Tetsuro Tamba
Tetsuro Tamba (July 17, 1922 – September 24, 2006) was a distinguished Japanese actor known for his versatile talent across five decades. Recognized globally for his portrayal of Tiger Tanaka in the iconic 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice," Tamba's cinematic journey... Read full bio →
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Roles you can spot in Whatthemovie snapshots
Shin jingi no hakaba
A barkeeper saves a Yakuza boss' life and thus makes his way up in the organization. However, his fear of nothing soon causes problems.
Neko no ongaeshi
Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.
Jitsuroku Andô Noboru kyôdô-den: Rekka
After Kunisada's Yakuza leader and father figure is brutally murdered, he and his best friend go on a two-man mission to avenge his death, killing other Yakuza leaders leading to a final confrontation by the old man's killers..
Katakuri-ke no kôfuku
The Katakuri family has just opened their guest house in the mountains. Unfortunately their first guest commits suicide and in order to avoid trouble they decide to bury him in the backyard.
Jûgo-sai: Gakkô IV
Bored with school, 15-year-old Daisuke Kawashima embarks on a pilgrimage to visit the 7,000-year-old cedar tree on distant Yakushima Island. Through his journey, Daisuke meets a number of interesting people, including friendly truck driver Sumire and a mysterious mountaineer girl.
Kureyon Shinchan: Bakuhatsu! Onsen Wakuwaku Daikessen
There's only one way to stop a filthy evil scientist from destroying the world, and it's with a powerful hot spring located under Shin-chan's house!
Lik Wong
Hard man Ricky is incarcerated in a futuristic prison where ultra-violence is his only means of survival in the corrupt, sadistic system. He must battle his way quite literally 'through' the feared 'gang of four', and undergo multiple tortures before facing the governor in one of the goriest climaxes ever seen.
Kagerô
Rin Jyoshima lost her father to death-by-gambling; years later, she's grown up in the Kosugi household and has fallen victim to gambling herself.
Teito taisen
The year is 1945. After the horrific fire-bombings of the Pacific War levels Japan to the ground, the government decides to consult spiritual psychics to aid them in winning the war. Unfortunately, the resentment and agony of the souls of the fire-bombing victims culminate together to revive the evil Onmyoji, Yasunori Kato.
Shôgun Iemitsu no ranshin - Gekitotsu
A shogun's eldest son must do whatever it takes to survive a series of attempts on his life. He receives much-needed aid from seven warriors who are led by a strong leader.
Gokudo no onna-tachi: San-daime ane
Following the death of a Yakuza organization leader, the deceased man's wife takes it upon herself to help a man assume the position as the new leader. The problem is that two other women are also romantically interested in him.
Marusa no onna 2
Ryōko Itakura returns as the tough-as-nails government taxing agent. This time she must figure out a way to expose a fanatical religious cult lead by a corrupt sociopath.
Yôkirô
Yokiro was the most successful Geisha house in Western Japan during the first half of the 20th century and remains open to this day. At its peak, it was home to over 200 geisha, however behind the fabulous facade, there were many battles - between family members, men and women, and with the Yakuza.
Kiryûin Hanako no shôgai
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.
Rengo kantai
A lavish retelling of the true story of the final voyage and ultimate destruction and sinking of the battleship Yamato, Japan's greatest flagship during the Second World War.
Makai tenshô
After surviving the slaughter of many Christians 350 years ago, a samurai denounces God for ignoring the pleas of believers. He sells his soul to Satan and receives the power to resurrect the dead to join him in a murderous rampage.
Ninja bugeicho momochi sandayu
In the middle of the 16th century, Hideyoshi, a power hungry warlord sets out to destroy the Momochi clan. He sends his war commander in search of the clan's hidden gold only to find that two daggers are the key to the hiding place of the treasured gold.
Yami no karyudo
Yataro Tanigawa, a one-eyed hired assassin, impresses yakuza boss Gomyo Kiyoemon with his skill. Gomyo hires Tanigawa as his bodyguard, or yojimbo, to protect him during an inter-clan conflict. Tanigawa quickly rises in stature in the clan, but finds his boss's enemies almost overwhelming.
Yasei no shômei
Special forces officer Ajisawa leaves his paramilitary group to take care of his newly-adopted daughter, Yoriko: the sole survival of a bloodbath for which he is responsible. Years later, Ajisawa is forced to return to the scene of the tragedy for his new job as a claims adjuster where he is subsequently arrested for his suspected involvement.
