Jō Shishido

Jō Shishido

Birth : 1933-12-06, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

Death : 2020-01-18

History

Beloved Japanese actor most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones. He has appeared in some 300 films but is best known in the West for his performance in the cult film Branded to Kill (1967). In Japan, he is also known by the nickname "Joe the Ace" (エースのジョー Ēsu no Jō) for his popular role in the Western Fast-Draw Guy (1961).

Profile

Jō Shishido
Jō Shishido
Jō Shishido
Jō Shishido
Jō Shishido
Jō Shishido

Movies

The Final Judgement
Lao Porto
26-year-old Shogo Washio sense danger from the expansion of Asian superpower nation Ouran. Shogo Washio teams up with Kenzo Nakagishi and establishes a new political party. He loses in the elections to gain a seat in the house of representatives. A few years later Japan is now invaded by the country of Ouran and falls under the military occupation of that country. Basic freedoms like speech and religion are lost, while protestors are killed. In this environment, Shogo Washio joins the underground resistance organization ROLE.
ケータイ刑事 THE MOVIE3 モーニング娘。救出大作戦!〜パンドラの箱の秘密
A Night in Nude: Salvation
Naoki / Yamagami
A beautiful mother and her two daughters run a bar in a town. They have a dream of becoming rich, reforming the building, and living as celebrities. With no chance of their dream coming true with just their everyday earnings, they had another face - blinding the elderly with their beauty, putting on insurance coverage and seeking to get rich quick by murdering. However, their scheme begins to collapse from one little mistake.
The Code
Detective 500
For 60 years, the group of detectives known as "Detective Office 5" has raised the bar for detective work. The agents of Detective Office 5 are a group of stellar detectives lead by the genius code breaker Detective 507. When an unknown client enlists 507 to crack his most difficult programming code yet, the detective embarks for Shanghai where he crosses paths with a sniper, an informant, the head of the Blue-Dragon Mafia, and beautiful singer on the run, Meilan. As 507 stumbles deeper into a twisted quagmire of intrigue he discovers the sad truth behind the mystery.
Kisaragi
Kisaragi Miki
The fanclub of a deceased Japanese idol gather together for the one year anniversary of her death. By combining forces they try to unearth the true circumstances surrounding her supposed suicide.
A Surgeon Named Hitman
A trainee at a university hospital named Yoshioka, was in charge of a patient but the patient dies due to a failure with a heart transplant. One day, someone stabs his sister and dies. In front of the annoying Yoshioka, a mysterious doctor, Shimizu, appears. , who used to stop by the hospital.
Detective Office 5
500
In a small nook of Kawasaki Private investigator 591 and adultry specialist investigator 522 embark on separate investigations that leads them both to the same beautifician.
Flower & Snake II
The beautiful Shizuko (Aya Sugimoto) and her husband Tooyama Takayoshi (Jo Shishido) have a loving relationship, But Takayoshi is getting older and isn't always able to perform. His primary source of gratification involves observing his wife in sadomasochistic scenarios so he commissions a painter, skilled in the arts of bondage to bring these fantasies to life. Soon, Shiziko becomes a willing and submissive participant in fulfilling the S&M fantasies of not only her husband but a slew of rich lecherous men.
Behind Flower and Snake 2
Himself
“Making of” Hana to hebi 2: Pari/Shizuko (2005).
Gokudô seisen: Jihaado
The first in the "Gokudo Seisen" series, a hard-line action OV that presents the original draft of Shigenori Takechi under the supervision of Takashi Miike of "IZO". It depicts the activities of the martial arts yakuza who challenge the major general contractors who are plotting wrongdoing. Actors such as Taishu Kase and Hiroki Matsukata performed well with the men living in Shuraba.
Drowning Fish
Ace no Jo
When corporate executives are blackmailed into public displays of nudity on the busy streets of Shinjuku, the big guns are called out to locate "Oboreru Sakana". The "big guns" are a misfit duo of ethically questionable characters who must infiltrate a gay nightclub and "fit in" while they search for clues. What ensues is both hilarious and action-packed. Oboreru Sakana is a rather ambitious and often hilarious contemporary crime thriller. Its narrative swings from the grisly to the humorous and pulls in as many pop culture elements as it can manage.
Debt King Part VII: Millennium
Takao, the owner of a coffee shop and brother-in-law to Anzai, the assistant manager of Hikari Bank, Osaka central branch, is caught in a scam by an online financial service.
