Historical drama films set in Asia
or period drama is a film genre in which stories are based on historical events and famous persons. Some historical dramas attempt to accurately portray a historical event or biography, to the degree that the available historical research will allow. Other historical dramas are fictionalised tales that are based on an actual person and their deeds.
Due to the sheer volume of films included in this genre and in the interest of continuity, this list is primarily focused on films pertaining to the history of East Asia, Central Asia, and India. For films pertaining to the history of Near Eastern and Western civilisation, please refer to list of historical period drama films and series set in Near Eastern and Western civilization.
The films on this page are divided into regions, and within each region the films are listed chronologically by subject matter.
Central Asia
| Title | Release date | Time period | Setting | Notes |
| Genghis Khan | 1950 | 1161–1227 | Mongolia | Life of the Mongol Emperor and the Succession of his throne. |
| The Conqueror | 1956 | 1161–1227 | Mongolia | universally panned as a terrible film, this English-language film starred John Wayne as Genghis Khan |
| Genghis Khan | 1965 | 1161–1227 | Mongolia | the life and conquests of the Mongol emperor |
| 2007 | 1161–1227 | Mongolia | Japanese-Mongolian film about the life of Genghis Khan | |
| Mongol | 2007 | 1161–1227 | Mongolia | based on the early life of Genghis Khan |
| The Black Rose | 1950 | 1220 | China | English-language film about an English Saxon who travels China and meet a Mongol warlord |
| The Golden Horde | 1951 | 1220 | Uzbekistan | English-language film about an English knight who leads the defense of Samarkand against Genghis Khan |
| Tsogt Taij | 1945 | 1634–1637 | Mongolia | Mongolian language film about the patriotic struggle of Prince Tsogt Taij. |
| Queen Mandukhai the Wise | 1988 | 1449–1510 | Mongolia | Mongolian language film about the life of Queen Mandukhai who reunited the Mongols. |
| Nomad | 2006 | early 1700s | Kazakhstan | about the early years of Ablai Khan, a Kazakh khan in part of what is now Kazakhstan. |
| Kundun | 1997 | 1950 | Tibet | an American film depicting the early life of the 14th Dalai Lama and the 1950 invasion of Tibet and subsequent events |
| The Beast | 1988 | 1981 | Afghanistan | during the Soviet–Afghan War |
| Kandahar | 2001 | 2000 | Afghanistan | Afghanistan during the Taliban regime |
South Asia
Indian subcontinent history
There are many more Indian historical movies which are not on the list, especially if movies concerning what may be called mythological movies, are hundreds.Sri Lankan history
East Asia
Chinese and Taiwanese history
Far East Asia
Japanese history
Samurai cinema and Jidai-geki films
Jidai-geki is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. Literally "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular setting. Jidaigeki show the lives of the samurai, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants of their time. Jidaigeki films are sometimes referred to as chambara movies, a word meaning "sword fight", though chambara is more accurately a subgenre of jidaigeki, which equates to historical period drama. In Japan, the term chanbara, also commonly spelled "chambara", meaning "sword fighting" movies, denotes the genre called samurai cinema in English, and is roughly equivalent to western cowboy and swashbuckler films. Jidaigeki may refer to a story set in a historical period, though not necessarily dealing with a samurai character or depicting swordplay. Jidaigeki rely on an established set of dramatic conventions including the use of makeup, language, catchphrases, and plotlines.| Title | Director | Notable cast | Release date | Time period | Notes |
| Kōchiyama to Nao-zamurai | Ichitarō Kataoka, Matsunosuke Onoe, Kijaku Ōtani | 1916.12.18 | Based on the play of the same name. | ||
| Nao-zamurai | Jiro Yoshino | Shirogoro Sawamura | 1922.03.03 | Based on the play of the same name. | |
| A Diary of Chuji's Travels | Daisuke Itō | Denjirō Ōkōchi | 1927.03.10 | Awards: 1 Kinema Junpo Award | |
| Sword of Penitence | Yasujirō Ozu | Saburo Azuma, Kunimatsu Ogawa, Kanji Kawahara, Shoichi Nodera | 1927.10.14 | ||
| Jobless Samurai | Masahiro Makino | Kōmei Minami, Tōichirō Negishi, Tsuyako Okajima | 1928.10.20 | Awards: 1 Kinema Junpo Award | |
| Nao-zamurai | Kintarō Inoue | Chōjirō Hayashi, Ryūnosuke Tsukigata, Kōkichi Takada, Kinuko Wakamizu | 1930.03.03 | Based on the play of the same name. | |
| Jirokichi the Rat | Daisuke Itō | Denjirō Ōkōchi, Naoe Fushimi, Nobuko Fushimi | 1931.12.31 | ||
| Chūshingura Zenpen: Akōkyō no maki | Teinosuke Kinugasa | Tomio Aoki, Juzaburo Bando, Kōtarō Bandō | 1932.12.01 | ||
| Chūshingura - Ninjō-hen, Fukushū-hen | Daisuke Itō | Shinpachirō Asaka, Satoko Date, Sannosuke Fujikawa | 1934.05.17 | ||
| The Million Ryo Pot | Sadao Yamanaka | Denjirō Ōkōchi, Kiyozo, Kunitarō Sawamura | 1935.06.15 | ||
| The Avenging Ghost of Yukinojo, Part 1 | Teinosuke Kinugasa | Kazuo Hasegawa, Tokusaburo Arashi, Akiko Chihaya | 1935.06.27 | ||
| The Avenging Ghost of Yukinojo, Part 2 | Teinosuke Kinugasa | Kazuo Hasegawa, Tokusaburo Arashi, Akiko Chihaya | 1935.10.01 | ||
| Daibosatsu tōge: dai-ippen - Kōgen itto-ryū no maki | Hiroshi Inagaki | Fujiko Fukamizu, Ranko Hanai, Takako Irie | 1935.11.15 | ||
| The Avenging Ghost of Yukinojo, Part 3 | Teinosuke Kinugasa | Kazuo Hasegawa, Tokusaburo Arashi, Akiko Chihaya | 1936.01.15 | ||
| Daibosatsu tōge: Suzuka-yama no maki - Mibu Shimabara no maki | Hiroshi Inagaki | Fujiko Fukamizu, Kobunji Ichikawa, Momonosuke Ichikawa | 1936.04.15 | ||
| Humanity and Paper Balloons | Sadao Yamanaka | Chojuro Kawarazaki, Kanemon Nakamura, Shizue Yamagishi | 1937.08.25 | 1700s | |
| Chikemuri Takadanobaba | Hiroshi Inagaki, Masahiro Makino | Tsumasaburō Bandō, Tokuma Dan, Komako Hara | 1937.12.31 | ||
| Chushingura, Part One | Kajirō Yamamoto | Denjirō Ōkōchi, Kazuo Hasegawa, Yatarō Kurokawa | 1939.04.21 | 1701 | |
| Chushingura, Part Two | Kajirō Yamamoto | Denjirō Ōkōchi, Kazuo Hasegawa, Yatarō Kurokawa | 1939.04.21 | 1701 | |
