Shuji Kawakami and Keita Takezaki are connected by a long friendship from the time they were youngsters. They joined different yakuza families and went on their own paths� The Shinryu-kai, to which Kawakami is associated with, begins a battle against Takezaki and the Otani family of Osaka in its quest to conquer Japan. The two families fight and kill until Koichi Yamaoka, the great leader of the Hiroshima Yamaoka gang, intervenes and mediates the two sides. However, the fate of the bond between Kawakami and Takezaki has already been decided�

The life story of Hisayuki Machii – the man who became the leader of the Tosei-kai after the darkness of post-war Japan. In the aftermath of the war, Machii establishes the Tosei-kai to realize his ideals in society. With the population demoralized, Machii enters the wrestling business to invigorate the people.

The greatest fixer of post-WWII Japan, Hisanobu Machii. A Zainichi Korean who originally started out as a boxer, Machii founded the Tosei-kai which became one of Japan�s most notorious yakuza gangs. Also known as a staunch supporter of Riki Dosan, he was a prime figure in the Japanese black market. This film will unveil the secrets of the Don of the Dark. After coming to friendly terms with the Kaga-gumi, Machii and the Tosei-kai are dragged into a territorial battle with the Minamino family in Kanto. While Machii dreams of making the Tosei-kai into an organization that can end discrimination against the Koreans some day, he struggles with the daily realities that his group is constantly involved in fighting. Soon, Machii becomes disillusioned with the meaning of all the territorial battles. After Ryu Dosan is stabbed to death however, Machii makes a surprising decision.

Based on the best-selling book by Atsushi Mizoguchi, the movie introduces the stormy life of Masahisa Takenaka who was the 4th leader of Japan's largest syndicate - the Yamaguchi-gumi. Takenaka was known as a member of the invincible party which he founded with his brothers in Himeji. One day, a turning point comes; he meets with Masao Tashiro, the 3rd leader of the Yamaga-gumi. Impressed by the manhood of Tashiro, Takenaka decides to lead his own life as a yakuza. And so, Takenaka�s destiny begins its bloody course�

After living a life of washing blood with blood, Takenaka becomes a tremendous power force in the Yamaga-gumi. However, with the death of kumicho and his lieutenant, the family goes into a power struggle which spins the organization out of control. What does fate have for Takenaka�

Part-time DJ, full time yakuza. After putting FM89.3MHz back on the map, Junji Kudo is suddenly given the news of Kumicho�s death. The widow, Mineko, reads Kumicho�s will, which says� �Junji is to become the principal.� Junji doubts his ears. However, Junji later finds out from Mineko that Kumicho had established a preschool while he was still alive. Unwilling to break any of Kumicho�s wills, Junji decides to take over Hiyoko Preschool in Kabuki-cho. He is immediately confused since he has never taken care of a child before. Meanwhile, problems also arise in Junji�s family. Narcy, Junji�s son-in-law, says that he wants to become a House representative so he can make a bright future for the kids. Sakura, Narcy�s wife and Junji�s daughter, opposes her husband�s sudden aspirations, saying that he needs to take care of their child first. With these problems on Junji�s mind, there happens to be an even darker problem waiting to occur. It is that the Hiyoko Preschool is on Yashiki-gumi territory, and they are looking to start a fight against Junji and the Okawa family.

Following the death wish of his boss, Junji becomes the principal of Kabuki-cho Hiyoko Preschool. Soon after, the government suspends the school for being in business illegally. Junji decides to change the name of the school to �Hiyoko-gumi� as a way to save it from being shut down. Junji Kudo from FM89.3 follows up his quirky journey, this time at a preschool. Starring Hitoshi Ozawa and a bunch of diapers, this is the ultimate yakuza entertainment! Kabuki-cho Hiyoko kindergarten was suspended from operating after government found out that it had no authorization. Since Junji Kudou(Hitoshi Ozawa), a director of the kindergarten couldn�t give up the kids, he changed its name and kept running the kindergarten...

Living in a society based on "war," "imprisonment," and "death," the Yakuza are the ideal models of leadership. And what makes them good leaders? That is their charisma. In the fourth installment of this popular series, leaders of the Yakuza will reenact actual cases and instruct the viewers of methods that can be applied to real life.

Based on the nonfiction book by Shigeki Yamahira, the third installment in this popular series introduces new and innovative economic strategies to dominate your opponents. Hitoshi Ozawa will guide you through the experiences of four actual mob leaders, and their advice for becoming victorious in society.

Negotiation is a matter of life or death for the yakuza. What is their secret that makes them so convincing and that allows them to be so good at turning the tables? From theoretical arms to pretexts, through a variety of techniques, the yakuza�s negotiation skills will lead you to a course of victory.

Based on a true story, Hitoshi Ozawa stars as Nakahama, the 4th leader of the Yamaga-gumi, the most powerful syndicate in Japan. Young Nakahama catches the attention of Omori of the Sasai-gumi. Soon, Nakahama begins to get more involved in the expansion of the organization and its rise to the top of the yakuza world.

The Villain: JOKER

Brothers, Seiichiro and Kenjiro, are gangsters. One day, they learn of the death of their leader, Tsuruki. Kenjiro is thrown into a whirlpool of conflict over the succession of the family, all schemed by Seiichiro. Can Kenjiro survive and carry out his duty, all while maintaining his honor? "The Road to Boss" is the story of the dark hero and his fight to the top of the gangster world. The first in the series. Based on the comic by Kazuhiko Murakami.

