Kyoto. There she is assigned to serve Takamatsu, one of the brothel’s top customers. But while Takamatsu falls madly in love with Yuko, she finds herself attracted to a young priest named Kunugida. Torn by jealousy, Takamatsu hatches an evil plan to tear them apart.
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20 Duels of Young Shingo - Conclusion
Title: 20 Duels of Young Shingo - Conclusion
Released: July 13, 1963
Type: Movie
While on his journey through the countryside of Japan, Shingo encounters many people whose lives have been affected by his actions. Though the many duels he fought were intended to bring justice to those who sought to do evil, he is faced with the knowledge that his victories have also caused suffering amont the family members of his victims-leading him to question his life's philosophy. This superb film is the final chapter in this part of Shingo's story. A fitting tribute to his quest to be the supreme swordsman.
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Cases of Umon:A Woman with An Umbrella
Title: Cases of Umon:A Woman with An Umbrella
Character: Kakurai Yosuke
Released: June 30, 1963
Type: Movie
Ryutaro Otomo as the Edo magistrate Umon Kondo is out to solve a crime that centers around the murder of a jail guard & the escape of a criminal who is later himself killed. His dying words in Umon's arms were, "I didn't kill the guard." The murdered criminal had been a safe-cracker & only his girlfriend knows where he hid a fortune. She is kidnapped, so the plot gets thicker & thicker.
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Five Ronins
Title: Five Ronins
Released: March 3, 1963
Type: Movie
The story of five easygoing Yakuza who come together to save the live of a young innocent girl, Oichi, from an evil vassal.
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High and Low
Title: High and Low
Character: First Reporter
Released: March 1, 1963
Type: Movie
A shoe company executive who has mortgaged everything he has becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and is conflicted over whether he should pay the ransom.
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Street of Wandering Men
Title: Street of Wandering Men
Released: February 17, 1963
Type: Movie
When a group of men from the Hanya clan search his town for a missing geisha, a brave ronin decides to help her and a drunken calligrapher. In doing so, he uncovers a wider scheme.
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Travels of Hibari and Chiemi 2
Title: Travels of Hibari and Chiemi 2
Released: January 9, 1963
Type: Movie
A princess seeks adventure and true love, with help from her loyal servant.
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The Paper Crane
Title: The Paper Crane
Released: December 1, 1962
Type: Movie
A wandering vagrant, Hantaro, risks his life to save a beautiful blind girl and her father from con artists.
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The Body
Title: The Body
Released: November 8, 1962
Type: Movie
The sexual experiences of the passionate Sakiko, from her fling with her boss in her first job to her ending up as a prostitute.
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Lion Festival of Echigo
Title: Lion Festival of Echigo
Released: September 30, 1962
Type: Movie
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Drunken Sword
Title: Drunken Sword
Released: September 1, 1962
Type: Movie
Tetsunosuke, an eccentric doctor and an owner of a fencing school, takes aim against corrupt authorities.
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Tokyo's  Business District
Title: Tokyo's Business District
Released: August 29, 1962
Type: Movie
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The Phantom Goblin
Title: The Phantom Goblin
Released: August 12, 1962
Type: Movie
An injured Edo official is rescued by a vassal whose appearance is exactly like himself, and swears to sweep out the criminals from the town on his behalf.
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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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Love Under the Crucifix
Title: Love Under the Crucifix
Released: June 3, 1962
Type: Movie
The basic story in Love under the Crucifix is about Ogin, daughter of a tea master, who are both Christians in feudal Japan. Ogin falls in love with a feudal prince, also a Christian who is already married, and that creates problems. Further, when the Shogun bans Christianity, the situation worsens.
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The Ambitious Youth
Title: The Ambitious Youth
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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The Christian Revolt
Title: The Christian Revolt
Released: March 21, 1962
Type: Movie
In the year 1637 in Shimabara of Tokugawa-era Japan, oppressed peasant Christians revolt against the shogunate with the aid of a charismatic Christian rebel leader Shiro Amakusa.