| Singing Lovebirds | Masahiro Makino | Chiezō Kataoka, Takashi Shimura | 1939.12.14 | ||
| A Color Print of Edo | Kazuo Mori | Shinpachirō Asaka, Utaemon Ichikawa, Yaeko Kumoi | 1939.03.01 | ||
| The 47 Ronin | Kenji Mizoguchi | Chojuro Kawarasaki, Kanemon Nakamura, Kunitaro Kawarazaki, Yoshizaburo Arashi, Daisuke Katō | 1941.12.01 | 1701–1703 | Two-part film depicting the famous actions of the Forty-seven rōnin in 1701–1703. Part 2 was released on 1942.02.11. |
| Kikuchi sembon-yari: Shidonî tokubetsu kōgeki-tai | Tomiyasu Ikeda, Sentarō Shirai | Kanzo Yoshii, Utaemon Ichikawa, Kusuo Abe | 1944.01.14 | ||
| A Tale of Archery at the Sanjusangendo | Mikio Naruse | Kazuo Hasegawa, Kinuyo Tanaka, Sensho Ichikawa | 1945.06.28 | ||
| Utamaro and His Five Women | Kenji Mizoguchi | Minosuke Bandō, Kinuyo Tanaka, Kōtarō Bandō | 1946.12.15 | 1800s | |
| Surōnin makaritōru | Daisuke Itō | Tsumasaburō Bandō, Ryūtarō Ōtomo, Kusuo Abe | 1947.10.28 | ||
| Ore wa yojinbo | Hiroshi Inagaki | Chiezō Kataoka, Ryūnosuke Tsukigata, Achako Hanabishi | 1950.02.19 | ||
| Senritsu | Hideo Sekigawa | Utaemon Ichikawa, Haruyo Ichikawa | 1950.02.26 | ||
| Wakasama zamurai torimonochō: nazo no nōmen yashiki | Nobuo Nakagawa | Yatarō Kurokawa, Denjirō Ōkōchi, Seizaburō Kawazu | 1950.12.01 | ||
| Rashomon | Akira Kurosawa | Toshirō Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyō, Takashi Shimura | 1950.08.26 | ||
| Kanketsu Sasaki Kojirō: Ganryū-jima kettō | Hiroshi Inagaki | Tomoemon Otani, Toshirō Mifune, Hisako Yamane | 1951.10.26 | ||
| Five Men of Edo | Daisuke Itō | Tsumasaburō Bandō, Utaemon Ichikawa, Isuzu Yamada | 1951.11.22 | ||
| Vendetta of a Samurai | Kazuo Mori | Toshirō Mifune, Yuriko Hamada, Takashi Shimura | 1952.01.03 | Awards: 1 Blue Ribbon Award, 1 Mainichi Film Concours | |
| The Life of Oharu | Kenji Mizoguchi | Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichirō Sugai, Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura | 1952.04.17 | ||
| The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail | Akira Kurosawa | Denjirō Ōkōchi, Susumu Fujita, Kenichi Enomoto | 1952.04.24 | 1185 | |
| Sword for Hire | Hiroshi Inagaki | Rentarō Mikuni, Danshirō Ichikawa, Shirley Yamaguchi | 1952.05.22 | ||
| Tsukigata Hanpeita | Kokichi Uchide | Hiroshi Aoyama, Masao Aoyama, Michiyo Azuma | 1952.05.29 | ||
| Ugetsu Monogatari | Kenji Mizoguchi | Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyō, Kinuyo Tanaka | 1953.03.26 | Based on the novel of the same name. | |
| Gate of Hell | Teinosuke Kinugasa | Kazuo Hasegawa, Machiko Kyō | 1953.10.31 | 1159 | Awards: 2 Academy Awards, 1 Golden Leopard, 1 New York Film Critics Circle Award, Palme d'Or, |
| Sansho the Bailiff | Kenji Mizoguchi | Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyōko Kagawa, Eitarō Shindō | 1954.03.31 | 794-1185 | Awards: 1 Silver Lion |
| Seven Samurai | Akira Kurosawa | Takashi Shimura, Toshirō Mifune | 1954.04.26 | 1586 | Awards: 2 Jussi Awards, 1 Mainichi Film Award, 1 Silver Lion |
| Akō gishi | Ryohei Arai | Yatarō Kurokawa | 1954.09.15 | ||
| ' | Hiroshi Inagaki | Toshirō Mifune, Rentarō Mikuni | 1954.09.26 | 1600 | Awards: 1 Academy Award |
| The Crucified Lovers | Kenji Mizoguchi | Kazuo Hasegawa, Kyōko Kagawa, Eitarō Shindō | 1954.11.23 | Awards: 1 Blue Ribbon Award | |
| The Playful Fox and the Thousand Cherry Trees | Torajiro Saito | Takashi Wada, Yumiko Hasegawa | 1954.12.28 | ||
| Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji | Tomu Uchida | Chiezo Kataoka, Ryūnosuke Tsukigata, Chizuru Kitagawa | 1955.02.27 | 1603-1868 | Awards: 1 Blue Ribbon Award |
| ' | Hiroshi Inagaki | Toshirō Mifune, Kōji Tsuruta | 1955.07.12 | ||
| The Lone Journey | Hiroshi Inagaki | Ryō Ikebe, Mariko Okada, Akihiko Hirata | 1955.08.31 | ||
| Tales of the Taira Clan | Kenji Mizoguchi | Narutoshi Hayashi, Raizō Ichikawa, Tatsuya Ishiguro | 1955.09.21 | Awards: 1 Mainichi Film Concours | |
| ' | Hiroshi Inagaki | Toshirō Mifune, Kōji Tsuruta | 1956.01.03 | ||
| ' | Sadatsugu Matsuda | Harue Akagi, Ryūtarō Aoyagi, Ushio Akashi | 1956.01.15 | 1701 | |
| ' | Katsuhiko Tasaka | Raizo Ichikawa, Shintaro Katsu, Yataro Kurokawa, Ryosuke Kagawa | 1956.02.26 | 1603-1868 | |
| Ghost of Hanging in Utusunomiya | Nobuo Nakagawa | Hiroshi Ogasawara, Akemi Tsukushi, Tetsurō Tamba | 1956.09.19 | ||
| Dandy Sashichi Detective Story: Six Famous Beauties | Nobuo Nakagawa | Tomisaburō Wakayama, Keiko Hibino, Misako Uji | 1956.12.11 | ||
| Throne of Blood | Akira Kurosawa | Toshirō Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura | 1957.01.15 | ||
| The Lord Takes a Bride | Sadatsugu Matsuda | Harue Akagi, Ushio Akashi | 1957.04.02 | ||
| Yagyu Secret Scrolls | Hiroshi Inagaki | Toshirō Mifune, Kōji Tsuruta, Yoshiko Kuga, Mariko Okada, Denjiro Okochi, Kyoko Kagawa | 1957.04.14 | ||
| Akadō Suzunosuke: Tsukiyo no kaijin | Bin Kado | Masaji Umeiwa, Narutoshi Hayashi, Tamao Nakamura | 1957.06.18 | ||
| Adauchi sōzenji baba | Masahiro Makino | Ryūtarō Ōtomo | 1957.06.25 | ||
| Souls in the Moonlight | Tomu Uchida | Chiezo Kataoka, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Yumiko Hasegawa | 1957.07.13 | Awards: 1 Mainichi Film Concours | |
| Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate | Yuzo Kawashima | Frankie Sakai, Yōko Minamida, Sachiko Hidari, Yujiro Ishihara | 1957.07.14 | 1853-1867 | Awards: 1 Blue Ribbon Award, 1 Kinema Junpo Award, 1 Mainichi Film Concours |
| A Matter of Valor | Tatsuo Osone | Ennosuke Ichikawa, Danko Ichikawa, Yaeko Mizutani, Kōkichi Takada | 1957.08.10 | ||
| Akadō Suzunosuke: Shingetsu-to no yōki | Bin Kado | Masaji Umeiwa, Narutoshi Hayashi, Tamao Nakamura | 1957.09.21 | ||
| The Prodigal Son | Hiromichi Horikawa | Senjaku Nakamura, Ganjirō Nakamura, Eiko Miyoshi | 1957.11.15 | ||
| Demon Crusader | Kenji Misumi | Raizō Ichikawa, Yōko Uraji, Seizaburō Kawazu | 1957.12.15 | Based on the novel of the same name. | |
| ' | Yasushi Sasaki | Utaemon Ichikawa | 1957.12.28 | ||
| Yagyu Secret Scrolls, Part II | Hiroshi Inagaki | Toshirō Mifune, Kōji Tsuruta, Yoshiko Kuga, Mariko Okada, Nobuko Otowa, Eijirō Tōno | 1958.01.03 | ||