Yagyû ichizoku no inbô
Following the death of the second Tokugawa shogun, it is revealed that he was poisoned by retainers of his son Iemitsu in hopes of gaining him the shogunate despite the stammer and birthmark which undermine his respect.
Uchu kara no messeji
An embattled planet, which is on the edge of doom, sends an S.O.S. and an intergalactic team comes to its rescue.
Kumokiri Nizaemon
Kumokiri Nizaemon, a former samurai warrior, has abandoned his class to become the leader of a gang of thieves. He leads his outlaws in an attempt to rob the castle of his former clan.
Akô-jô danzetsu
This is the story of "The Forty-Seven Ronin." Based on historical events in 1701-2, the movie tells the tale of the Asano clan's downfall and the revenge of its former samurai on the perpetrator of the catastrophe. Lord Asano was goaded, or tricked, into drawing his sword inside the Shogun's palace -- a crime which carried the death penalty.
Hakkodasan
Two infantry regiments of the Imperial Japanese Army—210 men overall—tackled Mt. Hakkoda in the winter of 1902 to prepare for war with Russia.
Shinkansen daibakuha
One of the Japanese Shinkansen, “Bullet Trains,” is threatened with a bomb that will explode automatically if the train slows below 80 km/h, unless a ransom is paid. Police race to find the bombers so the train crew can learn how to defuse the bomb.
Dong kai ji
Based on one of China's enduring epic novels, written in the 14th century, "All Men Are Brothers" continues the patriotic story of righteous warriors battling despotic leaders, featuring mythic characters familiar to every Chinese, and with a cast that has achieved an equally celebrated status among Shaw Brothers devotees.
Zeroka no onna: Akai wappa
After a politician's daughter is kidnapped by a ruthless gang, a brutal policewoman is released from jail and sent after them.
Suna no utsuwa
Yoshitaro Nomura’s 1975 film of Seicho Matsumoto’s immensely popular detective story tells the tale of two detectives, Imanishi (Tetsuro Tamba) and Yoshimura (Kensaku Morita), tasked with tracking down the murderer of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a rail yard.
Nosutoradamusu no daiyogen
A scientist fears that the prophecies of Nostradamus, including the end of all life on Earth, are coming true one after another.
Chokugeki jigoku-ken: Dai-gyakuten
When both a priceless jewel and the daughter of a rich heiress are stolen by a master criminal, Koga and his gang are hired to retrieve both. But a double-cross leads to a risky high-security bank heist and loads of martial arts mayhem.
Nihon chinbotsu
The shorted re-edited American version of Submersion of Japan, in which Japan slowly sinks into the sea as the US and Japan work together to stop it.
Jingi naki tatakai: Dairi sensô
Shozo Hirono has managed to separate from the Yamamori family and create his own small family, and extend his circle of acquaintances. These new friendships include a powerful underboss of the Muraoka family, Noboru Uchimoto.
Bôhachi bushidô: Poruno jidaigeki
A ronin Shino Asu (I die Tomorrow) gets rescued by the Bohachi clan. Their leader Shirobei Daimon, charged by the Shogun with running Edo's brothels enlists him to kill clients of tea-house whores who are stealing his business.
Shui hu zhuan
The corruption in the Sung Dynasty of 11th century China is so rampant that it inspires a band of Oriental Robin Hoods - the Honorable 108. Mountain bandits who nevertheless live by a scrupulous code of conduct, the Honorable 108 pledge to end the repression of the brutal overlords.
Kage gari: Hoero taihô
The great Daimyo enlists the aid of the three Shadow Hunters in ensuring the delivery of an illegal cannon in this sequel to Toshio Masuda's bloody adaptation of the manga by Takao Saito.
Gunki hatameku motoni
One woman's search to find the truth about her husband's death in World War II.
Shussho Iwai
After going to prison for killing the boss of the Kanno gang, a gangster gets released early - only to find that his ex-gang has merged with the Kannos. But with bitter resentments lingering on both sides, bloodshed is bound to begin anew.
Chinmoku
Two Jesuit priests encounter persecution when they travel to Japan in the 17th century to spread Christianity and search for their mentor.
