Samurai Movies And Other Japanese Period Films (Jidaigeki)
My favorite historical Japanese films. There's plenty of samurai, ronin, bandits, ninjas, assassins, thieves, ghosts, monks, farmers, merchants and others in this list. All my lists are continuously updated so check back often!
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- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsShin'ichi ChibaKenji SawadaAkiko KanaCenturies ago, a samurai survives the massacre of 35,000 Christians and denounces God for ignoring the pleas of the believers. He sells his soul to the devil and receives the power to resurrect the dead to join him on a murderous rampage.Excellent historical fantasy that gave birth to the hit arcade game Samurai Shodown (actual spelling) which I used to play back in high school.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTakashi ShimuraKeiko TsushimaFarmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.The all-time classic. If you will only watch one samurai film then this is it. The original cut is almost 4 hours but its worth it!
- DirectorKenji MizoguchiStarsKinuyo TanakaYoshiaki HanayagiKyôko KagawaIn medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression.Dark and depressing but still a classic tale of cruelty and forgiveness.
- DirectorHiroshi InagakiStarsToshirô MifuneMariko OkadaRentarô MikuniDepicts the early life of the legendary warrior Musashi Miyamoto; his years as an aspiring warrior, an outlaw and finally a true samurai.First of a 3 part epic on the life of Miyamoto Mushashi, Japan's greatest swordsman. Toshiro Mifune is my all time favorite actor and he shines in this. Unlike most other films made during this time, its in color!
- DirectorHiroshi InagakiStarsToshirô MifuneMariko OkadaKôji TsurutaMusashi Miyamoto returns to Kyoto after years of absence. After a series of fights against the Yoshioka School, he challenges its master to a duel.
- DirectorHiroshi InagakiStarsToshirô MifuneMariko OkadaKôji TsurutaMusashi Miyamoto is challenged to a duel by a confident swordsman Sasaki Kojiro. He agrees to fight him in a year's time.
- DirectorSenkichi TaniguchiStarsToshirô MifuneDaisuke KatôMichiyo AratamaChuji Kunisada returns to his home village to find that Jubei Matsui, the corrupt magistrate, has been responsible for virtually destroying Kunisada's family. A final tragedy leads Kunisada to join with a band of rogues living in the forest in robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, always with an eye toward avenging himself on Magistrate Matsui.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneEijirô TônoTatsuya NakadaiA crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.Clint Eastwood's Fistful of Dollars basically copied this. A fun and engaging actioner starring my two fav samurai actors- Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai!
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsToshirô MifuneYôko TsukasaGô KatôThe mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped away from her husband by the lord. The husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to get her back.Toshiro Mifune and Tatsyua Nakadai are at it again! A father and son samurai are bound by honor to a lord's ever changing whims, but at what cost?
- DirectorKihachi OkamotoStarsTatsuya NakadaiMichiyo AratamaYûzô KayamaThrough his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopath samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.Disjointed, brutal and haunting. The ending is somewhat abrupt but its still a classic samurai film.
- DirectorTakeshi KitanoStarsTakeshi KitanoTadanobu AsanoYui NatsukawaThe blind masseur/swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda.Post modern update of the venerable Zaitochi movies with Beat Takeshi in the starring role. Very good!
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira TeraoJinpachi NezuIn Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.King Lear in medieval Japan! Another instant classic from master director Akira Kurosawa. The colors flow through this epic like a painting.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMachiko KyôMasayuki MoriThe rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMinoru ChiakiIsuzu YamadaA war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle.Kurosawa's take on Shakespeare's Macbeth. Another classic starring Toshiro Mifune.
- DirectorSatsuo YamamotoStarsRaizô IchikawaShiho FujimuraYûnosuke ItôA young ninja becomes embroiled in a plot to kill a tyrannical warlord. He journeys across feudal Japan, facing deceit, betrayal, and enemy ninja at every turn. Goemon must complete his mission, regain his honor, and survive.The movie that started the ninja craze! Anyone who is a fan of movie ninjas has to see this one!
- DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsNobuko OtowaJitsuko YoshimuraKei SatôTwo women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.A ghost story set in the marshes. Very different compared to the other movies in this list.
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsRentarô MikuniMichiyo AratamaMisako WatanabeA collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.Lush, colorful tales of the supernatural. Though not quite as scary as some of the great horror classics, the visuals alone make this one another winner.
- DirectorYôjirô TakitaStarsKiichi NakaiKôichi SatôYui NatsukawaA samurai goes to extraordinary lengths to provide for his family.Funny and poignant tale of a materialistic samurai in the closing days of the era. Very good!
- DirectorKon IchikawaStarsKen TakakuraKiichi NakaiRie MiyazawaA group of disgraced samurai plan a decade long revenge against a corrupt lord.Another take on the story of the 47 Ronin. A group of disgraced samurai plan a decade long revenge against a corrupt lord. Starring Ken Takakura.
- DirectorHideo GoshaStarsMikijirô HiraGô KatôShima IwashitaAfter killing a counselor of his clan, a fugitive samurai befriends a couple poaching the shogun's gold in the mountains.An outlaw ronin on the run makes this a very good movie. Lots of action and suspense.
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira IshihamaShima IwashitaWhen a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity.
- DirectorMasahiro ShinodaStarsHiroshi AoyamaJun HamamuraOsamu HitomiThe legendary samurai Sasuke Sarutobi gets caught in a web of political intrigue, deception and espionage during the early 17th century.Spies, samurai and ninjas abound in this, a very different movie for its time- full of double crosses and intrigue. Highly recommended!
- DirectorKihachi OkamotoStarsToshirô MifuneKeiju KobayashiMichiyo AratamaWhen a samurai clan attempting to assassinate a feudal lord begin to suspect a traitor, they start an investigation on a ronin who is helping their cause.
- DirectorKenji MisumiStarsTomisaburô WakayamaFumio WatanabeGô KatôThe story of a Ronin (i.e. a masterless samurai) who wanders the countryside of Japan with his small child, having various adventures.This is the first of the 6 movie Lone Wolf and Cub series, based on the hit manga. Every movie is pretty good and there isnt a bad film in the series. Although it tends to get cheesy and ridiculous at times, its still a must watch for samurai fans.
- DirectorKenji MisumiStarsTomisaburô WakayamaKayo MatsuoMinoru ÔkiTrailed by a clan of female ninja, Ogami is paid to assassinate a clan traitor accompanied by three killers known as the Gods of Death.