| Chushingura | Kunio Watanabe | Kazuo Hasegawa, Shintaro Katsu, Kōji Tsuruta, Raizō Ichikawa, Machiko Kyō | 1958.04.01 | ||
| Suzunosuke Akado: The Birdman with Three Eyes | Kazuo Mori | Masaji Umeiwa, Narutoshi Hayashi, Yatarō Kurokawa | 1958.03.11 | ||
| Detective Hibari: Case of the Golden Hairpins | Tadashi Sawashima | Hibari Misora, Kōtarō Satomi, Chiyonosuke Azuma | 1958.04.01 | ||
| The Ballad of Narayama | Keisuke Kinoshita | Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi, Yuuko Mochizuki | 1958.06.01 | Awards: 3 Kinema Junpo Awards, 3 Mainichi Film Concours | |
| The 7th Secret Courier for Edo | Kazuo Mori | Raizo Ichikawa, Michiko Ai, Tokiko Mita | 1958.06.10 | ||
| The Barbarian and the Geisha | John Huston | John Wayne, Eiko Ando, Sam Jaffe, Sō Yamamura | 1958.09.30 | 1856 | |
| The Hidden Fortress | Akira Kurosawa | Toshirō Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara | 1958.12.28 | Awards: 1 Silver Bear Award | |
| Life of an Expert Swordsman | Hiroshi Inagaki | Toshirō Mifune, Yoko Tsukasa | 1959.04.28 | ||
| Hawk of the North | Toshikazu Kōno | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Keiko Ogawa, Yoshiko Sakuma | 1959.05.25 | ||
| The Ghost of Yotsuya | Nobuo Nakagawa | Shigeru Amachi, Noriko Kitazawa, Katsuko Wakasugi | 1959.07.01 | ||
| Kagerō Ezu | Teinosuke Kinugasa | Raizō Ichikawa, Fujiko Yamamoto, Osamu Takizawa | 1959.09.27 | ||
| Shinsengumi: Last Days of the Shogunate | Ko Sasaki | Chiezo Kataoka, Tomisaburō Wakayama, Yatarō Kurokawa | 1960.07.10 | ||
| The Story of Osaka Castle | Hiroshi Inagaki | Toshirō Mifune, Kyōko Kagawa, Akihiko Hirata | 1961.01.03 | ||
| Samurai Hawk | Nobuo Nakagawa | Utaemon Ichikawa, Ryūji Shinagawa, Atsushi Watanabe | 1961.03.05 | ||
| Akō Rōshi | Sadatsugu Matsuda | Kusuo Abe, Kyōko Aoyama, Chiyonosuke Azuma | 1961.03.28 | ||
| Yojimbo | Akira Kurosawa | Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada | 1961.04.25 | 1860 | |
| Miyamoto Musashi | Tomu Uchida | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Akiko Kazami, Wakaba Irie | 1961.05.27 | ||
| Hangyakuji | Daisuke Itō | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Haruko Sugimura, Chiyonosuke Azuma | 1961.11.08 | Awards: 1 Blue Ribbon Award, 1 Mainichi Film Concours | |
| Sanjuro | Akira Kurosawa | Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Yūzō Kayama | 1962.01.01 | Sequel to the 1961 film Yojimbo. | |
| In Search of Mother | Tai Katō | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Hiroki Matsukata, Michiyo Kogure | 1962.01.14 | ||
| Shiro Amakusa, the Christian Rebel | Nagisa Oshima | Hashizō Ōkawa, Ryūtarō Ōtomo, Satomi Oka | 1962.03.21 | ||
| Princess Sen and Hideyori | Masahiro Makino | Hibari Misora, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Ken Takakura, Jūshirō Konoe | 1962.03.28 | 1615-1616 | |
| The Tale of Zatoichi | Kenji Misumi | Shintaro Katsu, Masayo Banri, Ryuzo Shimada, Hajime Mitamura, Shigeru Amachi | 1962.04.18 | ||
| Harakiri | Masaki Kobayashi | Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentarō Mikuni, Shima Iwashita, Akira Ishihama | 1962.09.16 | ||
| The Tale of Zatoichi Continues | Kazuo Mori | Shintarō Katsu, Yoshie Mizutani, Masayo Banri, Tomisaburō Wakayama | 1962.10.12 | ||
| ' | Hiroshi Inagaki | Matsumoto Hakuō I, Yūzō Kayama, Toshirō Mifune, Chūsha Ichikawa, Akira Kubo | 1962.11.03 | 1701–1703 | Another film about the Forty-seven rōnin. |
| Miyamoto Musashi: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights | Tomu Uchida | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Wakaba Irie, Isao Kimura | 1962.11.17 | ||
| Shinobi no Mono | Satsuo Yamamoto | Raizō Ichikawa, Yūnosuke Itō, Shiho Fujimura | 1962.12.01 | 1575-1581 | Based on the novel of the same name. |
| Shinsengumi Chronicles | Kenji Misumi | Shigeru Amachi, San'emon Arashi, Saburō Date | 1963.01.03 | ||
| An Actor's Revenge | Kon Ichikawa | Kazuo Hasegawa, Fujiko Yamamoto | 1963.01.13 | Remake of the 1935 film An Actor's Revenge. | |
| Escape from Hell | Kazuo Inoue | Keiji Sada, Mariko Okada, Takahiro Tamura | 1963.01.27 | ||
| The New Tale of Zatoichi | Tokuzo Tanaka | Shintaro Katsu, Mikiko Tsubouchi | 1963.03.15 | ||
| Sengoku Yaro | Kihachi Okamoto | Yūzō Kayama, Yuriko Hoshi, Makoto Satō | 1963.03.24 | ||
| Castle of Owls | Eiichi Kudō | Ryūtarō Ōtomo, Minoru Ōki, Hizuru Takachiho | 1963.03.24 | ||
| Cruel Tales of Bushido | Tadashi Imai | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Eijirō Tōno, Kyōko Kishida | 1963.04.28 | ||
| Bloody Record of the Shinsengumi | Shigehiro Ozawa | Utaemon Ichikawa, Takeshi Katō, Kei Satō | 1963.05.12 | ||
| Brave Records of the Sanada Clan | Tai Kato | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Misako Watanabe | 1963.06.02 | ||
| Seventeen Ninja | Yasuto Hasegawa | Kōtarō Satomi, Jūshirō Konoe, Yuriko Mishima | 1963.07.07 | ||
| Zatoichi the Fugitive | Tokuzo Tanaka | Shintaro Katsu, Miwa Takada, Sachiko Murase | 1963.08.10 | ||
| Shinobi no Mono 2: Vengeance | Satsuo Yamamoto | Raizō Ichikawa, Shiho Fujimura | 1963.08.10 | 1582-1594 | Based on the novel of the same name. |
| Miyamoto Musashi: The Duel Against Yagyu | Tomu Uchida | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Wakaba Irie, Isao Kimura | 1963.08.14 | ||
| The Great Bandit | Senkichi Taniguchi | Toshirō Mifune, Tadao Nakamaru, Mie Hama | 1963.10.26 | ||
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: The Chinese Jade | Tokuzō Tanaka | Raizō Ichikawa, Tamao Nakamura, Shinobu Araki | 1963.11.02 | ||
| Zatoichi on the Road | Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Shintarō Katsu, Shiho Fujimura, Ryūzō Shimada | 1963.11.30 | ||
| Thirteen Assassins | Eiichi Kudo | Chiezo Kataoka, Kō Nishimura, Ryōhei Uchida | 1963.12.07 | ||
| Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection | Kazuo Mori | Raizō Ichikawa, Ayako Wakao, Saburō Date | 1963.12.28 | 1595-1600 | Based on the novel of the same name. |
| Miyamoto Musashi: The Duel at Ichijoji | Tomu Uchida | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Wakaba Irie, Isao Kimura | 1964.01.01 | ||