To Love
Chinen
Mitsu works in a factory and has a crush on Tsutomu, a young man she met on the Tokyo streets. One day the two go out, and after some deception, Tsutomu manages to have his way with her. Coming from a broken home, he is frightened by love, so he cruelly allows her to wake up alone. A month passes and a more grown-up Tsutomu returns. The lovers joyously reunite and move in together. All is blissful until both notice a strange sore on Mitsu's arm. The doctors diagnose it as leprosy. Without telling Tsutomu, Mitsu checks into a leper sanitarium. Hanging out with society's pariahs gives her much insight. She discovers the old lepers to be wonderful people. In turn, Mitsu becomes their source of joy and renewed hope. Still, she misses her Tsutomu. One day, the doctors inform her that they erred and that the sore is not leprosy. Happily she heads back to her true love until she realizes with a guilty pang that to return to him would mean unhappiness for her newfound friends
Remembering the Cosmos Flower
Akiko returns to her home village in Japan after seven years in South America, where she contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion. The town, thick with paranoia, is quick to ostracize the ailing Akiko. With only her best friend and her mom in her corner, Akiko suffers awful discrimination at school and at home.
The Trap
Joe Shishido
When a hooded stranger appears in private eye 'Mike' Hama's office with the cryptic challenge "I want you to look for me," Hama is drawn into a string of bizarre serial murders that have Yokohama's police baffled and the city terrified.
The Stairway to the Distant Past
Jô Shishido
Broke, his vintage Nash convertible repossessed, private eye Mike Hama is reduced to combing the mean streets of the Yokohama waterfront on a borrowed bicycle. But when Lily, a beautiful stripper from out of Hama's past, returns to town, the fuse is lit on a criminal powder keg set to blow the lid off the Yokohama underworld.
Turning Point
Hashizume, Reporter
A middle-aged journalist looking to make her big break. After working the same beat on the "women's page", Yumiko gets promoted to editorials.
The Most Terrible Time in My Life
Jô Shishido
Maiku Hama is a private detective working in Yokohama. Hama comes to the aid of a Taiwanese waiter named Yang and agrees to track down his missing brother. Through a series of double-crosses Hama gets embroiled in a gang war and a revenge plot between the two brothers
The Setting Sun
A Japanese soldier is forced to question alliances when he meets and falls in love with the leader of the rebel movement.
The Gambler
Joe of Aces
8 Man - For All Lonely Nights
Dr. Tani
After Tokyo police officer Yokoda is killed in the line of duty, his chief decides give Yokoda's body to Dr. Tani for use in a secret scientific experiment: Yokoda's brain will be transplanted into a super-powered robot body, making him into an unstoppable policeman of the future. The supercop develops problems, however, when he begins to remember his human past. Then there is the matter of Dr. Tani's other cyborg, who has become a super-powered homicidal maniac.
Danger Point: The Road to Hell
Killers Ken and Joji undertake the killing of a man named Sakai. He utters some interesting last words before being shot dead, leading Ken and Joji on a trail of death and destruction.
神様のピンチヒッター
Neo Chinpira 2: Zoom Goes the Bullet
Junichi Mizuta
In the sequel to 1990's classic Neo Chinpira, Junko (Sho Aikawa) attempts to take out Kazama and then goes on the run. However, he quickly begins to feel homesick, and returns home to find that almost everything has changed. Noriko is now a bar mama with a lavish lifestyle, Yumeko is nowhere to be found, and his boss (Toru Minegishi) seems to have sinister plans involving Junko and his uncle (Jo Shishido).
The Killers
A brilliant hitman and a veteran former hitman join forces to take revenge on the murdered woman and challenge the criminal organization.
Kōdonēmu 348: On'na keiji sashiba
Neo Chinpira: Zoom Goes the Bullet
Junichi Mizuta
Junko (Sho Aikawa) is a low-level yakuza in the service of Yoshikawa (Toru Minegishi), despite the misgivings of his uncle (Jo Shishido). He lives off of the money earned by his girlfriend and is more interested in trying to look cool than anything else. He meets Yumeko (Chikako Aoyama), an innocent but dangerous narcoleptic runaway, after she steals his car, and she soon moves in with him. Following the assassination of a high-ranking member by the Kazama Family, Junko is called on to be the lookout while the family gets revenge. However, the other men quickly "zoom", or escape from their duty, leaving the task to Junko. Will he take out Kazama, or will he zoom?
Nozomi Witches
Ryotaro's father
You'll Fall For Me
Meet Chika. She thinks she's been jinxed: she's going to be dumped on Christmas Eve. Enter Tomako, who likes reading and making pudding. Although they're total opposites, by a twist of fate, they become best friends. However, it turns out they both want to spend Christmas Eve with the same guy. Will they choose friendship? Or love?
Red Crow and the Ghost Ship
Captain
A fantastic adventure of a brother and sister flying a ghost ship, guided by a red crow, in search for an old captain. The ghost ship was designed by Hayao Miyazaki and the red crow was done by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis
Tokuji Hayakawa
The reincarnation of a 10th century Japanese general haunts 1920's Tokyo.
Star Force: Fugitive Alien II
Captain Joe
In this second film compiled from episodes of a Japanese TV serial, Captain Joe, reformed interstellar marauder Ken and the rest of the crew of the Bacchus-III set off to destroy an alien race's super-weapon.