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The Princess and the Bearded Lord
Title: The Princess and the Bearded Lord
Released: March 14, 1962
Type: Movie
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The Inheritance
Title: The Inheritance
Character: Junichi Fujii
Released: February 16, 1962
Type: Movie
On his deathbed, a wealthy businessman announces that his fortune is to be split equally among his three illegitimate children, whose whereabouts are unknown to his family and colleagues. A bevy of lawyers and associates scheme to procure the money for themselves, enlisting the aid of impostors and blackmail.
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Till Tomorow Comes
Title: Till Tomorow Comes
Released: February 10, 1962
Type: Movie
1962 Japanese movie
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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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Travels of Hibari and Chiemi
Title: Travels of Hibari and Chiemi
Released: January 3, 1962
Type: Movie
Playhouse employees Okimi and Otoshi become involved in an undercover officer’s investigation of a gang when they accidentally walk in on a drug deal taking place at their theater.
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Run, Genta, Run!
Title: Run, Genta, Run!
Released: November 22, 1961
Type: Movie
A touching story about a young boy, Genta, who bravely takes on life's challenges in hopes of finding a better life for himself and his sickly mother.
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Young Lord and Second Son
Title: Young Lord and Second Son
Released: November 1, 1961
Type: Movie
A lord explores the lives of common people.
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Case of a Young Lord 9: Black Camellia
Title: Case of a Young Lord 9: Black Camellia
Released: September 23, 1961
Type: Movie
Escaping the hustle and bustle of Edo, the Young Lord came to Oshima Island in Izu to take a vacation. Unexpectedly, the island's boss, Amimoto, was brutally murdered with a harpoon. As usual, the Young Lord sets out to solve the case. However, most of the islanders have a grudge against Amimoto, and there are so many suspects that he is at his wits' end this time. Set against the beautiful sea of Izu and the majestic Mt. Mihara, the Young Lord's brilliant deductions and his secret sword Ichimonjo-Kakureshi cut through the mystery!
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The Youth and His Amulet
Title: The Youth and His Amulet
Released: September 17, 1961
Type: Movie
Gen is a lonely orphan boy. His sole sense of companionship comes from an imaginary friend, the god Prince Fudo-Myo. Prince Fudo-Myo comes to the boy's rescue in times of difficulty.
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20 Duels of Young Shingo - Part 2
Title: 20 Duels of Young Shingo - Part 2
Released: July 9, 1961
Type: Movie
The second film in the 20 Duels of Young Shingo trilogy directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda.
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Young Lord Yakuza
Title: Young Lord Yakuza
Released: June 11, 1961
Type: Movie
Young Lord Taihei goes to Edo to find the lost family treasure, a plover incense burner, under the disguise of a ronin.
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20 Duels of Young Shingo - Part 1
Title: 20 Duels of Young Shingo - Part 1
Released: January 3, 1961
Type: Movie
With plenty of action, and a strong story about the growth and development of an expert swordsman, who just happens to be from an extremely privileged background.
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Case of a Young Lord 8
Title: Case of a Young Lord 8
Released: December 27, 1960
Type: Movie
A family is brutally murdered in their own home and the official government's sake dealer is framed as a rebel by a corrupt member of the Shogun's Council of Elders. Young Lord decides to take on the Shogun's vile chief attendant.
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If You're Man Enough
Title: If You're Man Enough
Released: November 29, 1960
Type: Movie
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Scarier than the Devil
Title: Scarier than the Devil
Released: November 22, 1960
Type: Movie
A stage director who directs a “Mori no Ishimatsu” play time travels and becomes “Mori no Ishimatsu” himself.
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Mighty Shosuke
Title: Mighty Shosuke
Released: October 9, 1960
Type: Movie
A comedy about a free-spirited man Shosuke, whose life is turned upside down when he is ordered to serve the clan lord.
