Movie: Chambara: The Art of Japanese Swordplay

Top 10 Billed Cast

Sadao Nakajima
中島貞夫

Hiroki Matsukata
松方弘樹

Chihiro Yamamoto
山本千尋

Seizō Fukumoto
福本清三

Shôgo Kimura
Shôgo Kimura

Ryûzô Ueno
Ryûzô Ueno

Sadao Yamane
山根貞男

Katsuyuki Tai
田井克幸

Michihiro Kinoshita
Michihiro Kinoshita

  • HomePage

  • Overview

    Veteran director Nakajima Sadao examines the appeal, background, context and transition of chambara, or period sword-fighting and samurai films, in Kyoto. Not only interviews with actors, choreographers and critiques are included, but the director orchestrates an original chambara scene for the documentary.

  • Release Date

    2015-10-18

  • Average

    7.5

  • Rating:

    3.8 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    日本語
  • Keywords

Recommendations Movies

A Courtesan with Flowered Skin
66%

A Courtesan with Flowered Skin(ja)

2014-11-08

Japan around 1860: popular courtesan Asagiri will be freed soon from her service, yet she cannot imagine any other existence. Until one day at a local festival, Asagiri meets the young artisan Hanjiro by chance – an encounter that changes her destiny. With a strong performance by leading actress Yumi ADACHI and exquisite camerawork and production design, A COURTESAN WITH FLOWERED SKIN succeeds in recalling the golden age of Japanese erotic film.

Asdrúbal, O que há com seu peru?
56%

Asdrúbal, O que há com seu peru?(en)

1978-10-17

Asdrúbal is the zoo sweeper, the handyman. One day, when he was feeding the turkeys, he noticed that one of them was talking.

Juliet of the Spirits
72%

Juliet of the Spirits(it)

1965-10-22

Middle-aged Giulietta grows suspicious of her husband, Giorgio, when his behavior grows increasingly questionable. One night when Giorgio initiates a seance amongst his friends, Giulietta gets in touch with spirits and learns more about herself and her painful past. Slightly skeptical, but intrigued, she visits a mystic who gives her more information -- and nudges her toward the realization that her husband is indeed a philanderer.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
63%

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey(en)

2025-09-17

Sarah and David are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on a funny, fantastical, sweeping adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present... and possibly getting a chance to alter their futures.

Hey Qween - Holigay Special
54%

Hey Qween - Holigay Special(en)

Let’s get SICK’NING for the Holidays! RuPaul’s Drag Race legend Laganja Estanja is here for Hey Qween’s Very Green Christmas Special!

Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler
76%

Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler(de)

1922-04-27

Dr. Mabuse and his organization of criminals are in the process of completing their latest scheme, a theft of information that will allow Mabuse to make huge profits on the stock exchange. Afterwards, Mabuse disguises himself and attends the Folies Bergères show, where Cara Carozza, the main attraction of the show, passes him information on Mabuse's next intended victim, the young millionaire Edgar Hull. Mabuse then uses psychic manipulation to lure Hull into a card game where he loses heavily. When Police Commissioner von Wenk begins an investigation of this mysterious crime spree, he has little to go on, and he needs to find someone who can help him.

The Big Clock
73%

The Big Clock(en)

1948-03-18

Stroud, a crime magazine's crusading editor has to post-pone a vacation with his wife, again, when a glamorous blonde is murdered and he is assigned by his publishing boss Janoth to find the killer. As the investigation proceeds to its conclusion, Stroud must try to disrupt his ordinarily brilliant investigative team as they increasingly build evidence (albeit wrong) that he is the killer.

The Three Friends
61%

The Three Friends(ar)

1966-06-16

Three friends are arrested after committing an accident with their car. After finishing their sentence, they become partners with the owner of a decoration workshop. But he deceives them and spends the money in gambling. They force him to sign a waiver of his workshop but he wants to get it back.

Vermiglio
71%

Vermiglio(it)

2024-09-19

Set in the small, mountainous village of Vermiglio during the waning days of WWII, a series of dramatic, consequential events unfold after the arrival of a taciturn Sicilian soldier, who hides out in town after deserting the army. While there, the soldier develops a romance with a provincial family’s eldest daughter.

