News

Sadao Nakajima passed away from pneumonia on 11th June, 2023. He was 88 years old. Active as a director until just four years before his passing, Nakajima left behind legacy of work that most directors would dream of. Alongside Kinji Fukasaku and Junya Sato, he is credited as being one of the main names to define the Yakuza genre, with some of his greatest works coming within that genre for Toei Studios, showcasing a range of styles and narrative complexities while at it. Outside of the yakuza genre as well though, Nakajima made a number of terrific features, mixing a range of genres and filmmaking styles effectively over an illustrious career that lasted a little under 60 years, starting from his debut in 1964 all the way until his swansong in 2019.

Without further ado, we list 12 essential films by Sadao Nakajima that are not in the Yakuza genre, in chronological order.

1. Female Ninja Magic...

Sadao Nakajima passed away from pneumonia on 11th June, 2023. He was 88 years old. Active as a director until just four years before his passing, Nakajima left behind legacy of work that most directors would dream of. Alongside Kinji Fukasaku and Junya Sato, he is credited as being one of the main names to define the Yakuza genre, with some of his greatest works coming within that genre, showcasing a range of styles and narrative complexities while at it. Having joined Toei Studio in 1959, he worked primarily at Toei's Kyoto studio, despite running his contract out and going independent in 1967. In fact, the majority of the titles we list here are productions from after he left Toei as a contracted director and yet continued to work for the Studio as a freelancer, likely because of the freedom it provided him and his relationship with their existing roster of actors and crew,...

by Nathan Stuart

On June 11 2023, Sadao Nakajima sadly passed away in Kyoto after a bout of pneumonia at the age of 88. He leaves behind a rich and deep cinematic legacy, one that has rightly been praised in his home of Japan, but one that has never received its proper recognition in the West, much in part to his work being overshadowed, ironically, by that of his friend Kinji Fukasaku. Outside of niche circles of fans who have zealously consumed as much of his work as possible via bootlegs, not much has been said or written about Nakajima, despite his 1976 Jitsuroku classic ‘Okinawa Yakuza War' already having a cult following, even without a legitimate disc release.

Born in Togane City in 1934, he lost his father at the age of 10 to the Second World War and would go on to graduate from Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School in 1954, before spending a further...

The school of Yakuza films Kinji Fukasaku set up with Yakuza Papers found a number of students in the following years, implementing his frantic pace in the editing, the intense action, and the occasional news strip presentation of the real events. Sadao Nakajima is one of those “students” with his “Terror of Yakuza” following the path of the second part of the quintology, “Hiroshima Death Match”. The movie was initially banned in Okinawa because the local government feared it would incite too much interest in the local yakuza and reignite the rather violent events the story is based on.

“Terror of Yakuza” is screening at Japan Society

These events took place in Okinawa in December 1971, the year before its reversion to Japan and resulted in the 4th Okinawa conflict. In this setting, Hideo Nakazato, a yakuza who has just been released from prison, is trying to adapt to all the changes that he sees happening,...

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Okinawa’s reverting from American to Japan, our friends at New York’s Japan Society will host, from May 13 to June 3, Visions of Okinawa, a retrospective that “documents the dynamic historical, political and cultural spaces of Okinawa around this pivotal point in history through in-person screenings and streamed films exploring the legacies of the Occupation, WWII and imperialism.”

We’re proud to debut the trailer for their series, which mixes “mainland filmmakers, native Okinawans and documentarians,” the series includes Chris Marker’s Level Five and Oshima’s Dear Summer Sister, which I don’t recall ever screening in New York—much less on a 35mm print. The Focus on the Nihon Documentarist Union (Ndu) documentaries will be screening for the first time outside Japan and streaming worldwide (except Japan and Taiwan). Being that Go Takamine’s Paradise View (another one I don’t think...

Marking 50 years since Okinawa’s reversion from American sovereignty back to Japan, Visions of Okinawa documents the dynamic historical, political and cultural spaces of Okinawa around this pivotal point in history through in-person screenings and streamed films exploring the legacies of the Occupation, WWII and imperialism. Primarily focusing on films made around the time of or dealing with the 1972 reversion, Visions of Okinawa addresses issues of identity, race and borders by presenting diverse and complicated reflections on the prefecture from mainland filmmakers, native Okinawans and documentarians.

In-theater Screenings

All in-person screenings will take place in Japan Society’s auditorium, located at 333 E. 47th Street in New York, NY.