Fugitive Alien
Captain Joe
An alien is pursued as a traitor by his own race because he refuses to kill humans.
Leave My Girl Alone
Bar Owner
Hitomi, a former orphan who is trying to leave behind her delinquent ways, one day agrees to tutor a wealthy young boy who has just become an orphan himself…
Bound for the Fields, the Mountains, and the Seacoast
School Principal
During the fervently nationalist months leading up to World War II, a rebellious teenager is transferred to a new primary school in a small Inland Sea town. He vies with the school’s reigning bully, who takes a romantic interest in his older stepsister. When they learn she’s going to be sold to a brothel to pay off her father’s debts, they form an uneasy alliance to free her.
Take It Easy
Coming of age film about rock musicians.
I'm All Yours
A beautiful day Rokurou, a student, was to masturbate when a beautiful girl knocks on his door: You need a virgin? And so begins the story. Rokurou did not know what it was that this beautiful girl was from a millionaire family.
Caribe: Symphony of Love
Shunsuke Saichu
Set in Mexico. The love story of an architect and a fashion designer. Both from Japan
Again
Sukanpin Walk
Tatsuya Sekikawa
Musical star vehicle for a young Kikkawa Koji.
Our Wedding
On her wedding day, Makiko is stabbed by a woman in wedding dress. The wound isn't serious but the attacker blows herself up and can't be identified. The attacker is thought to be an ex-girlfriend of Tsutomu, the groom. He gives two names to the police but these two are still alive. But there is still one woman in Tsutomu's mind...
I Are You, You Am Me
Kouzou Saitoh
9th-graders Kazuo and Kazumi take a tumble at a temple in a small seacoast town in Japan. Through supernatural intervention, their minds and bodies are switched, and the result is a touching and hilarious coming-of-age comedy as they attempt to survive the pressures of junior high school life.
Edo Porn
Jyuppensha Ikku
The world-famous woodblock artist Hokusai (1760-1849), a widower in need of a steady income, lives with his daughter Oei in the house of his friend Bakin.
Blue Jeans Memory
A trio of high school boys get summer jobs at a seaside resort. Soon, however, they learn that the woman who runs it is in financial trouble. The three decide to help her.
The First Catch
Based on the comic book series of the same name by Yûsuke Aoyagi.
Nurse's Husband
“Quit working as a nurse!” “All right, I will!” thus began the married life of Yasuo and Keiko. But the reality is harsh. Keiko even had to work on the first night after her marriage. Ten years later, the married couple is still at it. Yauso tends to the house and their children, while Keiko sacrifices family life for life as an overworked nurse. One day, after Keiko comes home utterly exhausted and dejected from her work, Yasuo makes up his mind and writes a letter of resignation in her place. Upon learning of this, Keiko angrily declares that nursing is what she lives for and she will keep on working. Realising that that is one battle he will never win, Yasuo sends a letter to a newspaper -- “Nurses’ husbands, aren’t you having a hard time? Get together nurses’ husbands. Contact me.” There is a tremendous response. This leads to the formation of many unions of nurses’ husbands throughout the country.
Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron
Tominoichi
Kumokiri Nizaemon, a former samurai warrior, has abandoned his class to become the leader of a gang of thieves. He leads his outlaws in an attempt to rob the castle of his former clan.
The Visitor in the Eye
Black Jack
Komori Tiaki is a budding tennis student, however one day in training her coach hits the ball into her eye accidentally. She is taken to hospital but it advised that she will never regain the sight in her eye. Her coach knows of a mysterious doctor 'Blackjack' who lives in a secluded house, who might be able to help. 'Blackjack' agrees to do the operation, but for a 'substantial reward'! Her sight is regained, but now she starts to see a mysterious man that is invisible to those around her....
High Seas Hijack
Chief Engineer Kosai
Terrorists hijack an oil tanker and threaten to blow it up unless Japan meets their demands.
Gambling Code and Feuds
Katsuya Sekikawa
It is the first Toei yakuza film directed by Akinori Matsuo, who was active in Nikkatsu action movies. It is a local yakuza movie made following Okinawa Yakuza War (1976) and Hokuriku Proxy War (1977). The film depicts the war between a storied yakuza killer (Hiroki Matsukata) and the largest organized crime group in the Kansai region, which plans to advance into the Kanto region.
Ore no sora
Genjiro Yasuda
Based on the manga of the same name. Originally published in the Japanese magazine Weekly Playboy. It follows Ippei Yasuda, son of a prominent family, who is immensely gifted in nearly everything he does.
A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness
Cop
A model must cope with the stress of fame after a marketing executive transforms her into a sports celebrity.
The Alaska Story
A Japanese sailor finds a colony of Eskimos in the Arctic and decides to stay with them. He comes off at a certain moment to look for his luck in the gold rush in Alaska. But he does not forget them.
