Acting
Koji Yakusho
Born January 1, 1956 · Isahaya, Japan (age 70)
Kōji Hashimoto (橋本 広司, Hashimoto Kōji, born 1 January 1956), known professionally as Kōji Yakusho (役所 広司, Yakusho Kōji), is a Japanese actor. He is known internationally for his starring roles in Shall We Dance? (1996), 13 Assassins (2010), The Third Murder (2017), The Blood of Wolves (2018), Under the Open Sky (2020) and The Days (2023). For his performance in Perfect Days (2023), he was awarded …
Known For
Perfect Days · 2023Perfect Days
★ 7.82023
MovieDrama
Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.
Scarlet · 2025Scarlet
★ 7.22025
MovieAnimationAction
After failing to avenge her father's murder, Princess Scarlet, wakes up in the "Land of the Dead." In this world filled with madness, if she does not achieve her revenge against her nemesis and reach the "No End Place," she will become "Void" and cease to exist. Can Scarlet find a way to live at the end of her endless journey?
Babel · 2006Babel
★ 7.22006
MovieDrama
Tragedy strikes a married couple vacationing in the Moroccan desert, which jumpstarts an interlocking story involving four different families.
Memoirs of a Geisha · 2005Memoirs of a Geisha
★ 7.62005
MovieDramaRomance
In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
Cure · 1997Cure
★ 7.61997
MovieCrimeThriller
A frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.
Pulse · 2001Pulse
★ 6.72001
MovieHorrorThriller
In the immense city of Tokyo, the darkness of the afterlife lures some of its inhabitants desperately trying to escape the sadness and isolation of the modern world.
The Boy and the Beast · 2015The Boy and the Beast
★ 7.92015
MovieActionAdventure
Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.
Belle · 2021Belle
★ 7.62021
MovieAnimationScience Fiction
Suzu is a 17-year-old high-school student living in a rural town with her father. Wounded by the loss of her mother at a young age, Suzu one day discovers the massive online world "U" and dives into this alternate reality as her avatar, Belle. Before long, all of U's eyes are fixed on Belle, when, suddenly, a mysterious, dragon-like figure appears before her.
Movies
Perfect Days · 2023Perfect Days
★ 7.82023
MovieDrama
Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.
Scarlet · 2025Scarlet
★ 7.22025
MovieAnimationAction
After failing to avenge her father's murder, Princess Scarlet, wakes up in the "Land of the Dead." In this world filled with madness, if she does not achieve her revenge against her nemesis and reach the "No End Place," she will become "Void" and cease to exist. Can Scarlet find a way to live at the end of her endless journey?
Babel · 2006Babel
★ 7.22006
MovieDrama
Tragedy strikes a married couple vacationing in the Moroccan desert, which jumpstarts an interlocking story involving four different families.
Memoirs of a Geisha · 2005Memoirs of a Geisha
★ 7.62005
MovieDramaRomance
In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
Cure · 1997Cure
★ 7.61997
MovieCrimeThriller
A frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.
Pulse · 2001Pulse
★ 6.72001
MovieHorrorThriller
In the immense city of Tokyo, the darkness of the afterlife lures some of its inhabitants desperately trying to escape the sadness and isolation of the modern world.
The Boy and the Beast · 2015The Boy and the Beast
★ 7.92015
MovieActionAdventure
Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.
Belle · 2021Belle
★ 7.62021
MovieAnimationScience Fiction
Suzu is a 17-year-old high-school student living in a rural town with her father. Wounded by the loss of her mother at a young age, Suzu one day discovers the massive online world "U" and dives into this alternate reality as her avatar, Belle. Before long, all of U's eyes are fixed on Belle, when, suddenly, a mysterious, dragon-like figure appears before her.
Tokyo Sonata · 2008Tokyo Sonata
★ 7.42008
MovieDrama
The winds of change blow as a family grapples with unemployment, alienation, mistrust and a lack of communication. When a Japanese salaryman loses his job to outsourcing to China, it's simply the beginning of a series of shattering incidents, leading to the implosion of the family unit.
Oh Lucy! · 2018Oh Lucy!
★ 6.72018
MovieComedyDrama
A lonely, chain-smoking office lady in Tokyo falls for her teacher when she decides to take English lessons. When her teacher disappears, she sets out on a journey to find him.
13 Assassins · 201013 Assassins
★ 7.32010
MovieAdventureDrama
A bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.
The World of Kanako · 2014The World of Kanako
★ 6.42014
MovieMysteryCrime
When Kanako, a model daughter and a brilliant student, disappears, her mother asks her ex-husband, a violent former policeman, to find her. As his investigation progresses, his idealized image of Kanako cracks: the girl hides a dark life that her father can not even imagine.
Bounce Ko Gals · 1997Bounce Ko Gals
★ 6.71997
MovieDrama
Jonko runs a group of high school girls involved in paid dating. Raku is a street dancer. Togo was brought up in the US, and after being back in Japan for one year, wants to escape to New York. Their contact with the world of talent scouts and yakuza places them in danger over the span of one day and night in the Shibuya district of Tokyo.
