Kyōko Kagawa
Kyōko Kagawa (香川 京子 Kagawa Kyōko, born 5 December 1931) is a Japanese actress. She has appeared in leading and supporting roles in such films as Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well and High and Low, Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story, and Kenji Mizoguchi's Sansho the Bailiff.
She won the "New Face Nomination" sponsored by the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper out of about 6,000 applicants and joined Shintoho. She was also taking entrance exams for a regular company at the same time, and her final interview and the final exam for the New Faces camera test overlapped, but with her mother's advice, she decided to pursue acting.
After appearing in Red Beard in 1965 , she gave birth to a child and accompanied her husband to New York where he was posted overseas, leaving the film industry for about three years.
She returned to Japan in 1968. As film began to decline, she expanded her field of work to include television dramas and stage productions. She was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1998 and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2004 .
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 1.398 |
| Birthday | 1931-12-05 |
| Place of Birth | Aso, Namegata, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan |
| Also Known As | 카가와 쿄코, Кёко Кагава, |
1952
Kin no tamago: Golden Girl
9/1
Once an average and seemingly ordinary Tokyo girl, she suddenly finds herself as a TV star owing to her discovery by a casting company, which noticed...
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Kin no tamago: Golden Girl
1965
Red Beard
8.143/406
Aspiring to an easy job as personal physician to a wealthy family, Noboru Yasumoto is disappointed when his first post after medical school takes him...
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Red Beard
1954
Sansho the Bailiff
8.065/422
In 11th-century feudal Japan, following the exile of an idealistic governor, his wife and children are separated by slave traders; the children, Zushi...
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Sansho the Bailiff
1960
The Bad Sleep Well
7.701/278
In this loose adaptation of "Hamlet," illegitimate son Kôichi Nishi climbs to a high position within a Japanese corporation and marries the crippled d...
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The Bad Sleep Well
1957
The Lower Depths
7.082/141
Residents of a rundown boardinghouse in 19th-century Japan, including a mysterious old man and an aging actor, get drawn into a love triangle that tur...
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The Lower Depths
1963
High and Low
8.359/1113
A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.
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High and Low
1993
Madadayo
7.35/133
In postwar Tokyo, beloved writer-professor Hyakken Uchida retires and is buoyed through hardship by the fierce devotion of his former students, who ho...
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Madadayo
1952
Mother
6.95/20
A teenaged girl witnesses her widowed mother's attempt to sustain her family.
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Mother
1954
Chikamatsu Monogatari
7.806/152
When the wife of a 17th-century Kyoto scrollmaker is falsely accused of having an affair with his best employee, the pair flee the city and find thems...
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Chikamatsu Monogatari
1962
Till Tomorrow Is
8/1
Natsuko’s daughter Saori is born blind in 1941, just before her father is drafted. Despite an attempted surgery and years of struggle, her condition p...
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Till Tomorrow Is
1950
Tenpo Suikoden - Otone's Night Fog
0/0
Jidai-geki by Kiyoshi Saeki
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Tenpo Suikoden - Otone's Night Fog
1999
After Life
7.162/275
On a cold Monday morning, a group of counselors clock in at an old-fashioned social services office. Their task is to interview the recently deceased,...
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After Life
1961
Mothra
7.144/181
Shipwreck survivors found on the presumably uninhabited Infant Island leads to a scientific expedition that discovers a surviving native population al...
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Mothra
1953
Tokyo Story
8.168/1211
The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder so...
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Tokyo Story
1958
The Outsiders
7/1
A drama about relations between Japanese immigrants and the indigenous Ainu on Hokkaido, the most northerly island of Japan. From a novel by Taijun Ta...
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The Outsiders
1957
Yagyu Secret Scrolls
6.5/6
In the Tokugawa Era, the clan of Lord Yagyu has hidden away three scrolls containing clan secrets which, if revealed, would cause revolution and disas...
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Yagyu Secret Scrolls
1958
Yagyu Secret Scrolls: Ninjitsu - Part II
5.375/8
In the Tokugawa Era, the clan of Lord Yagyu has hidden away three scrolls containing clan secrets which, if revealed, would cause revolution and disas...