The Sea of Genkai
Sawaki
Two yakuza, one of whom frequently reflects on an uncomfortable past taking advantage of Korean women, meet a stowaway on Japanese soil from across the Genkai Sea.
The Explosion
Chief Engineer Kosai
Thriller about hijackers taking control of an oil tanker and threatening to blow it all up in Tokyo Bay.
New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 1
Hachiro Tachibana
The sixth chapter of Jingi Naki Tatakai series With the endless power struggle. The extraordinary combination of Kinji Fukasaku and Bunta Sugawara, along with new ideas and a strong touch of realism, created the sixth movie of the series that describes 'The War of Hiroshima Gangsters' which had lasted almost 30 years after World War II. It can be called the Japanese secret post WWII history. It focuses on the ugly, violent inside struggle of the Yamamori Group of 1959 in Kure City, Hiroshima. Director Kinji Fukasaku, the master of portraying violence and humanity, said "Having making the five previous movies, I found those characters very interesting. So I took a deeper look into them this time." He made this shocking movie with high enthusiasm and revealed the core of gangster's struggle which has never been touched before.
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode
Katsutoshi Otomo
While Hirono is in prison, his rival Takeda turns his own crime organization into a political party, whose two executives stir up new tensions in their thirst for power.
The Hard Core Criminal
In the 20th century, the Japanese government exploits prisoners as expendable slave laborers in a coal mine, which results in conflict between the prisoners and the warden to escalate.
None But the Brave
Story is about how a revolutionist, played by Cheng Pei Pei, taking on the identity of a Captain's (Ou Wei) long lost sister who is actually dead. Cheng manages to fool the Captain for a while, but little by little, the Captain catches on to her and the revolutionist's plan to stop Chinese-Japanese relations.
Kigeki: koko kara hajimaru monogatari
New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm
New Hoodlum Soldier Story: Firing Line
Bad Girl Mako
Yasuoka
Patronized by a gang ruling the city, Mako delinquently plays around a night club every night with her bad company. One night, a guy Hideo gets closer to her for one-night stand, and they consequently fall in love. However, Hideo is killed by the gang. Mako swears vengeance on her beloved's murderer.
Monk's Paradise
A genius gambler and born hunter is a Buddhist monk by occupation.
Blood For Blood
The Akiba and Shimura crime families run the streets of “K City”. With the construction of new buildings and new factories underway, the city has sprouted into a boomtown and business is good. Two of the most infamous mobs of Tokyo want a piece of the pie. As out-of-town yakuza flood the city overnight, the crime boss of the Akiba family, Tezuka (Joe Shishido), is released from prison after a five year sentence. He does not like the "change" he sees.
Okusama wa 18 sai: shinkon kyoshitsu
Laughter is brought about by a teacher-husband and student-wife couple.
Go As Messy As Messy Can Be
Mujitori
Comedy about a young man who causes pandemonium by raiding a bar patronized by his father, winning the favors of a hostess and ends up feeling the breasts and hips of all the girls in his father's office.
A Man's World
Tadao Konno (Yujiro Ishihara) had been staying in Canada for 5 years since his girlfriend's death. She was killed for Gang's boss, Shiraishi. Now Tadao returned from Canada and Gang member wonder if he will do revenge for her death…
New Harenchi Gakuen College
Gebageba
Former students of the notorious Harenchi Gakuen college open a new school for dissident youths after their former school is ruined by disputes.
Shameless School: Tackle Kiss
Macaroni
Students against teachers in the wildest kiss-stealing, petting-orgy ever.
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: High Stakes at Abashiri
Prisoner Katsuji must fend for himself and his prison mates in the fierce battle involving a family feud.
Shameless School: Health Check in the Nude
Macaroni
In this outing of Harenchi Gakuen the students undergo a health check after school, but all is not what it seems. Teacher 'Beard Godzilla' has kicked out the infirmary's doctor and taken his place. A trio of students notice the trick and dress up as medical professionals to assist the female portion of the school body. A newspaper has caught wind of this.
Shameless School
Macaroni
Comedy of high school where students and teachers run wild, based on a popular comic strip.
Profile of a Boss' Son
Four years ago, Teppei Hondo killed two people from the Shinwa group for the murder of his brother. After serving a 3-year prison sentence, he considered returning home, but his father, the boss of the Honda Group, told him to stay away for another year, so he went to sea. In the end, having returned, he again finds himself embroiled in a showdown between the yakuza.
A Hoodlum At The Risk Of His Life
A reporter is framed for murder while investigating organized crime. Upon being released from prison the plan for his revenge unravels.
The Cleanup
A real all-star cast turns out for this modern yakuza yarn.
博徒百人 任侠道
The Rough One
Imano's Bodyguard
A tale of wannabe yakuza youths. When not cooking up scams with his buddies, Zenkichi develops a crush on Taro's disgusted sister, Miki. But soon the young hoods run afoul of their underworld idols when they rob the wrong gang, led by brutal boss Konno. When Zenkichi's pals start to bite the dust, he hooks up with a more traditional yakuza, Tetsugoro, to retaliate.
