With Katsu Production (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)
1. Shogun Assassin (1980)
R | 85 min | Action, Adventure
When the wife of the Shogun's Decapitator is murdered and he is ordered to commit suicide by the paranoid Shogun, he and his four-year-old son escape and become assassins for hire, embarking on a journey of blood and violent death.
Directors: Robert Houston, Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ôki, Shôgen Nitta
Votes: 10,792
2. Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)
Not Rated | 84 min | Action, Adventure
The story of a Ronin (i.e. a masterless samurai) who wanders the countryside of Japan with his small child, having various adventures.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Fumio Watanabe, Gô Katô, Tomoko Mayama
Votes: 8,392
3. Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (1972)
94 min | Action
Hanzo Itami is an incorruptible Edo officer who learns that an infamous killer has fled from his island prison. Hanzo begins tracking him down using his unorthodox interrogation techniques.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Yukiji Asaoka, Mari Atsumi, Kô Nishimura
Votes: 1,789
4. Zatoichi (1989)
Not Rated | 116 min | Action, Drama
Older, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival... See full summary »
Director: Shintarô Katsu | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Kanako Higuchi, Takanori Jinnai, Ryûtarô Gan
Votes: 1,776
5. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
Not Rated | 81 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Trailed by a clan of female ninja, Ogami is paid to assassinate a clan traitor accompanied by three killers known as the Gods of Death.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ôki, Akiji Kobayashi
Votes: 6,490
6. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972)
R | 89 min | Action, Drama
Ogami Itto volunteers to be tortured by the yakuza to save a prostitute and is hired by their leader to kill an evil chamberlain.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Gô Katô, Yûko Hama, Isao Yamagata
Votes: 5,314
7. Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (1974)
Not Rated | 83 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the sixth and final film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, the final conflict between Ogami Itto and the Yagyu clan is carried out.
Director: Yoshiyuki Kuroda | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Junko Hitomi, Gorô Mutsumi
Votes: 4,074
8. Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)
Not Rated | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Zatoichi tries to unrest the mob rule over a small village all while the gang leader's bodyguard is actually the Yojimbo, secretly taking the gang down from the inside. Will the two heroes realize in time that they are on the same side?
Director: Kihachi Okamoto | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Shintarô Katsu, Ayako Wakao, Osamu Takizawa
Votes: 2,682
9. Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (1974–1979)
45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Blind masseur Zatôichi travels from town to town gambling, drinking, and fighting off the local gangs.
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Renji Ishibashi, Shintarô Akatsuki, Keizô Kanie
Votes: 228
10. Zatoichi's Conspiracy (1973)
Not Rated | 88 min | Action, Drama
Zatoichi returns to his home village for the first time in over ten years to find much has changed and that corruption abounds.
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Yukiyo Toake, Eiji Okada, Kei Satô
Votes: 1,006
11. Hitokiri (1969)
140 min | Action, Drama, History
A destitute ronin allies himself with an established clan, but its ruthless leader tries to turn him into a mindless killer.
Director: Hideo Gosha | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yukio Mishima, Yûjirô Ishihara
Votes: 1,143
12. Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (1973)
Not Rated | 89 min | Action, Drama
During the currency devaluation by the Edo treasury, officer Hanzo deals with a temple priestess who sells her pupils as prostitutes, and a notorious thief who plans to rob the mint.
Director: Yasuzô Masumura | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Keiko Aikawa, Kazuko Inano, Keizô Kanie
Votes: 1,232
13. Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Adventure, Action
Zatoichi meets an infamous blind leader of a gangster organization as he contends with a gloomy ronin widower.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Reiko Ôhara, Pîtâ, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Votes: 1,429
14. The Man Without a Map (1968)
118 min | Mystery
A private detective is hired to find a missing man by his wife. Contradictory evidence and the lack of clues soon render the case as virtually unsolvable, as the detective grows more and more frustrated.
Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Etsuko Ichihara, Osamu Ôkawa, Kiyoshi Atsumi
Votes: 552
15. Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman (1971)
Not Rated | 94 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Two of Japan and China's greatest heroic swordsman find themselves caught in a plot to protect a young child. But will national distrust and simple misunderstanding keep the two kindred spirits apart?
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Jimmy Wang Yu, Watako Hamaki, Michie Terada
Votes: 1,617
16. Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (1974)
Not Rated | 84 min | Action
After extracting information by raping a ghost, Hanzo uncovers a plot among high officials to steal the shogunate's gold and loan it out to the poor.
Director: Yoshio Inoue | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Kô Nishimura, Mako Midori, Mikio Narita
Votes: 929
17. Mute Samurai (1973–1974)
1,170 min | Action
A master swordsman, Kiichi Hogan, wanders Japan in search of the Spanish swordsman who murdered his parents and slashed his throat 18 years before. Renouncing any normal life the samurai ... See full summary »
Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Shintarô Katsu, Judy Ongg, Yûko Hama
Votes: 70
18. Zatoichi in Desperation (1972)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After accidentally causing an old lady's death, Zatoichi seeks out her daughter to atone for the tragedy, consequently getting into all sorts of trouble.
Director: Shintarô Katsu | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Kiwako Taichi, Kyoko Yoshizawa, Yasuhiro Koume
Votes: 1,061
19. Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In a town where debt-ridden peasants are being ruthlessly exploited, Zatoichi is forced to take sides between a cruel yakuza boss and his seemingly altruistic rival.
