Broken Swords

After Aoi Shingo, the illegitimate son of Shogun Yoshimune has gained prominence as the finest swordsman in the land, he tries to lead a peaceful life with his mother far away from the seat of government in Edo. Not wanting to inconvenience his father anymore his plan is to stay away from the city and enjoy life like a normal man. Unfortunately for him, his past comes back to haunt him in the person of his mortal enemy, the one swordsman that is skillful enough to defeat him. This is the most perilous moment of Shingo's life as he must face his deadliest foe in a battle to the death!

Genichiro Okugawa is appointed as the head of accounting in a feudal domain and travels with his servant Gonsuke to the country from Edo. Along the way, they are attacked by masked samurai on a mountain road. Genichiro is saved by Sukezaemon Tsuda, the supervisor of public works who was out hunting. Upon arriving in the domain, Genichiro is given a warm welcome by the vassals, who force him to drink heavily and find his subordinates to be rebellious. His proposed fiscal reforms are met with resistance, except by Tsuda who understands Genichiro's intentions. Genichiro marries Matsuo, the daughter of a senior councilor, but soon faces accusations of corruption.

Master director Sadao Nakajima brings to life the adventures of Shohachi, a ronin (masterless samurai) searching for his father's enemy. O-Tama, the star of a light acrobatics hut in the back mountains of Asakusa, falls in love at first sight with a ronin named Shohachi who appears out of nowhere and, impressed by his skills, asks him to become the troupe's bodyguard. Shohachi, who is searching for his father's enemy Hyoto, follows the troupe on their provincial tour and finally finds him. But it seems that his enemy is quite skilled.

In the 14th year of the Genroku period, Asano, the head carpenter of Edo Castle, attacked Kira, the master of ceremonies, with a sword, leading to Asano's forced suicide and Kira's punishment being overlooked. Over a year later in Edo city, Shimohashi Hyogo, a carefree ronin and the nephew of Yagyu Yoshitaka, is ordered by his uncle to investigate the activities of the Ako Ronin, a group sympathetic to Asano's cause. However, Hyogo, who sympathizes with the Ronin's plight, helps out in times of need, rescuing Oishi Kuranosuke and Horibe Yahei from danger. He also teams up with Yaenosuke, a newspaper publisher, and Otaki, a geisha, to plan an attack on Kira's estate.

A chance encounter on the road leads to the unusual need for a female bodyguard to protect the granddaughter of an old friend of Akiyama Kohei, a wealthy merchant who plans to bypass his son-in-law as head of the company. When Daijiro’s wife Mifuyu takes on the job strange things start to happen, including the brutal slaughter of company employees. With the backing of Lord Tanuma, a chief elder on the ruling council, Kohei, Daijiro, and Mifuyu form a plan to foil the kidnappers plot and save the girl from certain death.

Edo is rocked by the news that a duel to the death is to be held at Takadanobaba, the famed site of a bloody revenge fought by Nakayama Yasubei, who late married into the Ako clan where he was one of the 47 ronin who took vengeance against the vile Lord Kira. This hallowed spot is to host a match between two of the finest swordsmen in Edo. Each is backed by a high ranking direct vassal of the shogun, who had bet their family heirlooms on the outcome. The loser was to commit seppuku and have his clan disbanded. Meanwhile a band of brigands are placing their bets on the fencer who had earlier killed their leader. Can retired master swordsman Akiyama Kohei keep this from becoming a major disaster?

Their parents are dead. They should be sad, but they can't cry. So they form a kick-ass band. This is the story of four 13-year-olds in search of their emotions.

In turbulent 16th-century Japan, the leaders of a minor fief have their child taken from them as a political hostage. His mother and his clan endure years of tribulations until he can return.

In July of 1864, in an incident at the Ikedaya Inn in Kyoto, thirty Shinsengumi suppressed a cell of twenty Choshu revolutionaries, possibly preventing the burning of Kyoto. The incident made the squad more famous and led to soldiers enlisting in the squad. The leader is Hijikata Toshizo, who is said to have been a spoiled brat in his childhood. One day, Toshizo discovers a woman thief with a stolen purse. In the purse, a note mentioning the name of Ito Kashitaro is found detailing illegal operations. Toshizo fears will become true. There is a rift in Shinsengumi.

When a Hong Kong teenager from a poor family wins a trip to Japan, he unleashes a chain of events that will soon bring him from his secluded fishing village to Tokyo. On the way, he connects with a barely competent tour guide and a gender-fluid pickpocket. Upon returning home with this merry band of schemers, he and his family of counterfeiters discover that a multinational conglomerate led by a ruthless Japanese developer has found the village, and is determined to raze it to build the new center of world trade.

On September 1, 1923, an unprecedented earthquake hit the Kanto region. The streets are filled with victims, and rumors are circulating around. The military seized the opportunity to round up and kill many socialists, anarchists, and Koreans, culminating in the arrest and murder of Sakae Osugi. His comrades and students are outraged by this atrocity. The young man Furukawa also becomes stronger in his determination to overthrow the military...

A bookseller from Seoul travels with a young woman to Fukuoka in Japan to meet a former friend from university. While their reunion is haunted by the conflicts of the past, his travel companion floats through the plot as if moving through a dream.

Nakadai Tatsuya, Japan’s greatest living actor, gives the performance of a lifetime as Shoji Sanosuke, and elderly samurai forced to pick up his sword to protect those he loves in this adaptation of a Fujisawa Shuhei novel. As a ”Heya-zumi” (essentially a freeloader living off his family) Sanosuke has one last chance to help his grandniece escape from the cruel samurai of an arranged marriage. Nakadai proves he ”still has it,” when fate forces him into a deadly duel. This award winning samurai drama from the pen of noted author Fujisawa Shuhei is a tribute to one of the greatest actors to ever grace the silver screen!

A criminal syndicate wants detective Onihei dead, but the resolute hero proves to be hard to kill.

When the brutal Boshin War breaks out in Japan, a group of inmates on death row unite to defend a fortress against the Imperial army.

A high school student steals the panties of a girl he likes but is witnessed, which sets off a chain of events that send his life and the lives of others around him out of control.