Biography
Tetsuro Tamba (July 17, 1922 – September 24, 2006) was a distinguished Japanese actor known for his versatile talent across five decades. Recognized globally for his portrayal of Tiger Tanaka in the iconic 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice," Tamba's cinematic journey was a remarkable blend of cultural bridges. Before embarking on his acting career, Tamba worked as an interpreter for the Allied Powers' Supreme Commander. Graduating from Chuo University in 1948, he later joined Shintoho c...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Teruo Ishii Fan Club
2006
A documentary on Teruo Ishii, the Japanese "King of Cult".

Demon Pond
2005
The modern-day story of a man searching for a friend who has mysteriously disappeared, with a magical tale involving strange creatures, a heartbroken ...

The Thousand Year Fire
2004
Having lost both his mother and father, an 11-year-old city boy is sent to live with his grandparents in a small seaside village. Feeling responsible ...

Capone: Roppongi Renkin no Teio
2004
With the help of the real-life pachislot gambling group "Capone," the film depicts the friendship between a man who gambles and a man who lives in the...

Gozu
2003
Minami mistakenly kills a gangster associate of his named Brother. Almost as soon as the murder takes place, the body of the deceased man is gone, pro...

Yakuza Demon
2003
as Michitane Tendou
Seiji and Yoshifumi are the only members of the Muto branch of the Date Family. The two respect and love their leader, Mr. Muto, like a father and the...
A Case of Murder by the Atami Station Taxi Stand
2003

T.R.Y.
2003
At the turn of the 20th Century amongst tension between China and Japan, a Japanese swindler in Shanghai plans to profit by selling weapons. He steals...

Shura Group Part 2
2002
Ryuji Inahara, the heir to the Atami Yamazakiya family, subsequently placed the group under the control of the influential members of the Guretai, kno...
Best Ever Bond
2002
as Tiger Tanaka (archive footage) (uncredited)
Roger Moore presents the ten best sequences ever to have appeared in the James Bond series, and cast members recall their favourite moments.

Bond Girls Are Forever
2002
as Tiger Tanaka (archive footage) (uncredited)
Through vintage film clips of past Bond movie epics, and with the participation of several former "Bond Girls" as interviewees (among them Dr. No's Ur...

The Twilight Samurai
2002
as Tozaemon Iguchi
Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles ...

Deadly Outlaw: Rekka
2002
as Sanada
After Kunisada's Yakuza leader and father figure is brutally murdered, he and his best friend go on a two-man mission to avenge his death, killing oth...

The Cat Returns
2002
as Cat King (voice)
Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.

Graveyard of Honor
2002
as Tetsuji Tokura
A barkeeper saves a Yakuza boss' life and thus makes his way up in the organization. However, his fear of nothing soon causes problems.

The Happiness of the Katakuris
2002
as Granpa Jinpei Katakuri
The Katakuri family has just opened their guest house in the mountains. Unfortunately their first guest commits suicide and in order to avoid trouble ...

Shura Group
2002
Remake of The Story of a Man Among Men (1984)
Shura Group Part 1
2002
Denzaburo Kato, the third generation leader of the Horii family whose territory encompasses the Yokohama area, has a dramatic encounter at a certain j...

Ino Tadataka: Meridian dreams
2001
Biographical story, based on life of Ino Tadataka, a Japanese measurer and cartographer. Ino Tadataka travelled the length and breadth of Japan on foo...

The Making Of The Katakuris
2001
In this contemporary documentary, the cast and the crew share their experiences of making the film.

Blind Beast vs Killer Dwarf
2001
A blind masseur kidnaps young women and kills them and then make sculptures of them, while a mysterious dwarf spreading severed body parts around. Det...

Sakuya: The Slayer of Demons
2000
as Old Master
The eruption of Mt. Fuji in 1707 released hordes of demons from deep inside the earth. Sakuya, the young daughter of a samurai killed fighting these d...

A Class to Remember IV: Fifteen
2000
as Tetsuo Hatake
Bored with school, 15-year-old Daisuke Kawashima embarks on a pilgrimage to visit the 7,000-year-old cedar tree on distant Yakushima Island. Through h...

The Stupid Teacher
2000
as Utaemon Baba
Film director Mario Baba meets a mysterious gentleman, and realizes he is a important man from his boyhood. The two chase each other around, causing a...

Japanese Hell
1999
as Asu Shino
From the king of the Japanese cult movie, Teruo Ishii! A controversial film in which actual cases that rocked modern-day Japan—including the sarin gas...

Jubaku: Spellbound
1999
as Tajiro Kawakami
When a major bank is caught paying off a corporate extortionist, the media and prosecutors begin to dig, breaking open a money-and-favours scandal tha...

Crayon Shin-chan: Explosion! The Hot Spring's Feel Good Final Battle
1999
as Tamba (voice)
There's only one way to stop a filthy evil scientist from destroying the world, and it's with a powerful hot spring located under Shin-chan's house!

Screwed
1998
as Landlord
It has been two years since unsuccessful cartoonist Tsube started to live with Kuniko casually in a small apartment.

The Peking Man
1997
as Osone
In 1929 the fossil of a 500,000 year old man is discovered in China. In 1941 the Japanese army confiscates this find, but during the war the remains d...

Tetsuro Tamba’s Great Spiritual World 3: Amazing Reincarnation Story That Ran Around the Whole
1994
At the end of the Edo period, nine-year-old Katsugoro told his older sister that he was the reincarnation of Tozo, who had died in a neighboring villa...

Tetsuro Tamba’s Great Spiritual World 3: Amazing Reincarnation Story That Ran Around the Whole
1994
Director, Screenplay
At the end of the Edo period, nine-year-old Katsugoro told his older sister that he was the reincarnation of Tozo, who had died in a neighboring villa...

Psychic: Traveler to the Unknown
1994
Hikaru, an ordinary man, discovers a way to unleash the supernatural powers hidden inside his soul, allowing him to cure others with his newfound “ki”...

Emperor of Upheaval
1993
The anti-gangster law has been very bad for business, but one yakuza boss is running his syndicate like a ruthless conglomerate -- and thriving.