Director: Satsuo Yamamoto | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Rentarô Mikuni, Kô Nishimura, Yûko Hamada
Votes: 1,262
20. Zatoichi at Large (1972)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Action, Adventure
On the road, Zatoichi meets a dying pregnant woman and delivers the child moments before she passes. Honor bound, he sets out to find the next-of-kin who he discovers have their own problems.
Director: Kazuo Mori | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Rentarô Mikuni, Hisaya Morishige, Etsushi Takahashi
Votes: 1,021
21. Sakura no Daimon (1973)
88 min | Action, Drama
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Michi Higashi, Tomoko Mayama
Votes: 35
22. The Homeless (1974)
97 min | Crime
Director: Kôichi Saitô | Stars: Ken Takakura, Shintarô Katsu, Ichirô Nakatani, Noboru Andô
Votes: 58
23. Kaoyaku (1971)
98 min | Action, Crime
Director: Shintarô Katsu | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Takuya Fujioka, Tsutomu Yamazaki
Votes: 36
24. Bad Reputation: Turf Wars (1974)
104 min
A man, Asakichi, becomes the target of the yakuza when he relates to a geisha.
Director: Yasuzô Masumura | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Jôji Ai, Hiroko Isayama, Kirin Kiki
Votes: 41
25. Fûfu tabi nikki saraba ronin (1976– )
54 min | Drama
Stars: Makoto Fujita, Yoshio Harada, Masumi Harukawa, Yôichi Ito
26. New Hoodlum Soldier Story: Firing Line (1972)
92 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Black comedy-adventure about the unlikely friendship between an intellectual solder (Tamura) and his dim-witted pal, a former gangster (Katsu)
Director: Yasuzô Masumura | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Takahiro Tamura, Michiyo Yasuda, Jô Shishido
Votes: 52
27. One Man Boss (1971)
80 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A crazy gangster/youth comedy.
Director: Tetsutaro Murano | Stars: Osamu Sakai, Yoshihiko Aoyama, Tomoko Kinoshita, Masumi Harukawa
28. The Black Hood (1981 TV Movie)
Action
A horse-riding samurai fights villains.
Director: Akikazu Ota | Stars: Yoshi Katô, Sayoko Ninomiya, Tomisaburô Wakayama
Votes: 7
29. Keishi-K (1980– )
49 min | Crime, Drama
The story of main character inspector K (Shintarô Katsu), who lived in a trailer, and his outlaw policemen plays out over thirteen one-hour episodes in one season in 1980 during which they ... See full summary »
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Masami Okumura, Takuzô Kawatani, Harukazu Kitami
30. Kataashi no êsu (1971)
101 min | Drama, Sport
Director: Kazuo Ikehiro | Stars: Naohisa Takada, Hisashi Igawa, Jûkichi Uno, Sen Yamamoto
31.
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (1974–1979)
Episode:
The Dream Journey
(1979)
Action, Adventure, Drama
In a fever dream Zatoichi experiences redemption and then damnation. His feeling on awakening are not reciprocated.
Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara | Stars: Junko Inagawa, Hideo Kanze, Shintarô Katsu, Inami Michiko
Votes: 9
32.
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (1974–1979)
Episode:
The Rainbow Journey
(1979)
Action, Adventure, Drama
The massage of a wealthy merchant's unwell daughter becomes something more and leads to complications for everyone.
Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara | Stars: Hisashi Igawa, Kaneko Iwasaki, Shintarô Katsu, Nakamura Minae
Votes: 10
33.
Mute Samurai (1973–1974)
Episode:
Kuchibiru kara uta o ubawareta otoko
(1973)
Action
Stars: Judy Ongg, Tomisaburô Wakayama
34.
Mute Samurai (1973–1974)
Episode:
A Silent Prayer for a Little Boy
(1973)
Action
Samurai Kiichi Hogan stumbles upon an elaborate contraband scheme that involves Spanish merchants, a band of ronin and the local police magistrate while trying to solve the mysterious ... See full summary »
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Tomisaburô Wakayama
35.
Mute Samurai (1973–1974)
Episode:
A Bridge to the Dark World
Action
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Star: Tomisaburô Wakayama
36.
Mute Samurai (1973–1974)
Episode:
The Dangerous Highway
Action
An entire village is held hostage by brigands who have taken over the water supply during a terrible drought. Led by a beautiful woman, these vicious killers can only be stopped by one man, the 'Silent Samurai' Kiichi Hogan.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Yûko Hama, Tomisaburô Wakayama
37.
Mute Samurai (1973–1974)
Episode:
The Fateful Encounter
Action
Kiichi Hogan's past catches up with him as he has a bittersweet reunion with O-Kiku, his former fiancée. Her brother leads a merciless group of cutthroats who are terrorizing a village, and... See full summary »
Director: Tomisaburô Wakayama | Star: Tomisaburô Wakayama
40.
Mute Samurai (1973–1974)
Episode:
A Whirlwind of Blood
Action
Stars: Yoshiko Nakada, Akira Yamanouchi
45.
Keishi-K (1980– )
Episode:
Sono shiawase matta!
(1980)
54 min | Crime, Drama
Director: Shintarô Katsu | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Masami Okumura, Takuzô Kawatani, Harukazu Kitami