Shintaro Katsu
Encyclopedia
, born Toshio Okumura (奥村 利夫 Okumura Toshio, November 29, 1931 – June 21, 1997; nicknamed Katsu-shin) was a Japanese
actor
, singer, producer
, and director
. He was the son of kabuki
performer Katsutoji Kineya (Kineya Katsutōji) who was renowned for his nagauta
and shamisen
skills, younger brother of actor Tomisaburo Wakayama
(Wakayama Tomisaburō), husband of actress Tamao Nakamura
(married in 1962), and father of actor Ryutaro Gan (Gan Ryūtarō).
anma
(masseur) Zatoichi
in the series of film
s by the same name, which were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Katsu played Zatoichi in 25 movies between 1962 and 1973, starred and directed a 26th in 1989 and played the role in four seasons of a spin-off television
series, the role comprising almost 30 years of his career.
Katsu became a force to be reckoned with within the Japanese entertainment industry during his long and varied career, not the least of which was the company Katsu Productions, which was formed after the closing of Daiei Studios. By all appearances Katsu Productions' focus was on producing film and television that challenged the established values of its industry, presenting many films that pushed the limits of their time. Though not always initially artistically appreciated, many of these films have gone on to be considered classics (The Goyokiba and Kozure Okami series, etc.). Introducing more intense themes of sex and violence, the influence of many of these films can still be found in contemporary Japanese cinema.
He is also known for his troubled personal life
. A heavy drinker, Katsu had several skirmishes with the law regarding drug use as well, including marijuana, opium, and cocaine with arrests in 1978, 1990, and 1992. These incidents resulted in his being removed from consideration for several parts both in Japan and abroad, amongst them an ad campaign for Kirin
Beer in Japan (the campaign was pulled as it had already been in progress) and the lead role in Ridley Scott
's 1989 film Black Rain (he was replaced by Ken Takakura
).
He had also developed a reputation for being something of a troublemaker on set. When director Akira Kurosawa
cast him for the lead role in Kagemusha
(1980), Katsu left before the first day of shooting was over. Though accounts differ as to the incident, the most consistent one details Katsu's clash with Kurosawa regarding bringing his own film crew to the set (to film Kurosawa in action for later exhibition to his own acting students). Kurosawa is reputed to have taken great offense at this, resulting in Katsu's termination (he was replaced by Tatsuya Nakadai
). In her recent book, Waiting On The Weather, about her experiences with director Kurosawa, script supervisor Teruyo Nogami chalks the differences between Katsu and Kurosawa up to a personality clash that had unfortunate artistic results.
Katsu encountered further controversy and personal disgrace when stunt actor Yukio Kato was killed on the set of Zatoichi 26 by his son, who was co-starring, due to a prop-related mishap. (An actual sword was mistaken for a prop; Kato was fatally wounded). Katsu Productions was eventually bankrupted by a combination of gambling debt
s, and general mismanagement.
In her book, Geisha, A Life, famed Kyoto
geisha
Mineko Iwasaki
claims a long time affair with Katsu, whom she calls by his given name, Toshio. The affair ended in 1976, and eventually the two became good friends until his death.
Katsu had a "blood brother" in Australia, Queensland entrepreneur Brian King. King teamed up with Katsu in 1979/1980 in Japan and Australia. King and Katsu collaborated in an effort to produce a movie based on a Japanese POW break-out in the small Australian town of Cowra on 5 August 1944. Over 1100 Japanese POWs took part; 231 of them died, many taking their own lives. Plans were for Katsu to both star in and direct the film.
Katsu produced the manga-based Lone Wolf and Cub
(Kozure Okami
) series of violent jidaigeki
films starring his brother Tomisaburo Wakayama which were later compiled into the movie Shogun Assassin
, as well as co-writing, producing, and acting alongside his brother in the TV series "Oshi Samurai" ("The Mute Samurai").
His other television work includes the police drama "Keishi-K" ("Superintendent K") which he starred in (as Katsutoshi Gatsu), co-wrote, directed, and produced. His daughter, Masami Okumura, co-starred. Other well-known film work includes the Goyokiba ("Fangs Of The Detective", known in the US as Hanzo the Razor, as Detective Itami Hanzo) trilogy of exploitation movies. He was also an accomplished shamisen
player, as well as a vocalist, recording several albums in both pop and Enka
. Nonetheless, his name remains synonymous with Zatoichi, the blind swordsman.