Exiled to Hell
It is the end of the Taisho era (1912-1926), and at the Hanazuki-tei theatre in Asakusa, the famous performance of storyteller Koiso Kikuji and performer Kataoka Koshin is reaching its climax when the Tawaraya family interferes... This is an entertaining action film bursting with righteousness and humanity, centred on men who try to live righteously against a corrupt boss who preys on the performers.
Retaliation
Hino
Two years before they collaborated on the immortal Stray Cat Rock series, director Yasuharu Hasebe and soon-to-be-superstar Meiko Kaji teamed up for this potent gangster flick that also stars the great Joe Shishido (Branded to Kill) and Akira Kobayashi, who would shortly thereafter star in Kinji Fukasaku's epic yakuza series Battles Without Honor and Humanity. Emerging from a stint in prison, yakuza lieutenant Sumukawa (Kobayashi) discovers that his gang has disintegrated while he was in the pen. An ambitious type, he quickly hooks up with another gang (led by Shishido) who promise him a prominent position if he helps them deal with a rival family. But bonds are made to be broken, and pledges of loyalty soon give way to competition, betrayal and — naturally — retaliation. Tough, cynical and violent, Retaliation cheerfully overturns romanticized notions of underworld honour, paving the way for Fukusaku's revisionist yakuza pictures of the 1970s.
My Sweetheart
President Shishido
It had been a year and four months since Mitsuo was last on a movie set. Welcomed back by director Ishizaki and his film crew, Mitsuo is excited to star as the lead in "My Sweetheart". One day, half way through production, he meets his friends from a popular rock group, "The Spiders". Through their discussion regarding the climax scene, they criticize that the script is too grim. In a notion to protect their friend's career, they decide to pay the scriptwriter a little visit.
The Return of the Filthy Seven
A 1967 crime film
Velvet Hustler
A young yakuza hitman named Goro does a job and needs to hideout away from Tokyo for a while. He hangs out with loose women and hard men and always manages to stay one step ahead of the law. In his exile, he comes under suspicion for a murder and meets the girlfriend of the murdered man. They develop a strange bond while unbeknown to Goro, another hitman is after him for the job he did in Tokyo.
Massacre Gun
Ryûichi Kuroda
Kuroda (Jô Shishido) is a mob hitman who turns on his employers after being forced to execute his lover. Joining forces with his similarly wronged brothers, hot-headed Eiji (Tatsuya Fuji) and aspiring boxer Saburô (Jirô Okazaki), the trio escalate their mob retaliation to all-out turf war where no one will stop until one faction emerges victorious.
Asia-Pol
George
Yang Ming Xuan intercepts a truckload of contraband, but the criminals stage a brazen helicopter attack, ruthlessly eliminating their own operatives and destroying most of the shipment before it can be confiscated. In the process, Ming Xuan's partner is killed, and the young agent is brought to the unwelcome attention of the leader of the smuggling operation.
Branded to Kill
Gorô Hanada
After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.
Burning Clouds
A Colt Is My Passport
Shuji Kamimura
A gang lord hires Kamimura, a hit man, to take out a rival boss who's gotten greedy.
Asiapol Secret Service
International spy thriller featuring Joe Shishido and Hideaki Nitani.
Blood Shed
Seiji
Ginjiro was born to a family of nobility, though he yearned for freedom. To earn this freedom, he affiliates himself with the worst of the worst. Swearing his allegiance to the notorious Kuroiwa crime syndicate, the yakuza family known for its thirst for blood, Ginjiro equips for battle. When a rival family raids their gambling parlor, he slashes a masked henchman. Unbeknown to him, his victim was no henchman.
Cat Girls Gamblers: Abandoned Fangs of Triumph
Kokichi Yamaguch
Yukiko is on her way to meet Boss Gunji. Judging by her appearance, no one would suspect that this beautiful young woman, sitting quietly in a suburban train, is the only woman able to beat the best professional players in Japan; or that she is wearing the tattoo of the man that loved her and died for her...
The Dragon and the Tiger
A young gambler returns from prison to find his gang scattered, and many gone over to his old rival. But their rivalry is not only a matter of gambling. For when he is about to marry the daughter of a police official, the rival again interferes and this time it is a fight to the finish -- the end of his enemy.
The Dragon of Macao
Aizu
Ryu (Akira Kobayashi) sets foot on the Yokohama port with a suitcase filled with 300 thousand dollars. He was sent by a jewelry company in Hong Kong to retrieve a certain diamond that was stolen from them. The "Himalayan Star" is worth couple hundred million yen and unbeknown to Ryu, it now lays in the hands of Aizu (Jo Shishido), the infamous ”Pirate of the Tokyo Bay."
