Masashige Narusawa

Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (Aru eiga-kantoku no shogai) is a 1975 Japanese documentary film on the life and works of director Kenji Mizoguchi, directed by Kaneto Shindo (Onibaba). It runs 150 minutes and can be found on the second disc of the Region 1 Criterion Collection release of Ugetsu (1953).

Emika has been raised by her aunt Ineko, who runs a high-class club in Akasaka. Ineko is backed by Ohashi, a political mastermind, but at the same time, she gives money to Riki, a young aspiring photographer, and has a relationship with him. Riki gets to know Emika and falls in love with her at first sight. When Riki asks Ineko for money to buy a car, Ineko sells Emika's virginity to Ohashi.

Japanese “kayo” film based on the song by "Namida koi" by Aki Yashiro.

Poor Yoko knows she is getting played and used by a playboy, but she loves him with all her heart and soul.

Two boys and two girls become acquainted and fall in love.

A story about club hostesses in Osaka.

Love-hate drama of three beautiful sisters in Ooku in Edo Castle.

A detective tries to outwit a jewel thief who has kidnapped the daughter of a jeweler to get to an exquisite diamond.

A samurai kills a blind man who tells him to repay his debts. Because of the samurai's actions his entire family is to bear a terrible curse.

Jiro, a smooth-talking, womanizing bartender, flees from a Yakuza boss to Yanagase.

An absolutely astonishing art house ninkyo yakuza film. Wandering gambler runs into a young swindler woman working with old man. They are both arrested by detective. A year later gambler is staying with gangster boss when he comes across that woman and her partner again. Boss lusts for both her and his own daughter, while the boss's crazy yakuza brother loves his daughter, who, in turn, watches the player and wants to destroy the people standing in her way. And here lies one of the film's remarkable departures from the standard ninkyo efforts: it doesn't have a third party villain, nor a clear distinction between good and evil. It's bursting with romantic emotion and wrenched with gritty realism, shot with striking black and white compositions, and explodes into shocking carnage. It has lengthier, more detailed gambling scenes than any other yakuza film I've seen. And it has a heartbreakingly beautiful score. You could call it the Ashes of Time of ninkyo yakuza films. A masterpiece!

An absolutely astonishing art house ninkyo yakuza film. Wandering gambler runs into a young swindler woman working with old man. They are both arrested by detective. A year later gambler is staying with gangster boss when he comes across that woman and her partner again. Boss lusts for both her and his own daughter, while the boss's crazy yakuza brother loves his daughter, who, in turn, watches the player and wants to destroy the people standing in her way. And here lies one of the film's remarkable departures from the standard ninkyo efforts: it doesn't have a third party villain, nor a clear distinction between good and evil. It's bursting with romantic emotion and wrenched with gritty realism, shot with striking black and white compositions, and explodes into shocking carnage. It has lengthier, more detailed gambling scenes than any other yakuza film I've seen. And it has a heartbreakingly beautiful score. You could call it the Ashes of Time of ninkyo yakuza films. A masterpiece!

Otama, daughter of a poor candy vendor, becomes the mistress of a man whom she believes to be a widower and owner of a prosperous dry goods store. The man is in fact married with children, and is a despised loan shark who takes money from the poor without qualms. Totally enraptured with Otama, this usurer establishes her and her father in separate houses and generously gives them gifts including silk taken as interest from Oshige, a poor cloth dealer who does business with the sewing teacher, Otama's neighbor. Otama's satisfaction with her situation gradually crumbles as she discovers the truth about her benefactor.

A playboy bartender pretends to be gay in order to approach women. He is in cahoots with another opportunist, a young woman who is trying to seduce a rich married man. Their attempts at making easy money can only end tragically.

Ken Watanabe, a young man from Tokyo, comes to the great plains of Rumo, Hokkaido to see his hometown with his own eyes. Ken, who was entangled in this land's boss Samejima and collapsed, was rescued by Shingo Kazama, a mountain man who works at the quarry. Samejima, who doesn't like Shingo, tries to interfere with Shingo's work...

A young bartender acts as a pimp on the side: he pretends to have VD to get a girl an abortion. She is actually infected by another and plans her revenge.

During the war a university professor meets a girl and marries her. Very soon however, it is apparent that their needs are not matched. He would much rather be translating Shakespeare than attending to her, and she has a secret in her past - one that results in her sleeping with a great number of men.