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Adventure | Kenji Misumi | Raizō Ichikawa, Kōichi Aihara, San'emon Arashi | 1964.01.09 | ||
| Warrior of the Wind | Tai Katō | Hashizō Ōkawa, Hiroko Sakuramachi, Naoko Kubo | 1964.01.15 | ||
| The Third Ninja | Toshikazu Kōno | Kōtarō Satomi, Kōji Nanbara, Kei Satō, Kikuko Hōjō, Misako Watanabe | 1964.03.01 | 1572 | |
| Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold | Kazuo Ikehiro | Shintarō Katsu, Shōgo Shimada, Mikiko Tsubouchi | 1964.03.14 | ||
| Three Outlaw Samurai | Hideo Gosha | Tetsurō Tamba, Isamu Nagato, Mikijirō Hira, Yoshiko Kayama | 1964.05.13 | ||
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: Full Circle Killing | Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Raizō Ichikawa, Kyooko Azuma, Ryonosuke Azuma | 1964.05.23 | ||
| Assassination | Masahiro Shinoda | Tetsurō Tamba, Shima Iwashita | 1964.07.04 | ||
| Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege | Tokuzo Tanaka | Raizō Ichikawa, Saburō Date, Midori Isomura | 1964.07.11 | 1614-1615 | |
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Seduction | Kazuo Ikehiro | Raizō Ichikawa, Michiko Ai, Akira Amemiya | 1964.10.17 | ||
| Fight, Zatoichi, Fight | Kenji Misumi | Shintarō Katsu, Nobuo Kaneko, Gen Kimura | 1964.10.17 | ||
| Adauchi | Tadashi Imai | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Takahiro Tamura, Tetsurō Tamba | 1964.11.01 | ||
| Onibaba | Kaneto Shindo | Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satō | 1964.11.21 | ||
| The Scarlet Camellia | Yoshitarō Nomura | Shima Iwashita, Yoshi Katō, Sachiko Hidari | 1964.11.21 | Awards: 1 Blue Ribbon Award | |
| Adventures of Zatoichi | Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Shintarō Katsu, Miwa Takada, Eiko Taki | 1964.12.30 | ||
| Bakumatsu zankoku monogatari | Tai Katō | Sumiko Fuji, Chōichirō Kawarasaki, Isao Kimura | 1964.12.12 | Awards: 1 Blue Ribbon Award | |
| Shinobi no Mono 5: Mist Saizo Returns | Kazuo Ikehiro | Raizō Ichikawa, Yukiko Fuji, Shiho Fujimura | 1964.12.30 | 1616 | |
| Samurai Assassin | Kihachi Okamoto | Toshirō Mifune, Koshiro Matsumoto, Yunosuke Ito, Michiyo Aratama | 1965.01.03 | ||
| Kwaidan | Masaki Kobayashi | Rentarō Mikuni, Keiko Kishi, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Tatsuya Nakadai | 1965.01.06 | ||
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Fire | Kenji Misumi | Raizō Ichikawa, Tamao Nakamura, Sanae Nakahara | 1965.01.13 | ||
| Red Beard | Akira Kurosawa | Toshirō Mifune, Yūzō Kayama | 1965.04.03 | ||
| Zatoichi's Revenge | Akira Inoue | Shintarō Katsu, Norihei Miki, Mikiko Tsubouchi | 1965.04.03 | ||
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Satan | Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Raizō Ichikawa, Michiko Saga, Machiko Hasegawa | 1965.05.01 | ||
| Shinobi no Mono 6: Iga Mansion | Kazuo Mori | Raizō Ichikawa, Kaoru Yachigusa, Isao Yamagata | 1965.06.12 | 1637-1651 | |
| Samurai Spy | Masahiro Shinoda | Kōji Takahashi | 1965.07.10 | ||
| Muhōmatsu no isshō | Kenji Misumi | Shintarō Katsu, Ineko Arima, Ken Utsui | 1965.07.14 | ||
| Yotsuya Kaidan | Shirō Toyoda | Tatsuya Nakadai, Mariko Okada, Junko Ikeuchi | 1965.07.25 | ||
| Miyamoto Musashi: Musashi vs. Kojiro | Tomu Uchida | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Ken Takakura, Wakaba Irie | 1965.09.04 | ||
| Zatoichi and the Doomed Man | Kazuo Mori | Shintarō Katsu, Kanbi Fujiyama, Eiko Taki | 1965.09.18 | ||
| Sword of the Beast | Hideo Gosha | Mikijirō Hira, Go Kato | 1965.09.18 | ||
| Akuto | Kaneto Shindō | Eitarō Ozawa, Kyoko Kishida | 1965.11.21 | ||
| Zatoichi and the Chess Expert | Kenji Misumi | Shintarō Katsu, Mikio Narita, Chizu Hayashi | 1965.12.24 | ||
| Shinobi no Mono 7: Mist Saizo Strikes Back | Kazuo Mori | Raizō Ichikawa, Shiho Fujimura, Yūko Kusunoki | 1966.02.12 | 1616 | |
| The Sword of Doom | Kihachi Okamoto | Tatsuya Nakadai, Yūzō Kayama, Michiyo Aratama, Toshirō Mifune | 1966.02.25 | Based on the novel of the same name. | |
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: The Mask of the Princess | Akira Inoue | Raizō Ichikawa, Yaeko Mizutani, Ichirō Nakatani | 1966.03.12 | ||
| Kutsukake Tokijiro: Yukyo Ippiki | Tai Katō | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Kiyoshi Atsumi, Junko Ikeuchi | 1966.04.01 | ||
| Daimajin | Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Miwa Takada, Yoshihiko Aoyama, Jun Fujimaki | 1966.04.17 | ||
| Zatoichi's Vengeance | Tokuzō Tanaka | Shintarō Katsu, Shigeru Amachi, Jun Hamamura | 1966.05.03 | ||
| Zatoichi's Pilgrimage | Kazuo Ikehiro | Shintarō Katsu, Michiyo Ōkusu, Kunie Tanaka | 1966.08.13 | ||
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Villainy | Kenji Misumi | Raizō Ichikawa, Shigeru Amachi, Shiho Fujimura | 1966.11.09 | ||
| Samurai Wolf | Hideo Gosha | Isao Natsuyagi, Ryōhei Uchida, Junko Miyazono | 1966.11.19 | ||
| The Blazing Sword | Hirokazu Ichimura | Tetsuko Kobayashi, Asahi Kurizuka, Shun'ya Wazaki | 1966.11.12 | ||
| Shinobi no Mono 8: Three Enemies | Kazuo Ikehiro | Raizō Ichikawa, Manami Fuji, Michiyo Ōkusu | 1966.12.10 | 1570-1573 | |
| The Magic Serpent | Tetsuya Yamauchi | Hiroki Matsukata, Tomoko Ogawa, Ryūtarō Ōtomo | 1966.12.21 | ||
| Band of Ninja | Nagisa Oshima | Yoshiyuki Fukuda, Toshirō Hayano, Hikaru Hayashi | 1967.02.15 | ||
| Bakumatsu: Tenamonya daizōdō | Kengo Furusawa | Makoto Fujita, Minoru Shiraki, Kei Tani | 1967.03.12 | ||
| Samurai Wolf II | Hideo Gosha | Isao Natsuyagi, Ichirō Nakatani, Bin Amatsu | 1967.05.13 | ||
| Samurai Rebellion | Masaki Kobayashi | Toshirō Mifune, Yoko Tsukasa | 1967.05.27 | ||
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: A Trail of Traps | Kazuo Ikehiro | Raizō Ichikawa, Nobuo Kaneko | 1967.07.15 | ||
| Zatoichi the Outlaw | Satsuo Yamamoto | Shintarō Katsu, Rentarō Mikuni, Kō Nishimura | 1967.08.12 | ||
| Zenigata Heiji | Tetsuya Yamauchi | Kazuo Funaki, Asao Koike, Akitake Kōno | 1967.10.10 | ||
| The Wife of Seishu Hanaoka | Yasuzō Masumura | Raizō Ichikawa, Ayako Wakao, Hideko Takamine | 1967.10.20 | Based on the novel of the same name. | |
| Eleven Samurai | Eiichi Kudo | Isao Natsuyagi, Kōtarō Satomi, Kōji Nanbara | 1967.12.16 | ||
