Kodayu Ichikawa

Monjiro was born into a poor farm family in Mikazuki Village, Nitta County, Ueshu, and abandoned his hometown when he was 10 years old. He has been traveling aimlessly with a long toothpick in his mouth. Monjiro avoided getting involved in anything, but wherever he went, he ended up getting involved in incidents

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1961 Japanese film about the Shinsengumi.

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Detective Hanshichi (Kataoka Chiezo) solves 3 mysterious murder cases. Great story and an impressive all-star cast, a must see!

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Aoi Shingo, a son of the Shogun, continues his travels seeking to further his mastery of the sword. In this final episode of the popular “Shingo’s Original Challenge” series, Shingo confronts his master’s killer in the ultimate test of his skill.

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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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Umon’s services are called upon when innocent bystanders, Kayo and Minokichi, along with the ronin, Gontaro are mistakenly identified as suspects in several recent murder cases. To prove their innocence and uncover the truth, Umon launches his own investigation.

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Chubei, the adopted son of an Osaka courier, falls desperately in love with the courtesan Umegawa. To prevent a wealthy client from purchasing her, he steals money from his employer to buy her freedom himself. Now hunted criminals, the lovers flee toward Yamato, pursued by the law.

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One of the great stories from Japan’s rich history comes to life in this true tale of the bloody showdown between two rival yakuza gangs in the 1840’s. The battle between Boss Sukegoro of Iioka and Boss Shigezo of Sasagawa has been portrayed many times, most notably in the first Zatoichi film, where the blind man befriends the tubercular ronin Hirate Miki, before cutting him down in one of the great duels in cinema history. This all-star extravaganza pulls out all the stops, with appearances by virtually all of the great actors and actresses from Toei’s studio at the time. Ichikawa Utaemon’s portrayal of the kind-hearted, noble yakuza boss Shigezo of Sasagawa contrasts sharply with the devious Sukegoro of Iioka. Corrupt as he may have been, his men were all willing to give up their lives for him.

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Featuring some of the finest swordsmen ever to grace the silver screen, this Toei classic tells the story of a battle between the evil sword style called ”Otonashi” (The Silent Form) and the proper way of swordsmanship as promoted by such historical stalwarts as Shimada Toranosuke, and the mysterious Honda Sakon, who face off against a group masquerading as the lord of Mito and his traveling bodyguards Suke-san and Kaku-san. The plot thickens as their leader unveils his secret plan to disrupt the stability of the nation. It is all in the name of swordsmanship, and as the title implies there are no stronger swordsmen!

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Kataoka Chiezo stars as Murasaki Zukin, a mysterious hero of the people who helps those in need. Now under the rule of the evil Tanuma, the people look to Murasaki Zukin more than ever, to confront and punish those who bring misfortune upon the commoners. Will he be able to bring peace to the land? One of the greatest actors from Toei Studios, known mainly for his swashbuckling roles as powerful swordsmen such as Ryunosuke in SOULS IN THE MOONLIGHT, he appeared in 325 films both before and after the war, beginning with CHUSHINGURA in 1928, and including KUNISADA CHUJI in 1933, and DOKUGANRYO MASAMUNE. While best known for his swordplay, Chiezo really did not enjoy the action, but was able to use his menacing presence to stare down his adversaries. Although Kataoka Chiezo passed away in 1983 at the age of 79, he still has many fans today. This film shows him at his best.

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Tasuke stumbles across Kokichi, a distraught man whom having lost his fiancee to Lord Kawakatsu is ready to commit suicide. Tasuke learns that Kokichi's fiancee, Otoyo, was a chambermaid whom Kawakatsu abducted in order to make her his concubine and Tasuke feels compelled to right this wrong. Meanwhile Kawakatsu is dealing in black-market lumber and receiving kick-backs but unbeknownst to him he is under investigation by Lord Izu, one of the Shogun Elders. Will Tasuke be able to rescue Otoyo from the clutches of Lord Kawakatsu and can Lord Izu put an end to his money hungry evildoings.

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Townsend Harris is sent by President Pierce to Japan to serve as the first U.S. Consul-General to that country. Harris discovers enormous hostility to foreigners, as well as the love of a young geisha.

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The Shinsengumi is a special unit of ronin commissioned by the Tokugawa shogunate to counter anti-shogunate activities in Kyoto. A sinister plot to overthrow the shogun is set in motion and Kondo Isami and his fellow samurai must answer the call and expose those behind it.

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The story follows Keiko, a dancer in the "Maiko Odori" theater in Kyoto, who tries to climb the social ladder in a world driven by money and self-interest. She becomes involved with wealthy men to pursue her ambitions but faces betrayal, exploitation, and is even accused of embezzlement. As she struggles to survive, her close friend dies from a heart condition, and her plan to marry a rich man fails. In the end, Keiko realizes the harshness of reality and decides to keep dancing despite the sorrow.

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Two guardians of the Nijo Castle, Shioya and Kamazawa, discover a map leading to a secret passage to Edo Castle. Instead of reporting their find to local authorities, they decide to blackmail the lords who created the forbidden passage. To prove their crime, Magistrate Toyama Kinshiro launches a private undercover investigation.