A young yakuza, Yatappe, wanders around the country in search of his long-lost little sister, Oito. While traveling, he rescues a young girl, Osayo, whose father entrusts her to him with his dying wish. To honor his promise to Osayo's deceased father, Yatappe brings her to safety, and from a distance keeps a watchful eye on her well being.

The sexual experiences of the passionate Sakiko, from her fling with her boss in her first job to her ending up as a prostitute.

The sexual experiences of the passionate Sakiko, from her fling with her boss in her first job to her ending up as a prostitute.

혼란스러운 16세기 일본, 지방 영주들은 세력을 안정시키기 위해 천주교의 전파를 막으려고 한다. 다도로 유명한 귀족집안의 긴은 우콘을 사모하지만 그는 이미 결혼한 사람인데다 자신은 오로지 천주만을 모시겠다는 대답을 듣고 집안을 위해 모즈야와 결혼한다. 천주교에 대한 탄압이 점점 더 심해지면서 우콘 역시 귀향길에 오르게 되고 긴은 우연히 히데요시 도요토미의 눈에 들어 강제로 끌려가게 될 처지가 된다.

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.

Katsujiro the fisherman overcomes his laziness when he learns of his younger sister Okiku’s unfortunate fate. Nakamura Kinnosuke stars in two roles (Katsugoro and Aoyama Harima) in this film about the tragic nature of society in the late Edo period.

In this first episode, we are introduced to Takezo, what Musashi used to be before he became the man of legend. His beginning are not exactly auspicious. He sides with the Toyotomi at Sekigahara, and as a result finds himself on the losing side of the historic battle. He and his friend Matahachi manage to escape the slaughter although the latter is wounded in his leg. They stumble across the young Akemi who makes her living with her mother Oko by robbing corpses of their armor and anything else they can sell. Oko takes it into her head to seduce Matahachi, which she does first by skillfully sucking the gangrene from his blood, and then just by sucking.

When master swordsman Mikogami Genshiro of the Ono fencing school returns to find that his ailing sensei has been murdered in the dead of night, he must find the culprit and exact revenge. His return sets off a series of violent incidents and incites a high ranked female skilled in sword to test his mettle after he unwittingly offends her. The ever delightful Misora Hibari co-stars with the great Tsuruta Koji in this exciting tale set in the earliest days of the Tokugawa shogunate. Lots of exciting swordfights highlight this entertaining motion picture!

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 (cf. YOSHIWARA; A BLOODY SPEAR AT MT. FUJI), 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).

From an original story by Shibata Renzaburo, the novelist who created such classics as: the "Nemuri Kyoshiro" series (Son of the Black Mass), "Destiny’s Son" etc. comes the complex story exploring the mystery behind why Ino Morimasa betrayed his sworn brother Ishida Mitsunari, thus leading to the defeat of the Toyotomi at the Battle of Sekigahara. Starring Nakamura Kinnosuke in one of the strongest performances of his career as Ino's estranged son seeking justice. Originally known as "The Forbidden Castle".

A chance meeting between two traveling gamblers leads to a case of mistaken identity when the farmers transporting gold to the governor think they are about to be robbed as the two gamblers face off against each other swords in hand.

Based on the original work by Shuji Hojo, Itohan Monogatari depicts the fate of a clumsy and kind-hearted woman in the Taisho era.