The Supernormal II
1993
Pseudo-documentary sequel.

Taira no Kiyomori
1992
The tale of Taira Kiyomori who started as a young inexperienced warrior who led the Heike into the battle against the brutal pirates on Setouchi.
Minamoto Yoshitsune
1991
During the late Heian era in Japan a famous duel took place between the warrior monk Musashibo Benkei and a slender young man of high rank named Shana...

The Tale of Genji
1991
TV movie based on the novel "The Tale of Genji" by Murasaki Shikibu, which tells about the life of Prince Hikaru Genji, who was nicknamed "Shining" by...

The Great Shogunate Battle
1991
The early days of the Tokugawa shogunate are brought to light in this exciting historical tale of broken vows and violent swordplay. In an ambush the ...

Yakuza Warfare
1991
Two childhood friends find themselves caught in the midst of an all-out turf war between rival factions in the yakuza-stained region of Kyushu.

源氏九郎颯爽記 秘剣揚羽の蝶
1991

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
1991
as Master Zhang
In 2001, where all correctional facilities have been privatized, martial artist Ricky finds himself victim to the corrupt system, found "guilty" of th...

The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses
1991
After his fiancée is killed in the crossfire of a yakuza turf war, a man on the edge remorselessly hunts down the gangsters responsible.

Kim's War
1991
After shooting a gangster in self-defense, Kim Hui Ro takes refuge at a hotel and takes the guest hostages. Realising his position, he invites the pre...

Heat Wave
1991
as Denkichi Tsuzaki
Rin Jyoshima lost her father to death-by-gambling; years later, she's grown up in the Kosugi household and has fallen victim to gambling herself.

Female Neo-Ninjas
1991
as Time Patrol leader
Three cute, sexy ninjas, around the age of 20, have been in training, building their powers for some vague future threat. Their destined mission becom...

1750 Days of Turbulence
1990
After the death of previous Boss, a gang war lasts for more than four years.

School Be-In Bully
1990
as Ryotaro Sakurazawa
The prestigious private Sakuraryo Gakuen, which has a 90-year tradition, has now lost its glory to the ground, and the back organization of the athlet...

Aurora Borealis
1990
as Tsuneiro Kamisaka
The story of a man and a wolf-dog in East Siberia during the early 1900s.

13 Assassins
1990
In between the original 1963 13 ASSASSINS film and the 2010 remake by Miike Takashi, Fuji TV produced a version for TV. Starring Nakadai Tatsuya and N...

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World 2: I was surprised when I died!!
1990
as Ryo Okamoto
The second installment of the spirit world guide movie based on the original idea of Tetsuro Tamba, made after the hit of the previous work. Depicts...

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World 2: I was surprised when I died!!
1990
Executive Producer, Screenplay
The second installment of the spirit world guide movie based on the original idea of Tetsuro Tamba, made after the hit of the previous work. Depicts...

Tokyo: The Last War
1989
as Kanaami Kohou
The year is 1945. After the horrific fire-bombings of the Pacific War levels Japan to the ground, the government decides to consult spiritual psychics...

Four Days of Snow and Blood
1989
as Jinzaburi Shinzaki
Based on the "2.26 Incident", an attempted coup d'état in Japan 1936, launched by radical ultra-nationalist parts of the military. Several leading pol...

The Political Game
1989
This is James Miki's first directorial work, and he is also the original writer and scriptwriter. Noritaka Sakamoto was in charge of photography, and ...

Yakuza Ladies 3
1989
as Takeo Sakanishi
Upon the passing of the Sakanishi Clan’s boss, a fierce battle between his wife Hazuki and his disciple Terada breaks out. Will Hazuki be able to assu...

長七郎江戸日記スペシャル 長七郎 大奥まかり通る
1989

Shogun's Shadow
1989
as Hotta Masamori
A shogun's eldest son must do whatever it takes to survive a series of attempts on his life. He receives much-needed aid from seven warriors who are l...

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die
1989
as 吉野博士
Visualization based on Tetsuro Tamba's best-selling "Great Reikai". A story about a physicist who dies in an accident and experiences the afterlife as...

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die
1989
Idea, General Manager, Writer
Visualization based on Tetsuro Tamba's best-selling "Great Reikai". A story about a physicist who dies in an accident and experiences the afterlife as...

Tokugawa Ieyasu – TBS Warlord Special
1988
From his early days as Matsudaira Motoyasu through his rise to the most powerful man in Japan as Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first of the Tokugawa Shoguns, t...

Tokyo Pop
1988
as Mr. Dota
A young rock singer is not appreciated by her band, and gets a postcard from Japan saying "wish you were here". She takes what little money she has in...

A Taxing Woman's Return
1988
as Sadohara
Ryōko Itakura returns as the tough-as-nails government taxing agent. This time she must figure out a way to expose a fanatical religious cult lead by ...
Tetsuro Tamba's Spirit World
1988
Director
This is a re-edited version of a Canadian-made documentary on psychic phenomena with the theme of reincarnation, with his commentary scenes added at t...

Tabaruzaka
1987
Known as the ”Last Samurai” Saigo Takamori was a stout giant of a man with a huge head and a neck like a bear. As the leader of Satsuma’s anti-Western...

There Goes Benio, the Smart Girl
1987
Benio, a peppy tomboy, is surprised to learn that she has been secretly betrothed by her grandfather to a young officer named Shinobu Ijuin. Because o...

Twilight of the Cockroaches
1987
as Grandpa (voice)
The cockroaches of Saito's apartment live in peace with their human host, who gives them lots of space to breed and plenty of leftovers to munch on. I...

You're My Destiny
1987
Naomi, a corporate heiress from Japan, vacations to Hong Kong with her two colleagues. Bored, she sneaks out to visit the city and befriends a local r...

Ronin on a Mission
1987
as Ōishi Kuranosuke
Mori Kojiro, a member of the Akō Ronin, fails to identify Kira Kozukenosuke before their attack and is publicly banished by Ōishi Kuranosuke. Ōishi la...

