Shunya Ito

Directing

Shunya Ito

Born February 17, 1937 · Fukui, Fukui Prefecture, Japan (age 89)

Director and screenwriter, Shunya Itō is a Japanese film director known for starting the Sasori / Female Prisoner Scorpion series of 1970s exploitation films starring Meiko Kaji. He won Picture of the Year at the Japanese Academy Awards in 1985 with his film Gray Sunset,[2] a story of a man suffering from Alzheimer's disease. This thus became Japan's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign L…

Known For

Female Prisoner #701: ScorpionFemale Prisoner #701: Scorpion · 1972
Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion
7.11972
MovieActionDrama
After being cruelly set up and deceived by Sugimi, a detective in cahoots with the mob with whom she was whole-heartedly in love, Matsushima’s desire for revenge knows no bounds.
Labyrinth RomanesqueLabyrinth Romanesque · 1988
Labyrinth Romanesque
5.01988
MovieMystery
A serial killing occurs at a port town brothel.
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast StableFemale Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable · 1973
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable
6.81973
MovieDramaAction
Following her successful prison break, Scorpion begins this third episode in the series hiding out in a brothel. Her prostitute friend tries to keep her identity secret, but the brothel's madam discovers that Scorpion is the ex-girlfriend of the vice officer who killed her lover.
White Snake EnchantmentWhite Snake Enchantment · 1983
White Snake Enchantment
5.61983
MovieDrama
Uta married a priest who saved her when she tried to commit suicide at a waterfall. The love triangle between a lustful priest, his second wife and his son Masao.
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 · 1972
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41
7.11972
MovieActionDrama
After being used and betrayed by the detective she had fallen in love with, young Matsu is sent to a female prison full of sadistic guards and disobedient prisoners.
Lupin the Third: Farewell to NostradamusLupin the Third: Farewell to Nostradamus · 1995
Lupin the Third: Farewell to Nostradamus
6.51995
MovieAnimationAction
A simple diamond heist leads Lupin into the machinations of a bizarre cult based around the prophecies of Nostradamus. They kidnap Julia, the daughter of Douglas, a wealthy American who is seeking the presidency, along with Lupin's diamond. At stake is the lost book of prophecy Douglas holds in the vault at the top of his skyscraper.
The Bullet and the HorseThe Bullet and the Horse · 1966
The Bullet and the Horse
9.01966
MovieCrime
A number of recently released prisoners become involved in a racket with a rancher who is a rival to a neighboring landowner and wants to use the convicts to seize his ranch. The rancher does not know, however, that he had years before killed the parents of one of their number.
To Trap a KidnapperTo Trap a Kidnapper · 1982
To Trap a Kidnapper
7.71982
MovieDramaCrime
Hideyuki Mitamura, a student at a private school near Osaka, is kidnapped on his way home from school.

Filmography

Sort
The Private PoliceThe Private Police · 1969
The Private Police
7.51969
MovieCrime
After the war, Kijima (Bunta Sugawara) returns to Tokyo where he meets Ôba (Noboru Andô), an Ex-Kamikaze pilot, and the two ruffians gather hooligans to join their group. In Ginza, the Togawa gang have taken over Sakurada's territory. After several fights Kijima and Ôba gain control of the territory by chasing out the notorious Togawa Group in the name of Sakurada. But Kijima is arrested for assaulting an American soldier. A few years pass. Kijima has served his prison term and the sears of war have been erased from Ginza. Ôba is now president of a company specializing in collection of bad debts, cheque frauds and everything that means money. People call their organization the “Private Police,” and Kijima begins to work for Ôba. Now the Takegami gang waits a chance to seize the Ginza territory.

Assistant Director

Demon Blade: The Assassin Katana of OnimaroDemon Blade: The Assassin Katana of Onimaro · 1995
Demon Blade: The Assassin Katana of Onimaro
9.01995
MovieDramaHistory
Once praised as "Yotsuya Masamune," the renowned swordsmith Kiyomaro was living in seclusion in the mountains with his apprentice Onimaro. However, Kiyomaro, who had begun to suffer from trembling hands due to alcohol and could no longer forge satisfactory swords, one day confided in Onimaro. Thirteen years ago, Kiyomaro had a secret relationship with a girl who served in the Ōoku (the shogun's harem), but after she caught the shogun’s attention, she took her own life. Her father, the leader of the Iga undercover agents (Isao Natsuyagi), blamed Kiyomaro for her death and sent assassins after him, forcing Kiyomaro to flee. Along the way, regretting that he had made many cheap swords just to earn some travel money, he asked Onimaro to find and discard these worthless blades. When an assassin suddenly appeared, Kiyomaro stopped Onimaro from pursuing him, but that night, Kiyomaro committed suicide.

Director