Do Re Mi
70%

Do Re Mi(ms)

1966-07-15

Do, who doesn't take much consideration about his marriageis circled with so many debts. He lied to his mother in law to get some money. Do and his wife eventually got a divorce and Do moved out to Kuala Lumpur to start a new life. Re on the other hand has a wife who is working at a night club whereas he stays at home and takes care of the house chores. Due to re's negligent behaviour his wife's money was stolen and he was told to leave the house bringing him dragging himself to the big city. Mi, a bachelor who is head over heels with the girl who is staying across his house often loans him some money. While Mi was out looking for a job he helped out capturing the theif who snatched a lady's handbag alongside with Re and Do who was in the area and helped out as well. They became close friends since then.

That Most Important Thing: Love
70%

That Most Important Thing: Love(fr)

1975-02-12

Servais Mont, a freelance photographer who works taking compromising photos, gets fascinated by Nadine Chevalier, a tormented low-budget movie actress married to an eccentric film photo collector.

Swiped
66%

Swiped(en)

2025-09-09

Whitney Wolfe uses extraordinary grit and ingenuity to break into the male-dominated tech industry.

Monkey Business
69%

Monkey Business(en)

1931-09-19

Four stowaways get mixed up with gangsters while running riot on an ocean liner.

Osiris
64%

Osiris(en)

2025-07-25

Special Forces commandos on a mission are abducted mid-operation by a mysterious spacecraft. Upon waking aboard, they find themselves prey to a relentless alien race in a fight for survival.

Friends Jokes
66%

Friends Jokes(ar)

2006-09-01

The film tells a story speaks of "Yusuf ", a plumbing Man, who is exposed to many pranks by his friends.

The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice
76%

The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice(ja)

1952-10-01

The arranged marriage between a capricious woman from Tokyo high society and a quiet and rustic man is tested by a marital crisis.

The Missouri Breaks
65%

The Missouri Breaks(en)

1976-05-19

When vigilante land baron David Braxton hangs one of the best friends of cattle rustler Tom Logan, Logan's gang decides to get even by purchasing a small farm next to Braxton's ranch. From there the rustlers begin stealing horses, using the farm as a front for their operation. Determined to stop the thefts at any cost, Braxton retains the services of eccentric sharpshooter Robert E. Lee Clayton, who begins ruthlessly taking down Logan's gang.

Orchestra Rehearsal
66%

Orchestra Rehearsal(it)

1979-02-22

An orchestra assembles for a rehearsal in an ancient chapel under the inquisitive eyes of a TV documentary crew, but an uprising breaks out.

The Devil, Probably
68%

The Devil, Probably(fr)

1977-06-15

Charles drifts through politics, religion and psychoanalysis, rejecting them all. Once he realises the depth of his disgust with the moral and physical decline of the society he lives in, he decides that suicide is the only option...

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow
46%

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow(en)

1994-06-09

The Russians seek help in dealing with the Mafia from the veterans of the Police Academy. They head off to Moscow, in order to find evidence against Konstantin Konali, who marketed a computer game that everyone in the world is playing.

Similar Movies

Bored Hatamoto: The Million-ryo Mystery
0%

Bored Hatamoto: The Million-ryo Mystery(ja)

1954-08-31

Bored Hatamoto film #16.

Genkuro Yoshitsune
0%

Genkuro Yoshitsune(ja)

1962-05-16

An exciting historical drama that dynamically depicts the life of Minamoto no Yoshitsune from the period of his stay on Mount Kurama to his reconciliation with his brother Yoritomo.

Epic Crash
0%

Epic Crash(ja)

1958-09-23

Utaemon Ichikawa plays the role of Hikoshiro Navate, who has a strong sense of justice and opposes power and tyranny with his will and spirit.

Magistrate Ooka’s Legends
0%

Magistrate Ooka’s Legends(ja)

1958-07-23

A hotshot investigator solves a series of gruesome murders in this exciting and dark classic.

Yojimbo
81%

Yojimbo(ja)

1961-04-25

A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.

Kagemusha
78%

Kagemusha(ja)

1980-04-26

Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.

Minamoto Yoshitsune
0%

Minamoto Yoshitsune(ja)

1955-07-30

A historical scroll depicting the story of the tragic fate of the young samurai Minamoto Yoshitsune, based on the novel by Genzo Murakami. The action of the first part takes place in the late Heian period, when the Taira clan came to power, and Genji was oppressed. The great dream and ambitions of Genkuro Yoshitsune in his youth are depicted, he joins forces with his older brother Yoritomo to raise an army to defeat the Taira clan, and the second part depicts the fall of the clan, persecution and murder.