Shinran: Path to Purity
1987
In the 12th century, Buddhism was still a relatively new religion in Japan. At that time, one school (Shingon) offered extensive training in complex a...

Night Train
1987
as Isaburo Tamura
A woman faces betrayal, which tests her love.

Tokyo Blackout
1987
as Nakata
Based on a science-fiction novel by Sakyo Komatsu. Tokyo is suddenly covered by a dome shaped electromagnetic cloud for an unknown reason and is total...

The White Tiger Battalion
1986
The Byakkotai was part of Aizu’s four-unit military, set up in the domain’s drive to finalize its military modernization, in the wake of the Battle of...
Be Free!
1986
as Keizo Hasegawa
Adventures of a young high school teacher and his oddball students.

April Fish
1986
as Panapora Chief Handa
A Francophile filmmaker in a creative rut tries to pass off a free-spirited young actress as his movie-star wife in order to fool a chief from the Sou...

Cabaret
1986
as Yakuza boss
A young jazz musician's desire to advance in his career runs afoul of organized crime in this thriller from Haruki Kadokawa. After a saxophonist start...

Vendetta of Obligation
1985
This is the story of the 47 ronin of the Ako clan who rose up to avenge the brutal death of their beloved master Asano Takumi-no-kami after his failed...

The Last True Yakuza
1985
as Kazumasa Tashiro
A made man during the height of Hiroshima's yakuza turf war must maneuver through the violence and betrayal inside the criminal underworld.

The Sound of the Waves
1985

Love: Starting on a Journey
1985
A girl suffering from an incurable disease get in a coma, while her boyfriend visit her to the hospital, she visits the beyond.

Nezumi Kozō kaitō den
1984
Japanese comedy film.

The Story of a Man Among Men
1984
During the Showa era, a young yakuza survives war and injury and rises to become a clan boss with the help and respect of his sworn brothers.

Kōgen ni ressha ga hashitta
1984
At a certain high school in Karuizawa, students relied on ordinary local trains for their commute, but with only seven trains running per day, missing...

Fireflies in the North
1984
as Ishikura
Set in the icy wilderness of Hokkaido during the early days of the Meiji era, where the brutal warden of Kabato Prison terrorizes convicts sentenced t...

Zero
1984
as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Two young men are recruited into the Japanese air force just before outbreak of WW2 by the test pilot of Japans new super fighter - the Zero. The movi...

Kukai
1984
The life and times of Kûkai, a Japanese monk who studies Esoteric Buddhism in the far reaches of India, China and Tibet, then uses their combined infl...

Choshichiro's Edo Diaries: The Yagyu Conspiracy
1984
as Yagyu Munefuyu
Rumors are circulating that the shogunate is losing control of some feudal domains. Lord Yagyu Munefuyu is assigned to deal with the problem and the r...

L・O・V・I・N・G
1983
Murder case.

A Madcap Corporation
1983
A yakuza family goes into show business.

Lady Vengeance and the 47 Ronin
1983
During the events of the Chushingura incident, Mumyo, a disgruntled Shogunate secret agent, retires from post, disillusioned by the concept of loyalty...

The Tale of Saikaido
1983
Set in the Kyushu area of the Edo period. This is a large-length bizarre story that incorporates elements such as mysteries and adventures surrounding...

The Geisha
1983
as Kochi Notable
Yokiro was the most successful Geisha house in Western Japan during the first half of the 20th century and remains open to this day. At its peak, it w...

The Duel in the forbidden territory
1983
The wandering swordsman, Ino Heihachiro, defeats Ichima, the youngest of the famed swordsmanship trio, the Nikis, but sustains an injury. In the mount...

Battle Anthem
1983
as Yamamoto
The story of Japan's victory in the battle of Tsushima Strait.
Samon’s Hell Revenge: Unauthorised Jutte Records 2 - The Assassination of the Shogun
1983
Samon Kamiyama, a yoriki of the Minami-machi magistrate infiltrates the Denzū-machi prison disguised as Mushuku Sahēji. Samon is mistaken for a snitch...

To Trap a Kidnapper
1982
Hideyuki Mitamura, a student at a private school near Osaka, is kidnapped on his way home from school.

Suspicion
1982
as Kanetaka Okamura
A car going at 25 mph plunges into the sea at Shinko Harbour, Toyama prefecture. Inside is the local business magnate Fukutaro Shirakawa, who perishes...

The Imperial Japanese Empire
1982
as Hideki Tojo
Story of three people, a barber, a Christian and a graduate of the Tokyo Military Academy during the 2nd World War.

The Villain from Edo Kochiyama Soshun
1982
Kotiyama is a swindler and extortionist, the head of a whole gang of crooks, usually posing as a poor monk; once he really took vows, but he was kicke...

Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather
1982
as Uichi Suda, The Big Boss
Onimasa is the egocentric boss of a small yakuza clan on Shikoku Island, whose criminal duties conflict with his self-image as a chivalrous samurai. H...

Call from Darkness
1981
as Sugibayashi
Keiko Inagawa (Asami Kobayashi) pays a visit to neurologist Aizawa about her fiancé Tatsuo Tamura (Kaoru Kobayashi). A mysterious case involving the d...

The Wild Daisy
1981
as Gozaburo Saito
Saito Masao reminisces on the days of his youth more than 50 years ago and his forbidden love of his older cousin Tamiko. When he was 15, Tamiko moved...

The Imperial Navy
1981
as Jisaburo Ozawa
A lavish retelling of the true story of the final voyage and ultimate destruction and sinking of the battleship Yamato, Japan's greatest flagship duri...

The Bushido Blade
1981
as Lord Yamato
A steel samurai blade that was to be given to the American ambassador by the Emperor of Japan is stolen. American sailors and Japanese samurai are sen...

Samurai Reincarnation
1981
as Muramasa
After surviving the slaughter of many Christians 350 years ago, a samurai denounces God for ignoring the pleas of believers. He sells his soul to Sata...

Flames of Blood
1981
The story is set in Bakumatsu and revolves around the Bunta Sugawara character, a yakuza (of course :) but instead of a modern yakuza/gangster, he's a...

