Kazuo Ikehiro

Directing

Kazuo Ikehiro

Born October 25, 1929 · Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan (age 96)

Kazuo Ikehiro got his start as an assistant working for directors like Kenji Mizoguchi and Kon Ichikawa. He always had a strong preference for working in jidai-geki and says that he only did a number of modern-day yakuza films because of studio demands. Ikehiro developed a gritty, unconventional style that made him an excellent match for Zatoichi and the antihero screen personae of Raizo Ichikawa.…

Known For

Murder Credit - Final Destination SeriesMurder Credit - Final Destination Series · 2016
Murder Credit - Final Destination Series
7.02016
MovieMystery
Zatoichi's PilgrimageZatoichi's Pilgrimage · 1966
Zatoichi's Pilgrimage
7.11966
MovieDramaAction
Zatoichi's trek through 88 temples to atone for his violent past is interrupted as he stumbles into a village terrorized by a violent yakuza boss.
BonchiBonchi · 1960
Bonchi
7.71960
MovieComedyDrama
Kikuji is the scion of an Osaka merchant family whose traditional power is matrilineal. Instructed by his overbearing mother and grandmother to give them an heiress for the family business, he stands by helplessly as his wife is thrown out of the house for producing a son. Driven to a life of dissipation - his mistresses also fail to produce daughters - in the end he is just too tired to care.
Shinobi no mono 8: The Three EnemiesShinobi no mono 8: The Three Enemies · 1966
Shinobi no mono 8: The Three Enemies
6.21966
MovieAction
[Period Covered: 1570-1573] Towards the end of the Tenmon Era, Shogun Ashikaga`s powers were weakening by the day and many were there who planned to overthrow him. It was the beginning of the Sengoku (Warring States) period. Three men attack a gunpowder maker in a farmhouse, the first chopping off his arm with his sickle-&-chain weapon, the second blinding him with sword, the third giving the killing blow. His son Kojiro Kosume escapes the attackers as everything he has known up to then explodes into conflagration. He grows up & enters the start of the Tokugawa Era, intent on avenging his father.
Zatoichi's Flashing SwordZatoichi's Flashing Sword · 1964
Zatoichi's Flashing Sword
6.91964
MovieActionDrama
Blind masseur Zatoichi is nursed back to health by a young woman after he is shot by a gang member. Zatoichi, who had come to the village to repay a debt, now feels further indebted. He commits himself to use his amazing sword skills to help the young woman's father, whose river-crossing service is under attack by the same gang responsible for Zatoichi's wounds.
Broken SwordsBroken Swords · 1969
Broken Swords
8.01969
MovieDramaAction
The tragic, yet exciting story of the friendship between Nakayama Yasubei, a member of the 47 Ronin, and Tange Tenzen, a relative by marriage of the vile Lord Kira.
Seiichi Morimura Mystery Special Shuchuchueki Series 37 No Retirement AgeSeiichi Morimura Mystery Special Shuchuchueki Series 37 No Retirement Age · 2021
Seiichi Morimura Mystery Special Shuchuchueki Series 37 No Retirement Age
2021
MovieMysteryCrime
Useless Creature: Fighting Man's LifeUseless Creature: Fighting Man's Life · 1970
Useless Creature: Fighting Man's Life
9.01970
MovieActionCrime
Soft-Boiled Goro is a 1970 film directed by Kazuo Ikehiro

Filmography

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The Gambler's CodeThe Gambler's Code · 1961
The Gambler's Code
7.21961
MovieHistoryDrama
One of Japan's most popular stories is the tale of Kutsukake Tokijiro, a traveling gambler who finds that he must take care of the wife and child of a yakuza he had been forced by the code of the gamblers to fight man to man. In a brilliant performance from super-star Ichikawa Raizo, with strong support from two of the greats from Toho, Shimura Takashi (7 Samurai) and Aratama Michiyo (Sword of Doom) the heartfelt story reaches new heights. Tokijiro, having learned the true nature of the boss to whom he was obligated for having spent a night and eaten at the gang's headquarters takes up arms against them in a running battle fought across the back roads of the entire nation. Another powerful rendition of this superb story, it is not to be missed!

Director