He died of pharyngeal cancer on June 21, 1997.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, singer, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He was the son of kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
performer Katsutoji Kineya (Kineya Katsutōji) who was renowned for his nagauta
Nagauta
, literally "long song", is a kind of traditional Japanese music which accompanies the kabuki theater. They were developed around 1740. Influences included the vocal yōkyoku style used in noh theater, and instruments including the shamisen and various kinds of drums.The shamisen, a plucked lute...
and shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
skills, younger brother of actor Tomisaburo Wakayama
Tomisaburo Wakayama
, born Masaru Okumura, was a Japanese actor, best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 17th century ronin warrior in the six Lone Wolf and Cub samurai movies.-Biography:...
(Wakayama Tomisaburō), husband of actress Tamao Nakamura
Tamao Nakamura
is a Japanese actress. She was married to Shintaro Katsu.-Filmography:* Zenigata Heiji: Ghost Lord * Flowery Brothers...
(married in 1962), and father of actor Ryutaro Gan (Gan Ryūtarō).
Career
His best known role was as blind YakuzaYakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
anma
Anma
Anma refers to practitioners of the Japanese massage of the same name, which has its origins in China. Anma was often practiced in communal business groups in feudal Japan. They were made popular by the famous popular culture character known as Zatoichi, quite possibly the best known and most...
(masseur) Zatoichi
Zatoichi
is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist . This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios and actor...
in the series of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s by the same name, which were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Katsu played Zatoichi in 25 movies between 1962 and 1973, starred and directed a 26th in 1989 and played the role in four seasons of a spin-off television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series, the role comprising almost 30 years of his career.
Katsu became a force to be reckoned with within the Japanese entertainment industry during his long and varied career, not the least of which was the company Katsu Productions, which was formed after the closing of Daiei Studios. By all appearances Katsu Productions' focus was on producing film and television that challenged the established values of its industry, presenting many films that pushed the limits of their time. Though not always initially artistically appreciated, many of these films have gone on to be considered classics (The Goyokiba and Kozure Okami series, etc.). Introducing more intense themes of sex and violence, the influence of many of these films can still be found in contemporary Japanese cinema.
He is also known for his troubled personal life
Personal life
Personal life is the course of an individual's life, especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices contributing to one's personal identity. It is a common notion in modern existence—although more so in more prosperous parts of the world such as Western Europe and North America...
. A heavy drinker, Katsu had several skirmishes with the law regarding drug use as well, including marijuana, opium, and cocaine with arrests in 1978, 1990, and 1992. These incidents resulted in his being removed from consideration for several parts both in Japan and abroad, amongst them an ad campaign for Kirin
Kirin
Kirin may refer to:People*Ivica Kirin , politician, former Interior Minister of Croatia*Kirin Kiki , Japanese TV and film actressCompanies* Kirin Brewery Company, a Japanese brewing company...
Beer in Japan (the campaign was pulled as it had already been in progress) and the lead role in Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
's 1989 film Black Rain (he was replaced by Ken Takakura
Ken Takakura
, born , is a Japanese actor best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brings to his roles.Takakura gained his streetwise swagger and tough-guy persona watching yakuza turf battles over the lucrative black market and racketeering in postwar Fukuoka...
).
He had also developed a reputation for being something of a troublemaker on set. When director Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
cast him for the lead role in Kagemusha
Kagemusha
is a 1980 film by Akira Kurosawa. The title is a term used for an impersonator. It is set in the Warring States era of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable...
(1980), Katsu left before the first day of shooting was over. Though accounts differ as to the incident, the most consistent one details Katsu's clash with Kurosawa regarding bringing his own film crew to the set (to film Kurosawa in action for later exhibition to his own acting students). Kurosawa is reputed to have taken great offense at this, resulting in Katsu's termination (he was replaced by Tatsuya Nakadai
Tatsuya Nakadai
is a Japanese leading film actor.He became a star after he was discovered working as a Tokyo shop clerk by filmmaker Masaki Kobayashi during the early 1950s...