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Yagyu Secret Scrolls: Ninjitsu - Part II
1956
Sudden Rain
6.7/15
Fumiko and Ryōtarō Namiki's marriage has gone stale, with both constantly arguing over what to do on a day off, or about her cutting out recipes from...
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Sudden Rain
2008
Tokyo Rendezvous
5.4/5
A salaryman debates selling his grandfather's land to pay off his father's debt.
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Tokyo Rendezvous
1979
Tora-san's Dream of Spring
8.25/4
Tora-san's opinions about Americans get challenged when another wandering peddler Michael Jordan stops by Shibamata.
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Tora-san's Dream of Spring
1956
Shozo, a Cat and Two Women
6.7/10
Shozo is plagued by the needs of his ex-wife and his current one, but prefers the company of his cat.
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Shozo, a Cat and Two Women
1961
Daredevil in the Castle
7.35/10
During the raging war between the Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans, the swordsman Mohei (whose family has been completely decimated) is recruited by Toyoto...
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Daredevil in the Castle
1958
Little Peach
6.067/15
Anzukko (Little Peach) is the daughter of a successful writer. She turns down each one of her suitors, until she marries a beginning writer named Ryok...
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Little Peach
1955
The Shiinomi School
6.5/4
A university professor and his wife have two sons with infantile paralysis. Through trial and error, they struggle to open a school for disabled child...
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The Shiinomi School
1957
An Osaka Story
6/6
A poor peasant, after years of scraping, becomes a rich and powerful Osaka merchant. Mizoguchi Kenji's final project; he died before completing it and...
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An Osaka Story
1953
Tower of Lilies
6.778/9
A group of Okinawan high school girls are drafted as nurses during the American invasion of the island. As the enemy army advances further, the situat...
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Tower of Lilies
1954
Hanran
0/0
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Hanran
1953
Love Letter
6.845/29
A sad and troubled man finds a new job five years after the end of WWII, where he writes love letters for other people.
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Love Letter
1952
Man in the Storm
9/1
Returning from wartime China, Keiichi reunites with his mother Inako and adopted sister Tomi. He becomes drawn to Tomi’s beauty, and his mother appear...
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Man in the Storm
1954
Five Sisters
8/4
The story of five sisters.
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Five Sisters
1957
A Man in the Storm
7/1
Judo expert Saburô Watari fights his judo master, Tsujido, while simultaneously in conflict with a karate expert.
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A Man in the Storm
1956
流轉
0/0
In the eleventh year of the Tenpō era, the Kawarazaki-za theater in Edo buzzed with excitement for a new production of "Kanjinchō" by Naritaya, featur...
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流轉
1962
The Daughters of the Saotome Family
0/0
1962 Japanese movie
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The Daughters of the Saotome Family
2015
Sat-chan Tadashi-chan: Sengo minshu-teki dokuritsu pro funtō-ki
0/0
After the war, many filmmakers were expelled from the Japanese film industry due to the Toho Dispute and the Red Purge. Amid such circumstances, there...
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Sat-chan Tadashi-chan: Sengo minshu-teki dokuritsu pro funtō-ki
1985
Song of the Spring Pony
8.5/2
Hoshino Bunzo raises up his orphan grandson, Keiji whose right leg gets paralyzed when he was an infant. Bunzo loves Keiji so much that he does every...
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Song of the Spring Pony
1952
Lightning
7.241/27
The story of Kiyoko, a young woman who has successfully managed to make a break with her dysfunctional family who have been trying to arrange a marria...
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Lightning
2022
Shimamori Tower
7.6/5
Together with Shimada Akira (Hagiwara Masato), the last appointed governor of Okinawa during the war, Arai Taizo (Murakami Jun), the chief of police o...
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Shimamori Tower
1960
The Chivalrous Youth of Great Edo
0/0
Jidaigeki by Tai Kato
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The Chivalrous Youth of Great Edo
1951
Ginza Cosmetics
6.5/14
A few days in the life of a quiet geisha, single mother of a smart young boy, in the lively Tokyo quarter of Ginza. A woman devoted to others' needs,...
