Bushido - The Cruel Code of the Samurai
Bushido, a.k.a. “The Way of the Warrior” is the chivalrous code of the samurai that has influenced the Japanese way-of-life for centuries. This epic film spans several generations of a typical samurai family, and illustrates the intricate system of loyalty, honor and sacrifice which bound the samurai in ages past, and which, in many ways, persists to this very day.
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Dora-Heita
Koheita Mochizuki (Koji Yakusho of Shall We Dance, The Eel), has such a bad reputation that he's earned the nickname
Dora-Heita, or “alley cat” (meaning “playboy”). So it's a real shock when he's named magistrate of the most disreputable town in all of Japan!
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Incident at Blood Pass
Two of Japan's greatest stars collide when Mifune Toshiro ("Yojimbo", "Samurai Banners") butts
heads with Katsu Shintaro ("The Razor", "Zatoichi"). In his final portrayal of the Yojimbo
character, Mifune is hired to perform a mission so mysterious, he isn't even told what it is!
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Kon Ichikawa's 47 Ronin
A timeless tale of honor and revenge, the 47 Ronin is the true story of group of samurai who became ronin (masterless samurai) after their Lord was forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official, Kira Yoshinaka, who had insulted him. After patiently waiting and planning for over a year, they executed a daring assault on Lord Kira's estate, and exacted their revenge, in the full knowledge that they would themselves be forced to commit seppuku to atone for their crime.
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Lone Wolf & Cub
He was Itto Ogami, a man who held himself to the harsh code
of Bushido, entrusted by the Shogun with the gravest of responsibilities,
that of official executioner. His flashing blade brought swift release to
those ordered to commit Seppuku, ritual suicide - be they man, woman, or even child.
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Miyamoto Musashi
An epic 5-film series that chronicles the life of Japan's most famous swordsman, Miyamoto Mushashi, founder of the Niten-ryu school of swordsmanship, and author of The Book of Five Rings, the world-famous book on strategy, tactics and philosophy. Set against the backdrop of Japan’s tumultuous warring-states period, this five-film saga chronicles the rise of Miyamoto Musashi as he evolves from untamed warrior to become Japan’s most famous swordsman.
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Onimasa
Onimasa is the egocentric boss of a small yakuza (Japanese mafia) clan on Shikoku island, whose criminal duties conflict with his self-image as a chivalrous samurai. His struggles with his boss, the Shikoku Godfather, and the tumultuous life of his adopted daughter, Matsue, form the backdrop of this epic tale of justice, obedience, and bloody vengeance.
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Revenge (Adauchi)
A minor quarrel escalates into a duel. A death creates a debt of honor. The demands of honor outweigh the demands of justice, and force friends to spill each other's blood. And the need for victory requires the sacrifice of honor.
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Revenge of a Kabuki Actor
Kasuo Hasegawa stars as Yukinojo, a talented kabuki actor who specializes
in playing female roles (women were not allowed on the stage during the period of
the film). But his success on the stage is but a means to an end; his true goal is
to visit vengeance upon the three ruthless and powerful men who destroyed his family's
business and drove his parents to commit suicide.
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Samurai Assassin
On March 3rd, 1860, a group of 32 men assembled at the Sakurada Gates of the Edo Castle, and
waited for Shogunate Elder li Naosuke to arrive. Their mission - ASSASSINATION! Legendary
actor Mifune Toshiro, in one of his greatest and most complex roles, stars as Niiro Tsuruchiyo,
a ronin who has joined the conspiracy in the hopes that taking Elder li's head will win him
enough renown that one of the greatest Samurai houses will offer him a position.
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Samurai Vendetta
TANGÉ Tenzen and NAKAYAMA Yasubei are honorable samurai living in an era of corrupt officials and treacherous clans. But after finding themselves in opposing clans and ensnared in a love triangle, only bloodshed can ensue! An epic tale of slashing swords, cutting betrayal, and bloody revenge, Samurai Vendetta is justly hailed as one of the best samurai films ever made!