). In her recent book, Waiting On The Weather, about her experiences with director Kurosawa, script supervisor Teruyo Nogami chalks the differences between Katsu and Kurosawa up to a personality clash that had unfortunate artistic results.
Katsu encountered further controversy and personal disgrace when stunt actor Yukio Kato was killed on the set of Zatoichi 26 by his son, who was co-starring, due to a prop-related mishap. (An actual sword was mistaken for a prop; Kato was fatally wounded). Katsu Productions was eventually bankrupted by a combination of gambling debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
s, and general mismanagement.
In her book, Geisha, A Life, famed Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
Mineko Iwasaki
Mineko Iwasaki
, born , was Japan's number one geiko until her sudden retirement at the age of 29. Arthur Golden later used her story to write the book Memoirs of a Geisha.-Geisha:...
claims a long time affair with Katsu, whom she calls by his given name, Toshio. The affair ended in 1976, and eventually the two became good friends until his death.
Katsu had a "blood brother" in Australia, Queensland entrepreneur Brian King. King teamed up with Katsu in 1979/1980 in Japan and Australia. King and Katsu collaborated in an effort to produce a movie based on a Japanese POW break-out in the small Australian town of Cowra on 5 August 1944. Over 1100 Japanese POWs took part; 231 of them died, many taking their own lives. Plans were for Katsu to both star in and direct the film.
Katsu produced the manga-based Lone Wolf and Cub
Lone Wolf and Cub
is a manga created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Yorozuya Kinnosuke, and is widely recognized as an important and influential work.Lone Wolf and Cub...
(Kozure Okami
Lone Wolf and Cub
is a manga created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Yorozuya Kinnosuke, and is widely recognized as an important and influential work.Lone Wolf and Cub...
) series of violent jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
films starring his brother Tomisaburo Wakayama which were later compiled into the movie Shogun Assassin
Shogun Assassin
Shogun Assassin, known in Japan as , is a jidaigeki film made for the British and American markets and released in 1980. In 2006 it was restored and re-released on DVD in North America by AnimEigo....
, as well as co-writing, producing, and acting alongside his brother in the TV series "Oshi Samurai" ("The Mute Samurai").
His other television work includes the police drama "Keishi-K" ("Superintendent K") which he starred in (as Katsutoshi Gatsu), co-wrote, directed, and produced. His daughter, Masami Okumura, co-starred. Other well-known film work includes the Goyokiba ("Fangs Of The Detective", known in the US as Hanzo the Razor, as Detective Itami Hanzo) trilogy of exploitation movies. He was also an accomplished shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
player, as well as a vocalist, recording several albums in both pop and Enka
Enka
is a popular Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern enka, however, is a relatively recent musical form which arose in the context of such postwar expressions of modern Japanese nonmaterial nationalism as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
. Nonetheless, his name remains synonymous with Zatoichi, the blind swordsman.
He died of pharyngeal cancer on June 21, 1997.
Actor
- Rônin-gai (1990)
- Kujaku ô: Ashura densetsu aka Saga of the Phoenix (1990)
- Zatôichi 26 aka Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989)
- Teito monogatari aka Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988)
- Dokugan-ryu Masamune" TV Series (1987)
- Meiso chizu (1983)
- "Zatôichi monogatari" TV Series (1974)
- Akumyo: shima arashiaka Akumyo: Notorious Dragon (1974)
- Goyôkiba: Oni no Hanzô yawahada koban aka Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (1974)
- YadonashiThe Homeless (film)is a 1974 Japanese film directed by Kōichi Saitō.-External links:* at Midnight Eye...