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Ginza Cosmetics
1974
The Family
9/1
Set in the post-World War II climate of the 1960s in Kobe, the movie explores the struggle for power within the powerful Manpyo family.
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The Family
2015
東京の日
0/0
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東京の日
2006
Red Whale, White Snake
0/0
On her way to Chikura to live with her son, Yasue Amami gets off at the Tateyama train station. She wants to see her old house. The a new owner, Mitsu...
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Red Whale, White Snake
1978
Have Wings on Your Heart
9/1
Tragedy about a terminally ill girl.
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Have Wings on Your Heart
1954
Mother's First Love
8/1
A melodrama based on the novel by Yasunari Kawabata, telling about the tragic fate of a mother and daughter who are attracted to the same man.
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Mother's First Love
1951
Akatsuki no Kyūshū
0/0
Japanese drama film.
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Akatsuki no Kyūshū
1952
Lil's Return from Shanghai
7.5/2
In pre-war Shanghai, a man falls in love with a mysterious woman, but she eventually disappears. Back in Japan, he is obsessed by her memory and tries...
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Lil's Return from Shanghai
1958
Woman Unveiled
8/2
A childless lawyer and his wife take in the quiet daughter of an imprisoned client, whose presence eventually creates romantic tension with the husban...
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Woman Unveiled
1958
His Scarlet Cloak
8/1
The humorous tale of Jimbei, a miller, and his wife Osen who live in complete happiness. But Osen's beauty attracts numerous would-be lovers among who...
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His Scarlet Cloak
2016
Mifune: The Last Samurai
7.1/50
An account of the life and work of legendary Japanese actor Toshirō Mifune (1920-97), the most prominent actor of the Golden Age of Japanese cinema.
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Mifune: The Last Samurai
1959
The Human Wall
6.25/4
Drama which shows the struggle of Fumiko, a female teacher, at work and at home.
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The Human Wall
1952
Kanpai! Tokyo Musume
0/0
Romantic comedy about a love triangle between two girls who fall in love with a reliable young doctor.
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Kanpai! Tokyo Musume
1955
Nonki saiban
0/0
A spectacular comedy with a star-studded cast that depicts unusual trials and unexpected verdicts regarding the five deadly sins: the crime of beauty,...
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Nonki saiban
1955
Christ in Bronze
9/1
Christian converts face persecution in the feudal society of 17th century Japan.
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Christ in Bronze
1957
On This Earth
7/1
Ichiro’s family used to be a large landowner, but now he is living in poverty with his mother. His mother works hard to get her son through school. Un...
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On This Earth
1955
If Indeed One Loves
10/1
The film consists of three short stories. Tomiko, the heroine of the first story, "The Flower Girl" (dir. Kozaburo Yoshimura), is a little girl who be...
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If Indeed One Loves
1952
Muntinlupa no yo wa fukete
0/0
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Muntinlupa no yo wa fukete
1961
Death on the Mountain
7.333/3
Three bankers, out on holiday, climb the Japanese Alps. One dies under mysterious circumstances, and later it is suggested that perhaps the man was mu...
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Death on the Mountain
1962
Love at the Fogged Harbor
0/0
A bittersweet love story between yakuza Hiroshi and a married woman Reiko.
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Love at the Fogged Harbor
1975
Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director
7.214/14
In 39 interviews with actors and actresses, writers, producers and staff members, interspersed with film excerpts and stills, Shindō recounts the life...
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Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director
2002
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'The Lower Depths'
0/0
Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one focuses on "The Lower Depths" (1957).
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Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'The Lower Depths'
2002
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'High and Low'
0/0
Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one focuses on "High and Low" (1963).
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Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'High and Low'
1959
Lucky Adventurer Nobunaga Oda
7.5/4
Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) was a major daimyo during the Warring State period of Japanese history. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy milit...
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Lucky Adventurer Nobunaga Oda
2002
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'The Bad Sleep Well'
0/0
Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one focuses on "The Bad Sleep Well" (1960).
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Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'The Bad Sleep Well'
1960
Scars of Honor
7/2
Japan, 1643, as the Kato clan of Aizu falls from power two brave samurai will settle a dispute in the time-honored tradition of their clan, by drawing...
