Acting
Masakane Yonekura
Born July 10, 1934 · Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
Died August 26, 2014 · aged 80
No biography available.
Known For
Modori River · 1983Modori River
★ 5.71983
MovieCrimeDrama
The story of Takeha, a free-spirited genius poet who lived through Taisho Romanticism, and the women who gave themselves over to his ambitions.
Belladonna of Sadness · 1973Belladonna of Sadness
★ 7.41973
MovieAnimationDrama
An evil feudal lord rapes a village girl on her wedding night and proceeds to ruin her and her husband's lives. After she's eventually banished from her village, the girl makes a pact with the devil to gain magical ability and take revenge.
Maboroshi no Satsui · 1971Maboroshi no Satsui
1971
Movie
Adaptation of the Shôji Yuki novel.
The Lonely Affair of the Heart · 2002The Lonely Affair of the Heart
★ 3.02002
Movie
Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 · 2012Always: Sunset on Third Street '64
★ 7.22012
MovieComedyDrama
As the Tokyo Olympics usher in a wave of rapid modernisation, the residents of Third Street face new beginnings as Mutsuko becomes involved with a seemingly perfect young doctor who may not be all he appears, while Chagawa struggles with his stalled writing career and what it truly means to be a father to the boy he has raised as his own.
Musume-tachi wa kaze ni mukatte · 1972Musume-tachi wa kaze ni mukatte
1972
Movie
An Autumn Afternoon · 2003An Autumn Afternoon
2003
MovieTV MovieDrama
A 2003 version of the 1962 original. Shuhei Hirayama is a widower with a 24-year-old daughter. Gradually, he comes to realize that she should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.
The Little House · 2014The Little House
★ 6.82014
MovieRomanceDrama
Following the death of the unmarried and childless Taki, Takeshi, a young relative of hers, discovers several pages of closely written lines in which the old lady has recorded her memories. This is how he learns the truth about her youth working as a housemaid and nanny for the Hirai family in a little house in Tokyo with a red gabled roof.
Movies
Modori River · 1983Modori River
★ 5.71983
MovieCrimeDrama
The story of Takeha, a free-spirited genius poet who lived through Taisho Romanticism, and the women who gave themselves over to his ambitions.
Belladonna of Sadness · 1973Belladonna of Sadness
★ 7.41973
MovieAnimationDrama
An evil feudal lord rapes a village girl on her wedding night and proceeds to ruin her and her husband's lives. After she's eventually banished from her village, the girl makes a pact with the devil to gain magical ability and take revenge.
Maboroshi no Satsui · 1971Maboroshi no Satsui
1971
Movie
Adaptation of the Shôji Yuki novel.
The Lonely Affair of the Heart · 2002The Lonely Affair of the Heart
★ 3.02002
Movie
Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 · 2012Always: Sunset on Third Street '64
★ 7.22012
MovieComedyDrama
As the Tokyo Olympics usher in a wave of rapid modernisation, the residents of Third Street face new beginnings as Mutsuko becomes involved with a seemingly perfect young doctor who may not be all he appears, while Chagawa struggles with his stalled writing career and what it truly means to be a father to the boy he has raised as his own.
Musume-tachi wa kaze ni mukatte · 1972Musume-tachi wa kaze ni mukatte
1972
Movie
An Autumn Afternoon · 2003An Autumn Afternoon
2003
MovieTV MovieDrama
A 2003 version of the 1962 original. Shuhei Hirayama is a widower with a 24-year-old daughter. Gradually, he comes to realize that she should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.
The Little House · 2014The Little House
★ 6.82014
MovieRomanceDrama
Following the death of the unmarried and childless Taki, Takeshi, a young relative of hers, discovers several pages of closely written lines in which the old lady has recorded her memories. This is how he learns the truth about her youth working as a housemaid and nanny for the Hirai family in a little house in Tokyo with a red gabled roof.
The Wicked · 1980The Wicked
★ 6.71980
MovieCrimeDrama
A selfish playboy uses rich women to pay off his debts. Divorcing his wife and marrying the woman he loves throws him into a spiral of destruction.
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo · 1970Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
★ 6.81970
MovieAdventureAction
Zatoichi treks to a village that has always been a favorite spot of his, only to discover that it’s become a living hell, plagued by feuding father and son yakuza as well as the younger crime boss’s bodyguard, scruffy, smart-mouthed, cash-hungry Yojimbo of legend.