(1974) - Goyôkiba: Kamisori Hanzô jigoku zeme aka Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (1973)
- Ôshô (1973)
- Shin Zatôichi monogatari: Kasama no chimatsuri aka Zatoichi's Conspiracy (1973)
- Shin Zatôichi monogatari: Oreta tsue aka Zatoichi in Desperation (1972)
- Shin heitai yakuza: Kasen (1972)
- Zatôichi goyô-tabi aka Zatoichi at Large (1972)
- Goyôkiba aka Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (1972)
- Kaoyaku (1971)
- Kitsune no kureta akanbô (1971)
- Inochi bô ni furô aka Inn of Evil (1971)
- Shin Zatôichi: Yabure! Tojin-ken aka Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman (1971)
- Zatôichi abare-himatsuri aka Zatoichi at the Fire Festival (1970)
- Yakuza zessyô (1970)
- Machibuse aka Incident at Blood Pass (1970)
- Genkai yûkyôden: Yabure kabure (1970)
- Zatôichi to Yôjinbô aka Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)
- Kenka ichidai: Dodekai yatsu (1970)
- Akumyo ichiban shobu (1969)
- Shirikurae Magoichi aka The Magoichi Saga (1969)
- Hitokiri aka Tenchu!(1969)
- Oni no sumu yakata aka Devil's Temple (1969)
- Zatôichi kenka-daiko aka Samaritan Zatoichi (1968)
- Zatôichi hatashi-jô aka Zatoichi and the Fugitives (1968)
- Moetsukita chizu aka The Man Without a Map (1968)
- Akumyo juhachi-ban (1968)
- Heitai yakuza godatsu (1968)
- Tomuraishi tachi (1968)
- Zoku yakuza bozu (1968)
- Zatoichi chikemuri kaido aka Zatoichi Challenged (1967)
- Heitai yakuza nagurikomi aka Hoodlum Soldier on the Attack (1967)
- Zatôichi rôyaburi aka Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967)
- Akumyo ichidai (1967)
- Zatoichi tekka tabi aka Zatoichi's Cane-sword (1967)
- Heitai yakuza ore ni makasero (1967)
- Yakuza bozu aka The Hoodlum Priest (1967)
- Zatôichi umi o wataru aka Zatoichi's Pilgrimage (1966)
- Zatoichi no uta ga kikoeru aka Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966)
- Akumyo zakura (1966) .... Asakichi
- Heitai yakuza daidasso (1966)
- Heitai yakuza datsugoku (1966)
- Shin heitai yakuza aka Hoodlum Soldier Deserts Again (1966)
- Zatoichi Jigoku tabi aka Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)
- Akumyo muteki (1965)
- Zatoichi sakate giri aka Zatoichi and the Doomed Man (1965)
- Muhomatsu no issho aka Life of Matsu the Untamed (1965)
- Akumyo nobori (1965)
- Zatôichi nidan-kiri Zatoichi's Revenge (1965)
- Heitai yakuza aka The Hoodlum Soldier (1965)
- Suruga yûkyôden: Dokyô garasu (1965)
- Zoku heitai yakuza aka Hoodlum Soldier and the C.O. (1965)
- Zatoichi sekisho yaburi aka Adventures of Zatoichi (1964)
- Shiawasa nara te o tatake aka If You're Happy, Clap Your Hands (1964)
- Kojiki taisho (1964)
- Zatôichi kesshô-tabi (1964) aka Fight, Zatoichi, Fight
- Suruga yûkyôden (1964)
- Akumyo daiko (1964) .... Asakichi
- Zatôichi abare tako aka Zatoichi's Flashing Sword (1964)
- Suruga yûkyôden: Toba arashi (1964)
- Zatôichi senryô-kubi aka Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold (1964)
- Dokonjô monogatari: Zuputo iyatsu (1964)
- Rônin-gai (1964)
- Akumyo ichiban (1963)
- Zatôichi kenka-tabi aka Zatoichi on the RoadZatoichi on the RoadZatoichi: On the Road is a 1963 Japanese Chambara film directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda starring Shintaro Katsu as the blind masseur Zatoichi, originally released by the Daiei Motion Picture Company...
(1963) - Akumyo hatoba (1963)
- Zatoichi kyojo tabi aka Zatoichi The FugitiveZatoichi The FugitiveZatoichi: The Fugitive is a 1963 Japanese Chambara film directed by Tokuzo Tanaka starring Shintaro Katsu as the blind masseur Zatoichi, originally released by the Daiei Motion Picture Company...
(1963) - Akumyo ichiba (1963)
- Shin Zatoichi monogatari aka New Tale of ZatoichiNew Tale of ZatoichiThe New Tale Of Zatoichi is a Japanese film, the third entry from the popular Zatoichi series completing the trilogy. The film is the first Zatoichi film to be in colour.-Plot:...