The Last Days of Planet Earth
1981
as Dr. Nishiyama
In 1853, Gentetsu Nishiyama tells his students that the French prophet Nostaradamus foretells great change for Japan, some of his students revolt, cal...

Shogun's Ninja
1980
as Tozawa Hakuunsai
In the middle of the 16th century, Hideyoshi, a power hungry warlord sets out to destroy the Momochi clan. He sends his war commander in search of the...

Drive for the Future
1980
as Akiji Nishikawa

Port Arthur
1980
as Gentaro Kodama
Depicts the bloody siege of the fortress of Port Arthur, one of the most strongly fortified positions in the world, during the Russo-Japanese War of (...

The Sand Boat
1980
A Young couple find a boad buried under a beach,and are taken to another world where they must face a Deadly cult who want to sacrifice them.

The Sand Boat
1980
Executive Producer, Screenplay, Director
A Young couple find a boad buried under a beach,and are taken to another world where they must face a Deadly cult who want to sacrifice them.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga
1980
as Tatsuo Akashi
The 224-minute compilation edition of Battles Without Honor and Humanity compiles these four movies: Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Deadly Fight...

The Way to The Gold Medals
1980
as President Sakakibara
About Soviet and Japanese volley-ball players who are both rivals and friends. The events cover the period from the 1976 Montreal Olympics to the eve ...

The Shogun Assassins
1979
as Kato Kiyomasa
This is a film about a real person. Sanada Yukimura fought a war against Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Dead Angle
1979
Elite college graduates commit perfect financial crimes though loopholes in the law during the 1950s.

Hunter in the Dark
1979
as Okitsugu Tanuma
Yataro Tanigawa, a one-eyed hired assassin, impresses yakuza boss Gomyo Kiyoemon with his skill. Gomyo hires Tanigawa as his bodyguard, or yojimbo, to...

Nichiren
1979
An epic drama about Nichiren's life. Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived for 60 years during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) in Japan. Nichiren tau...

The Fall of Ako Castle
1978
as Yanagisawa
This is the story of "The Forty-Seven Ronin." Based on historical events in 1701-2, the movie tells the tale of the Asano clan's downfall and the reve...

Never Give Up
1978
as General Wada
Special forces officer Ajisawa leaves his paramilitary group to take care of his newly-adopted daughter, Yoriko: the sole survival of a bloodbath for ...

Monument to Holy Service
1978
A rural high school takes part in a mountain-climbing exercise and are caught in a sudden typhoon.

August without Emperor
1978
as Army General Mikami
Taking the Chilean coup as an example, a group of young officers plan to overthrow the Japanese government on V-J Day. They aim to abolish the post-wa...

Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron
1978
as Kichibei
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 ...

The Incident
1978
as Lawyer Kikuchi
The body of Sakai Hatsuko, a woman of 23 who has been slain with a knife, has been found in a forest. Some days later, Ueda Hiroshi, a 19-year-old shi...

Message from Space
1978
as Ernest Noguchi
The peaceful planet of Jillucia has been nearly wiped out by the Gavanas, whose leader takes orders from his mother rather than the Emperor. King Kaib...

Shogun's Samurai
1978
as Ogasawara Gensinsai
Following the death of the second Tokugawa shogun, it is revealed that he was poisoned by retainers of his son Iemitsu in hopes of gaining him the sho...
Sugata Sanshiro
1977
as Iinuma
The story of Sanshiro Sugata, a young man who wants to learn the new art of judo. A wise teacher reveals to Sanshiro that judo is not merely a means o...

High Seas Hijack
1977
as Captain Munekata
Terrorists hijack an oil tanker and threaten to blow it up unless Japan meets their demands.

Mount Hakkoda
1977
as Colonel Kojima
Two infantry regiments of the Imperial Japanese Army—210 men overall—tackled Mt. Hakkoda in the winter of 1902 to prepare for war with Russia.

Flickering Flames
1977
In the early hours of April 13th, a five year old hemophiliac child was kidnapped by someone from Tanemura General Hospital in Tokyo, Setagaya. Tokyo ...

The Alaska Story
1977
as Arashuk
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 ...

Murderer!
1976
as Nīto Kouken
A cowardly samurai is sent as an official executioner targeting the clan's former sword instructor, a man whose sword and spear skills are second to n...

Zero Fighter
1976
as Captain Saito

The Corporation
1976
Tadashi Iki returns to Japan from a Soviet gulag 11 years after being captured during the invasion of Manchuria. He is offered a position in the expan...

Seven Nights in Japan
1976
as Terrorist Leader (uncredited)
Handsome Prince George arrives on board his ship in Japan. Youthful, immaculate in naval uniform and smiling broadly, he goes through the complicated ...

The Classroom of Terror
1976
Yusaku Matsuda plays an ex-boxer who killed an opponent during a fight. He is brought into a school to deal with a gang of disruptive students led by ...

Human Revolution II
1976
Dramatic story of one man trying to make a difference.

Operation Plazma in Osaka
1976
Amidst Japan's postwar economic boom, yakuza factions in Osaka fight for survival when Japan's largest crime syndicate plans a hostile takeover.

The International Gang of Kobe
1975
as Rinsei
In 1947, in Kobe, Japan, a local street gang fights for their survival when its turf is overrun by United States occupation forces and international g...

Company Buggers
1975
Hiroshi, a small-time racketeer, makes a name for himself extorting vulnerable companies and their directors for financial gain.

Conflagration
1975
as Captain Munekata
Global South guerrillas hijack the Japanese oil tanker Arabian Light, threatening to blow it up in Tokyo Bay, unless the Cabinet complies with an econ...

The Bullet Train
1975
as Sunaga
A Japanese bullet train is threatened with a bomb that will explode automatically if the train slows below 80 km/h, unless a ransom is paid. Police ra...

Tidal Wave
1975
as Prime Minister Yamato
Two hundred million years ago, Earth had a single continent. As the millennia progressed, the single continent slowly split off into smaller continent...

