Hiroshi Kato — Actor (4)

Movie

Kunisada Chuji (1958)
国定忠治 WikiData IMDb TMDB
other title: 国定忠治 / Kunisada Chūji
Kunisada Chuji is a common folk hero who looks out for poor people in the country who are at the mercy of corrupt officials. Intent on fulfilling a dying wish from one of his henchmen, Asataro, to find a decent home for his young nephew, Chuji descends from his hide-out in the mountain, and heads to the city in spite of numerous dangers that await him there.

Movie

Gambler Tales of Hasshu: A Man's Pledge (1963)
八州遊侠伝 男の盃 WikiData IMDb TMDB
other title: 八州遊侠伝 男の盃 / Gambler Tales Of Hasshu: A Man'S Pledge
This is one of the many films based on the legend of Chuji Kunisada, a wandering gambler and a defender of the weak in the Edo period. In other words, he was the Japanese Robin Hood. In this film Kunisada (Chiezo Kataoka) arrives to a small town terrorized by an evil gang. He insists that he is not Kunisada, as the word is Kunisada has been executed, but of course the audience know better. Sonny Chiba plays an unusual supporting role as a helpless young man unable to defend himself from the gangsters. He does, however, get to play taiko drums and dance with Junko Fuji (who makes her film debut here). Chiba's father, an old judge who helps Kunisada, is played by Takashi Shimura. The film hardly anything exceptional, but it's a pretty decent jidai geki / yakuza drama.