Mirai · 2018Mirai
★ 7.22018
MovieAnimationFamily
Unhappy after his new baby sister displaces him, four-year-old Kun begins meeting people and pets from his family's history in their unique house in order to help him become the big brother he was meant to be.
Tampopo · 1985Tampopo
★ 7.81985
MovieComedy
In this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles. The widowed owner, Tampopo, begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle-soup making". Interspersed are satirical vignettes about the importance of food to different aspects of human life.
Lost Paradise · 1997Lost Paradise
★ 6.01997
MovieDramaRomance
Kuki is a veteran newspaper reporter who has been shuffled off to a book-development branch and finds escape in an illicit relationship with Rinko. Together they find the passion no longer present in their marriages.
Shall We Dance? · 1996Shall We Dance?
★ 7.51996
MovieMusicComedy
A bored accountant spots a beautiful woman in the window of a ballroom dance studio. He secretly starts taking dancing lessons to be near her, and then over time discovers how much he loves dancing. His wife, meanwhile, has hired a private detective to find out why he has started coming home late smelling of perfume.
Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet · 2011Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet
★ 6.32011
MovieHistoryWar
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884-1943) was the Japanese Naval commander who was given the order to attack Pearl Harbour, an order he was duty bound to obey which went against his own personal beliefs. While this infamous attack is a low point in Japanese and US history it wouldn’t have happened if the Japanese government had listened to Yamamoto in 1939 and searched for a more peaceful way to end their war campaign, proving his many ominous presages of the outcomes of the attack to come true.
Fireflies: River of Light · 2004Fireflies: River of Light
★ 5.02004
MovieDrama
After finally passing his teacher's exam, Miwa (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) devoted himself to teaching in a rustic primary school. He struggles to get through to his students, until he creates a class project to raise fireflies to fly over it once again. All students, even the reserved girl Hikari (Risako Sugaya), become passionately involved in the project. However, it brings them into conflict with parents and the school, one problem after another stands in his way.
The Eel · 1997The Eel
★ 6.91997
MovieDramaCrime
A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai · 2011Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai
★ 7.22011
MovieDramaHistory
A tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai who discovers the fate of his ronin son-in-law, setting in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord.
Whistleblower · 2019Whistleblower
★ 8.02019
MovieMystery
A seemingly lazy salaryman is tasked with managing a company secret.
Silk · 2007Silk
★ 5.82007
MovieDramaRomance
French silkworm trader Hervé is married to the beautiful Hélène. When an outbreak of disease ravages European silkworms, Hervé must travel to Japan to retrieve healthy eggs. After a long journey, Hervé finally arrives at a village where he can buy them. He becomes infatuated with a young concubine and goes to great lengths to see her again. But, when war breaks out in Japan, the concubine flees, forcing Hervé to return home to his wife.
Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather · 1982Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather
★ 6.21982
MovieActionCrime
Onimasa is the egocentric boss of a small yakuza clan on Shikoku Island, whose criminal duties conflict with his self-image as a chivalrous samurai. His struggles with his boss, the Shikoku Godfather, and the tumultuous life of his adopted daughter, Matsue, form the backdrop of this epic tale of justice, obedience, and bloody vengeance.
TV Shows
Golden Horse Awards · 1962Golden Horse Awards
★ 9.01962
SeriesDocumentary
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards (Chinese: 台北金馬影展; pinyin: Táiběi Jīnmǎ Yǐngzhǎn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-pak Kim-má iáⁿ-tián) is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is usually held in November or December in Taipei, although the event has also been held in other locations in Taiwan in recent times
Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen · 1990Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen
★ 9.51990
SeriesMysterySci-Fi & Fantasy
Chotchan · 1987Chotchan
1987
SeriesDrama
The 38th NHK Asadora. Based on the autobiography of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's mother.
Idaten: Tokyo Olympics Story · 2019Idaten: Tokyo Olympics Story
★ 7.82019
SeriesDrama
Traces Japan’s history with the Olympic games and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics for viewers before Tokyo hosts the event again in 2020. The first half tells the story of marathon runner Kanakuri Shiso, who became one of the first Japanese nationals to participate in the Olympics in Stockholm in 1912. The second half features Tabata Masaji, the coach who laid the foundations of Japanese swimming and helped bring the games to Tokyo for the first time in 1964.
Back of Father · 2014Back of Father
★ 8.02014
SeriesDramaFamily
A 10-part omnibus drama by 10 different scriptwriters on the theme of fathers and their sons and daughters.
Vivant · 2023Vivant
★ 7.42023
SeriesDrama
Yusuke Nogi of Ryosho's Energy Development Division said that 10 times the official down payment was mistakenly sent to GFL, a local infrastructure company involved in a solar energy plant to be built in the Balkan Republic in Central Asia. Suspected of involvement, he heads to the Balkan Republic to collect the difference of $90 million. With the cooperation of his CIA friend Sam, Nogi obtained information that the terrorist al-Zaer had laundered the full amount of the contract money into diamonds and brought it out.