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Shinran, Part II
Title: Shinran, Part II
Released: September 27, 1960
Type: Movie
Continuation of the biographical film about the monk Shinran, based on the novel by Eiji Yoshikawa. Shinran, born of the fading aristocratic class, was placed in a monastary on Mount Hiei when still a child. He did not come down for twenty years, when his wanderings begin as he spreads his ideas for achieving enlightenment through the Pure Land sutra. Because his teachings contradict the powerful Tendai sect, he comes to grief with the government, his followers persecuted, himself exiled to far coastal Echigo where he married & began raising a family but soonafter was wandering & teaching again. He lived to be ninety.
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What Price Love?
Title: What Price Love?
Character: Matashiro
Released: September 9, 1960
Type: Movie
Set in the middle of the Edo period (1603-1867), this tragic love story takes its cue from a celebrated historical case tried by magistrate Tadasuke Ooka, whose shrewd legal decisions became the stuff of legend. Okuma Shirokoya, the daughter of a lumber merchant in Edo (today’s Tokyo), embarked on an affair and was executed after conspiring with her maid to murder her husband. (Source: https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/en/proiezione/shirokoya-komako/)
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Hero of the Red Light District
Title: Hero of the Red Light District
Character: Jôsuke
Released: September 3, 1960
Type: Movie
A successful textile industrialist from the provinces, who is beloved by his employees for his kindness, cannot find a wife because of a disfiguring birthmark on his face. Even the courtesans in Yoshiwara refuse to entertain him, until an indentured peasant prostitute, Tamarazu, takes the unsavoury assignment and treats him with brash tenderness.
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Lord Mito: All Star Version
Title: Lord Mito: All Star Version
Released: August 7, 1960
Type: Movie
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.
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Shinran
Title: Shinran
Released: June 21, 1960
Type: Movie
A biographical movie about Shinran
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Won't Stand for Dying
Title: Won't Stand for Dying
Character: Brother Ryota
Released: May 10, 1960
Type: Movie
The son of the murdered Yakuza, Kenji, at the request of his mother, worked in a stable company. However, soon the girl Kenji Amy, who was in favor of the director of the company, is sexually harassed by him. Kenji beats the director and resigns. He asks his brother Ryota, the manager of the cabaret, to find a job, but his brother refuses him, and he is taken in by Senba, a yakuza boss specializing in smuggling and drugs...
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Official with a Tattoo
Title: Official with a Tattoo
Released: March 15, 1960
Type: Movie
Kinnosuke of Toyama sets out on a private mission to clear his father’s name for a crime he did not commit.
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Yakuza of Ina
Title: Yakuza of Ina
Character: Kichitaro
Released: February 23, 1960
Type: Movie
Tossing his hat in the air to pick a direction, Yataro the wanderer sets out on a journey of adventure, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. The son of a Hatamoto, he has left the samurai life and become a yakuza, gambling on life's fortune and ready to risk his life at a moment's notice. Featuring an all-star cast that includes the debonair Azuma Chiyonosuke, this is a tale of excitement and action that brings the best of black and white to the silver screen. An adventure like no other, this is one of Kinnosuke's lost gems. A series of mishaps leads Yataro to watching over the beloved daughter of his close friend.
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Samurai Vagabonds
Title: Samurai Vagabonds
Released: January 15, 1960
Type: Movie
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.
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The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
Title: The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
Character: Onodera Heichô
Released: November 20, 1959
Type: Movie
Kaji is sent to the Japanese army labeled Red and is mistreated by the vets. Along his assignment, Kaji witnesses cruelties in the army and revolts against the abusive treatment against the recruit Obara. He also sees his friend Shinjô Ittôhei defecting to the Russian border, and he ends in the front to fight a lost battle against the Russian tanks division.
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Pilgrimage at Night
Title: Pilgrimage at Night
Released: September 20, 1959
Type: Movie
Adapted by Yasumi Toshio and directed by Toyoda Shiro, this is a literary work based on a full-length novel of the same name published by Shiga Naoya of the Shirakaba School.