Okehazama: Oda Nobunaga Birth of the Overlord
80%

Okehazama: Oda Nobunaga Birth of the Overlord(ja)

2021-03-26

Drama set in the historical Warring States Era of Japan. Tokaido name Imagawa Yoshimoto personally led his army to invade Owari Province territory, now in Aichi Prefecture Nagoya City area, was the leader Nobunaga of this surprising burst of death. After the war, the Imagawa clan who originally dominated the Tokaido region fell away, and the victorious Oda Nobunaga quickly expanded his power in Central Japan and the Kinki region, laying the foundation for his future control of the central government of Japan.

Samurai Princess
47%

Samurai Princess(ja)

2009-05-28

When 11 of her friends are raped and murdered, leaving the Samurai Princess (Aino Kishi) the only survivor, she becomes infused with her comrades' souls. Transformed into an android, she sets out to avenge their deaths. Dai Mizuno co-stars as the princess's human partner in this Kengo Kaji-directed gore fest that features breast grenades, detachable chainsaw limbs, deadly guitar riffs and more.

Sleepy Eyes of Death 14: Fylfot Swordplay
47%

Sleepy Eyes of Death 14: Fylfot Swordplay(ja)

1969-12-20

Getting an opportunity to meet with another half-Caucasian swordsman, Kyoshiro finds himself involved in a series of dangerous encounters.

Bakumatsu Heroz
65%

Bakumatsu Heroz(ja)

2021-01-01

Hana leads a boring life between work and hobby, until one day she suddenly travels through time to ancient Edo, before the Western powers had opened the country. A fan of historical romances, she imagines herself on a film set and fancies the historical Sakamoto Ryōma, a hero of the Bakumatsu period.

Chūshingura Urabanashi: Nakazō Kyōran
0%

Chūshingura Urabanashi: Nakazō Kyōran(ja)

2000-12-21

Nakazo is forced by his foster mother, Shun, to practice dance intensively. He is bullied in the Kabuki world, and worries about his future as an actor.

Last Days of Edo
0%

Last Days of Edo(ja)

1941-11-28

It is a historical drama that follows Katsu Kaishu's efforts to surrender Edo Castle bloodlessly in the first year of the Meiji period.

Yagyu Jubei: The Fate of the World
40%

Yagyu Jubei: The Fate of the World(ja)

2015-05-25

The fate of Tokugawa’s world hangs in the balance as Yagyu Jubei is sent on a mission to discover what happened to 10 of the shogun’s spies that never returned. Matsukata Hiroki, one of the last surviving members of the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema proves that he has not lost a step as he portrays an older and wiser Yagyu Jubei in a movie that brings the best of samurai filmmaking into the 21st century. Summoned from semi-retirement by Shogun Iemitsu, Jubei is asked to take to the road and investigate a clan rumored to be preparing explosives for a rebellion. With help from a beautiful female ninja they head into the Shirakawa domain where the fighting skills of both are tested time and again as they strive to destroy a conspiracy that could bring a new Warring States Era. In the 1960's Yagyu Jubei was the signature role of the great Konoe Jushiro, father of Matsukata Hiroki. This brings the character full circle.

The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai
71%

The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai(ja)

2022-06-17

In the turbulent last days of the Edo period, Kawai Tsugunosuke, a Japanese samurai serving the Makino clan of Nagaoka, dreamt of independence from the restraints of vassalship. Despite his progressive views and his desire for his estate to remain neutral during the Boshin Civil War, he was bound by loyalty and duty to the clan and was compelled to choose sides.

Falling Camellia
82%

Falling Camellia(ja)

2018-09-28

During the Edo period, a gifted swordsman was exiled from his clan when he questioned the misconduct of his leader. Years after, his dying wife wish was for him to go back to his clan.

Oshidori kenkagasa
0%

Oshidori kenkagasa(ja)

1957-05-22

The Ambitious
72%

The Ambitious(ja)

1970-02-14

The story of Ryoma Sakamoto, considered to be the architect behind the downfall of the Tokugawa shogunate. He was considered an outlaw by his own clan, hunted by his government, and was despised by supporters of the Shogun as well as the Loyalists for desiring the opening of Japan to the West in order to learn its technology, in the hopes of one day defeating the West with a modern army and navy.

新選組!! 土方歳三 最期の一日
70%

新選組!! 土方歳三 最期の一日(ja)

2006-01-03

Follows the final days of the shogunate and Shinsengumi's Vice-Comander Hijikata Toshizo along with his fellow anti-imperialist group.