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Scars of Honor
1959
The Three Treasures
5.5/14
The legend of the birth of Shintoism. In Fourth Century Japan, the Emperor's son Ouso expects to succeed his father on the throne, but Otomo, the Empe...
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The Three Treasures
1950
Snow-Flake
7.5/2
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Snow-Flake
1959
Gambler and the Princess
7/1
Film directed by Kenji Misumi.
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Gambler and the Princess
1952
A Ripple in a Morning
7/2
Atsuko is an office secretary who is also her family's primary source of income and caretaker in postwar Japan.
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A Ripple in a Morning
1961
Girls of the Night
6.476/20
In the wake of the 1956 Prostitution Prevention Law, a young woman recently released from one of Japan's new rehabilitation centers struggles to build...
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Girls of the Night
2018
Omotenashi
4.2/5
Cultures meet and values are learnt through the renovation of an inn.
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Omotenashi
2017
Tenshi no Iru Toshokan
7/1
Sakura, who just graduated from a university, begins to work at a library in Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture. She is flustered with her new job and unfamil...
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Tenshi no Iru Toshokan
2004
Heaven's Bookstore
5.893/14
Kenta, a young pianist who has just lost his job, is drowning his woes at a bar, when he meets a man in a Hawaiian shirt named Yamaki. He invites Kent...
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Heaven's Bookstore
2021
Mo-Ruerani
0/0
The owner of an established photo studio, collapses from illness. His son Shinta, who was raised by his divorced wife, comes home. One day, an elderly...
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Mo-Ruerani
1990
Shikibu monogatari
3.667/3
Toyoichi Otomo suffers from psychological and spiritual troubles after a horrific industrial accident. He lives with his elderly mother and wife near...
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Shikibu monogatari
1956
Women in Prison
4/3
The woman prison has a cast all with a story of their own and with no dull or routine day. There is an employee who is divorced after her husband had...
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Women in Prison
1953
Aiyoku no sabaki
0/0
Motoko Fujikawa works in the Seisen Church as an assistant to pastor Maki Inokichi. Motoko falls in love with Inokichi's virtuous character and devote...
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Aiyoku no sabaki
2005
Bluestockings
6.667/3
Set during Japan's Taisho Era (1912-1926), "Bluestockings" tells the tale story of a love triangle between wealthy businessman Yuichiro (Etsushi Toyok...
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Bluestockings
1996
Shall We Dance?
7.461/179
A bored accountant spots a beautiful woman in the window of a ballroom dance studio. He secretly starts taking dancing lessons to be near her, and the...
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Shall We Dance?
1951
Karate Sanshiro
0/0
Shunsuke Washimi, a member of the karate club, misunderstands the affections of Chiyo, a lodging house girl who is in love with him and in the midst o...
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Karate Sanshiro
1995
Deep River
7.333/6
A group of Japanese tourists try to forget their pasts and find themselves in India.
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Deep River
1960
Lord of Red Banner
0/0
A young lord lives against the will of his father Lord Tokugawa.
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Lord of Red Banner
2013
The Intermission
7/1
A unique black comedy set in Ginza Cinepathos, a long-established movie theater that closes at the end of March 2013 while being familiar to movie fan...
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The Intermission
1951
Farewell to the Highland Station
0/0
A young botanical researcher moves to the highlands to collect plants for research, and falls in love with a nurse there.
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Farewell to the Highland Station
1951
Who Knows a Woman's Heart
10/1
Ikeuchi was captain of the K - University ice hockey team. The daughter Shikotsuko of Ginza 's western restaurant "Piccolo" was also a female student...
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Who Knows a Woman's Heart
1954
Tomoshibi
7/1
Students in a small rural school love their poor but unconventional teacher Mr. Matsukuma, although he is misunderstood by most of the villagers and i...
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Tomoshibi
1956
Rainy Night Duel
8/1
Masahiko Koseki, a judo master, gets in several fights as a result of protecting a young woman. Despite his success, Koseki is expelled from his judo...
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Rainy Night Duel
2002
Kokoro no Koukyougaku
0/0
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Kokoro no Koukyougaku
1958
The Child Writers
8/1
A touching story about little Futyan and his sister Matiko. Their parents are very poor, but the children are not discouraged—they run to school toget...
