Hiroki Matsukata

Shot in the midst of the Daiei debacle, a yakuza film that turns its lack of resources into a strength, multiplying scenes of fog with poetic opacity.Read More »

The epic tales of Nemuri Kyoshiro, the ‘Son of the Black Mass’ come to their ultimate conclusion with Matsukata Hiroki having taken over the role upon the death of Ichikawa Raizo. A chance meeting with another half-Caucasian ronin, leads Kyoshiro into a deadly series of encounters as he tries to save the lad’s life and turn him away from the Satsuma Spy group’s band of vicious assassins. The series ends on a high note as the superior sword skills of Matsukata Hiroki make this one of the most exciting motion pictures to come out of Japan. Entertainment at its finest, this is one of the most violent films of that era. A must-see!Read More »

The epic tales of Nemuri Kyoshiro, the “Son of the Black Mass” near their conclusion as a young Matsukata Hiroki takes over the role upon the death of Ichikawa Raizo. Expert swordfighting abounds as the half-breed ronin runs afoul of the twin brother of the Shogun’s heir, who secretly plans to replace his brother and rule the nation. The deep running conspiracy includes some of the most powerful members of the Ruling Council. Meanwhile Kyoshiro must find a way to defeat some of the most skillful fighters he has ever faced. Matsukata Hiroki’s swordsmanship shines as he brings the character to a new level.Read More »

Yakuza in Hiroshima fight to dominate corporate extortion rackets.Read More »

This is an unusual work from the transitional period of “Toei’s realistic line”, depicting the life of corporate racketeers, a variant of modern yakuza. The protagonist is modeled on Ogawa Kaoru, who screenwriter Kasahara Kazuo became interested in after learning about her existence while researching “Battles Without Honor and Humanity” (non-fiction series). Kasahara closely interviewed Ogawa and wrote the script. The “economic yakuza,” who had only appeared in supporting episodes until then, are now fully featured as the main theme and protagonist, and the film is said to have been a precursor to later Hiroshima jingi: Hitojichi dakkai sakusen (1976) and Nippon no Don: Yabohen (1977), as well as the “financial yakuza films” and “economic yakuza films” that were mass-produced on original videoRead More »

Horai serves an 18 year sentence for killing a rival boss, but right before his release he is attacked.Read More »

Synopsis:
It’s brother against brother and father against son in this all-star yakuza epic. With brilliant performances from Toei’s samurai movie stars in a modern day setting the battles highlight this tale of brutality among Japanese gangster groups. Toei Film Company set the standard for high quality in the yakuza movie genre with this motion picture. Rival gangs vie for control of the prostitution racket leading to an ultra-violent confrontation. This powerful story is not to be missed!Read More »

Sadao Nakajima had made his name with Toei’s particular brand of violent action movie, but by the early seventies, the classic yakuza flick was going out of fashion. Datsugoku Hiroshima Satsujinshu (脱獄広島殺人囚, AKA The Rapacious Jailbreaker) follows in the wake of seminal genre buster, Battles Without Honour and Humanity, but also honours the classic Toei ganger movie past in its exploitation leaning, cynically humorous tale of a serial escapee and his ever more convoluted schemes to avoid the bumbling police force’s noose.Read More »

Synopsis:
In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono (Bunta Sugawara) and his buddies find themselves in a new war between fractious and ambitious yakuza. After joining boss Yamamori, Shozo is drawn into a feud with his sworn brother¹s family, the Dois. But that¹s where the chivalry of traditional yakuza film ends and the hypocrisy, betrayal, and assassinations begin. A rare and critical perspective on the history of Japan after World War II, BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY is a tour-de-force that revolutionized the yakuza genre and launched Kinji Fukasaku and Bunta Sugawara to international stardom.Read More »