Miyamoto Musashi · 1973Miyamoto Musashi
★ 7.31973
MovieDramaAction
In Part I we see the young would-be swordsman setting out to achieve greatness in war, achieving nothing because fighting on the losing side, & then beginning his long period of wandering & training, with the goal always in mind of his duel with Kojiro. Part II builds toward that great duel on Ganryu Island, with considerable focus on Musashi's planning & forethought as to how to gain an advantage.
The Street of Desire · 1984The Street of Desire
★ 10.01984
MovieDrama
A valet at a fancy nightclub hatches a plot to punish those responsible for his father's death.
Sasuke and His Comedians · 1963Sasuke and His Comedians
★ 6.61963
MovieFantasyAction
Osaka in the early 1600s, aftermath of the historical Battle of Sekigahara; a group of orphan children are wandering through the battlefield scavenging for armour when they encounter a young boy named Sasuke with magical powers he says came from a meteor that crashed onto the Earth…
The Three Undelivered Letters · 1979The Three Undelivered Letters
★ 6.61979
MovieDramaMystery
A young Japanese-American man arrives at his grandmother's old hometown in Yamaguchi, begins to stay at her family's elite but dysfunctional household, and gets entangled in a sinister plot of murder.
Adrift at Sea · 1983Adrift at Sea
1983
MovieHistoryDrama
The Story of the three Japanese castaways Otokichi, Kyukichi and Iwakichi. After their ship the Hojunmaru was damaged, they drifted to America and landed on the US-Westcoast in 1834. They had the wish to return to Japan, a long journey was awaiting them.
The Revolt · 1980The Revolt
★ 7.01980
MovieWarDrama
When a young soldier is killed while trying to prevent his younger sister, Kaoru, from being sold into a life of prostitution, his commander, Col. Miyagi, tries to honor his dying wish to rescue his sister. Upon finding Kaoru at a party working as a geisha and later rescuing her from committing suicide, Col. Miyagi allows her to move in with him. Over time, the two grow close, but in spite of Kaoru's growing feelings for him, Col. Miyagi is unable to bring himself to return her love. On the night of his deployment to war, Col. Miyagi finally admits his feelings for Kaoru, but will they ever be able to enjoy a peaceful life together now that a very violent and bloody military revolt is under way...
Foster Daddy, Tora! · 1980Foster Daddy, Tora!
★ 8.01980
MovieComedy
After a friend and business colleague dies, Tora-san visits the man's daughter, then takes her to Tokyo so she can study for a night school exam.
Tora-san's Forbidden Love · 1984Tora-san's Forbidden Love
★ 8.01984
MovieComedy
Tora-san spends several days at the home of a hard-working salaryman ("salaried worker"), who abruptly disappears. When the man's wife asks Tora-san to help find him, he falls in love with her, and secretly hopes the husband will not be found.
Call from Darkness · 1981Call from Darkness
★ 6.31981
MovieThrillerDrama
Keiko Inagawa pays a visit to neurologist Aizawa about her fiancé Tatsuo Tamura. A mysterious case involving the disappearance of Tatsuo’s three brothers, one after the other, is yet to be resolved and now Tatsuo, seized with the idea that he too may disappear, has had a nervous breakdown. Aizawa suggests that Tatsuo recount his dreams as a means of solving the mystery, since human beings have an instinct that foretells the near future in the form of a dream. Keiko and Tatsuo eventually discover that the three disappearances have a strange connection…
The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan · 1970The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan
★ 7.11970
MovieComedyDrama
An outlaw pushes the residents of Edo's red light district to rebel against a growing number of stifling, moralistic laws.
Haunted School 2 · 1996Haunted School 2
★ 7.31996
MovieHorror
Sequel to the 1995 film Haunted School aka Gakkou no Kaidan. Similar to the first, in that it's about a group of youngsters that get stuck in a haunted school and have to deal with an assortment of ghosts.
13 Assassins · 199013 Assassins
★ 7.01990
MovieActionDrama
Gathering a band of 13, Inspector General Shmada Shinzaemon sets out on a death-defying journey to cut down the shogun’s half-brother, Matsudaira Naritsugu.
Tora-san, the Intellectual · 1975Tora-san, the Intellectual
★ 8.21975
MovieComedy
Tora-san is inspired to pursue an education after a visit to the grave of a woman he met years ago. When he returns to Shibamata with the intent to study, he falls for Toraya's new tenant instead.
A Human Promise · 1986A Human Promise
★ 6.71986
MovieDrama
An old woman has died and her widower with dementia confesses to killing her. After this, the story goes back in time to show the events leading up to her death.