| Zatoichi Challenged | Kenji Misumi | Shintarō Katsu, Jūshirō Konoe, Miwa Takada | 1967.12.30 | ||
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: Hell Is a Woman | Tokuzō Tanaka | Raizō Ichikawa, Miwa Takada, Yaeko Mizutani | 1968.01.13 | ||
| Kuroneko | Kaneto Shindō | Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otowa, Kei Satō | 1968.02.24 | Awards: 2 Mainichi Film Concours | |
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: In the Spider's Lair | Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Raizō Ichikawa, Mako Midori, Maka Sarijo | 1968.05.01 | ||
| The Saga of Tanegashima | Kazuo Mori | Rick Jason, Ayako Wakao, Eijirō Tōno, Shiho Fujimura, Jun Fujimaki | 1968.05.18 | 1543 | |
| Botan Dōrō | Satsuo Yamamoto | Miyoko Akaza, Kōjirō Hongō, Hajime Koshikawa | 1968.06.15 | Based on the short story of the same name. | |
| Kill! | Kihachi Okamoto | Tatsuya Nakadai, Etsushi Takahashi, Naoko Kubo, Shigeru Kōyama | 1968.06.22 | ||
| The Silent Stranger | Luigi Vanzi | Tony Anthony, Kenji Ohara, Rita Mura, Lloyd Battista | 1968 | 1884 | |
| Sleepy Eyes of Death: Castle Menagerie | Kazuo Ikehiro | Raizō Ichikawa, Naoko Kubo, Shiho Fujimura | 1969.01.11 | ||
| Samurai Banners | Hiroshi Inagaki | Toshirō Mifune, Kinnosuke Yorozuya, Akihiko Hirata | 1969.03.01 | ||
| Crimson Bat, the Blind Swordswoman | Sadatsugu Matsuda | Yōko Matsuyama, Chizuko Arai, Jun Tatara | 1969.03.15 | ||
| Goyokin | Hideo Gosha | Tatsuya Nakadai, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Tetsurō Tamba | 1969.05.01 | Awards: 2 Mainichi Film Concours | |
| Double Suicide | Masahiro Shinoda | Kichiemon Nakamura, Shima Iwashita | 1969.05.24 | Based on the play of the same name. | |
| The Devil's Temple | Kenji Misumi | Shintarō Katsu, Hideko Takamine, Michiyo Aratama | 1969.05.31 | ||
| Hitokiri | Hideo Gosha | Shintaro Katsu, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yukio Mishima | 1969.08.09 | ||
| Portrait of Hell | Shirō Toyoda | Hideyo Amamoto, Yōko Naitō, Tatsuya Nakadai | 1969.09.20 | ||
| Red Lion | Kihachi Okamoto | Toshirō Mifune, Shima Iwashita | 1969.10.10 | 1868-1869 | |
| Tengu-to | Satsuo Yamamoto | Tatsuya Nakadai, Ayako Wakao, Gō Katō | 1969.11.15 | ||
| Shinsengumi | Tadashi Sawashima | Toshirō Mifune, Keiju Kobayashi, Kinya Kitaoji, Rentarō Mikuni, Yoko Tsukasa | 1969.12.05 | ||
| The Fort of Death | Eiichi Kudō | Kanjūrō Arashi, Hideo Fujimoto, Teruo Fujinaga | 1969.12.13 | ||
| Zatoichi meets Yojimbo | Kihachi Okamoto | Toshirō Mifune, Shintarō Katsu, Ayako Wakao | 1970.01.15 | ||
| Mission: Iron Castle | Kazuo Mori | Hiroki Matsukata, Ryūnosuke Minegishi, Kōjirō Hongō, Michiyo Yasuda, Yōko Namikawa, Shiho Fujimura | 1970.02.07 | 1582 | |
| Bakumatsu | Daisuke Itō | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Toshirō Mifune, Keiju Kobayashi | 1970.02.14 | ||
| The Ambush: Incident at Blood Pass | Hiroshi Inagaki | Toshirō Mifune, Yūjirō Ishihara, Ruriko Asaoka | 1970.03.21 | ||
| Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival | Kenji Misumi | Shintarō Katsu, Reiko Ōhara, Pîtâ | 1970.08.12 | ||
| Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman | Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Shintarō Katsu, Yu Wang, Watako Hamaki | 1971.02.20 | Awards: 1 Mainichi Film Concours | |
| Miyamoto Musashi: Swords of Death | Tomu Uchida | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Rentarō Mikuni, Teruo Matsuyama | 1971.02.20 | Awards: 1 Golden Charybdis | |
| En toiu onna | Tadashi Imai | Shinjirō Ehara, Shima Iwashita, Yoshi Katō | 1971.05.29 | ||
| Inochi bō ni furō | Masaki Kobayashi | Tatsuya Nakadai, Komaki Kurihara, Wakako Sakai | 1971.09.11 | Awards: 5 Mainichi Film Concours, 1 Taormina International Film Festival Award | |
| Silence | Masahiro Shinoda | David Lampson, Mako Iwamatsu, Tetsurō Tanba, Shima Iwashita, Yoshiko Mita, Eiji Okada, Rokkō Toura, Noboru Matsuhashi | 1971.11.03 | 1638 | Based on the novel of the same name. |
| Zatoichi at Large | Kazuo Mori | Shintarō Katsu, Rentarō Mikuni, Hisaya Morishige | 1972.01.15 | Awards: 1 Mainichi Film Concours | |
| ' | Kenji Misumi | Tomisaburō Wakayama, Fumio Watanabe, Tomoko Mayama | 1972.01.15 | 1655 | |
| ' | Kenji Misumi | Tomisaburō Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Akiji Kobayashi | 1972.04.22 | ||
| ' | Kenji Misumi | Tomisaburō Wakayama, Gō Katō, Yūko Hama | 1972.09.02 | ||
| Shadow Hunters | Toshio Masuda | Yūjirō Ishihara, Ruriko Asaoka, Ryōhei Uchida | 1972.06.10 | Based on the manga series of the same name. | |
| Kogarashi Monjirō | Sadao Nakajima | Bunta Sugawara, Gorō Ibuki, Takayuki Akutagawa | 1972.06.21 | ||
| Zatoichi in Desperation | Shintarō Katsu | Shintarō Katsu, Kiwako Taichi, Kyoko Yoshizawa | 1972.09.02 | ||
| Kogarashi Monjirō: kakawari gozansen | Sadao Nakajima | Bunta Sugawara, Etsuko Ichihara, Kunie Tanaka | 1972.09.14 | ||
| Shadow Hunters 2: Echo of Destiny | Toshio Masuda | Yūjirō Ishihara, Ryōhei Uchida, Mikio Narita | 1972.10.10 | Based on the manga series of the same name. | |
| ' | Takeichi Saitō | Tomisaburō Wakayama, Yoichi Hayashi, Michi Azuma | 1972.12.30 | ||
| Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice | Kenji Misumi | Shintaro Katsu | 1972.12.30 | ||
| Hanzo the Razor: The Snare | Yasuzo Masumura | Shintaro Katsu | 1973.08.11 | ||
| ' | Kenji Misumi | Tomisaburō Wakayama, Michiyo Ōkusu, Akihiro Tomikawa | 1973.08.11 | ||
| Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? | Yoshio Inoue | Shintaro Katsu | 1974.02.09 | ||
| ' | Yoshiyuki Kuroda | Tomisaburō Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Junko Hitomi | 1974.04.24 | ||
| Ryoma Ansatsu | Kazuo Kuroki | Yoshio Harada, Yūsaku Matsuda, Renji Ishibashi, Kaori Momoi | 1974.08.03 | ||
| Shogun's Samurai | Kinji Fukasaku | Kinnosuke Yorozuya, Shinichi Chiba, Hiroki Matsukata | 1978.01.21 | 1623-1624 | |
| The Love Suicides at Sonezaki | Yasuzo Masumura | Ryudo Uzaki, Meiko Kaji | 1978.04.29 | Based on the play of the same name. | |
| Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron | Hideo Gosha | Tatsuya Nakadai, Junko Miyashita | 1978.07.01 | ||