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Toyama Kinshiro, a commissioner from northern Edo, goes undercover to unravel the mystery behind a series of murders. Kinshiro, played by Kataoka Chiezo, is most famous for the cherry blossom tattoos on his shoulder which he reveals at the moment of judgement.

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The year is 1805. Napoleon ruled Europe. Ienari is the 11th Tokugawa Shogun. An incident, which was an open official secret, took place on the foothills of Mt. Fuji. Fearing attacks from within and without, the Shogunate planned to build a training castle utilizing the most advanced techniques. Two master castle architects, Sato Kikutaro and Kumai Hakuten, were selected to compete for the honor of building this castle. Lord Mizuno Dewa has even ordered the townspeople to assist both sides with their land surveys and preparations. This leads to fear on the part of farmers that their land will be taken away from them, and sets off a series of events which rock the nation to its very roots. With an all-star cast, this is an important story with relevance to current times. One of Ichikawa Utaemon's finest performances, a true classic!

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Akitaro Orizuru, who set out on a journey to avenge his father's death in the darkness, returned to Itako, his hometown, where the Ayame Festival was approaching, for the first time in five years. His late father's brother, Sutezo, who took off his waraji, runs a small prostitute with only one child, Sutematsu. In addition, only Shigezaburo, who left a mark in the middle wind, was ill-mannered by Inomatsu. Akitaro was accompanied by a daughter named Omitsu on the way to here, but she was Ura's younger sister who works at Fujikura's house, and the villagers worked on the fifty cars to meet her critically ill father.

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Famed detective Dandy Sashichi tries to solve who's behind the serial murders of six beautiful women under the aegis of local showman Ibaragiya. The film opens with the sextet humiliating a respected painter's portraits of them, driving the man to a sus­picious suicide. Later, while celebrating his son's impending marriage into a wealthy family, Ibaragiya releases six pigeons from a pleasure boat, each with a rolled up drawing of one of the beauties tied to their legs. He offers a cash reward to whomever recovers the pictures, but they instead become death notices of which of the six are next to die.

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A master hunter is driven to defiance after a tyrannical magistrate's cruelty pushes his community to its breaking point. His expert skill with a bow becomes the rallying point for a group of oppressed peasants and prisoners seeking justice. Together, they stage a fierce, collective uprising to storm the local stronghold and overthrow their corrupt rulers.

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An all-star cast portraying the end of the Edo period as a commemorative film for the late Tsumasaburo Bando.

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Film adaption by Kenji Misumi

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A power struggle in the fief of Okazaki causes the death of Namiji, a nobleman's daughter. As her fiancé seeks revenge, he finds Namiji's cat helping him, along the Fifty-Three stations of the Tokaido Road. Co-starring Shintarô Katsu and Takako Irie.

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In the mid-Tokugawa period, a conflict arose over the "Seiryū Himon," a secret document left by the former shogun Iesai, bequeathing the eighth shogunate to young Lord Manguro of Owari domain. This document became the center of a struggle between the current shogun, Yoshimune, and Manguro. Iida Daisuke, a member of the shogunate's secret intelligence group, the Kurokuwa Group, stole the document from Owari but was killed by Manguro's men. The document then fell into the hands of Yozakura Ogin, who had pledged her life to Daisuke.

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One night in Edo, a mysterious woman in a palanquin appeared at the moneylender Yamashiroya, revealing herself to a beautiful woman. She told the owner, Shigebē, that she had come to collect a life he owed from twenty years ago and then left. The same night, Maruiya Genbē also received a visit from the woman's palanquin, and nearby, a man named Manbē was murdered. The detective Hayanawa Gohē concluded the murder was the work of a fox spirit, but another detective, Den Shichi, skeptical of this theory, noticed footprints on the tatami and decided to investigate further.

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In the eleventh year of the Tenpō era, the Kawarazaki-za theater in Edo buzzed with excitement for a new production of "Kanjinchō" by Naritaya, featuring music by the master Kineya Rokusaburō. However, Naritaya's requests to change some of Rokusaburō's most painstakingly crafted parts of the composition angered his disciple, Shinjirō, leading to a conflict and Shinjirō's abandonment of the shamisen. One day, Shinjirō was captivated by the mysteriously beautiful dance of Oaki, a traveling performer's daughter, who seemed to be channeling her art into a form of revenge.

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Based on the novel by Shofu Muramatsu, the film is dedicated to the actors of the renowned Japanese Kabuki theatre. Set in Japan in 1885, the story follows Kikunosuke Onoe, the adopted son of a famous Kabuki actor. Kikunosuke’s father teaches him professional acting skills, preparing him to become his successor and continue the acting dynasty. However, Kikunosuke leaves his family, much to his father’s dismay, to hone his craft outside of Tokyo and moves to Osaka.

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The story of Japan’s greatest warrior, Miyamoto Musashi, after his historic duel with Sasaki Kojiro on Ganryu Island.

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It is brother against brother in this tale of love and betrayal within the famed Yagyu clan. In one of their earliest films together, superstars Ichikawa Raizo and Katsu Shintaro are magnificent as the two finest young swordsmen in the clan. As they vie for the hand of a beautiful woman their loyalty comes into question during an attack on their lord. When one of them masters the secret technique taught to him by Miyamoto Musashi, it leads to bloody violence that can tear the clan apart! Filled with superb swordplay this rare classic is not to be missed!

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Japanese film.

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