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The Child Writers
1954
The Glorious Days
0/0
The Glorious Days
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The Glorious Days
2022
The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai
7.4/8
In the turbulent last days of the Edo period, Kawai Tsugunosuke, a Japanese samurai serving the Makino clan of Nagaoka, dreamt of independence from th...
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The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai
1956
Girl's Reform School
0/0
The day to day life in an establishment for delinquent teenage girls.
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Girl's Reform School
1950
Mado Kara Tobidase
0/0
The movie "Jump Out of the Window" is a heartwarming work that depicts the interaction between two families. Shusuke Tokuyama (Den Obinata) runs an ag...
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Mado Kara Tobidase
2016
Somewhere in Kamakura
0/0
Nakata Hideo enlists Kagawa Kyoko, who immortalizes the youngest sister Kyoko in Ozu’s "Tokyo Story", to play an 80-year-old who suddenly receives a l...
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Somewhere in Kamakura
1956
Morishige, where are you going?
0/0
A man who seemed to have found happiness with a wife and child loses his wife and his daughter gets married... A man's life, full of joy and sorrow, i...
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Morishige, where are you going?
1952
勘太郎月夜唄
0/0
Kantaro, known as a rowdy boy in the town of Ina, attacked the local boss, Kaneoni's Arahira, all by himself, but was defeated by a large group of peo...
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勘太郎月夜唄
1957
The Shadow Daughter
8/1
Fusako, a girl raised in a geisha house, tries to escape her dark past and faces repeated heartbreaks. After an unexpected pregnancy, she has an abort...
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The Shadow Daughter
1958
Kampai! Miai Kekkon
0/0
Emiko, a shy girl, feels anxious as her classmates celebrate their upcoming weddings, realizing she’s the only one still single. She finds herself dra...
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Kampai! Miai Kekkon
2025
The Ozu Diaries
0/0
Unveiling Yasujiro Ozu’s legacy through his personal diaries, letters, and interviews, the documentary delves into his life, creative process, and las...
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The Ozu Diaries
2016
Beautiful 2016
0/0
The latest edition of the Beautiful series, commissioned for the Hong Kong International Film Festival, which asks established and acclaimed directors...
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Beautiful 2016
1957
The Oil-Hell Murder
7/1
A privileged son betrays his family for the favors of a geisha in 18th century Osaka.
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The Oil-Hell Murder
2022
Kinuyo Tanaka, a Woman We Talk About
0/0
This documentary composed of numerous testimonies and archives, filmed in Japan highlights the extraordinary career of the actress-director Kinuyo Tan...
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Kinuyo Tanaka, a Woman We Talk About
1958
Holiday in Tokyo
9/1
May Kawaguchi is a famous Japanese fashion designer. Returning to Tokyo from her home in New York, she travels incognito with a tour group, in hopes o...
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Holiday in Tokyo
1956
The Wife is a University Student
0/0
Outspoken student Noriko stands up to bullies and befriends pitcher Mitsuo. As their bond deepens, she impulsively declares she wants to marry him—the...
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The Wife is a University Student
1956
A Strong Wind Blows
0/0
When corruption spreads through a real estate company, president Hiyoshi brings in his honest friend Ryūtarō to reform it. Facing union unrest and bet...
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A Strong Wind Blows
1964
Mr. Giant's Victory Flag
8/1
Apparently a baseball drama starring real-life stars Nagashima (The Babe Ruth of Japanese Baseball) and teammate Oh-known collectively as ON-from the...
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Mr. Giant's Victory Flag
1959
The Canary Cage, Spellbound Love
0/0
In 1940 Osaka, a celebrated shamisen performer lives fast as war and shifting tastes erode his fame. The daughter of a restaurant owner quietly loves...
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The Canary Cage, Spellbound Love
1964
The Prodigal Son
0/0
A Japanese adaption of the story of the Prodigal Son.
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The Prodigal Son
1952
Dawn Fifteen of August
0/0
July 1945. War‑exhausted Japan groans under the heel of a brutal military regime. Young journalist Saeki struggles to cling to a fading sense of justi...
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