Murder Unincorporated
Jiro (Joe of Spades)
When the mysterious “Joe of Spades” (Jo Shishido) executes one of the bosses of a powerful syndicate, his colleagues, fearing for their own lives, call on the services of assassin agency Murder Unincorporated to take care of the problem. This unique entry showcases some of the most peculiar killing tactics to ever hit Japanese cinema!
Quick-Draw Joe: Sand Dune Duel
Joe of Aces
An exciting and fast-paced entertaining action in which G-Man Joe of Aces (Japanese version 007) challenges a terrible international mafia organization based in Japan. To defeat the villains, Joe uses his unprecedented skills of fast shooting and karate secrets!
Gate of Flesh
Shintaro Ibuki
In the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post–World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a world of chaos. But when a renegade ex-soldier stumbles into their midst, lusts and loyalties clash, with tragic results. With Gate of Flesh, visionary director Seijun Suzuki delivers a whirlwind of social critique and pulp drama, shot through with brilliant colors and raw emotions.
Jinsei Gekijo
1964 Nikkatsu Theater of Life adaptation.
Cruel Gun Story
Togawa
Businessmen arrange the early release from prison of Togawa, serving time for taking revenge on the truck driver whose carelessness confined Togawa's sister, Rie, to a wheelchair. They want Togawa to hijack an armored truck loaded with 120 million yen; their leverage is to promise him money for surgery for Rie. Togawa consents and plans the heist with three others. The plan is solid, but it doesn't go smoothly. Togawa must improvise, there are traitors somewhere, and double-crosses mount. Can Togawa escape with enough money to help his sister and ensure a passage out of Japan?
Tale on Tokai Chivalry
The film is set in Fukagawa in the early Showa period and depicts a fateful confrontation between two men who rise and fall in a black stream, trying to live a real human life, violating the cruel laws of the passing generation.
Tiger of the Sea
A group of pirates sail the treacherous Pacific ocean in search for wealth.
Detective Bureau 2-3: A Man Weak to Money and Women
Hideo Tajima
A sequel to Detective Bureau 2-3: Go To Hell Bastards!
Youth of the Beast
Jôji 'Jo' Mizuno
When a mysterious stranger muscles into two rival yakuza gangs, Tokyo's underworld explodes with violence.
Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell, Bastards!
Hideo Tajima
Tajima is a private detective in charge of his own company, Detective Bureau 2-3. When warring criminal gangs go overboard by robbing U.S. military munitions, Tajima steps in to stop what the cops can't.
Danger Pays
Jôji Kondô
Joe, Okita, and Serizawa hear of the armed robbery of a truck carrying one billion eighty million yen's worth of Mint paper. Knowing that the thugs will now need a counterfeiter to make the bogus bills, they each decide to cash in on it by selling them the idea that they need Sakamoto, the best counterfeiter in Japan. A seesaw game unfolds between the three men as each tries to outdo the other two in handing over Sakamoto for one million yen to Hijikata, the big boss, who intends to make counterfeit money with the stolen paper. A little belatedly, they realize it needs their combined forces to outwit Hijikata and they raid his place together. Outnumbered, however, they are thrown into a basement room and the gas is turned on. Certain death stares them in the face, but the three men are not ones to take things lying down....
Glass-Hearted Johnny
Joe Shishido is an ambitious bike racetrack tout who becomes inadvertently involved in a triangle with a vulnerable prostitute (Izumi Ashikawa) and her brutal yakuza pimp (George Ai).
Mekishiko mushuku
Crimson pistol belt
Wearing a symbol of justice and brotherhood on his waist – a crimson pistol belt, Ace Joe engages in a fight with villains trying to seize the mine.
I'll End in Hell
Joji Dan
Joji Dan tries to find the heir of a prosperous Japanese millionaire who died in Mexico. However, the bandits want to take over the inheritance and Joji has to use his skills as a fast and accurate shooter!
Nosappu no jū
Joe of Aces: Gambling for a Living
Eiji Yano (Joe of Aces)
A marine security officer stranded on the ocean in a small boat is rescued by a crew of buccaneers.
Quick Draw Joe
Joe the Ace
One day, a lone horseman rides into town with a wounded man strapped behind him. Joe, the Ace, had captured one of the bandits who had held up the armored payroll car headed for the dam construction site, takes the wounded man to the police and claims the reward offered. He is told to wait until the driver of the armored car returns to identify the bandit and goes over to the Blue Star where he is introduced to Mishima, the owner of the cabaret, who is highly respected in the town. Joe then meets Saburo, while fishing, and his lovely sister, who seem to sense the real man beneath the rough appearance and take him into their home. Word reaches Joe that the bandit he'd captured had been shot and he hurries over to the hospital.
The Rambler under the Southern Cross
In the nine part Wataridori series (1959-1962), Kobayashi played a wanderer on Japan’s back roads with most of the accoutrements of a Western hero, from a horse to fringes, guitar and even a trusty bullwhip.