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Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka
Title: Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka
Released: September 13, 1959
Type: Movie
The adopted son of an Osaka courier falls in love with a prostitute and, discovering that she is about to be purchased by a client, steals money from his employer to redeem her. Hunted criminals, the two young lovers take flight to Yamato, but, as in Chikamatsu's other domestic tragedies of love and duty (known as sewamono), they must be pursued and their passion destroyed by death. Favourite Uchida themes, such as the indenturing of a prostitute , and his characteristic emphasis on performance and theatrical artifice re-emerge here; but the daring device of having Chikamatsu appear as a character - not unlike having Shakespeare interpolated into a film adaptation of one of his plays - is just one of many surprises this remarkable film holds. “Extraordinary” (Donald Richie).
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Saga of the Vagabonds
Title: Saga of the Vagabonds
Character: Jibu
Released: August 9, 1959
Type: Movie
Lord Taro must deliver a money chest but is robbed by brigands led by Jibu. One of Jibu's men, Rokuro, steals the money from Jibu, but after meeting and befriending Taro, Rokuro decides to return the money to Taro. But Taro's unscrupulous brother Jiro falsely accuse Taro of the theft, and Taro reactively joins the outlaw band and encourages them to steal from the nobles and give to the poor.
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Gigantis, the Fire Monster
Title: Gigantis, the Fire Monster
Character: Kôji Kobayashi
Released: May 21, 1959
Type: Movie
A prehistoric monster called Gigantis emerges alongside another creature named Angurus.
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The Unleashed Lord
Title: The Unleashed Lord
Released: February 10, 1959
Type: Movie
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Goblin in Stirrups
Title: Goblin in Stirrups
Released: February 4, 1959
Type: Movie
Kurama Tengu is a hero to the common people, saving them from the malicious attacks of Kinnoroshi and Shinsengumi.
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The Hidden Fortress
Title: The Hidden Fortress
Character: Tahei
Released: December 28, 1958
Type: Movie
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.
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The Bride In Uguisu Castle
Title: The Bride In Uguisu Castle
Released: June 22, 1958
Type: Movie
The life of three beautiful princesses in feudal Japan.
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Eight Views of Samurai
Title: Eight Views of Samurai
Released: May 27, 1958
Type: Movie
Bright samurai movie innovatively adapted from a classic story. A traveling masterless samurai is asked by a daughter of an established samurai family to pretend they are a married couple, and gets involved in the troubles of the samurai clan.
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Little Peach
Title: Little Peach
Character: Saburo Yoshida
Released: May 13, 1958
Type: Movie
Anzukko (Little Peach) is the daughter of a successful writer. She turns down each one of her suitors, until she marries a beginning writer named Ryokichi. Their life quickly sinks into despair.
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Futari dake no hashi
Title: Futari dake no hashi
Released: March 5, 1958
Type: Movie
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The Scarlet Cherry Lord
Title: The Scarlet Cherry Lord
Released: January 29, 1958
Type: Movie
Light-hearted samurai comedy. The second son of a feudal lord runs away from an arranged marriage. He saves the life of a princess whom he gets to fall in love with. It turns out that she is just his prospective bride.
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The Scroll’s Secret
Title: The Scroll’s Secret
Released: January 9, 1958
Type: Movie
Shogun Yoshitane’s order to recover the secret scroll triggers a series of ninja warfare during the Muromachi period.
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The Lower Depths
Title: The Lower Depths
Character: Former Samurai
Released: October 1, 1957
Type: Movie
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.
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Throne of Blood
Title: Throne of Blood
Character: Yoshiaki Miki
Released: January 15, 1957
Type: Movie
Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.
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Scoundrel
Title: Scoundrel
Released: May 10, 1956
Type: Movie
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A Wife's Heart
Title: A Wife's Heart
Character: Zenichi
Released: May 3, 1956
Type: Movie
Kiyoko (Takamine Hideko) and her husband want to open a coffee shop. She becomes increasingly close to the bank clerk (Mifune Toshiro) she's asked for a loan.