All Men Are Brothers
1975
as Lu Chun I
Based on one of China's enduring epic novels, written in the 14th century, "All Men Are Brothers" continues the patriotic story of righteous warriors ...

雪夫人繪圖
1975
1975 Toei movie.

The Executioner II: Karate Inferno
1974
as Shugi
When a priceless jewel owned by rich heiress Sabine is stolen, along with her daughter, Professional thief and hired killer Ryuichi Koga and his gang ...

The Castle of Sand
1974
as Detective Eitaro Imanishi
Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.

Karafuto 1945 Summer
1974
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 invade...

Prophecies of Nostradamus
1974
as Dr. Nishiyama
Professor Nishiyama, after studying and interpreting the prophecies of Nostradamus, realizes that the end of the world is at hand. Unfortunately, nobo...
Secret Prophecies of Nostradamus
1974
as Himself
A documentary about the 1974 film Prophecies of Nostradamus, released to coincide with the latter's release. It featured several prophets and experts ...

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs
1974
as Nagumo
Agent Zero is a cop that uses her own methods for dealing with criminals. After she unlawfully kills a rapist in a violent fashion, she is sent to pri...

Violent Streets
1974
as Shimamura Kansai
With a Kansai syndicate setting their sights on Tokyo, a former yakuza boss gets dragged back into a world of violence.

Submersion of Japan
1973
as Prime Minister Yamamoto
A team of geophysicists investigating seismic activity on the seafloor discover that the islands of Japan, after suffering from massive volcanic erupt...

The Ando Gang Documentary Film
1973
This biopic of notorious yakuza-turned-actor Noboru Ando focuses on the days leading to his arrest after the shooting of businessman Hideki Yokoi.

Wild Cop 2
1973
Based on the comic Gokuburi Deka.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War
1973
as Tatsuo Akashi
Shozo Hirono has managed to separate from the Yamamori family and create his own small family, and extend his circle of acquaintances. These new frien...

The Human Revolution
1973

Japan's Top Gangster
1973
as Noboru Yamaguchi
A boy born in a poor village in Tokushima spends his days idly until a chance meeting sets him on the road to becoming boss of Japan's largest gang. ...

The School Deviate Waru
1973
Yoji Himuro (Hayato Tani) is a ruthless bully terrorizing the classroom with his buffoons. New teachers (Kunie Tanaka and Mari Atsumi) get assigned to...

Quarreling with Yakuza
1973
Set loose in a postwar world with no rules, an ex-juvenile delinquent begins building the most powerful gang in Tokyo's glittering Shibuya ward.

Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight
1973
as Shino
A Ronin with a death wish reluctantly joins the Clan of the Forgotten Eight, a nasty crew of ronin who are wrapped up in a clan war over local prostit...

Battles Without Honor and Humanity
1973
In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.

Informal Dress
1972

Shadow Hunters 2: Echo of Destiny
1972
as Kagemetsuke
The great Daimyo enlists the aid of the three Shadow Hunters in ensuring the delivery of an illegal cannon in this sequel to Toshio Masuda's bloody ad...

Yakuza Skirmishes
1972
In the gaudy world of 1930s Shinjuku, a violent youth known as Bakudan Match tangles explosively with prostitutes, politicians and the police.

New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm
1972

Shōwa Gokudōshi
1972

Shadow Hunters
1972
Set during the declining years of the Tokugawa shogunate, Shadow Hunters details the questionably noble exploits of three ronin who act as "Shadow Hun...

Organized Crime: Killer's Glory
1972
A professional lone-wolf hitman comes to his blood brother's aid when his boss is brutally murdered by an unknown yakuza faction.

The Water Margin
1972
as Jade Unicorn, Lu Chun I
The corruption in the Sung Dynasty of 11th century China is so rampant that it inspires a band of Oriental Robin Hoods - the Honorable 108. Mountain b...

Under the Flag of the Rising Sun
1972
as Sergeant Katsuo Togashi
A war widow determined to clear the name of her disgraced husband, who was court-martialed for desertion and executed. Official records have been dest...

Silence
1971
as Cristóvão Ferreira
Two Jesuit priests encounter persecution when they travel to Japan in the 17th century to spread Christianity and search for their mentor.

The Armed Organization
1971
Violent Gang Re-Arms is a rousing tale of friction in yakuza and labor interactions with Koji Tsurata as a yakuza supervising a dockworker's union. He...

Troops of Darkness
1971
A disgraced yakuza member, framed for the murder of his boss, emerges from prison eight years later with revenge on his mind.

The Wolves
1971
as Genryu Asakura
After going to prison for killing the boss of the Kanno gang, Seji Iwahashi (Tatsuya Nakadai) gets released early -- only to find that his former gang...

The Gambler's Counterattack
1971
as Chief Inspector
Aiba is a gang boss who has just got out of jail, and finds everything has changed. His old gang has broken up, and only a few people still respect hi...

The Battle of Okinawa
1971
as Lieutenant General Isamu Cho
The Americans are swiftly closing on Okinawa, an island just south of the Japanese mainland. The Imperial command sends top generals and several army ...

King of Pornography
1971
Dumb Tatsuo Umemiya / Shingo Yamashiro comedy about a young bloke whose dick grows to inhuman dimensions (obviously a role tailor made for star Umemiy...

Men and War I: Prelude to Destiny
1970
The upstart Godai family conglomerate plans to strengthen ties with the hardliners in the Kwantung Army as they plan military expansion into Manchuria...

Postwar Secrets
1970
as Kuroki
Everybody's chasing a diamond in Sadao Nakajima's crime/action/drama. It was a based on a novel by Tsusai Sugawara, who was a Japanese writer and pol...

Cherry Blossoms in the Air - The Suicide Raiders - Oh, Buddies!
1970
In 1943 Japan is facing defeat. This makes Shinkichi, a straight, selfless student-patriot, ever more restless. He can no longer stand his soft "behin...

The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan
1970
as Soshun Kochiyama
An outlaw pushes the residents of Edo's red light district to rebel against a growing number of stifling, moralistic laws.