The Rambler Rides Again
In this fifth episode of the "Wataridori" series, Taki Shinji (Kobayashi Akira) drifts north to Hokkaido, where he helps protect an Ainu village from unscrupulous land developers.
Tales of a Gunman: The Man Without Tomorrow
Jo of the Colt
The fourth film in the Tales of a Gunman series. When Ryuji throws his pistol into the sea, he is attacked by a man who calls himself Sabu and says that he is the younger brother of Colt Jo's killer. When Ryuji escaped difficulties with one blow knocking out the enemy's weapon, Sabu reveals that Colt Jo is in the hospital in Gifu. Ryuji decides to visit his old enemy. However, he does not know that this is a trap.
The Rambler on a Pearl Farm
Set in Uwajima, Shikoku, an action film starring Akira Kobayashi who uncovers evils related to pearl farming.
The Man with a Sinister Laugh
Ken
After getting out of prison, a young yakuza tries to find out who killed his girlfriend, attempts not to get drawn back into crime, and to find his missing sister.
The Rambler in the Sunset
The young rambler, Shinji Taki, with his guitar arrives a hot spa town at the foot of Mount Aizu Bandai. Of course he solves the problems in the town while encountering the sinister rival, Masa "the pistol guy".
Wind of Volcano
An airplane loaded with 50 million yen for the reconstruction of Amami Oshima crashes en route from Kagoshima, Kyushu, but neither the money nor the remains of the pilot can be found.
The Gun Like Lightning
Goro
Sadao, is saved from death at the hands of Goro, a killer belonging to a rival gang by Joji just released from prison who has resolved to turn over a new leaf. He has returned, however, because of Keiko, his sweetheart, who he now finds is engaged to Noboru, a detective and son of Jinsaku, boss of the Otsu gang. That night at the night club, headquarters of the Highlight Group - which Noboru is investigating, Majima meets Joji who knows of his attempt to kill Jinsaku, and resolves to kill him.
Return of the Vagabond
The 3rd film of the famous "Wataridori" (The Rambler) series from Nikkatsu. The young rambler, Shinji Taki (Akira Kobayashi), with his guitar arrives in Sadogashima Island, Niigata, Japan. Of course, Shinji meets yet another beautiful girl named Noriko, who closely resembles the famous actress Ruriko Asaoka again. Of course, Noriko is in trouble. Of course, Shinji's yet another skilled rival named "Tetsu, the Gunman" comes to Sado shortly. Of course, the villain tries to kill Shinji and Tetsu. Of course, Shinji solves the problem and leaves Sado suddenly.
The Guitarist from the Sea
Plans to build a touristic hot spring on the island of Izu Oshima run afoul of the Kobe yakuza group, which intends to use the island as a relay base for drug smuggling.
Ryuji, the Gun Slinger
Gin of the Colt
When Ryuji - the Gun Slinger, a drug addict leaves hospital to which he was taken after a gunfight by a notorious killer named Gin of Colt, he is employed as a bodyguard by Yo Sangen, chief of a narcotics smuggling ring.
The Guitarist and the Rancher
Rambler Shinji arrives in town armed with nothing but a guitar. With assistance from an old gun-for-hire friend, he sets about to stop the mob from turning an honest ranch into a gambling resort.
Mighty Rules
Who is in the Background?
The Rambling Guitarist
George
Arriving in the town of Hakodate, a wandering musician, Shinji Taki, is soon recruited by the local gang as a hired hand. However, with the arrival of a sinister gunman, Taki's mysterious past catches up with him.
The Human Cyclone
Masa
Machi ga nemuru toki
Gun Number Zero
Eric, an American, arrives at an international tourist hotel and loses his self-defense Colt. It was Kudaira, a beggar, who discovered it, and immediately sold it to Matsuko - another pauper. Soon, the weapon that moves from hand to hand, becomes a tool of many crimes.
Wounded Beast
A tense action game that skillfully intertwines the human love between a criminal, his sister and his lover, and the desperate pursuit of a detective who is trying to catch a fleeing young criminal.
雑踏に光る眼
1959 Japanese movie
Orera wa nagashi no ninkisha
Voice Without a Shadow
Hamazaki
Asako, a former telephone operator once heard the voice of a murder suspect which has continued to haunt her. Years later her husband invites his boss, Hamazaki, over for dinner and she realises his voice is suspiciously like that of the killer. Before she can investigate further, Hamazaki is found dead and her husband becomes the prime suspect.
Taiyō o buchi otose
The Boy Who Came Back
Кадзита
Nobuo is a hot-headed hoodlum fresh out of reform school who struggles to make a clean break with his tearaway past.
Rusty Knife
Shimabara
Udaka is a new, post-war city where corruption has already taken hold. A persistent district attorney wants to arrest and convict Katsumata, a laughing, self-confident thug. The D.A. gets an anonymous letter about the suicide five years' before of a city council member. Evidence about the case leads the D.A. to Tachibana, struggling to go straight after involvement with the mob and a prison sentence for killing the man responsible for the rape and suicide of his fiancée. One of Tachibana's friends is Keiko, the daughter of the dead councilman and the ward of another powerful official. How do these stories connect?