Paradise View

Friday, May 13, 2022 at 7:00 Pm

Dir. Go Takamine, 1985, 117 min., Dcp, color, in Okinawan (Uchinaaguchi) and Japanese with English subtitles. With Kaoru Kobayashi, Jun Togawa, Haruomi Hosono.

North American Premiere of 2021 edit. Go Takamine’s rarely screened first theatrical feature is...

With the fifth and, as the title says, final episode in the “Battles Without Honor and Humanity” series, there was a major chance in the production. Whereas the former episodes had been scripted by Kazuo Kasahara based on the articles about the yakuza by writer Koichi Iboshi, Koji Takada took over the project. In an interview feature titled “Last Days of the Boss”, which can be found on the release of the film by Arrow Video, Takada reflects on how he convinced Fukasaku and the producers of his vision for the fifth film, which would not only continue the story of Shozo Hirono played by Bunta Sugawara, but which would also change the dynamics within the series, making it a legitimate sequel as well as a refreshing deviation from the formula of the series.

Buy This Film

After the events of the previous film, “Police Tactics”, Hirono (Sugawara) serves a...

As Japan attempted to recuperate from its surrender in 1946, the nation tried to return to some kind of normality. However, especially during the 1960s, normal was nowhere to be seen, with a daily stream of riots, demonstrations and frequent acts of violence shaking the country. Aided by the yakuza, Japan’s political right slowly but surely decimated the nation’s left wing, exposing not only the true nature of Japan’s political caste but also leaving no doubt about the immorality of the yakuza. As author Grady Hendrix writes in her essay “Radioactive Yakuza Mutants Eat Japan” included in the Arrow Video-release of “Battles Without Honor and Humanity”, those were the times a young and aspiring director named Kinji Fukasaku experienced the daily events in his country, live and on the newsreel when he went to the cinema. Naturally, as he was planning to shoot his first films, he adopted...

Review by Roger Carpenter

After experiencing huge critical and commercial success with the five-part film series collectively known as Battles without Honor and Humanity, the Toei Company asked director Kinji Fukasaku to continue the series. The original five films were based upon several magazine articles, themselves based upon the memoirs of an actual member of the Japanese mafia, or yakuza. The films proved to be so successful that Fukasaku essentially created a new subgenre known in Japan as Jitsuroku eiga, “actual record films,” or films based upon true tales of real-life adventures. But having run out of material with the first five films, Fukasaku would have to turn to more fictionalized stories as well as new characters if he wanted to continue the series. This three-film series became known as New Battles without Honor and Humanity and, though there have been other films in the series, these are the last directed by Fukasaku.

Doberman Cop Starring Sonny Chiba will be Available on Blu-ray and DVD on July 4th From Arrow Video

Released just as the popularity of yakuza movies was waning in Japan, and as the country’s film industry was undergoing some fundamental shifts, Doberman Cop is a unique entry in the career of director Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Cops vs Thugs), and reunited him with star Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba (The Street Fighter, Wolf Guy) in an American-style crime movie that mixes gunplay and pulp fiction with martial arts and lowbrow comedy to create one of their most entertaining films.

Based on a popular manga by “Buronson” (creator of Fist of the North Star), Doberman Cop follows the fish-out-of-water adventures of Joji Kano (Chiba), a tough-as-nails police officer from Okinawa who arrives in Tokyo’s Kabuki-cho nightlife district to investigate the savage murder and mutilation of an island girl...

Considered by many to be director Kinji Fukasaku’s greatest single-film achievement in the yakuza genre, Cops Vs Thugs was made at the height of popularity of Toei Studios’ jitsuroku boom: realistic, modern crime movies based on true stories taken from contemporary headlines. Returning to the screen after completing their Battles Without Honor and Humanity series together, Fukasaku joined forced once again with screenwriter Kazuo Kasahara, composer Toshiaki Tsushima and star Bunta Sugawara to create one of the crowning achievements of his career, and a hard-boiled classic which is still ranked as one of the best Japanese films of the 1970’s.

It’s 1963 in the southern Japanese city of Kurashima, and tough-as-nails detective Kuno (Sugawara) oversees a detente between the warring Kawade and Ohara gangs. Best friends with Ohara lieutenant Hirotani (Hiroki Matsukata), he understands that there are no clear lines in the underworld, and that everything is colored a different shade of gray.