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The Vampire Moth
Title: The Vampire Moth
Character: Sango Kawase
Released: April 11, 1956
Type: Movie
The story of a professional nude model stalked by a bizarre, unknown man wearing a hideous mask.
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Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island
Title: Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island
Character: Sasuke the boatman
Released: January 3, 1956
Type: Movie
A humble and simple Takezo abandons his life as a knight errant. He's sought as a teacher and vassal by Shogun, Japan's most powerful clan leader. He's also challenged to fight by the supremely confident and skillful Sasaki Kojiro. Takezo agrees to fight Kojiro in a year's time but rejects Shogun's patronage, choosing instead to live on the edge of a village, raising vegetables. He's followed there by Otsu and later by Akemi, both in love with him. The year ends as Takezo assists the villagers against a band of brigands. He seeks Otsu's forgiveness and accepts her love, then sets off across the water to Ganryu Island for his final contest.
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I Live in Fear
Title: I Live in Fear
Character: Jiro Nakajima
Released: November 22, 1955
Type: Movie
Kiichi Nakajima, an elderly foundry owner, is convinced that Japan will be affected by an imminent nuclear war, and resolves to move his family to safety in Brazil. His family decides to have him ruled incompetent and Dr. Harada, a Domestic Court counselor, attempts to arbitrate.
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Godzilla Raids Again
Title: Godzilla Raids Again
Character: Kôji Kobayashi
Released: April 24, 1955
Type: Movie
Two fishing scout pilots make a horrifying discovery when they encounter a second Godzilla alongside a new monster named Anguirus. Without the weapon that killed the original, authorities attempt to lure Godzilla away from the mainland. But Anguirus soon arrives and the two monsters make their way towards Osaka as Japan braces for tragedy.
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Bodyguard from Hell
Title: Bodyguard from Hell
Released: March 11, 1955
Type: Movie
Kitagawa, a drug control officer in the Kanto Shinetsu area, was ordered to investigate the situation of drug trafficking around Yokohama.
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Jirocho in Disgrace
Title: Jirocho in Disgrace
Released: July 14, 1954
Type: Movie
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The Story of Shunkin
Title: The Story of Shunkin
Released: June 27, 1954
Type: Movie
Based on the novel by Junichiro Tanizaki. Story of the beautiful blind daughter of a wealthy businessman who falls in love with a servant.
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Seven Samurai
Title: Seven Samurai
Character: Heihachi Hayashida
Released: April 26, 1954
Type: Movie
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.
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Mole Alley
Title: Mole Alley
Released: May 7, 1953
Type: Movie
33-year-old poor writer Ogata was able to endure his miserable life cheerfully thanks to Yoshie, a 19-year-old innocent young wife. After graduating from a girls' school in Hokuriku, she immediately moved to Tokyo to meet and marry Ogata. After neatly writing Ogata's manuscript, he would buy dorayaki as a gratuity and devour it.
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Wife
Title: Wife
Released: April 29, 1953
Type: Movie
Ten years into a marriage, the wife is disappointed by the husband's lack of financial success, meaning she has to work and can't treat herself and the husband finds the wife slovenly and mean-spirited: she neither cooks not cleans particularly well and is generally disagreeable. In turn, he alternately ignores her and treats her as a servant. Neither is particularly happy, not helped by their unsatisfactory lodgers. The husband is easily seduced by an ex-colleague, a widow with a small child who needs some security, and considers leaving his wife.
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Sunflower Girl
Title: Sunflower Girl
Released: March 26, 1953
Type: Movie
Young Setsuko Fujino begins a new job at Tokyo Chemical Company. She likes her boss, Ippei Hitachi, and enjoys serving him tea, despite the fact that her fellow workers think the women employees should not have to act in such a servile manner. When the women go on strike over the issue, Setsuko finds herself caught in the middle. When the heir to the company, Ryosuke Tanabe, proposes marriage to Setsuko, she is honored, but realizes that her real affection is for Hitachi.
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Ikiru
Title: Ikiru
Character: Noguchi
Released: October 9, 1952
Type: Movie
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.
