Teruo Ishii

Directing

Teruo Ishii

Born January 1, 1924 · Tokyo, Japan

Died August 12, 2005 · aged 81

Teruo Ishii was a Japanese film director best known in the West for his early films in the Super Giant series, and for his films in the Ero guro subgenre of pinku eiga such as Shogun's Joy of Torture. He also directed the 1965 film, Abashiri Prison, which helped to make Ken Takakura a major star in Japan.

Known For

Female Yakuza TaleFemale Yakuza Tale · 1973
Female Yakuza Tale
★ 6.11973
MovieActionCrime
Ocho is accidentally captured by a drug trafficking cartel who use Chinese women to smuggle drugs into Japan by hiding it in their vaginas. She is tortured, and manages to escape, fighting both the male yakuzas and a gang of female thieves.
Shogun's Joy of TortureShogun's Joy of Torture · 1968
Shogun's Joy of Torture
★ 5.61968
MovieHorrorDrama
A young magistrate recalls three tales of heinous crimes committed by women, and the brutal punishments that ensued.
Orgies of EdoOrgies of Edo · 1969
Orgies of Edo
★ 5.91969
MovieDramaThriller
Three stories of moral sickness set during Japan’s prosperous Genroku era are told in this bloody follow-up to the sexploitation classic Shogun’s Joy of Torture, the politically incorrect moral lessons paint a trio of tales of tragic heroines caught up in violence, sadomasochism, incest and torture.
Blind Woman's CurseBlind Woman's Curse · 1970
Blind Woman's Curse
★ 6.31970
MovieCrimeHorror
Akemi is a dragon tattooed leader of the Tachibana Yakuza clan. In a duel with a rival gang Akemi slashes the eyes of an opponent and a black cat appears, to lap the blood from the gushing wound. The cat along with the eye-victim go on to pursue Akemi’s gang in revenge, leaving a trail of dead Yakuza girls, their dragon tattoos skinned from their bodies.
Love and CrimeLove and Crime · 1969
Love and Crime
★ 7.21969
MovieCrimeDrama
Discover 4 famous Japanese murderers: Takahashi Oden, the last woman beheaded in Japan, Sada Abe, a crazy lover, Kunihiko Kodaira, a rapist-killer and finally, the Toyokaku case, a woman who did everything to own a hotel.
Ginza CosmeticsGinza Cosmetics · 1951
Ginza Cosmetics
★ 6.51951
MovieDrama
A few days in the life of a quiet geisha, single mother of a smart young boy, in the lively Tokyo quarter of Ginza. A woman devoted to others' needs, she'll end by taking part herself in one of the many disguises of Ginza.
Shameless: Abnormal and Abusive LoveShameless: Abnormal and Abusive Love · 1969
Shameless: Abnormal and Abusive Love
★ 6.21969
MovieThrillerDrama
A Japanese woman is raped by her boyfriend day in day out.
MotherMother · 1952
Mother
★ 7.01952
MovieDrama
A teenaged girl witnesses her widowed mother's attempt to sustain her family.

Filmography

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Lone Wolf and CubLone Wolf and Cub · 1973
Lone Wolf and Cub
★ 8.11973
SeriesAction & Adventure
Ogami Itto is a master swordsman who holds a position of high power in the Tokugawa Shogunate. Highly trusted by the Shogun, he serves as the official decapitator, assisting lords and samurai who have been ordered by the Shogun to commit seppuku. One day, Itto’s wife and members of his household are brutally murdered by a clan seeking to avenge their lord’s execution, which had been carried out by Itto. In the wake of the attack, two items are left in Itto’s home: his unhurt infant son, Daigoro, and a symbol meant to signify Itto’s betrayal of the Shogun. Disgraced by the false symbol, Itto is labeled a traitor and forced to forfeit his position. He becomes a ronin, wandering the country with his son, searching for the men who killed his wife, seeking to clear his name and avenge her death.

Director