Bloody havoc reigns! Kinji Fukasaku's no-holds-barred vision of ugly violence and uglier politics on the streets of Hiroshima is a five-film Yakuza epic that spans generations. The film amounts to an alternate history of postwar Japan, that puts an end to the glorification of the Yakuza code. The enormous cast includes Bunta Sugawara, Tetsuro Tanba, Sonny Chiba and Jo Shishido. Battles without Honor and Humanity Blu-ray + DVD Arrow Video 1973-74 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 760 min. / Limited Edition Boxed Set Street Date December 8, 2015 / 149.95 Starring Bunta Sugawara, Hiroki Matsukata, Tetsuro Tanba, Kunie Tanaka, Eiko Nakamura, Sonny Chiba, Meiko Kaji, Akira Kobayashi, Tsunehiko Watase, Reiko Ike, Jo Shishido Cinematography Sadaji Yoshida Production Designer Takatoshi Suzuki Original Music Toshiaki Tsushima Written by Koichi Iiboshi, Kazuo Kasahara Directed by Kinji Fukasaku

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

In the 1990s the American Cinematheque was headquartered in various places, but settled for a few years in a large...

13 Assassins

Stars: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Mikijiro Hira, Hiroki Matsukata | Written by Daisuke Tengan & Shoichiro Ikemiya | Directed by Takashi Miike

“In mid-19th Century Japan the era of the samurai is beginning to fade as the feudal nation begins to enjoy a rare period of peace. But the fragile calm is soon threatened by the bloody rise of Lord Naritsugu, the Shogun’s sadistic, psychopathic younger brother, whose position places him above the law and free to rape, mutilate and murder on a whim. Concerned that Naritsugu’s actions will eventually destroy the Shogunate, top Shogun official Sir Doi covertly calls on esteemed and noble samurai warrior Shinzaemon Shimada (Koji Yakusho) to assassinate the evil Lord before it is too late. Shinzaemon willingly agrees and immediately gathers together an elite group of samurai to assist him in the task, knowing that what they are about to embark upon...

[1] After some heavier recent works -- including 13 Assassins [2] and Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai [3], both of which are currently making their rounds in the festival circuit -- director Takashi Miike is displaying a much lighter side side in his latest film, Ninja Kids!!! The bright, bubbly kids' flick is based on the long-running anime series Nintama Rantaro, which in turn was adapted from an even longer-running manga titled Rakudai Ninja Rantaro. Check out the very silly trailer after the jump. [via Movieline [4]] The basic premise isn't terribly difficult to grasp, even without subtitles -- the story centers around young ninjas-in-training at a ninja academy -- but for more clarification, check out this English-subtitled trailer as well. [via Twitch [5]] The influences of anime and manga style are obvious even in these short trailers. Ninja Kids!!! really does look like an anime come to life, from the stylized action to the colorful costume design. I especially...

Takashi Miike, the director responsible for such uncompromising and unforgettable movies as Audition and Ichi The Killer indelibly stamps his trademark style on the Samurai genre with the ultra-violent, all-action, blood-spattered epic, 13 Assassins.

Miike’s remake of Eichi Kudo’s classic 1963 samurai period action-drama Jusan-nin No Shikaku boasts a heavyweight cast featuring some of the biggest names in contemporary Japanese cinema, including Koji Yakusho (Babel; Memoirs Of A Geisha), Takayuki Yamada (252: Sign Of Life), Yusuke Iseya (Sukiyaki Western Django; Memories Of Matsuko; Casshern), Mikijiro Hira (Goemon) and Hiroki Matsukata (Tajomaru: Avenging Blade; Ichi).

We’ve just been sent the official UK trailer and poster (pictured above) for the film by the good folks at Artifical Eye, who unleash 13 Assassins into UK cinemas on May 6th 2011.

Empire have posted a new UK trailer for 13 Assassins, a remake of the 1963 Eiichi Kudo film.

Directed by renowned filmmaker Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer), 13 Assassins stars Kôji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Hiroki Matsukata, Kazuki Namioka, Gorô Inagaki and Masachika Ichimura.

A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.

Check out the UK trailer below:...