| Swords of Vengeance: The Fall of Ako Castle | Kinji Fukasaku | Kinnosuke Yorozuya, Shinichi Chiba, Hiroki Matsukata, Tetsurō Tamba, Toshirō Mifune | 1978.10.28 | ||
| Hunter in the Dark | Hideo Gosha | Tatsuya Nakadai, Tetsurō Tamba, Yoshio Harada | 1979.06.17 | Awards: 1 Japanese Academy Award | |
| The Shogun Assassins | Sadao Nakajima | Hiroki Matsukata, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Ichirō Ogura | 1979.09.01 | Awards: 1 Japanese Academy Award | |
| G.I. Samurai | Kōsei Saitō | Shinichi Chiba | 1979.12.05 | Time Travel film. | |
| Kagemusha | Akira Kurosawa | Tatsuya Nakadai | 1980.04.26 | Awards: 2 BAFTA Awards, 1 César Award, 2 David di Donatello Awards, 1 Palme d'Or | |
| Tokugawa ichizoku no hōkai | Kōsaku Yamashita | Kinnosuke Nakamura, Hiroki Matsukata, Mikijirō Hira | 1980.05.24 | ||
| Shōgun | Jerry London | Richard Chamberlain, Toshirō Mifune, Yoko Shimada | 1980.09.15 | 1600 | American TV mini-series based on the novel by James Clavell, loosely based on William Adams, the English navigator who served as a key advisor to Tokugawa Ieyasu beginning in 1600. |
| Shogun Assassin | Robert Houston | Tomisaburo Wakayama | 1980.11.11 | English dubbed edit/compilation of the first two 1972 Lone Wolf and Cub films. | |
| Shogun's Ninja | Noribumi Suzuki | Hiroyuki Sanada, Shinichi Chiba, Etsuko Shihomi | 1980.11.15 | ||
| Sekigahara | Shin'ichi Kamoshita, Ichiro Takahashi | Hisaya Morishige, Gō Katō, Rentarō Mikuni, Toshirō Mifune | 1981.01.03 | Japanese TV mini-series that aired over 3 consecutive nights. | |
| Kazunomiya-sama otome | Kenji Sawai | Shinobu Ōtake, Mitsuko Mori, Kimiko Ikegami | 1981.01.03 | Television film | |
| Eijanaika | Shohei Imamura | Kaori Momoi, Shigeru Izumiya, Ken Ogata | 1981.03.14 | ||
| Shikake-nin Baian | Yasuo Furuhata | Katsuo Nakamura | 1981.04.11 | ||
| Samurai Reincarnation | Kinji Fukasaku | Shinichi Chiba, Kenji Sawada | 1981.06.06 | 1637-1638 | |
| Edo Porn | Kaneto Shindō | Ken Ogata, Toshiyuki Nishida, Yūko Tanaka | 1981.09.12 | Awards: 1 Blue Ribbon Award, 1 Hochi Film Award, 2 Japanese Academy Awards, 1 Yokohama Film Festival Award | |
| The Bushido Blade | Tom Kotani | Shinichi Chiba, Frank Converse, Mako Iwamatsu, Laura Gemser James Earl Jones, Toshirō Mifune | 1981 | 1854 | About the forced Opening of Japan in 1854. |
| Ninja Wars | Kōsei Saitō | Hiroyuki Sanada, Noriko Watanabe, Jun Miho | 1982.12.18 | Awards: 3 Japanese Academy Awards | |
| The Ballad of Narayama | Shōhei Imamura | Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari | 1983.04.29 | Awards: 1 Blue Ribbon Award, 1 Hochi Film Award, 3 Japanese Academy Awards, 2 Mainichi Film Concours, 1 Palme d'Or | |
| Legend of the Eight Samurai | Kinji Fukasaku | Hiroko Yakushimaru, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shinichi Chiba | 1983.12.10 | ||
| ' | Masahisa Sadanaga | Makoto Fujita, Kunihiko Mitamura, Izumi Ayukawa | 1984.06.16 | Awards: 1 Blue Ribbon Award, 1 Hochi Film Award, 3 Japanese Academy Awards, 2 Mainichi Film Concours, 1 Palme d'Or | |
| Onna goroshi abura no jigoku | Ben Wada | Yūsaku Matsuda, Tomoko Ogawa, Jiro Sakagami | 1984.09.29 | Television film | |
| Ran | Akira Kurosawa | Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryu, Mieko Harada | 1985.06.01 | Awards: 2 BAFTA Awards | |
| Gonza the Spearman | Masahiro Shinoda | Hiromi Go, Shohei Hino, Shima Iwashita | 1986.01.15 | Awards: 1 Silver Bear | |
| Bakumatsu seishun graffiti: Ronin Sakamoto Ryoma | Yoshitaka Kawai | Tetsuya Takeda, Toshio Shiba, Takuro Yoshida | 1986.01.25 | Awards: 1 Hochi Film Award | |
| Shogun's Shadow | Yasuo Furuhata | Ken Ogata, Norihito Arai, Toshihiro Asari | 1989.01.14 | - | |
| Rikyu | Hiroshi Teshigahara | Rentarō Mikuni, Tsutomu Yamazaki | 1989.09.15 | ||
| Death of a Tea Master | Kei Kumai | Eiji Okuda, Toshirō Mifune, Kinnosuke Nakamura | 1989.10.07 | Awards: 1 Japanese Academy Award, 1 Kinema Junpo Award, 1 Nikkan Sports Film Award, 1 Silver Hugo, 1 Silver Lion | |
| Heaven and Earth | Haruki Kadokawa | Enoki Takaaki, Tsugawa Masahiko, Asano Atsuko, Zaizen Naomi, Nomura Hironobu | 1990.04.20 | ||
| Sengoku Ransei no Abarenbo Saito Dosan Doto no Tenka Tori | Eiichi Kudō | Kumiko Akiyoshi, Shinichi Chiba, Ken Matsudaira | 1991.01.03 | Television film | |
| Journey of Honor | Gordon Hessler | Sho Kosugi, David Essex, Kane Kosugi, Toshirō Mifune | 1991.04.27 | 1600-1602 | Loosely based on the journey of samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga and his delegation to Spain in 1613. |
| Bakumatsu Jyunjyoden | Mitsuyuki Yakushiji | Ken Watanabe, Riho Makise, Tetta Sugimoto | 1991.07.06 | ||
| Mangetsu: Mr. Moonlight | Kazuki Ohmori | Saburō Tokitō, Bin Amatsu, Leo Morimoto | 1991.09.21 | Time Travel film. | |
| Gō-hime | Hiroshi Teshigahara | Rie Miyazawa, Tatsuya Nakadai, Toshiya Nagasawa | 1992.04.11 | Awards: 2 Japanese Academy Awards | |
| The Oil-Hell Murder | Hideo Gosha | Kanako Higuchi, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi | 1992.05.23 | ||
| Ihen kaidō | Kōsei Saitō | Ikkō Furuya, Mariko Fuji, Shōhei Hino | 1993.10.13 | Television film | |
| Kaettekite Kogarashi Monjiro | Kon Ichikawa | Atsuo Nakamura, Ryōko Sakaguchi, Ittoku Kishibe | 1993.11.20 | ||
| Crest of Betrayal | Kinji Fukasaku | Kōichi Satō, Saki Takaoka, Keiko Oginome, Tsunehiko Watase, Eriko Watanabe | 1994.10.22 | ||
| 47 Ronin | Kon Ichikawa | Ken Takakura, Kiichi Nakai | 1994.10.22 | ||
| Sharaku | Masahiro Shinoda | Hiroyuki Sanada, Frankie Sakai, Shima Iwashita, Tsurutarō Kataoka | 1995.02.04 | ||
| Bungo torimono ezu - Harikomi | Keiichi Ozawa | Hashinosuke Nakamura, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Sayuri Kokushō | 1996.04.05 | Television film | |
| Reborn From Hell: Samurai Armageddon | Kazumasa Shirai | Hiroyuki Watanabe, Tomorowo Taguchi, Yūko Moriyama | 1996.04.26 | Remake of the 1981 film Samurai Reincarnation. | |
| Legend of the Devil | Masaru Tsushima | Masaki Kyōmoto, Atsuo Nakamura, Daisuke Ryū | 1996.11.09 | ||
| Samurai Fiction: Episode One | Hiroyuki Nakano | Morio Kazama, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Tomoyasu Hotei | 1998.08.01 | Awards: 1 Mainichi Film Concours, 1 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival Award, 2 Sitges Awards | |