Crimson Bat - Oichi: Wanted, Dead or Alive
1970
as Hyoe
Oichi the Blind helps a woman escape the clutches of a high government official to go off with the man she loves. The official puts a reward on her he...

Rise and Fall of Chivalry
1970
A reformed gangster agrees to help a former yakuza member.

やくざ番外地 抹殺
1969

Japan's Violent Gangs: The Boss and the Killers
1969
An honorable yakuza syndicate deeply rooted in Kyoto fights for survival when a new breed of gangsters threaten their very existence.

The 5-Man Army
1969
as Samurai
At the behest of local revolutionaries, a mercenary enlists four specialists in various combat styles to help him rob a Mexican Army train carrying $5...

Red Peony Gambler: Biographies of a Gambling Room
1969
Junko Fuji returns as Oryu the Red Peony, a wandering female yakuza on a soul-searching journey after the death of her father. After collecting her si...

Lone Rebel
1969
Nomi-gumi, who plans to control Tama City, has begun to hurt Takase-gumi. Muraki, an executive, was entrusted with the destruction, but he was a broth...

The Private Police
1969
After the war, Kijima (Bunta Sugawara) returns to Tokyo where he meets Ôba (Noboru Andô), an Ex-Kamikaze pilot, and the two ruffians gather hooligans ...

Penitentiary Brothers
1969
Authentic action drama of modern gangsters.

Sky Scraper!
1969
A film about the construction of the Kasumigaseki Building, the first high-rise building in Japan.

Goyokin
1969
as Rokugo Tatewaki
A guilt-haunted samurai warrior attempts to stop a massacre taking place.

Black Lizard
1968
as Kuroki
A detective tries to outwit a jewel thief who has kidnapped the daughter of a jeweler to get to an exquisite diamond.

Snake Woman's Curse
1968
as Commander
An old man dies of heartbreak when a cruel landlord is about to repossess his land. The old man haunts the landlord from the grave. Since the man died...

The Young Eagles of the Kamikaze
1968
The film is dedicated to the souls of flight school graduates killed in World War II. Young boys dream about becoming pilots and apply to flight schoo...

The Bad Boss
1968
The first in what would become Toei's most successful, longest-running bosozoku film series. It lasted from 1968 till 1972 through sixteen films.

Diamonds of the Andes
1968
Romantic action film set against the beautiful backdrop of Rio de Janeiro. Jiro Ibuki has decided to leave the world of the yakuza and live with his f...

Blackmail Is My Life
1968
Though he has come from a rough background on the streets, Muraki quickly rises through the ranks by means of his well-honed blackmailing instincts. D...

The Code of Man
1968
Tetsuya Watari, a modern youth idol, co-stars with Tetsuro Tamba for the first time, and a young man who survives freely is an action giant who swings...
Army Intelligence
1968
as Lieutenant Colonel Akiyama
Kazuo, a Japanese army intelligence agent, reveals a foreign intelligence network in Japan and then sent to Borneo Island with a special mission.

Gambler's Farewell
1968
as Tetsuji Kasai
The story of men devoted to the yakuza lifestyle and their struggles during a time of fading yakuza power.

The Return of the Filthy Seven
1967
A 1967 crime film

Game of Chance 3
1967
Bungo, fulfilling his duty as a yakuza, kills a man from a rival gang. Since then, he has escaped the clan's vengeance by staying on the road with his...

King of the Gang
1967
The 11th and final film in the Gang series. Most of the films had different directors and cast, and were only connected by the title and Toei's market...

Hawk of the Harbour
1967
A Nikkatsu Action film with Yujiro Ishihara as the head of a small shipping company who gets harassed by the yakuza.

Organized Violence II
1967
as Police Inspector Kitagawa

Portrait of Chieko
1967
as Kotaro Takamura
Takamura, a poet and sculptor, marries a budding artist named Chieko who dreams of becoming an oil painter. When a series of hardships befall her fami...

You Only Live Twice
1967
as Tiger Tanaka
A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the c...

Once and For All
1967
Film concerning warring yakuza families.

Gamblers: The Dragon Tattoo
1967
The second part of the Gamblers series.

Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido
1967

Dissolution Rites
1967
as Sakai
Sawaki is released from prison after serving eight years for murdering a rival gang leader in order to obtain the land rights to a landfill for the Ko...

Organized Violence
1967
A war breaks out on the streets between rivaling Yakuza clans.

Spycatcher J3: SOS Close Shave
1966
as J1 (TULIP Japan Branch Chief)
TULIP (The Undercover Line of International Police) is a New York-based international police force in direct opposition to the criminal organization T...

Continental Drifter
1966
Japanese crime film.

The Kii River
1966
as Shintani Kosaku
Epic saga of an idealistic land-owning family dealing with militarism, war, social change and economic reform.

Greatest Boss of the Showa Era
1966
Somewhat unique as it appears to be one of the very rare appearances of master thespian Itô in a yakuza role.

Sazen Tange and The Secret of the Urn
1966
as Lord Tsushima Yagyu
Loyal samurai Samanosuke is attacked, mutilated, and left for dead while carrying out a mission for his clan. He recovers but has lost an eye and an a...

Thirst for Love
1966
as Kosuke Aso
Natsuko, a Tokyo bar proprietress, and Yuki, a Kyoto Ryokan owner, vie for the affections of an advertising professional.

High-Ranking Yakuza
1965
1965 youth / yakuza film

Blood of Revenge
1965
as Yutaro Nomura
Osaka, 1907: Asajiro lives between a rock and a hard place: he has to keep his business clean and running, tame his late oyabun’s hot-blooded son and ...

Blood and Law
1965
Based on the autobiography of Noboru Andô .

The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry
1965
Third part of Nihon Kyokakuden series is set in Kanto in 1924. Ken Takakura playing a ship's mate befriending fish shop owners harassed by yakuza.

Samurai Spy
1965
as Sakon Takatani
Years of warfare end in a Japan unified under the Tokugawa shogunate, and samurai spy Sasuke Sarutobi, tired of conflict, longs for peace. When a high...