So there’s this guy, and he really, really wants to kill this other guy, and he’s got a Samurai sword, but the problem is, the other guy’s got 400 other guys with Samurai swords, too. I think you can guess what happens here. Yup, check out a full minute of bloody carnage from Takashi Miike’s “13 Assassins”, opening in limited release April 29, 2011 from Magnet Releasing. A band of 13 samurai are charged with assassinating a lord who is a known rapist and murderer before he can assume a high political post. Starring Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Kazuki Namioka, Hiroki Matsukata, and directed by Takashi Miike. Via Yahoo. function getVideo() { var so = new SWFObject("http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage/xplayer/yo033.swf", "mplayer", "590", "375", "8", "#000000"); so.addParam("wmode","transparent"); so.addParam("swliveconnect", "true"); so.addParam("allowscriptaccess", "always"); so.addParam("allowfullscreen", "true"); so.addVariable("pid", "byhw013"); so.addVariable("siteId", "243"); so.addVariable("videoId", "269959"); so.

This story updates an early post with the exclusive new UK trailer for 13 Assassins. There is no escape from the samurai mayhem...Takashi Miike has been beloved of cult audiences for years, but it looks as it he might have a bona-fide breakout international hit on his hands if this new UK trailer for 13 Assassins is anything to go by.Known for mad horror (Audition), extreme violence (Ichi the Killer), and working very quickly on the cheap, Miike seems here to have turned in a spectacular historical action epic. Still plenty of blood and killing though, and a murdered woman in the trailer's opening seconds, so par for the Miike course in some ways. brightcove.createExperiences();13 Assassins is a remake of the 1963 Eiichi Kudo film, in which the baker's dozen samurai take on a sadistic warlord against - what else? - insurmountable odds. It stars Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Hiroki Matsukata and Kazuki Namioka,...

Magnet Releasing have unveiled a brand new trailer and poster for ultra-violent period-horror film 13 Assassins, a remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 black-and-white Japanese film of the same name.

Directed by renowned Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike (Ichi The Killer) from a screenplay penned by Daisuke Tengan, the film stars Kôji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Hiroki Matsukata, Kazuki Namioka, Yûsuke Iseya, Gorô Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura, and Mikijiro Hira.

Read more on New trailer and poster for Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins...

Takashi Miike, the director responsible for such uncompromising and unforgettable movies as Audition and Ichi The Killer indelibly stamps his trademark style on the Samurai genre with the ultra-violent, all-action, blood-spattered epic, 13 Assassins.

Miike’s remake of Eichi Kudo’s classic 1963 samurai period action-drama Jusan-nin No Shikaku boasts a heavyweight cast featuring some of the biggest names in contemporary Japanese cinema, including Koji Yakusho (Babel; Memoirs Of A Geisha), Takayuki Yamada (252: Sign Of Life), Yusuke Iseya (Sukiyaki Western Django; Memories Of Matsuko; Casshern), Mikijiro Hira (Goemon) and Hiroki Matsukata (Tajomaru: Avenging Blade; Ichi).

In mid-19th Century Japan the era of the samurai is beginning to fade as the feudal nation begins to enjoy a rare period of peace. But the fragile calm is soon threatened by the bloody rise of Lord Naritsugu, the Shogun’s sadistic, psychopathic younger brother, whose position places him above the law and free to rape,...

...Or we should say "Cheat Sheets" since this year's SXSW Film Festival boasts over 140 films, requiring more than just one page to cover every single one of the narrative and documentary features that will be playing in Austin from March 11th through 19th. While the festival has already provided a very helpful schedule to flip through and Pdf of the screening grid online, consider this your quick hit guide to all the features at the festival - every title leads to its corresponding festival page in addition to links to trailers, official sites, filmmakers' Facebook pages and Twitter accounts so you can follow the action from the festival or from home.

Meanwhile, there will be plenty of action during these next two weeks on IFC.com where, in addition to our live video page, Matt Singer (@mattsinger) and I (@mfrushmore) will be filing reviews and interviews throughout the film festival.

A new teaser for Takashi Miike's upcoming live-action adaptation of Nintama Rantaro has been uploaded to the Warner Bros. channel on Yahoo! Japan.

Based on a long-running gag manga by Sobee Amako, the film revolves around an 8-year-old boy named Rantaro who attends a school for young ninjas.

The new footage seems to be geared toward showcasing the film's main cast, including newly announced cast members Mikijiro Hira and Hiroki Matsukata in full special effects makeup.

Here's the current cast list in the order shown in the teaser:

Seishiro Kato as Nintama

Roi Hayashi as Kirimaru

Fuuta Kimura as Shinbe

Shido Nakamura as Dad

Rei Dan as Mom

Susumu Terajima as Yamada-sensei

Takahiro Miura as Doi-sensei

Hiroki Matsukata as Happosai

Mikijiro Hira as Ookawa

"Nintama Rantaro" will be released in Japan on July 23, 2011.