The second installment in the series, "The Road to Boss 2" revives the burning soul of the gangster. Elder brother, Seiichiro, wants to take his brother, Kenjiro, to the top. He plots to kill the next apparent heir, Usabro Miyaji. After Seigo Takasaki kills Usabro, Kenjiro is targeted by the executives of the Miyaji group. What is driving Seijiro to push his brother to the top? Kenjiro is dragged into Seijiro's plot once again. And, Kenjiro finally stands up.

The second sequel begins with Kumada arrested on suspicion of murdering his boss. Things look even worse when the bullet in the body matches that from Kumada�s pistol. Then, Kumada receives a death threat of an assassination attempt on the mayor of Tokyo. Meanwhile, the conflict between the Black Dragon and the Kinugawa-gumi only intensifies. With time ticking down and all the cases intertwining together, Kumada finally takes action�

At the assassination crime scene, Kumada is mistakenly taken in as the killer. Meanwhile, the police department is suddenly bombed by the real assassin. While suspicion and tension grow within the police squad, Kumada returns to the front lines to investigate the crime.

One of the greatest actors of the genre, Hitoshi Ozawa, once again takes on the role of Kumada in the final episode of the Marubo series. The terrorist attacks take a dramatic turn with the revelation of Sakuma being still alive. Kumada investigates the attacks and is helped by clues from Kajiyama of the Kinugawa-gumi. Meanwhile, back at division headquarters, the investigation finds an unexpected connection between the attacks and one of its own. There, the involvement of the government soon becomes clear�

One of the greatest actors of the genre, Hitoshi Ozawa, acts as a detective of the “Marubo” investigations unit in this action drama. Kumada is a detective who works in the Shinjuku Kabukicho district in Tokyo. One day, he gets a report about a bomb threat somewhere in Kabukicho. Kumada begins to investigate the case, but…

In the second installment of this series, the Black Dragon syndicate finally begins to emerge out of the darkness. Behind the disastrous state of the Kinugawa-gumi looms the shadow of the Black Dragon. Meanwhile, an arson threat arrives at the mayor�s office in Tokyo, heightening the tension �

Comment on the film by Mr. Tadao Sato (Film Critic)
Kenji Mizoguchi directed Orizuru Osen (The Downfall of Osen) in 1935. The original film is a sound picture. A sound picture is a film with an extraordinary format; with lines as subtitles like a silent film, but with recorded music and narration. Sound films were made when film production was shifted from silent to talkie films. The first successful talkie film, Madamu to Nyobo (The Neighbor's Wife and Mine) was produced in 1931. Orizuru Osen (The Downfall of Osen) was originally produced as a silent film, but producers assumed that a silent film would not bring much profit as most other films were produced as talkies, and changed it to a sound picture halfway through the shooting. In the version presented by Talking Silents, Midori Sawato�s newlyrecorded narration is combined with the original sound.

Silent films in Japan were always shown with narration from a benshi, or motion picture narrator, and it is my belief that this has something to do with the strong influence that the popularity of bunraku (puppet theater) had on film. Bunraku was a popular form of entertainment in which dolls were silently manipulated on stage while a Taiyu (performer) sat off to the side providing plot narration and character lines. It was common for that narration to take on a seven-five syllabic pattern, often becoming what one might call a narrative poem. Benshi usually narrated films using everyday speech, but there are also works in which it is appropriate to use poetry and take on a five-seven syllable pattern in order to clearly express the mood of a scene. These are the most moving scenes that a benshi performs.

Comment on the film by Mr. Tadao Sato (Film Critic) Utaemon Ichikawa was one of the rare film stars who was able to enjoy a very long period of popularity. Born in 1907, he first appeared on the kabuki stage at the age of five. He was scouted at the age of 18 and shortly thereafter made his big screen debut. He was a star from the beginning. By 1964 he had appeared in over 360 films.

Comment on the film by Mr. Tadao Sato (Film Critic) The director Torajiro Saito (1905-1982) produced more than 200 films in the thirty year period between 1926 and 1962, at an average of more than six films per year. In the beginning, when it was still the era of silent films, most of his works were not feature-length but short pieces intended to accompany longer movies from other directors. Despite this, he became wildly popular.

Comment on the film by Mr. Tadao Sato (Film Critic) From the end of the 1920s and into the 1930s, Denjiro Okochi (1898-1962) was highly regarded as the definitive superstar of jidaigeki (period drama).

Comment on the film by Mr. Tadao Sato (Film Critic) Masahiro Makino produced more films than any other director in the history of Japan. He became a director at the age of eighteen, and was active for more than sixty years. A man famous for quickly finishing films, he left behind over 260 works.

Comment on the film by Mr. Tadao Sato (Film Critic) The first film studio in Japan to have a small glass-covered set opened in Tokyo in 1908. That year, there were 54 films produced in Japan.

Comment on the film by Mr. Tadao Sato (Film Critic) The first film studio in Japan to have a small glass-covered set opened in Tokyo in 1908.

Comment on the film by Mr. Tadao Sato (Film Critic) In Japan, silent film screening theaters had very lively atmospheres. A door man would shout to call in people, and sweets vendors loudly advertised �rice crackers! caramels!�

Comment on the film by Mr. Tadao Sato (Film Critic) In Japan, screenings of silent films were accompanied by narration from a katsudo benshi, or motion picture