The Gambler
1965
A crime film released in 1965

Ankoku gai jingi
1965
A big American boss landed in Japan in search of funding sources. A lone wolf trying to stop it ends up fighting against his big brother's organizatio...

Abashiri Prison
1965
as Tsumaki
Abashiri Prison is located in the coldest place in Japan. Two men, handcuffed together have escaped from the prison, one a yakuza, the other a petty c...

Tale of Ninja Duty
1965
as Mumyo Tsunataro
Mumyo Tsunataro killed his betrayed fiance Orie and He flees to Utsunomiya. On his way he happens to saves Chisaka Hyobu's daughter Oyu (She is exactl...

Kwaidan
1965
as Warrior (segment "Hoichi the Earless")
Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money wit...

Gamblers and Racketeers
1964
Komatsu Takioka is boss of a Yakuza group rival to Masakichi Kijima boss of the Kikuya group which supports the town vendors unlike Takioka, who will ...

Samurai from Somewhere
1964
Young Lord Takenaka stands to succeed his father until a series of violent actions lead his retainers to think that he has gone mad with blood-lust. ...

Detective
1964
The first film with Tetsuro Tamba as a detective. An exciting drama about the pursuit of a criminal, which takes place in Yokohama. Tamba enthusiastic...

Revenge
1964
as Shume Okuno
An innocuous comment during a weapon inspection wounds the pride of low-ranking samurai Shinpachi, leading to an argument with his superior. The situa...

Giant Rumble
1964
In this gritty tale of gamblers battling in the samurai era, Okawa Hashizo gives perhaps his greatest performance as a gambler returning to his home t...

The 7th Dawn
1964
as Ng
Political and personal intrigues surround a group of characters in Malaya, after the close of the Second World War.

The Shogun's Vault
1964
Okawa Hashizo is 'Red Peony' Hanji who is thrown into a prison cell where he gets involved in a plot to steal government gold from the Shogun's vault....

Assassination
1964
as Hachiro Kiyokawa
Assassination begins with the events of 1853 when "four black ships" anchored at Edo Bay, sparking civil unrest and the major political manoeuvring th...

Homicide
1964
as Lieutenant Aikawa
This film tells about the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Aikawa, the head of the Bureau of Military Affairs, about the beginning of the incident 2.26 an...

Three Outlaw Samurai
1964
as Sakon Shiba
Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate, in hopes of coercing from him...

Three Outlaw Samurai
1964
Producer
Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate, in hopes of coercing from him...

売春地下組織
1964

An Outlaw
1964
Assassin Nanjo goes on a solitary mission to take revenge on the man who trapped him into a complicated drug deal.

Destroyer Yukikaze
1964
Yutaro Kida, a worker at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, volunteers for the navy but finds himself a cook's mate in the galley of a gunboat. But his dream i...

The Kingdom of Jirocho 3
1964
The third part of the story about feudal boss Jirocho and his underlings.

Jakoman and Tetsu
1964
as Jakoman
In a village subsisting on its herring fishery, a one-eyed criminal named Jakoman terrorizes the inhabitants. One of them, the son of the head of one ...

Samurai from Nowhere
1964
as Gunjuro Ohba
Misawa Ihei (Nagato) is traveling with his wife Tae (Iwashita Shima) who abhors the practice of sword fighting for prize money. Tae is the daughter of...

Tokyo Gang vs. Hong Kong Gang
1964

13 Assassins
1963
as Doi Ōkō Toshi
A sadistic Daimyo (feudal lord) rapes a woman and murders both her and her husband, but even when one of his own vassals commits suicide to bring atte...

Tange Sazen
1963
In 1730, the Tokugawa Shogunate orders the Yagyu Clan to repair a huge shrine. Since it cannot refuse the Shogunate's request, the impoverished Yagyu ...

Gang Loyalty and Vengeance
1963
as Gu Shimizu
A modern gang version of Chushingura, chronicling almost scene for scene the Brave 47 Ronin story, transposed from the Genroku Period to the Showa Era...

Element of Surprise
1963
1963 Toei war / action film.

Futari dake no toride
1963

Ano hito wa ima
1963
1963 Japanese movie

Tokyo Untouchable: Escape
1963
as Goro Kawamoto

Kizu-darake no futeki-sha
1963
1963 Japanese movie

Gang and G-Men Part 2
1963
as 手塚徹
A gang plans to steal twenty billion yen by safecracking tactics; however, they discover that one of the gang members is an infiltrating cop.

Eleven Gangsters
1963
Two men head a team who steal a factory payroll valued at 500 million yen. Then a hoodlum gang goes after the team for the money.

Uragirimono wa jigoku daze
1962
1962 Japanese movie

Operation Diamond
1962
as Kazuo Kasami

Umineko ga tonde
1962

Gang vs. G-Men
1962
as Toru Tezuka
Two rival gangs of gangsters clash for dominance of a neighborhood.

Tokyo Untouchable
1962
as Goro Kawamoto

Hell's Kitchen
1962

A Flame at the Pier
1962
A young dockworker who owes his life to his boss becomes embroiled in union activity on the Yokohama waterfront. The rebel Saburo works as an errand b...

Harakiri
1962
as Hikokuro Omodaka
Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a plac...

Gang vs. Gang
1962
The plot opens with the hero (Tsuruta) leaving prison, having served time through taking the blame for a fellow gang member’s crime. However, his form...

Four Sisters
1962
as Masao Igarashi
A story about the lives of four sisters and their manipulative mother who must come to terms with each of their decisions in life.

Zankokuna tsuki
1962
1962 Japanese movie

G-Men in the Pacific
1962
as Mizuhara
G-men challenge a jewelry smuggling ring. The chase starts in Kyushu and continues to Kobe to Yokohama.

The Challenge
1962
as Takayama
Journalist Kuroki is investigating clandestine arms sales to Southeast Asia. He discovers that the point man in an arms trade was also involved in the...

All Rascals
1962
Ishihama is planning a casino robbery with his wife and mother-in-law. They meet a man named Tsuneda who is planning the same robbery and agree to wor...