Breasts and Bullets
Japanese crime film
The Naked Woman and the Gun
A Tokyo newspaper reporter goes after the Japanese king of cocaine trafficking but he's tricked by a woman who works for the gangster and gets framed for a murder he didn't commit.
Small Rats of the Edo Town
Hidematsu
The action of this historical drama takes place against the background of poverty and hunger in the city of Edo and depicts young people rebelling against the contradictions of feudal society.
Temptation
Goro Yasui
Shokichi, the owner of the clothing store, lives with his daughter Hideko and plans to open an art gallery. One day, Hideko led a handsome art student, Shohei and a poor painter, Sohei. Sohei’s painting was praised by a great printer at the completion ceremony of the art gallery. Since he became successful as a painter, but he looked quite indifferent. Around the same time, Shohei’s sister brought Sohei’s pictures to the gallery and Shokichi noticed that she was a daughter of his first love.
The Champion
Boxer Ishiyama
Eikichi Yamashiro, who is a former contender for the boxing title, works as a manager at a Club Champion owned by his fiancé Natsuko’s father. He lost a title match five years ago as he was besotted by Natsuko, but Eikichi actually cannot give up the dream of the championship. One day, he meets Shuntaro Fuma, who is a punk kid but a promising boxer, and realizes the dream that he himself could never fulfill. Then, they together start to train with the aim of the title. Mari Shiraki is an up-and-coming ballerina under the patronage of Eikichi as well. Eikichi forbids Shuntaro and Mari to be romantically involved with someone during their training, however, they start to go on a date. (source: Nikkatsu International)
Kawakami Tetsuji, No. 16
Masaki Yoshihara
A biopic about Japanese baseball player, Tetsuharu Kawakami.
Frankie the Milkman
Zenkichi Matsubara
Roppeita is big in size, clumsy and full of energy. When his grandfather orders him to move out to Tokyo to save a sinking milk delivery business a distant relative of his runs, he encounters the most strangest of clientele.
Kingorô no omawari-san
Japanese "kayo" film centered around the song "Wakai omawari-san" by Shiro Sone.
Kanshō fujin
Japanese drama film.
Shiawase wa doko ni
Tetsuo Shimura
The Happy Dancers
Japanese "kayo" film centered around the song "Tokyo baka odori" by Haruo Oka and Chiyoko Shimakura.
Seishun wo warera ni
Takai
Confession
Called to the Stand
Chief editor Shirou Kanzaka (Hisaya Morishige) of Sankei Publishing Inc. is being tried for embezzlement and the staging of Chiyo Umehara's suicide. The victim is a woman who's said to have had sexual relations with the defendant. Four intertwined witnesses; a critic, Shirou's employee, a singer, and his wife, are all called to the stand. His destiny now lies in their hands.
Sara no hana no toge
Tsukiyo no kasa
Housewives from four neighboring households casually gather at an old well at Kaneko's house in a residential area on the outskirts of Tokyo. If two people come together, they will talk about selling kimonos, if three people come together, they will discuss food shopping, and when four people come together, there will be laughter. Focusing on four housewives who gather at the edge of the well, it depicts the daily life of each household.
The Maid's Kid
Ofukuro
Shizuka, Eiichiro, and Mineko, their father and son, live modestly in a certain suburb, leading a dreary but happy life. Eiichiro is troubled by Shizuka's desire to live together in familiar Tokyo. Mineko is the exact opposite of Eiichiro. A literary masterpiece depicting the fateful sorrow and humor of a mother and child
Policeman's Diary
Patrolman Yabuta
Lending money, job hunting for civilians and babysitting. All these things are usually not listed on a policeman's job description. But for the officers of this local police station, it‘s part of their daily routine. One day, patrolman Yoshii (Hisaya Morishige) finds an abandoned baby and a six year old girl standing in front of the station. When he's declined by the welfare office, orphanage and local health clinic to take them in, he decides to take care of them himself.
東京市街戦
After World War II life in Japan was hard. There was lawlessness, rapine, never enough food or money. One girl, raped by three men, called out the name of Kentaro before she died and this was something that people in this small section of downtown Tokyo remembered. Life went on, however, and local boss Hiramatsu Daizo decided to build a market, aided by his daughter Aya. They met opposition until one day a young man named Kentaro appears who it is rumored he was the vengeful lover of the murdered girl. He lives with Sabu and Yukari, the children the girl looked after before she died, and helps with the market, coming to the rescue with a bulldozer when Daizo is threatened by a rival group. When Daizo is finally killed, Kentaro carries on the work. Finally the market is completed, the rival group makes a last stand but is machine-gunned down by Kentaro who, after saying that he was not the one whose name the dying girl called out, leaves town for good.