TV Shows
Onihei Hankachō · 1989Onihei Hankachō
★ 7.81989
SeriesDrama
Hasegawa is a chief police of big heart who leads a band of samurai police and cultivates reformed criminals as informants to solve difficult crimes.
Ashita Koso · 1968Ashita Koso
1968
SeriesDramaFamily
The 8th NHK Asadora. Starring Yumiko Fujita in a family drama. The first Asadora filmed in color.
Hideyoshi · 1996Hideyoshi
★ 9.71996
SeriesDrama
A dramatized biography of the second of Japan's three legendary leaders. Rising from obscurity, Hideyoshi served under the command of Oda Nobunaga. With an extraordinary combination of intelligence, bravery and military skill, Hideyoshi rose to near-absolute power and greatly expanded upon Nobunaga's unification of Japan's warlords. This series also focused on Hideyoshi's personal life, particularly his relationships with his mother and his wife, and the pair's rivalry for influence over him.
Mizuiro no toki · 1975Mizuiro no toki
1975
SeriesFamilyDrama
The 15th NHK Asadora. Starring Shinobu Otake in a story about a young woman striving to become a doctor and her mother, who is a nurse. The first six-month Asadora. Average rating of 40.1%.
Professional Killers · 1972Professional Killers
★ 8.01972
SeriesDramaCrime
A shikakenin was an under-the-cover trade that undertook killing in Edo. Hanemon of Otowa, an agency that introduced laborers and maids, was also one of these. Katsugoro Iseya was a timber dealer who had come in as a client. His target was the constructions magistrate Hanno, and the Tatsumiya who sipped on the benefits. Hanemon who had a stong code towards killing, where he would only kill those who do no good to be in the world, accepts this request. Baian Fujieda, a needle doctor would carry out the killing. However, the professional killer Baian fails to bring down Tatsumiya. Hanemon then looks to another shikakenin, the ronin Sanai Nishimura for the role. Although Sanai's ability with the sword is good, he lives poorly in a tenement, and accepts this commission on the condition that it is kept a secret from his wife and child. Here, they close in on Hanno and Tatsumiya again...
Three Sisters · 1967Three Sisters
★ 8.01967
SeriesDrama
The Story is about three daughters of a "Hatamoto" during the end of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration.
Kashin · 1977Kashin
1977
SeriesDrama
Centered around Masujiro Omura, who became a commander for the Choshu clan, and founded the modern Japanese millitary system.
Clouds Over the Hill · 2009Clouds Over the Hill
★ 7.72009
SeriesDrama
Saka no Ue no Kumo is an NHK 21st Century special drama which was aired over three years starting from November 29, 2009. The series runs 13 episodes at 90 minutes each. The first series, with 5 episodes, was broadcast in 2009, while series two and three, each with 4 episodes, were broadcast in late 2010 and 2011. While most episodes were shot in Japan, one of the episodes in series two was shot in Latvia. The TV series is based on the novel Saka no ue no kumo by Ryōtarō Shiba and adopted by Hisashi Nozawa.
The theme song of the drama series is titled "Stand Alone". It was composed by Joe Hisaishi, written by Kundo Koyama and performed by British soprano singer Sarah Brightman.
Wind, Clouds, and Rainbow · 1976Wind, Clouds, and Rainbow
★ 9.01976
SeriesDrama
Kaze to kumo to Niji to deals with the Heian period in Japan. Based on Chōgorō Kaionji`s novels Taira no Masakado and Umi to Kaze to Niji to. The drama was made by Go Kato`s request. The story chronicles the life of Taira no Masakado . The story begins with Masakado′s childhood. Masakado happens to meet Fujiwara no Hidesato, and he thinks that he want to be great Samurai like Hidesato in the future.
Silent Poor · 2014Silent Poor
2014
SeriesDrama
Silent poor... the poor and needy whose cries for help are drowned out in today's busling society. Their existence is spreading rapidly across the nation, and as such, the government decided to set up a body to help them. Nationwide, there are now people called Community Social Workers (CSW), and their jobs are to attend to the poor and needy. One such person is Satomi Ryo, and she works at the Shitamachi area's Council of Welfare. The people that she meets in her busy working life are people afflicted with juvenile dementia, those who have shunned society and locked themselves up in their rooms, the homeless... generally people who are in despair over life and the fate dealt to them. Ryo herself had been down the lonely road before, and as a way to pull herself out of her depression, she decided to work as a CSW, in order to help others like her. She strongly believes that one can always start all over again, and it is her belief that helps her to move forward in life.