Bôryoku gai
An retired yakuza is caught in the middle of a growing conflict between two rival clans.
Bakuto kirikomi-tai
Aiba is a gang boss who has just got out of jail, and finds everything has changed. His old gang has broken up, and only a few people still respect him. So he becomes a consultant to another gang who are about to be clobbered by a much larger gang moving in from out of town.
Mekura no Oichi inochi moraimasu
Oichi the Blind helps a woman escape the clutches of a high government official to go off with the man she loves. The official puts a reward on her head of fifty gold pieces and soon a menagerie of bounty hunters are after her skin.
Buraikan
An outlaw pushes the residents of Edo's red light district to rebel against a growing number of stifling, moralistic laws.
Goyôkin
Magobei Wakizaka is a samurai overcome with guilt over his unwitting part in a massacre of a small village. Now a ronin, he learns of a scheme by his old clan to repeat the same crime. Determined to stop them, he endures great hardships in an attempt to atone for his earlier mistakes.
Kurotokage
A detective tries to outwit an art loving thief who has kidnapped the daughter of a jeweler to get to an exquisite diamond.
Kaidan hebi-onna
An old man dies of heartbreak when a cruel landlord is about to repossess his land. The old man haunts the landlord from the grave. Since the man died in debt, his wife and daughter are indentured servants and are forced to work in the landlord's factory.
Bakuto kaisan-shiki
The story of men devoted to the yakuza lifestyle and their struggles during a time of fading yakuza power.
You Only Live Twice
A mysterious space craft kidnaps a Russian and American space capsule and brings the world on the verge of another World War. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and meets with his archenemy Blofeld. The fifth film from the legendary James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the British super agent.
Chieko-sho
Takamura, a poet and sculptor, marries a budding artist named Chieko who dreams of becoming an oil painter. When a series of hardships befall her family, she finds herself unable to confide in her husband, and the pain she carries within begins to weigh heavily on her sanity...
Tange Sazen: Hien iaigiri
Loyal samurai Samanosuke is attacked, mutilated, and left for dead while carrying out a mission for his clan. He recovers but has lost an eye and an arm. Taking a new identity as Tange Sazen, he searches for a stolen urn which has hidden significance to his clan. But Tange Sazen has his own reasons for seeking the urn.
Ibun Sarutobi Sasuke
Years of warfare end in a Japan unified under the Tokugawa shogunate, and samurai spy Sasuke Sarutobi, tired of conflict, longs for peace. When a high-ranking spy named Tatewaki Koriyama defects from the shogun to a rival clan, however, the world of swordsmen is thrown into turmoil.
Abashiri bangaichi
Abashiri Prison is located in the coldest place in Japan. Two men, handcuffed together have escaped from the prison, one a yakuza, the other a petty criminal, and although they hate each other they must work together if they are to evade capture in this harshest of climates.
The 7th Dawn
Political and personal intrigues surround a group of characters in Malaya, after the close of the Second World War.
Sanbiki no samurai
Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate, in hopes of coercing from him a reduction in taxes. Shiba takes up their fight, joined by two renegades from the magistrate's guard, Sakura and Kikyo. The three outlaws find themselves in a battle to the death.
Kaidan
A classic collection of four Japanese Horror stories. Features "Black Hair", "The Woman in the Snow", "Hoichi the Earless" and "In a Cup of Tea"
Ansatsu
John Chandler is sentenced to death but will by the CIA at the last minute chance to re-emerge as his own brother Phillip. This is because the CIA then be able to use him to become a double spy. A classic euro-spyfilm.
Adauchi
An innocuous comment during a weapon inspection wounds the pride of low-ranking samurai Shinpachi, leading to an argument with his superior. The situation snowballs out of control, leading to a deadly duel and political fallout which threatens the entire clan.
Jûsannin no shikaku
A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.
Seppuku
When a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity.
Buta to gunkan
In the city of Yokosuka, Kinta and his lover Haruko, both involved with yakuza, brave the post-occupation period with a goal to be together.
Bridge to the Sun
Tells the true story of Gwen Terasaki, who falls in love with, then marries a Japanese diplomat. When war breaks out they find animosity and trouble from both sides.
Kaii Utsunomiya tsuritenjô
Ryutaro is a spy employed by the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, who is the target of assassination attempts that aim to hand power over to his younger brother Tadanaga.