Watch »...

Controversial Japanese director Takashi Miike is a very busy man these days.

13 Assassins

Two new projects for him this year, Zebraman 2 and something that’s already being described as “an epic samurai bloodbath” and the reason why we’re here today movie titled 13 Assassins.

When you’re that busy, then you definitely deserve to have a movie playing In Competition at the Venice Film Festival 2010.

The film is a remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 black-and-white Japanese movie of the same name, and the story follows:

“Esteemed samurai Shinzaemon Shimada is secretly commissioned to terminate the evil Lord Naritsugu after his bloody rise to power. Assembling an elite group of samurai, Shinzaemon plots to ambush the Lord on his annual journey home from Edo.

The courageous samurai know it’s a suicide mission because the Lord is closely protected by a deadly entourage led by Shinzaemon’s nemesis, the ruthless Hanbei.

Sweet Samurai Jesus.

It was only yesterday that we put up five pics from the upcoming redo of 13 Assassins by Takashi Miike and like that we now know who all 13 actors will be. Led by Koji Yakusho, who most around these parts would know from Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Retribution, Cure, Pulse, Tokyo Sonata, to name a few, in the lead assassin role of Shimada Shinzaemon, the other dozen actors are Hiroki Matsukata [Izo],  Yusuke Iseya [Blindness, Sukiyaki Western Django and Casshern], Takayuki Yamada [Crows Zero films and Mw], Tsuyoshi Ihara [Letter from Iwo Jima], Arata Furuta [Tokyo Zombie and Zebraman], Ikki Sawamura [Gokusen: The Movie and Steamboy], Sousuke Takaoka [Crows Zero films, Blue Spring and Battle Royale], Yuma Ishigaki [Gokusen: The Movie, Azumi 2 and Battle Royale 2], Masataka Kubota, Seiji Rokkaku [My Boss, My hero], Kazuki Namioka [Crows Zero films, L Change the World and Midnight Eagle], and Koen Kondo [Linda Linda Linda, Zebraman and Nodome Cantabile].

That is a fine mix of veteran and young talent. Filming has only just begun and is expected to go into September which means we still have a ways to go before we get to see this.

Filming has just begun in Japan on Takashi Miike’s samurai epic Thirteen Assassins, and seeing as we’re huuuge Miiki fans, we thought we’d better take a look-see for any new info on this fantastic sounding production. Its way too early for any photos or media, but here’s what we’ve found so far. Its way too early for any photos or media, but here’s what we’ve found so far. The Film - Based on Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 film of the same name, the movie follows the coming together of thirteen assassins who embark on a suicide mission to kill an evil young lord in the era of the Shogun. Headlining the cast will be; Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Hiroki Matsukata and Kazuki Namioka. The Plot – 13, an unlucky number for one. In the era of the Shogun, an evil young lord rapes and kills, assured of immunity by law.

Filming has just begun in Japan on Takashi Miike’s samurai epic Thirteen Assassins, and seeing as we’re huuuge Miiki fans, we thought we’d better take a look-see for any new info on this fantastic sounding production. Its way too early for any photos or media, but we did find this piece of concept art (left) and the official plot summary. Details below.... The Film - Based on Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 film of the same name, the movie follows the coming together of thirteen assassins who embark on a suicide mission to kill an evil young lord in the era of the Shogun. Headlining the cast will be; Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Hiroki Matsukata and Kazuki Namioka. The Plot – 13, an unlucky number for one. In the era of the Shogun, an evil young lord rapes and kills, assured of immunity by law. But he didn't count on the Thirteen Assassins.

Oh how we have waited with bated breath for the return of Japanese director Hiroyuki Nakano to return with another film. I am a mighty fan of both Samurai Fiction and Stereo Future. I gave Red Shadow a miss and I haven’t been able to see any of the short film work he has done in recent years so his record is pretty much unblemished in my opinion. And it has been long enough since he last did a feature film perhaps all this short film work in the meantime has put him back on track to deliver us another gem. We hope Tajomaru is that film, Nakano’s adaptation of the short story “In a Grove” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. I’m a bit mixed about the new trailer, some parts seem a bit silly and Jpop gets me every time, but final judgment is reserved for when I...