In early post-war Osaka, three women, war widow Fusako, her sister Natsuko, an expatriate from Korea, and Kumiko, Fusako's sister-in-law, descend into prostitution, all for their individual reasons.

The Life of Oharu

1952

Japanese

8.1

♡ 19

100%

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Eijirô Yanagi as Forger

Toshirô Mifune as Katsunosuke

Hisako Yamane as Lady Matsudaira

Masao Mishima as Taisaburo Hishiya

In Edo Period Japan, a noblewoman's banishment for her love affair with a lowly page signals the beginning of her inexorable fall.

The 47 Ronin

1941

Japanese

7.2

♡ 13

81%

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Seizaburô Kawazu as Ecchûmori Hosokawa

Mieko Takamine as Omino, Isogai's fiancee

Utaemon Ichikawa as Tsunatoyo Tokugawa

Mitsuko Miura as Yôsen'in, Asano's wife

In 1701, Lord Takuminokami Asano has a feud with Lord Kira and he tries to kill Kira in the corridors of the Shogun's palace. The Shogun sentences Lord Asano to commit suppuku and deprives the palace and lands from his clan, but does not punish Lord Kira. Lord Asano's vassals leave the land and his samurais become ronin and want to seek revenge against the dishonor of their Lord. But their leader Kuranosuke Oishi asks the Shogun to restore the Asano clan with his brother Daigaku Asano. One year later, the Shogun refuses his request and Oishi and forty-six ronin revenge their Lord.

Sansho the Bailiff

1954

Japanese

8.3

♡ 37

100%

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Shinobu Araki as Sadaya

Akitake Kôno as Taro

Masahiko Tsugawa as Young Zushio

Yoshiaki Hanayagi as Zushiô

In medieval Japan, a woman and her children journey to find the family's patriarch, who was exiled years earlier.

A Geisha

1953

Japanese

7.6

♡ 6

100%

teacher student relationship

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Ayako Wakao as Eiko

Seizaburô Kawazu as Kusuda

Ichirô Sugai as Saeki

Eitarô Shindô as Sawamoto

Fleeing a distressing family situation, Eiko, a very young girl, becomes an apprentice to Miyoharu, a veteran geisha. Both, determined to preserve their professional integrity, must face the selfishness and ambition of several petty people.

Yôkihi

1955

Japanese

7.1

♡ 11

75%

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Masayuki Mori as Emperor Xuan Zong

Michiko Ai as Honghua

Chieko Murata as Lu-hua

Machiko Kyô as Princess Yang Kwei-fei

In eighth century China, the Emperor is grieving over the death of his wife. The Yang family wants to provide the Emperor with a consort so that they may consolidate their influence over the court. General An Lushan finds a distant relative working in their kitchen whom they groom to present to the Emperor. The Emperor falls in love with her and she becomes the Princess Yang Kwei-fei. The Yangs are then appointed important ministers, though An Lushan is not given the court position he covets. The ministers misuse their power so much that there is a popular revolt against the Yangs, fueled by An Lushan.

Street of Shame

1956

Japanese

7.8

♡ 13

80%

82%

Action

based on novel or book

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Eiko Miyoshi as Kadowaki Saku, Yumeko's mother-in-law

Machiko Kyô as Mickey

Sadako Sawamura as Tatsuko Taya

Ayako Wakao as Yasumi

The lives of five sex workers employed at a Japanese brothel while the nation is debating the passage of an anti-prostitution law.

Sisters of the Gion

1936

Japanese

7.4

♡ 11

89%

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Taizô Fukami as Kimura

Eitarô Shindô as Kudo, the drygoods merchant

Isuzu Yamada as O-Mocha

Yôko Umemura as Umekichi

Umekichi, a geisha in the Gion district of Kyoto, feels obliged to help her lover Furusawa when he asks to stay with her after becoming bankrupt and leaving his wife. However her younger sister Omocha tells her she is wasting her time and money on a loser. She thinks that they should both find wealthy patrons to support them. Omocha therefore tries various schemes to get rid of Furusawa, and set themselves up with better patrons.

Miss Oyu

1951

Japanese

7.4

♡ 2

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Eijirô Yanagi as Eitaro

Eitarô Shindô as Kusaemon

Yûji Hori as Shinnosuke Seribashi

Nobuko Otowa as Shizu

Shinnosuke is introduced to Shizu as a prospective marriage partner, but he falls in love with her widowed sister Oyu. Convention forbids Oyu to marry because she has to raise her son as the head of her husband's family. Oyu convinces Shinnosuke and Shizu to marry so that she can remain close to Shinnosuke.

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

1939

Japanese

7.8

♡ 16

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Kôkichi Takada as Fukusuke Nakamura

Kikuko Hanaoka as Onaka, a geisha

Kômei Minami as Shintomi greenroom manager

Yoshiaki Hanayagi as Tamijirô Onoue

In late 19th century Tokyo, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adopted son of a legendary actor, himself an actor specializing in female roles, discovers that he is only praised for his acting due to his status as his father's heir. Devastated by this, he turns to Otoku, a servant of his family, for comfort, and they fall in love. Kikunosuke becomes determined to leave home and develop as an actor on his own merits, and Otoku faithfully follows him.

A Story from Chikamatsu

1954

Japanese

8.0

♡ 16

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Shinobu Araki as

Ichirô Sugai as Gembei

Eitarô Shindô as Ishun

Kôichi Katsuragi as Priest

When the wife of a 17th century Kyoto scroll-maker is falsely accused of having an affair with his best employee, the pair flee the city and find themselves falling for one another.

Ugetsu

1953

Japanese

8.1

♡ 33

100%

93%

Action

based on novel or book

Kenji Mizoguchi Director

Masayuki Mori as Genjurô

Machiko Kyô as Lady Wakasa

Sugisaku Aoyama as Old Priest

Kichijirô Ueda as Shop Owner

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.

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Osaka Elegy

Women of the Night

The Life of Oharu

The 47 Ronin

Sansho the Bailiff

A Geisha

Yôkihi

Street of Shame

Sisters of the Gion

Miss Oyu

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

A Story from Chikamatsu

Ugetsu