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Shinobi no Mono
ISHIKAWA Goemon (ICHIKAWA Raizo), a talented young ninja, becomes ensnared in a twisted scheme to
assassinate ODA Nobunaga, an evil warlord bent on ruling feudal Japan with an iron fist. Deceit,
treachery, and entire gangs of enemy ninja lurk around every corner as Goemon travels the countryside
to complete his task, win back his honor, and save his skin!
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Shinsengumi
It is 1863. The arrival of Commander Perry's Black Ships have forced the already-feeble Shogunate
to open Japan to western trade. Rebellious Daimyo, seeing a chance to seize power, are campaigning
for the restoration of Emperor to a position of actual power (with them, of course, providing
“guidance”).
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Shinsengumi Chronicles
Ichikawa Raizo stars as a honest man who joins the Shinsengumi out of admiration for its leader, Isami KONDO (Tomisaburo Wakayama), and because he wants to die as a samurai. But as his involvement grows, reality and idealism come into deadly conflict.
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Shogun Assassin
The
tender tale of a mighty swordsman trying to balance his career as an assassin with the
problems of being a single dad while being stalked by legions of extremely hypertensive
ninjas. In other words, if they actually let the plot get in the way of
the gratuitous bloodletting, it'd be one serious chick-flick!
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Sleepy Eyes of Death
He is a mysterious stranger, the samurai with the strange, sleepy
eyes. His mother Japanese; his father a foreigner; he has no past, he wants no future.
He calls himself Nemuri Kyoshiro, but those who challenge him face...
The Sleepy Eyes of Death!
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Sword of Desperation
Expert swordsman KANEMI Sanzaemon is, first and foremost, a man of principle. In order to save his clan from the corrupting influence of his lord's favorite concubine, he publicly assassinates her, fully expecting it will result in his own death by seppuku.
Instead, he is sentenced to solitary confinement for an entire year, then released under one inexplicable condition: he must now serve as the lord's bodyguard.
This thrilling, masterfully stylized tale of honor, intrigue and betrayal culminates in an explosive battle in which nothing is as it appears to be.
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The Blind Menace (Shiranui Kengyo)
Before he portrayed the legendary blind swordsman, Zatoichi, Shintaro Katsu played Suganoichi, a blind court masseur with a dark side. An outcast since birth, he learned from a young age that the only way to get ahead was to take advantage of others. Now an expert con-artist with a heart of coal, Suganoichi is on a vile quest for power, and everyone else will suffer along the way!
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The Geisha
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 was home to over 200 geisha, but behind
the glamorous facade, there were many battles - between family members, men and women, and with the Yakuza.
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The Loyal 47 Ronin
Japan's timeless tale of honor and revenge, the Loyal 47 Ronin is the true story of group of samurai who
became ronin (masterless samurai) after their Lord was forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide)
for assaulting a court official, Kira Yoshinaka, who had insulted him. After patiently waiting and
planning for over a year, they executed a daring assault on Lord Kira's estate, and exacted
their revenge, in the full knowledge that they would themselves be forced to commit seppuku
to atone for their crime.
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The Samurai I Loved
Haunted by memories of his lost childhood love, a young samurai (Somegoro ICHIKAWA) strives
to transcend his troubled past, but ends up ensnared by the same
conspirators who cost his father his life -- and ordered to kill
the child of the woman he loves, but can never hold.
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The Secret of the Urn
After losing both an eye and an arm to treachery while on a mission for his clan, Samanosuke (Kinnosuke NAKAMURA) becomes a ronin who calls himself TANGE Sazen. When a stolen urn that contains the secret to a treasure worth a million gold coins falls into his one remaining hand, all sorts of villains, including a high-ranking Shogunate minister, plot to relieve him of his burden — and his life.
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The Wolves
To celebrate the coronation of a new Emperor, a series of pardons release hundreds of Yakuza from jail -- men who, perhaps, would
have been better off behind bars. The world they left, defined by a rigid code of honor, is giving way to a new world with a new
set of rules -- the ends justify the means.
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Zatoichi
Katsu Shintaro stars as the lovable rogue Zato-ichi, the blind masseur
whose senses are so finely tuned that lack of sight is the least of his
problems. As
he wanders around Japan, he's always blindly stumbling into situations
that force him to unsheath his sword and lay into a bunch of
no-good ruffians. He may not be able to see them coming, but he's usually the last thing they ever see...
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