| Kunoichi ninpō-chō: Yagyū gaiden, Edo-bana jigoku-hen | Hitoshi Ozawa | Hitoshi Ozawa, Yūko Moriyama | 1998.07.11 | ||
| After the Rain | Takashi Koizumi | Akira Terao, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Shiro Mifune, Mieko Harada, Tatsuya Nakadai | 1999.09.05 | ||
| Owls' Castle | Masahiro Shinoda | Kiichi Nakai, Mayu Tsuruta, Riona Hazuki | 1999.10.30 | Based on the novel under the same name. | |
| Gohatto | Nagisa Oshima | Ryuhei Matsuda, Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano | 1999.12.18 | ||
| Dora-Heita | Kon Ichikawa | Kōji Yakusho, Yūko Asano, Tsurutarō Kataoka | 2000.05.13 | ||
| Gojoe | Sogo Ishii | Tadanobu Asano, Masatoshi Nagase, Daisuke Ryu, Jun Kunimura | 2000.10.07 | Awards: 1 Hochi Film Award | |
| Onmyoji | Yōjirō Takita | Mansai Nomura, Hideaki Ito, Hiroyuki Sanada | 2001.10.06 | ||
| Chūshingura 1/47 | Shunsaku Kawamo | Takuya Kimura, Kōichi Satō | 2001.12.28 | Television film. Remake of the 1932 film Chūshingura - Zempen: Akahokyō no maki. | |
| Kewaishi | Mitsutoshi Tanaka | Kippei Shîna, Miho Kanno, Chizuru Ikewaki | 2002.02.09 | Awards: 1 Tokyo International Film Festival Award | |
| Kumamoto Stories | Takashi Miike | Tōru Emori, Renji Ishibashi, Jinpachi Nezu, Mikijirō Hira, Mihoko Abe, Noriko Aota, Ayumi Asakura | 2002.07.20 | Includes 3 short films: Onna Kunishuu Ikki, Kikuchi-jo Monogatari: Sakimori-tachi no Uta, and Zuiketsu Genso: Tonkararin Yume Densetsu. | |
| The Sea Is Watching | Kei Kumai | Misa Shimizu, Nagiko Tōno, Masatoshi Nagase | 2002.07.27 | ||
| Ryoma's Wife, Her Husband and Her Lover | Jun Ichikawa | Noritake Kinashi, Kiichi Nakai, Kyōka Suzuki | 2002.09.14 | Awards: 1 Nikkan Sports Film Award | |
| Sabu | Takashi Miike | Tatsuya Fujiwara, Satoshi Tsumabuki | 2002.10.05 | Television film | |
| The Twilight Samurai | Yoji Yamada | Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa | 2002.11.02 | Awards: 12 Japanese Academy Awards | |
| When the Last Sword Is Drawn | Yōjirō Takita | Kiichi Nakai, Kōichi Satō, Yui Natsukawa, Takehiro Murata | 2003.01.18 | ||
| Aragami | Ryuhei Kitamura | Takao Osawa, Masaya Kato, Kanae Uotani, Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki | 2003.03.27 | Awards: 1 Silver Raven | |
| Makai Tenshō | Hideyuki Hirayama | Yōsuke Kubozuka, Kumiko Asō, Tetta Sugimoto | 2003.04.26 | ||
| Azumi | Ryuhei Kitamura | Aya Ueto | 2003.05.10 | Based on the manga series of the same name. | |
| Zatōichi | Takeshi Kitano | Beat Takeshi, Tadanobu Asano, Yui Natsukawa | 2003.09.06 | ||
| Onmyoji 2 | Yōjirō Takita | Mansai Nomura, Hideaki Itō, Eriko Imai, Kyoko Fukada, Hayato Ichihara | 2003.10.04 | ||
| The Last Samurai | Edward Zwick | Tom Cruise, Timothy Spall, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, Koyuki, Shin Koyamada | 2003.12.05 | 1877 | Fictional story based around the Satsuma Rebellion during the Meiji period. |
| Warau Iemon | Yukio Ninagawa | Toshiaki Karasawa, Koyuki, Teruyuki Kagawa, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi | 2004.02.07 | Awards: 2 Asia-Pacific Film Festival Awards, 1 Nikkan Sports Film Award | |
| Kibakichi | Tomo'o Haraguchi | Ryūji Harada, Nozomi Andō, Tatsuo Higashida | 2004.02.07 | ||
| Kibakichi 2 | Tomo'o Haraguchi | Ryūji Harada, Miki Tanaka, Aimi Nakajima | 2004.07.25 | ||
| Izo | Takashi Miike | Kazuya Nakayama, Takeshi Kitano, Bob Sapp | 2004.08.21 | ||
| The Hidden Blade | Yoji Yamada | Masatoshi Nagase, Takako Matsu, Yukiyoshi Ozawa | 2004.10.30 | ||
| ' | Shusuke Kaneko | Aya Ueto | 2005.05.12 | Based on the manga series of the same name. | |
| Ashura | Yōjirō Takita | Somegorō Ichikawa, Rie Miyazawa, Kanako Higuchi | 2005.04.16 | Awards: 1 Hochi Film Award, 1 Kinema Junpo Award, 1 Nikkan Sports Film Award, 1 Yokohama Film Festival Award | |
| ' | Masaaki Tezuka | Yōsuke Eguchi, Kyōka Suzuki, Haruka Ayase | 2005.06.11 | Awards: 1 Asia-Pacific Film Festival Award | |
| Hana | Hirokazu Koreeda | Jun'ichi Okada, Rie Miyazawa, Arata Furuta | 2006.06.03 | Awards: 1 Nikkan Sports Film Award | |
| Love and Honor | Yoji Yamada | Kimura Takuya, Dan Rei, Takashi Sasano | 2006.12.01 | ||
| Kaidan | Hideo Nakata | Kumiko Asō, Takaaki Enoki, Reona Hirota | 2007.08.04 | Awards: 1 Yokohama Film Festival Award | |
| Sukiyaki Western Django | Takashi Miike | Hideaki Ito, Kōichi Satō, Yusuke Iseya | 2007.09.15 | ||
| Chacha | Hajime Hashimoto | Ryōko Gi, Mieko Harada, Takehiro Hira | 2007.12.22 | ||
| Yamazakura | Tetsuo Shinohara | Rena Tanaka, Noriyuki Higashiyama, Tetsuya Chiba | 2008.05.31 | ||
| Geisha Assassin | Gō Ohara | Minami Tsukui, Shigeru Kanai, Nao Nagasawa | 2008.09.27 | ||
| Ichi | Fumihiko Sori | Takao Osawa, Haruka Ayase, Shido Nakamura, Yōsuke Kubozuka | 2008.10.25 | ||
| Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf | Kurando Mitsutake | Kurando Mitsutake, Jeffrey James Lippold, Domiziano Arcangeli | 2009.02.27 | ||
| Ballad: Na mo naki koi no uta | Takashi Yamazaki | Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Yui Aragaki, Akashi Takei | 2009.09.05 | ||
| Castle Under Fiery Skies | Mitsutoshi Tanaka | Toshiyuki Nishida, Shōzō Endō, Saki Fukuda | 2009.09.12 | ||
| Sword of Desperation | Hideyuki Hirayama | Etsushi Toyokawa, Chizuru Ikewaki, Koji Kikkawa | 2010.07.10 | ||
| 13 Assassins | Takashi Miike | Kōji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yūsuke Iseya, Goro Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura, Mikijirō Hira | 2010.09.25 | Remake of the 1963 film 13 Assassins. | |
| Ōoku | Fuminori Kaneko | Ko Shibasaki, Kazunari Ninomiya, Hiroshi Tamaki | 2010.10.01 | Based on. | |
| The Sakurada Gate Incident | Junya Sato | Takao Ohsawa, Kyoko Hasegawa, Minosuke Bandō | 2010.10.16 | ||
| Abacus and Sword | Yoshimitsu Morita | Masato Sakai, Yukie Nakama, Kimimaro Ayanokōji | 2010.12.04 | ||
| ' | Nopporn Watin | Seigi Ozeki, Kanokkorn Jaicheun, Sorapong Chatree | 2010.12.02 | Awards: 1 Thailand National Film Association Award | |
| The Winter Butterfly | Marcus Tozini | Sam Aoyama, Ikuma Isaac Fryman, Sharon Gee | 2010 | ||