정부에서 매춘을 금지하자는 논의가 벌어지고 있을 무렵, 도쿄 공창가의 유곽 ‘꿈의 마을’에서는 다섯 명의 매춘부들이 각자 사연을 안고 살아간다. 하나에는 있으나 마나 한 남편과 하나뿐인 아이를 돌보고, 과부인 유메코 역시 홀로 아들을 건사한다. 요리에는 구혼하는 남자 때문에 고민이고, 야스미는 빚을 갚기 위해 착실히 돈을 모은다. 미키는 앞일 따위는 걱정하지 않는데, 어느 날, 고베에서 아버지가 찾아온다. 각양각색의 사연을 가진 매춘부들의 삶을 통해 현대 사회와 여성들의 모습을 생생하게 그려낸 미조구치의 유작이다. (2016 영화의 전당 - 미조구치 겐지 60주기 특별전) 남자들이 하룻밤의 쾌락을 찾아서 출입하는 환락가. 겉으로 그럴듯해 보이는 이 세계는 실은 하루하루의 절박한 삶을 살아가는 작부들의 애환이 서려있다. 살롱 ‘꿈의 고향’에는 이재에 밝은 야스미, 가출 소녀 출신의 미키, 실업자인 남편을 먹여 살리는 하나에 등 여러 여인네들이 남자들을 끌어들이기 위해 애쓴다. 하지만 마침 ‘매춘금지법안’이 국회에 제출되면서 이 거리에도 여러 가지 파문이 일어난다. 자신들의 생계가 위험해질 가능성이 커짐에 따라 그녀들은 자신의 삶에 대해 다시 생각하게 된다. 절박한 상황에 놓인 작부들의 모습을 호화로운 캐스팅으로 그려낸 미조구치 여성 영화의 최고봉이라 할 만한 작품으로 그의 유작이 되었다. 이 영화가 제작될 당시 실제로 ‘매춘금지법’이 일본에서 제출되어 1956년 5월에 가결되었다. 그 시사성 때문에 개봉 당시 대히트를 기록했다. (2010 일본영화거장전 - 미조구치 겐지)

The story of Yoshinaka during the tumultuous period of warring related to us in the Heike Monogatari. Close in setting to Kinugasa’s famous Gate of Hell (1953).

Special Forces commander Captain Tadamori returns to Kyoto after successfully defeating the uprising of pirates in the western sea of Japan. But because the high courtiers dislike career soldiers gaining power and influence, they ignore the will of ex-Emperor Toba and refuse to reward the captain. Reward recommender Lord Tokinobu is punished, and the captain sends his son Kiyomori to the Lord's residence, where he falls in love with Tokiko, the Lord's daughter. Meanwhile, Kiyomori finds out that he is possibly the ex-Emperor's son... Written by L.H. Wong

당나라의 현종황제는 깊게 사랑하던 처 무혜비를 잃고 실의의 나날을 보내고 있다. 측근들은 황제의 마음을 사로잡을만한 여인을 열심히 찾지만 어느 누구도 그의 마음에 들지는 않는다. 정치적 야심을 갖고 있던 안록산은 어느 날 양씨 집안의 부엌에서 양옥환이란 아가씨를 발견하고 그녀를 황제에게 추천한다. 현종은 전의 황후와 많이 닮은 그녀에게 관심을 가지기 시작한다. 미조구치 최초의 컬러 영화로 호화로운 궁정을 무대로 한 역사물이다. 현종이 양귀비를 너무 사랑한 나머지 결국 당제국을 멸망의 길로 접어들게 했다는 역사적 사실을 배경으로 하면서도 미조구치는 남녀 간의 슬픈 사랑에 초점을 맞춘다. 정감 넘치는 대작이다.

The tragedy of the geiko girl Ume and the men who try to pursue her.

남편과 사별한 후 하츠코는 교토에서 혼자 힘으로 유곽을 꾸려 나간다. 외동딸 유키코는 도쿄의 음악학교에서 공부하고 있다. 그런데 약혼한 지 얼마 되지 않았던 유키코가 돌연 자살을 시도하고, 놀란 하츠코는 도쿄로 달려가 유키코를 집으로 데려온다. 하츠코는 마음에 두었던 젊은 의사 마토바에게 유키코의 치료를 부탁한다. 상심해 있던 유키코는 마음이 통하는 마토바와 점점 더 가까워진다.

A young woman, who must support her father as a middle-aged man's mistress, finds herself falling in love with a student closer to her age.

An Ishiro Honda film.

Drama about a famous one-eyed, one-armed samurai swordsman of the middle of the Tokugawa period by the name of Tange Sazen. By chance, Tange gets an old pot in which the secret of the treasure of 1000000 ryos of gold is hidden. However, a bunch of different people hunt for the pot and Tange will have to apply his phenomenal fencing skills with the sword.

This early gem starring the great Mifune Toshiro tells the tale of Katakana Yonetaro aka "The Shark," a rough-and-tumble horse trader in Japan's rugged northernmost territory of Hokkaddo.. ...

The fall of an accountant enthralled by the sexual charms of a cabaret dancer.

Adaptation of the original story by Hida Yoshiro, whose depiction of the world of the yakuza is unparalleled. Gisuke, a weather-beaten yakuza with nostalgia and memories of love in his heart.