Sanshiro Sugata

Sanshiro Sugata 1943

6.52

The story of Sanshiro, a strong stubborn youth, who travels into the city in order to learn Jujutsu. However, upon his arrival he discovers a new form of self-defence: Judo. The main character is based on Shiro Saigo, a legendary judoka.

1943

Blizzard Ronin

Blizzard Ronin 1939

1

The film tells about the life of the former vassal of the Ako clan - Fuwa Katsuemon Masatane.

1939

Suicide Troops of the Watchtower

Suicide Troops of the Watchtower 1943

5.70

Stalwart soldiers of the Japanese Empire – Japanese and Korean alike – stand in defense of a military outpost threatened by "bandits."

1943

Currents of Youth

Currents of Youth 1942

1

It was supposed to be about a love story, but it was and was not. An aircraft mechanic working for the government is matched by his boss with the latter man's daughter (Setsuko Hara) who is both beautiful and aggressive. Yet, he picks a woman who is less assertive as his bride.

1942

China Night

China Night 1940

1

Wartime propaganda filmed by the Japanese in occupied China, Shirley Yamaguchi portrays an orphan rescued from the streets by a kindly Japanese merchant marine officer. Part spy thriller and part Shanghai travelogue, it was part of a popular series known as "Chinese Continental Friendship" made by the occupying Japanese in China.

1940

Mito Kōmon Manyu-ki

Mito Kōmon Manyu-ki 1938

1

This is the only surviving "Mito Komon Manyu-ki" film. This release also known as Adrift Tour Memoir is an 80-minute compilation of the first and second parts (147 minutes), which were re-edited and screened at a time when presentable films were dried up immediately after the defeat of the war.

1938

Harmonica Boy

Harmonica Boy 1940

1

The only son of a sushi chef hates sushi and decides to leave home to search for a job and make his own way.

1940

Oath on the Burning Sands

Oath on the Burning Sands 1940

1

A Japanese army engineer (Hasegawa) on the mainland must put his personal feelings for a beautiful Chinese woman (Ri) aside if he is to succeed at building a highway through the "bandit"- (aka anti-Japanese militia-) infested hinterlands.

1940

The Monkey King

The Monkey King 1940

1

A legendary pre-war comedy operetta starring Enomoto Kenichi, Hideko Takamine and Li Xianglan. The Sanzo Ikkou continues its westward journey, on a mission to prevent a demonic resurrection. As Genjo Sanzo, Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo, and Son Goku (Kenichi Enomoto) fight their way to their goal, their path is fraught with internal strife.

1940

Mito Komon's Pleasure Trip

Mito Komon's Pleasure Trip 1938

1

This is the only surviving “Mito Komon Manyu-ki” film. This release also known as "Adrift Tour Memoir" or literally "Mito Komon's Pleasure Trip" is an 80-minute compilation of the first (東海道の巻 or "Tokaido no maki") and second (日本晴れの巻 or "Japan's Fine Weather Reel") parts (147 minutes), which were re-edited and screened at a time when presentable films were dried up immediately after the defeat of the war.

1938

The Opium War

The Opium War 1943

1

The Opium War is a 1943 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Masahiro Makino. "Ahen senso" in Japan refers to the First Opium War. The story of the film concerns this war.

1943

Sky of Hope

Sky of Hope 1942

1

What is marriage? Young couple in match-making wanted to know before they decide. They visited married couples of sisters and brothers. Love comedy in 1942.

1942

Fallen Blossoms

Fallen Blossoms 1938

1

Set against the backdrop of an imperial victory in the civil war leading up to the Meiji Restoration, Fallen Blossoms tells the story of the sorrows of women in a geisha house in Kyoto by recounting the relationships of its inhabitants.

1938

Shanghai Landing Party

Shanghai Landing Party 1939

5.00

This film attempts to reconstruct the tension of the Battle of Shanghai through an episode in an understated way, introducting its story in a documentary mode. In the film story, Japan's marine regiment protects Japanese residents and Chinese refugees-women and young children-from rampant street fighting, Shanhai Rikusentai unsparingly uses its first eight minutes for an official-mannered self-justification of the war. From the viewpoint of explaining Japan's military operation,the narration refers to the city s spatial division in sync with maps on screen.

1939