| At River's Edge | Tetsuo Shinohara | Noriyuki Higashiyama, Rinko Kikuchi | 2011.06.18 | ||
| Scabbard Samurai | Hitoshi Matsumoto | Masatō Ibu, Jun Kunimura, Itsuji Itao | 2011.06.11 | ||
| ' | Takashi Miike | Ichikawa Ebizō XI, Eita, Kōji Yakusho | 2011.10.15 | Remake of the 1962 film Harakiri. | |
| Shinobido | Toshiyuki Morioka | Aimi Satsukawa, Ryōichi Yuki, Ayaka Kikuchi | 2012.02.04 | ||
| The Dry Blade | Michael Fredianelli | Michael Nosé, Henry Lee, Carl Schreiber | 2012.07.02 | ||
| Rurouni Kenshin | Keishi Ōtomo | Takeru Sato, Emi Takei | 2012.08.25 | Based on the manga series of the same name. | |
| The Floating Castle | Shinji Higuchi and Isshin Inudo | Mansai Nomura | 2012.11.02 | ||
| Unforgiven | Lee Sang-il | Ken Watanabe, Kōichi Satō, Akira Emoto | 2013.09.13 | Based on the 1992 American western of the same name. | |
| Katsuhide Motoki | Kuranosuke Sasaki, Kyoko Fukada, Tsuyoshi Ihara | 2014.06.21 | |||
| Zakurozaka no Adauchi | Setsurō Wakamatsu | Kiichi Nakai, Hiroshi Abe, Ryōko Hirosue | 2014.09.20 | ||
| Kakekomi | Masato Harada | Yo Oizumi, Erika Toda, Hikari Mitsushima | 2015.05.16 | ||
| Masterless | Craig Shimahara | Adam LaVorgna | 2015.09.30 | ||
| Silence | Martin Scorsese | Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano, Ciarán Hinds, Liam Neeson | 2016.12.23 | 1630s-1638 | Based on the novel of the same name. |
| Sekigahara | Masato Harada | Junichi Okada, Kasumi Arimura, Takehiro Hira, Masahiro Higashide, Kōji Yakusho | 2017.08.26 | 1600 | Based on a novel by Ryōtarō Shiba about the Battle of Sekigahara. |
Gendai-geki films
Gendai-geki is a genre of film and television or theater play in Japan. Unlike the jidai-geki genre of period dramas, whose stories are set in the Edo period, gendaigeki stories are contemporary dramas set in the modern world.| Title | Release date | Time period | Notes on setting |
| Laughing Under the Clouds | 2018 | 1868-1912 | Based on a manga series, set from the Meiji period to the Taishō period, including the life of the Emperor Meiji during the Meiji Restoration. |
| Lady Snowblood | 1973 | 1874-1894 | Based on the manga series of the same name. |
| Waga Koi wa Moenu | 1949 | 1880s | |
| Emperor Meiji and the Great Russo-Japanese War | 1958 | 1904–1905 | Dramatization of the Russo-Japanese War. |
| Fullmetal Alchemist | 2017 | 1927 | Based on a manga series, set during the Benito Mussolini's regime. |
| Gambler's Life: Unstoppable Bloodbath | 1969 | 1930s | Set in the early Shōwa period. |
| Flower of Chivalry Torn Asunder: Gambling Heir | 1969 | 1930s | Set in the early Shōwa period. |
| Onna jigoku uta: Shakuhachi benten | 1970 | ||
| ' | 2016 | 1939-1991 | Based on Kantai Collection and true events of World War II and the Cold War era. |
| Tora! Tora! Tora! | 1970 | 1941 | Detailing the events leading up to and including the Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. |
| Midway | 1976 | 1942 | About the Battle of Midway between Japan and the United States in 1942. |
| The Bridge on the River Kwai | 1957 | 1942–1945 | About allied prisoners of war forced to work on the Burma Railway during World War II. |
| Letters from Iwo Jima | 2006 | 1945 | Japanese-language film directed by Clint Eastwood about the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. |
| Hiroshima | 1995 | 1945 | Docu-drama about the events leading up to the use of the first atomic weapons in 1945. |
| ' | 2016 | 1945-1960 | Based on a novel, from the Occupation of Japan to the 1960 U-2 incident during the Cold War era and the Japanese economic miracle. |
| Kids on the Slope | 2018 | 1966-1978 | Based on a manga series, set during the foundation of the Asian Development Bank to the opening of Narita International Airport, part of the Cold War era. |
| :ja:鎌倉ものがたり#映画|Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura | 2017 | 1976-1980 | Based on the manga, set from the Lockheed bribery scandals to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, part of the Cold War era. |
| Climber's High and Shizumanu Taiyō | 2008-2009 | 1985 | Historical drama about Japan Airlines Flight 123 incident, part of The Troubles era in the United Kingdom. |
| Solomon's Perjury and :ja:去年の冬、きみと別れ|Last Winter, We Parted | 2015-2018 | 1990-2008 | Based on a novel by Miyuki Miyabe and Nakamura Bunkun. |
| A Silent Voice and Your Lie in April | 2016 | 1990-2010 | Based on the manga, set in the 2000s. |
| A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies | 2007 | 2004-2007 | Based on true events of 2004 Chūetsu earthquake and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. |
| Chihayafuru Film Series and After the Rain | 2016-2018 | 2004-2014 | Based on a manga series and true events, from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami to the 2014 Winter Olympics, 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Russia, Brazil and Scotland were joined by the OCA and the JOC. |
| Corpse Party and Corpse Party Book of Shadows | 2015-2016 | 2004 | Based on Corpse Party and Goosebumps series by Team GrisGris and R. L. Stine was released in 1992 and 1996. |
| ' | 2019 | 2004-2017 | Based on a manga, documentary about from the successful 2004 Summer Olympics to the 2016 Summer Olympics. |
| ' | 2016 | 2004-2006 | Based a novel and a Swing Girls by Shinobu Yaguchi. |
| Sadako vs. Kayako | 2016 | 2004-2009 | Based on Ring Trilogy and Ju-On by Koji Suzuki and Takashi Shimizu, one of the horror franchises in Japan. |
| 2016 | 2004-2012 | Based on the manga and true events of Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. | |
| Persona 3 Films | 2013-2016 | 2006-2009 | Based on Persona 3 during the Financial crisis of 2007–2008. |
| Kagerou Daze -in a days- | 2016 | 2011-2014 | Based on Kagerou Project during 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. |
| Rage | 2016 | 2012-2014 | Based on a novel and true events of the 2012 Benghazi Attacks, 2012 Japanese general election, and 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. |
| Inuyashiki'' | 2018 | 2016 | Based on a manga series, set 3 months after the 2016 Jakarta attacks and March 2016 Istanbul bombing, rise of the superhero resistance. |