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Today is Payday
Title: Today is Payday
Character: General Manager of General Affairs Department
Released: October 2, 1952
Type: Movie
Office worker comedy by Nobuo Nakagawa
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Beauty and the Thief
Title: Beauty and the Thief
Character: Takeichi no Takamaru
Released: September 22, 1952
Type: Movie
The picture belongs to the jidai gekki (historic) genre. It is a powerful story of violence and eroticism, picturing a world at once sordid and poetic, with two central themes which intermingle to compound an admirable panel of a critical period in Japanese history: the great famine in the mid 19th Century.
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Riverside Fish Market Empire
Title: Riverside Fish Market Empire
Released: March 14, 1952
Type: Movie
Obscure Japanese movie by director Kyotaro Namiki
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Vendetta of a Samurai
Title: Vendetta of a Samurai
Released: January 3, 1952
Type: Movie
The famous showdown at Kagiya corner has been told many times, but never before with the realism and intensity of this version scripted by Kurosawa Akira and starring Mifune Toshiro as the famed swordsman who must face his best friend as they are forced to take opposite sides in a vendetta caused by the murder of a family member. Told mostly in flashback as the avengers await the arrival of their quarry, this film displays true heroism in the face of fear as most of the combatants, while of the samurai class are not skilled swordsmen. They contrast sharply with the true warriors involved in this battle. Araki Mataemon (Mifune), who was not only a direct student of Yagyu Munenori, but the founder of his own sword style under the Yagyu name is a powerful force ready to assist his brother-in-law against the murderer's allies that include not only another noted sword teacher, but the deadly spear of Katsumi no Hanbei.
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Sekidô matsuri
Title: Sekidô matsuri
Released: December 7, 1951
Type: Movie
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Wakôdo no uta
Title: Wakôdo no uta
Character: Hayashi
Released: August 31, 1951
Type: Movie
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The Idiot
Title: The Idiot
Character: Mutsuo Kayama, the secretary
Released: May 23, 1951
Type: Movie
Kameda, who has been in an asylum on Okinawa, travels to Hokkaido. There he becomes involved with two women, Taeko and Ayako. Taeko comes to love Kameda, but is loved in turn by Akama. When Akama realizes that he will never have Taeko, his thoughts turn to murder, and great tragedy ensues.
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The Emperor's Hat
Title: The Emperor's Hat
Released: December 1, 1950
Type: Movie
A man working in a museum steals the Emperor's hat on display.
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Golden Beast
Title: Golden Beast
Character: Eiji Yabuki
Released: November 4, 1950
Type: Movie
One Sunday morning, Toshio Esaki, a young dentist, wakes up in his clinic. It seems that he was drunk and spent the night in the clinic instead of going home. When he goes into the laboratory to get a drink of water, he finds a woman wearing a green striped Western-style dress lying there.
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The Rainbow-Colored Flower
Title: The Rainbow-Colored Flower
Released: October 14, 1950
Type: Movie
Ebihara is a budding novelist entangled in a complicated web of relationships with three women from three different generations: Kazue, a coquettish teenage war orphan who tries to offer herself for money but is instead taken in by Ebihara, Koyabu, a middle-aged woman who has spent much of her life as the kept woman of a wealthy man, and Teruko, the modest daughter of Ebihara's former teacher who comes to rely on him after the death of her father.
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Rashomon
Title: Rashomon
Character: Priest
Released: August 26, 1950
Type: Movie
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.
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Beyond the Hills
Title: Beyond the Hills
Released: July 8, 1950
Type: Movie
Adaptation of a novel by Yojiro Ishizaka, originally released in two parts.
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Scandal
Title: Scandal
Released: April 26, 1950
Type: Movie
A celebrity photograph sparks a court case as a tabloid magazine spins a scandalous yarn over a painter and a famous singer.
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Stray Dog
Title: Stray Dog
Character: Girlie Show director
Released: October 17, 1949
Type: Movie
A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side.