Tales of Young Genji Kuro 3
1962
In the third, and final chapter of this epic tale, handsome swordsman Genji helps a vulnerable princess who is in search of a missing scroll that belo...
Kuro to aka no hanabira
1962
Crime film distributed by Taiho.

South Pacific Waves Are High
1962
1962 Japanese movie

Greed in Broad Daylight
1961
as Miyahara
After a successful robbery the culprits, from very different backgrounds, at once turn on each other.

Bridge to the Sun
1961
as Jiro
Tells the true story of American Gwen Terasaki, who falls in love with, then marries a Japanese diplomat. When World War II breaks out, they encounter...

Standing Towards the Great Forest
1961
Strife between competing lumber mills.

The Yellow Climate
1961
Based on the mystery novel of the same name by Seichō Matsumoto.

Mist and Shadows
1961
as Yusuke Komiya
The film adaptation of the bestseller of the same name by Tsutomu Mizukami. A large-scale detective drama in which two newspaper reporters investigate...

Red Flowers of Hell
1961
1961 gangster film.
Kaachan
1961
Home drama about tin craftsmen and their families in downtown Tokyo. Though poor, they do not lose their cheerfulness or give in to oppression.

Pigs and Battleships
1961
as Slasher Tetsuji
In the city of Yokosuka, Kinta and his lover Haruko, both involved with yakuza, brave the post-occupation period with a goal to be together.

Daredevil in the Castle
1961
as Sadamasa Ishikawa
During the raging war between the Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans, the swordsman Mohei (whose family has been completely decimated) is recruited by Toyoto...

Get 'em All
1960
as Tanabe
Gang of robbers quarrel about the loot, but when one of them gets killed, his younger brother seeks them out to ice them one by one.

The Gambling Samurai
1960
as Fumizo Mitsuki
Chuji Kunisada returns to his home village to find that Jubei Matsui, the corrupt magistrate, has been responsible for virtually destroying Kunisada's...

Zero sen no jorō gun
1960
Japanese crime film.

Female Slave Ship
1960
The year is 1945, months prior to Japan's ultimate defeat in WW2, and military lieutenant Sugawa is sent on a critical mission to deliver micro-fiche ...

Kingorō no kaigun taishô
1959
Japanese comedy film.
Mukeisatsu
1959
Japanese crime film.
Rajo to satsujin-meiro
1959
as Senba
Japanese crime film.

The Pacific War and the International Military Tribunal
1959
In 1941, overpopulated Japan faces an economic boycott and its armed forces push further to the south. And despite negotiations between Japan and the ...
Kyōen Kobanzame
1958
Japanese film, originally released in two parts.
Underwater Murder
1958
The film marked Yōko Mihara's debut as the star of Shintoho's series of ama films, a role she took over from Michiko Maeda.

Quick on the Trigger
1958
Early pinku.

Emperor & Empress Meiji and the Sino-Japanese War
1958
as Keisuke Otori

A Wicked Woman
1958
as Ihei Ôsawa
In 1870's Tokyo, Den steals to support the daughter of her first marriage and her consumptive second husband. She falls in love with a young policeman...

Queen of Asia
1957
Japanese war film based on the true story of Yoshiko Kawashima, played by actress Miyuki Takakura in her film debut.

Hibari no san'yaku: Zoku Kei tsuya yuki no jôhenge
1957

Hibari no san'yaku: Kei tsuya yuki no jôhenge
1957

The Ghost of Kasane
1957
as Jinjûrô Ômura
A blind masseur visits a samurai to request the return of a loan. The samurai kills him in anger, then has his servant dump the body in the Kasane swa...

剣聖 暁の三十六番斬り
1957

Emperor Meiji and the Great Russo-Japanese War
1957
as Rear Admiral Shimamura
Meiji Tenno portrays the buildup to the Russo-Japan War. In addition to showing the political events that led to war, it also shows the era from the s...

Storming Osaka Castle: The Sanada Ten Braves
1957
as Mondonoshô Hirano
After defeat in the Battle of Skigahara, Yukimura Sanada and his Ten Braves scatter across the country to spy in order to be prepared for the final ba...

Mysterious Clouds: Legend of Satomi's Heroic Deed
1957
as Aboshi Samajirô
In the first year of Chōroku, Satomi Yoshimi, lord of Takita Castle in Awa, faces defeat by neighboring lord Anzai Kagesuren. As the castle nears coll...

Devil Princess’ Beauty Competition
1956
An exciting historical drama in which a beautiful woman secretly solves the family problems of the Owari clan. Hibari Misora plays two roles: a charmi...

The Ceiling at Utsunomiya
1956
as Kurozumi Tenzen
Ryutaro is a spy employed by the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, who is the target of assassination attempts that aim to hand power over to his younger broth...
President Rai of Kingoro
1956
A humorous salaryman comedy about the president of a beer company who is said to be President Rai. The third work after the Kingoro's Soldier and the ...

Admiral Yamamoto and the Allied Fleets
1956
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto leads the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy to defeat the American Fleet.

The Prosecutor and His Sister
1956
Kingoro's Soldier
1956
Japanese comedy film.
Speed King
1956
Japanese film about motorcycle racing.
The Fencing Collegian
1956
Japanese sports comedy film about kendo.

Kuronekokan ni Kieta Otoko
1956
Comedy-horror film by Masaki Môri.

花眞珠
1955

Twilight Saloon
1955
as Morimoto
Set in a tavern, director Tomu Uchida depicts the joys and sorrows of the people who gather there in an experimental style, weaving in a variety of mu...

Mysterious Dwarf
1955
The daughter of a wealthy family goes missing at the same time a mysterious dwarf is running around town scattering body parts in public areas.

The Sacrifice of the Human Torpedoes
1955

日本敗れず
1954
In May 1945, Japan's defeat was imminent after the attacks on Saipan, Iwo Jima, and the Philippines, and Tokyo was reduced to a sea of fire by anoth...
Submarine Ro Hasn't Surfaced
1954
Japanese war film.

Hanran
1954
as Captain Koda