Hatae Kishi

The Kii River

Epic saga of an idealistic land-owning family dealing with militarism, war, social change and economic reform.

Hiroshima

Historical fiction about the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on 6 August 1945, and its effects on various civilians, especially children, of that city.

A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land

Onna Hitori Daichi wo Yuku (A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land, Kinuta Production, 1953) was the second feature film directed by Kamei Fumio, who is known as a master of documentary films, and followed his “Haha Nareba Onna Nareba(Become a Mother, Become a Woman)” (1952).

August 15, 1945, New Dawn For Japan

July 1945. War‑exhausted Japan groans under the heel of a brutal military regime. Young journalist Saeki struggles to cling to a fading sense of justice. Writer Yoshida slowly loses his convictions to the darkness of unquestioning orders. Kimiko, a young woman, bears the scars of cruelty from the cold‑hearted military police. Private Yamada has deserted the army. His wife, Ryōko, is branded a traitor's wife and relentlessly hunted. When Yamada finally reaches home, he finds his sick child Toshiko lying in bed. The military police drag him away in front of his family; a struggle ensues, and Yamada is shot dead before his wife's eyes. Hiroshima is annihilated by an atomic bomb. Rumors spread of a final decisive battle on the mainland. The people clutch bamboo spears with gaunt hands. Then August 15th arrives: Japan's defeat is laid bare before the stunned populace.

The Street Without Sun

Based on the novel by proletarian writer Sunao Tokunaga. The story is about a long strike by workers at a large printing house and the strikers' steadfastness, which neither hunger nor violence could break. The heroine of this story actively participates in her colleagues' struggle against layoffs, oppression, and police brutality.

Wakai hito-tachi

If Indeed One Loves

The film consists of three short stories. Tomiko, the heroine of the first story, "The Flower Girl" (dir. Kozaburo Yoshimura), is a little girl who bears the unbearable burden of caring for her family. Tomiko's father has been unable to find work for a long time, and her older sister is terminally ill—it is unlikely that she will ever recover. To feed her family, Tomiko runs around the city from morning until late at night selling flowers... The second novella (dir. Tadashi Imai) also depicts the lives of the poor. An unfamiliar girl brings young Kavano a letter from his mother. It turns out that the girl's name is Kuniko, she is very hardworking, but her family is dying of hunger. Therefore, her mother decided to send Kuniko to her son so that he would marry her. The short story is called "The Unexpected Bride." The third short story, which gave the film its title, is particularly interesting: "When You Love" (dir. Satsuo Yamamoto). It shows the family of a young peace activist.

The Class of the Sewage Canal

The struggle of a young man and boys who try to create the environment where they can speak their minds freely.

The Kii River

Epic saga of an idealistic land-owning family dealing with militarism, war, social change and economic reform.

Hiroshima

Historical fiction about the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on 6 August 1945, and its effects on various civilians, especially children, of that city.

A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land

Onna Hitori Daichi wo Yuku (A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land, Kinuta Production, 1953) was the second feature film directed by Kamei Fumio, who is known as a master of documentary films, and followed his “Haha Nareba Onna Nareba(Become a Mother, Become a Woman)” (1952).

August 15, 1945, New Dawn For Japan

July 1945. War‑exhausted Japan groans under the heel of a brutal military regime. Young journalist Saeki struggles to cling to a fading sense of justice. Writer Yoshida slowly loses his convictions to the darkness of unquestioning orders. Kimiko, a young woman, bears the scars of cruelty from the cold‑hearted military police. Private Yamada has deserted the army. His wife, Ryōko, is branded a traitor's wife and relentlessly hunted. When Yamada finally reaches home, he finds his sick child Toshiko lying in bed. The military police drag him away in front of his family; a struggle ensues, and Yamada is shot dead before his wife's eyes. Hiroshima is annihilated by an atomic bomb. Rumors spread of a final decisive battle on the mainland. The people clutch bamboo spears with gaunt hands. Then August 15th arrives: Japan's defeat is laid bare before the stunned populace.

The Street Without Sun

Based on the novel by proletarian writer Sunao Tokunaga. The story is about a long strike by workers at a large printing house and the strikers' steadfastness, which neither hunger nor violence could break. The heroine of this story actively participates in her colleagues' struggle against layoffs, oppression, and police brutality.

Wakai hito-tachi

If Indeed One Loves

The film consists of three short stories. Tomiko, the heroine of the first story, "The Flower Girl" (dir. Kozaburo Yoshimura), is a little girl who bears the unbearable burden of caring for her family. Tomiko's father has been unable to find work for a long time, and her older sister is terminally ill—it is unlikely that she will ever recover. To feed her family, Tomiko runs around the city from morning until late at night selling flowers... The second novella (dir. Tadashi Imai) also depicts the lives of the poor. An unfamiliar girl brings young Kavano a letter from his mother. It turns out that the girl's name is Kuniko, she is very hardworking, but her family is dying of hunger. Therefore, her mother decided to send Kuniko to her son so that he would marry her. The short story is called "The Unexpected Bride." The third short story, which gave the film its title, is particularly interesting: "When You Love" (dir. Satsuo Yamamoto). It shows the family of a young peace activist.

The Class of the Sewage Canal

The struggle of a young man and boys who try to create the environment where they can speak their minds freely.

Still I Live On

About the struggles of day labourers to achieve dignity and a standard of living above the starvation level. Utilising the Zenshinza theatrical troupe.

Town of Violence

An attempt is made to suppress a journalist's investigation of collusion between a rural police chief and the local gangster bosses.

The Wolves

A group of five rookie insurance salespersons, driven to desperation by the impossibility of their work in Japan's failing postwar economy, form a plan to rob a cash delivery truck in order to provide for their families.

Duel in the Sun

A film by Kiyoshi Saeki

Undersea Girls

A semidocumentary film about female pearl divers and fishermen.

A Woman's Life

Island of Fury

Five boys escape from their life of bondage on an island 10 miles off Hiroshima, and are picked up in the Inland Sea, drifting in an open boat.

War and Peace

A woman remarries after receiving official notification that her husband has died, but he returns.

Become a Mother, Become a Woman

Utako's Story

The Stand in Hakone

A period film about a peasant revolt in the region near Mount Fuji, occasioned by high officials' depriving the farmers of their water rights.

The Stormy Era of Twenty Years

The Stormy Era of Twenty Years

Man in the Storm

Returning from wartime China, Keiichi reunites with his mother Inako and adopted sister Tomi. He becomes drawn to Tomi’s beauty, and his mother appears supportive. But Keiichi soon meets Tsuneko, a former wartime nurse who has borne his child. Faced with a summons to stand trial for wartime atrocities, he entrusts Tomi and his son to Inako, then voluntarily turns himself in—believing he must answer not just to Japan, but to the world’s conscience.

Ore wa yōjimbō

1950 Japanese movie

A Second Life

1948 Japanese drama film.

Tōkaidō wa kyōjō tabi

Adaptation of the original story by Hida Yoshiro, whose depiction of the world of the yakuza is unparalleled. Gisuke, a weather-beaten yakuza with nostalgia and memories of love in his heart.

Tabiji

The 7th NHK Asadora. Starring Tadashi Yokouchi in a narrative about an employee of the national railroad living through 50 years of modern history with his wife.