This is one of the many films based on the legend of Chuji Kunisada, a wandering gambler and a defender of the weak in the Edo period. In other words, he was the Japanese Robin Hood. In this film Kunisada (Chiezo Kataoka) arrives to a small town terrorized by an evil gang. He insists that he is not Kunisada, as the word is Kunisada has been executed, but of course the audience know better. Sonny Chiba plays an unusual supporting role as a helpless young man unable to defend himself from the gangsters. He does, however, get to play taiko drums and dance with Junko Fuji (who makes her film debut here). Chiba's father, an old judge who helps Kunisada, is played by Takashi Shimura. The film hardly anything exceptional, but it's a pretty decent jidai geki / yakuza drama.
Before he was a protector, Kenshin was a fearsome assassin known as Battosai. But when he meets gentle Tomoe Yukishiro, a beautiful young woman who carries a huge burden in her heart, his life will change forever.
Yakuza Kojima appeared in Yokkaichi in search of her mother who died when she was young. There he met Torajiro, a master of kendo, who had just left prison after slashing his adoptive father who stole his son's wife.
Chiba, looking gnarly, and acting as animalistic as ever, stars alongside Matsukata as violent gangsters battling their way through fight after bloody fight with rival yakuza on the streets of Okinawa.
Ryotatsu, the wayward Priest blinded by Shinkai, the Wicked Priest, has his own story in this ultra-violent tale from the era of the Meiji Reconstruction.
A low-ranking yakuza is given the mission to kill a high-ranking yakuza from a rival group. Wanting recognition, he accepts the assignment, only to meet an enthusiastic office lady.
This film depicts the battle of a man with miraculous bass fishing skills. Rei Kurokami, also known as the "Bass Eraser", stands up to restore the lake, whose ecosystem has changed due to the construction of Leisure Land.
1732, in the era of Yoshimune Tokugawa. West Japan suffers from a severe famine. Three years after wards, it appeared as though calm had been restored to the domain, but there is word that Jyuzo Matsumiya, the sword fighting instructor sent by the shogunate, is taking some suspicious actions.
Popular movie trailers from 1963
These some of the most viewed trailers for movies released in 1963:
A Wild West cow town is starving for entertainment and it falls upon Calamity Jane, a rowdy, gun-toting tomboy, to go to Chicago to bring back a famed stage actress.
Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for him beyond mere squiredom.
A candid, inside look at one of the greatest ballplayers ever, up through the 1963 season. Many highlights from Willie Mays's career are shown, including his 4-homer night against the Braves, his 400th homer against the Cardinals, and his 2000th hit.
Determined to hold on to the throne, Cleopatra seduces the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. When Caesar is murdered, she redirects her attentions to his general, Marc Antony, who vows to take power—but Caesar’s successor has other plans.
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Have you watched Gambler Tales of Hasshu: A Man's Pledge yet? What did you think about it?