(1963) - Yukinojo henge aka An Actor's RevengeAn Actor's Revenge, also known as Revenge of a Kabuki Actor, is a 1963 film directed by Kon Ichikawa. The film was produced in Eastmancolor and Daieiscope for Daiei Studios....
(1963) - Daisan no akumyo (1963)
- Dokonjo monogatari - zeni no odori aka The Money Dance (1963)
- Zoku shin akumyo aka New Bad Reputation Continues (1962)
- Shin shikôtei aka The Great Wall (1962)
- Zoku Zatoichi monogatari aka The Tale of Zatoichi ContinuesThe Tale of Zatoichi Continuesis a 1962 Japanese film directed by Kazuo Mori and starring Shintarō Katsu as Zatoichi the blind swordsman. The Tale of Zatoichi Continues is the second entry in the popular, long-running Zatoichi series.-Plot:...
(1962) - Kujira gami aka The Whale God (1962)
- Shin akumyo aka New Bad Reputation (1962)
- Zatôichi monogatari aka The Life and Opinion of Masseur IchiThe Tale of Zatoichi (1962 film)The Tale of Zatoichi , directed by Kenji Misumi, is the first film of a classic Japanese samurai drama saga starring Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi.-Plot:...
(1962) - Zoku akumyo aka Tough Guy, Part 2 (1961)
- Shaka aka Buddha (1961)
- Tough Guy (Akumyō) (1961)
- Blind Devotion (Midaregami) (1961)
- Hanakurabe tanuki dochu (1961)
- Kaze to kumo totoride (1961)
- Mito komon umi o wataru (1961)
- Tsukinode no ketto (1960)
- Secrets of a Court Masseur (Shiranui kengyō) (1960)
- The Ogre of Mount Oe (Ooe-yama Shuten-dōji) (1960)
- Zoku Jirocho Fuji (1960)
- Enchanted Princess (Hatsuharu tanuki gotten) (1959)
- Beauty Is Guilty (Bibō ni tsumi ari) (1959)
- Beni azami (1959)
- Seki no yatappe (1959?)
- Samurai VendettaSamurai VendettaSamurai Vendetta is a 1959 Japanese Chambara film directed by Kazuo Mori starring Raizo Ichikawa and Shintaro Katsu, originally released by the Daiei Motion Picture Company. It is seen as a depiction of the early years of Samurai Horibe Yasubei, who was one of the "Forty-seven Ronin"...
(Hakuōki) (1959) - Ghost-Cat Wall of HatredGhost-Cat Wall of HatredGhost-Cat Wall of Hatred aka The Ghost-Cat Cursed Wall is a 1958 black and white Japanese horror film directed by Kenji Misumi....
(Kaibyō noroi no kabe) (1958) - The Loyal 47 RoninThe Loyal 47 Roninis a 1958 color Jidaigeki Japanese film directed by Kunio Watanabe.- Cast :* Kazuo Hasegawa as Ōishi Kuranosuke * Shintarō Katsu as Genzō Akagaki* Kōji Tsuruta as Kin'emon Okano* Raizō Ichikawa as Takuminokami Asano...
(忠臣蔵 ChūshinguraChushingurais the name for fictionalized accounts of the historical revenge by the Forty-seven Ronin of the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including the early , the story has been told in kabuki, bunraku, stage plays, films, novels, television shows and other media...
) (1958) - The Gay Masquerade (Benten kozōBenten Kozo', as the original and fullest version of this play is known, is a tale in five acts of the shiranamimono sub-category of the kizewamono genre of kabuki plays. Written by Kawatake Mokuami, it first premiered at the Ichimura-za in Edo in March 1862.The play is frequently known by a number of other...
) (1958) - Nichiren to mōko daishūraiNichiren to moko daishuraiNichiren - a Man of Many Miracles , lit. "Nichiren and the Great Mongol Invasion", is a color 1958 Japanese film directed by Kunio Watanabe.- Cast :* Kazuo Hasegawa as Nichiren* Takashi Shimura...
