Tatsuya Nakadai

Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.

Dir. Akira Kurosawa · With Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu

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 place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.

Dir. Masaki Kobayashi · With Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita

A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.

Dir. Akira Kurosawa · With Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa

A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.

Dir. Akira Kurosawa · With Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yōko Tsukasa

Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.

Dir. Akira Kurosawa · With Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kenichi Hagiwara

After the Japanese defeat to the Russians, Kaji leads the last remaining men through Manchuria. Intent on returning to his old life, he faces great odds in a variety of different harrowing circumstances as he and his men sneak behind enemy lines.

Dir. Masaki Kobayashi · With Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Tamao Nakamura

After handing in a report on the treatment of Chinese colonial labor, Kaji is offered the post of labour chief at a large mining operation in Manchuria, which also grants him exemption from military service. He accepts and moves with his newlywed wife Michiko, but when he tries to put his ideas of more humane treatment into practice, he finds himself at odds with scheming officials, cruel foremen, and the military police.

Dir. Masaki Kobayashi · With Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima

Kaji, sent to the Japanese army labeled Red, witnesses cruelties in the army and revolts against the abusive treatment against a fellow recruit. He also sees his friend Shinjô defecting to the Russian border, and he ends in the front to fight a lost battle against the Russian tanks division.

Dir. Masaki Kobayashi · With Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Kokinji Katsura

The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.

Dir. Masaki Kobayashi · With Toshirō Mifune, Yōko Tsukasa, Gō Katō

In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.

Dir. Akira Kurosawa · With Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi

Keiko, whom everyone calls Mama, narrates her story: she's a hostess on the Ginza, 30, a widow. She describes life's vicious cycle: acting cheerful around drunks, dressing and living well to convey confidence, needing money for these expenses and for her demanding mother and brother, and knowing she's growing older.

Dir. Mikio Naruse · With Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko Dan

A businessman with a disfigured face obtains a lifelike mask from his new doctor, but the mask starts altering his personality and causing him to question his identity.

Dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara · With Tatsuya Nakadai, Mikijiro Hira, Machiko Kyō

Ryunosuke, a gifted swordsman plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule, has no moral code and kills without remorse. It’s a way of life that leads to madness.

Dir. Kihachi Okamoto · With Tatsuya Nakadai, Yūzō Kayama, Michiyo Aratama

The tragic, true story about Hachikō, an Akita dog who was loyal to his master, Professor Ueno, even after Ueno's death.

Dir. Seijiro Koyama · With Tatsuya Nakadai, Kaoru Yachigusa, Toshiro Yanagiba

In the aftermath of the most devastating conflict mankind had ever experienced, the tiny island of Shikotan became part of the Sakhalin Oblast... and on the unhealed border in this remote corner of the world, friendship among children from two different countries timidly blossomed, striving to overcome language barriers and the waves of history. Inspired by true events.

Dir. Mizuho Nishikubo · With Masachika Ichimura, Yukie Nakama, Kanako Yanagihara

An evil feudal lord rapes a village girl on her wedding night and proceeds to ruin her and her husband's lives. After she's eventually banished from her village, the girl makes a pact with the devil to gain magical ability and take revenge.

Dir. Eiichi Yamamoto · With Aiko Nagayama, Takao Itō, Tatsuya Nakadai

A group of travelers is stranded in a small country inn when the river floods during heavy rains. As the bad weather continues, tensions rise amongst the trapped travelers.

Dir. Takashi Koizumi · With Akira Terao, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Shirō Mifune