Tokugawa Ieyasu · 1983Tokugawa Ieyasu
★ 10.01983
SeriesDrama
The story chronicles the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
THE DAYS · 2023THE DAYS
★ 7.82023
SeriesDramaCrime
Blamed by some, hailed as heroes by others, those involved with Fukushima Daiichi face a deadly, invisible threat — an unprecedented nuclear disaster.
Inochi · 1986Inochi
1986
SeriesDrama
The drama begins in August 1945, three days after the end of the Pacific war. A freight train completely jam-packed with passengers heads for Aomori from devastated Tokyo. On the train is Takahara Miki and her sister Sachi. Miki and Sachi are the daughters of a wealthy landlord living in a village in the Tsugaru area in Aomori prefecture, but they have been living in Tokyo since before the war to attend school. After seeing her village does not have a doctor, Miki is determined to become a rural doctor.
Lethal Three · 1987Lethal Three
★ 10.01987
SeriesDrama
A wandering samurai, ronin, and ninja; meet by chance repeatedly and reluctantly team up to solve the problems of innocent villagers along the way.
Hana no Ran · 1994Hana no Ran
★ 7.01994
SeriesDrama
The story takes place during the Muromachi period of Ancient Japan, in the midst of the Ōnin War. The main character in the series is Tomiko Hino, a historical figure with a bad reputation because of her actions to rebuild Kyoto after the Ōnin War.
Rikuoh · 2017Rikuoh
★ 7.62017
SeriesDrama
A CEO struggling to maintain his small sock business risks the company's future with a new challenge — creating a line of running shoes.
水曜ドラマ 宮本武蔵 · 1984水曜ドラマ 宮本武蔵
1984
Series
The Life of Bangaku · 2002The Life of Bangaku
2002
SeriesDrama
Master swordsman Bangaku Ajigawa is a Ronin with an honest heart, and hates deception. With no family or money, he lives by his own rules. Bangaku’s one treasure and reason to live is his master sword, Hekimitsuhira. But because of it, people around him regularly lie and deceive him. This light-hearted samurai drama follows the comedic life of Bengaku.
Produced by Eizou Kyoto, this drama is to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Director Kon Ichikawa.
The Battle of Port Arthur: Will Love Die? · 1981The Battle of Port Arthur: Will Love Die?
1981
SeriesDrama
An epic of love and death that depicts how soldiers and ordinary people lived and fought during the Russo-Japanese War, when Japan's very existence was at stake in the face of the great power of Russia.
The Password is Courage · 2000The Password is Courage
2000
Series
The story takes place in a small rural village surrounded by beautiful nature. However, it is about to be destroyed by a waste disposal plant. Something must be done. The villagers rise up. They get a lawyer from Tokyo to help fight alongside them. Only that he's not a real lawyer but a washed-up actor (Yakusho Kōji), who once played a lawyer on TV.
Pension Metsä · 2021Pension Metsä
★ 6.02021
SeriesDramaComedy
Tenko runs a pension alone. The pension is located in a forest in Nagano, that is full of the Japanese larch tree. She interacts with her guests, who come from all walks of life.
Hacchōbori Torimono Banashi · 1993Hacchōbori Torimono Banashi
1993
SeriesMystery
A jidaieki drama where a hard-nosed doshin, Shinpachiro Kariya, takes on difficult cases with exquisite teamwork under the supervision of a young magistrate.
Matrilineal Family · 2021Matrilineal Family
2021
Series
~~ Adapted from the novel of the same title by Yamasaki Toyoko (山崎豊子)
Kinagashi Bugyō · 1981Kinagashi Bugyō
1981
SeriesDrama
Koheita, a newly appointed magistrate, never shows his face in the magistrate's office, instead spending his time in the 'Horisoto', a den of evil where anything goes, from theft to prostitution to murder. However, this man is about to clean up the city in an unconventional way!
Takeda Shingen · 1991Takeda Shingen
★ 8.01991
SeriesDrama
During the 16th Century Japan was involved in the Sengoku Period, an era of Civil Wars and the powerful Warlords who fought them. One of the earliest and strongest of these men was the Great Lord TAKEDA Shingen. A tremendous military genius, his battles are the stuff of legend.
Momi no Ki wa Nokotta: Ranshin · 1983Momi no Ki wa Nokotta: Ranshin
1983
SeriesDrama
A human drama based on the "Date Riots".
Middle-aged Bachelors · 1997Middle-aged Bachelors
1997
Series
Three close friends realize, at the age of 40, that maybe it's time to think seriously about getting married. Employed by an advertising agency, each struggles with his own weakness-one consistently strikes out with women, while the second can't seem to break his attachments to his mother, and the third is an unabashed playboy. This adult comedy exposes the humorous views and sobering misconceptions of marriage by single men today.
Ties: A Miraculous Colt · 2017Ties: A Miraculous Colt
2017
SeriesDramaFamily
Based on novel "Kizuna ~ Aru Jinba no Monogatari~” by Akihiro Shimada (published from June, 2012 to December, 2012 in horse racing portal site ‘netkeiba.com’).