(1958) - Ghost-Cat of Yonaki (Kaibyo Yonaki numa) (1957)
- An Osaka StoryAn Osaka Storyis a 1957 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Kōzaburō Yoshimura based on a story by Kenji Mizoguchi.- Cast :* Raizo Ichikawa as Keizaburo* Kyōko Kagawa as Onatsu* Shintaro Katsu as Ichinosuke* and others...
(Osaka monogatari) (1957) - Tsukigata Hanpeita (1956)
- Ghost-Cat of Gojusan-TsugiGhost-Cat of Gojusan-Tsugiis a 1956 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Bin Kado.It is Japanese film horror about ghost-cat....
(Kaibyo Gojusan-tsugi) (1956) - Marason zamurai (1956)
- Sisters of the GionSisters of the Gion (1956 film)is a 1956 black and white Japanese film drama directed by Hiromasa Nomura.The film is remake of the 1936 film drama of the same name Sisters of the Gion by Kenji Mizoguchi.- Cast :* Michiyo Kogure * 小野道子* Tamao Nakamura...
(祇園の姉妹 Gion no shimai) (1956) - The Renyasai Yagyu Hidden StoryThe Renyasai Yagyu Hidden Storyis a 1956 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Katsuhiko Tasaka.It is a jidaigeki action drama set in the Edo period.- Cast :* Raizo Ichikawa* Shintarō Katsu* Yataro Kurokawa* Ryosuke Kagawa* and others...
(柳生連也斎 秘伝月影抄 Yagyū renyasai: hidentsuki kageshō) (1956) - A Girl Isn't Allowed to LoveA Girl Isn't Allowed to LoveA Girl Isn't Allowed to Love aka The Rose Again is a 1957 Japanese film directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa.- Cast :* Kazuo Hasegawa* Ayako Wakao* Raizo Ichikawa as Sofu Yamamura* and many others...
(Bara ikutabika) (1955)
Producer
- Zatôichi aka Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi (1989)
- Shogun Assassin (1980) (producer)
- Akumyo: shima arashiaka Akumyo: Notorious Dragon (1974)
- Goyôkiba: Oni no Hanzô yawahada koban aka Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (1974) (producer)
- Yadonashi (1974) (producer)
- Goyôkiba: Kamisori Hanzô jigoku zeme aka Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (1973)
- Shin Zatôichi monogatari: Kasama no chimatsuri aka Zatoichi's Conspiracy (1973)
- "Oshi samurai" TV Series (executive producer)(1973)
- Shin Zatôichi monogatari: Oreta tsue aka Zatoichi in Desperation (1972) (producer)
- Kozure Ôkami: Shinikazeni mukau ubaguruma aka Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972) (producer)
- Kozure Ôkami: Sanzu no kawa no ubaguruma aka Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972) (producer)
- Kozure Ôkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru aka Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance(1972) (producer)
- Shin heitai yakuza: Kasen (1972) (producer)
- Zatôichi goyô-tabi aka Zatoichi at Large(1972) (producer)
- Goyôkiba aka Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (1972) (producer)
- Kaoyaku (1971) (executive producer)
- Shin Zatôichi: Yabure! Tojin-ken aka Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman (1971) (producer)
- Ali, the Fighter aka Ali the Man: Ali the Fighter (1971) (producer)
- Zatôichi abare-himatsuri aka Zatoichi at the Fire Festival (1970) (producer)
- Zatôichi to Yôjinbô aka Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970) (producer)
Director
- Zatôichi aka Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989)
- "Zatôichi monogatari" (1974) TV Series (episode "A Memorial Day and the Bell of Life")
- "Oshi samurai" (1973) TV Series
- Shin Zatôichi monogatari: Oreta tsue aka Zatoichi in Desperation (1972)
- Kaoyaku (1971)
Writer
- Zatôichi aka Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989) (screenplay)
- Kaoyaku (1971)
- Zatôichi abare-himatsuri aka Zatoichi at the Fire Festival (1970)
Television
- Zatoichi Monogatari (actor, writer, director)
- Shin Zatoichi Monogatari (actor, writer, director)
- Shin Zatoichi (actor, writer, director)
- Oshi Samurai (The Mute Samurai) (actor, writer, director)
- Keishi-K (Superintendent K) (actor, writer, director)