Samurai films were regularly made in the early 1970s and were very famous at that time, the popularity of the Samurai Movies is still not fade. Orochi is the first film made in 1925, the second film made after 12 years in 1937.
Japanese samurai movies, or chanbara films, are a key subgenre of jidaigeki (period dramas) that portray samurai culture, swordsmanship, and feudal Japan’s honor codes. Popularized globally by directors like Akira Kurosawa, these films often explore themes of loyalty, revenge, and moral conflict. Classics like Seven Samurai (1954) and Yojimbo (1961) have influenced global cinema, inspiring Westerns like The Magnificent Seven. Samurai films frequently feature dynamic sword fights, striking visuals, and profound character studies. Renowned actors such as Toshiro Mifune epitomize the archetypal ronin (masterless samurai). This genre remains a vital cultural and cinematic legacy, blending historical storytelling with artistic mastery.
| Title | Director | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Orochi | Buntaro Futagawa | 1925 |
| Humanity and Paper Balloons | Sadao Yamanaka | 1937 |
| The 47 Ronin | Kenji Mizoguchi | 1941 |
| Jakoman and Tetsu | Senkichi Taniguchi | 7/11/1949 |
| Rashomon | Akira Kurosawa | 8/25/1950 |
| Conclusion of Kojiro Sasaki-Duel at Ganryu Island | Hiroshi Inagaki | 10/26/1951 |
| Vendetta for a Samurai | Kazuo Mori | 1/3/1952 |
| Gate of Hell | Teinosuke Kinugasa | 10/31/1953 |
| Seven Samurai | Akira Kurosawa | 4/26/1954 |
| Samurai Trilogy: Musashi Miyamoto Duel at Ichijoji Temple Duel at Ganryu Island | Hiroshi Inagaki | 1954 1955 1956 |
| Throne of Blood or Spider Web Castle | Akira Kurosawa | 1/15/1957 |
| The Hidden Fortress | Akira Kurosawa | 12/28/1958 |
| Samurai Saga | Hiroshi Inagaki | 4/28/1959 |
| The Gambling Samurai | Senkichi Taniguchi | 3/29/1960 |
| Yojimbo or The Bodyguard | Akira Kurosawa | 4/25/1961 |
| Tsubaki Sanjuro or Sanjuro | Akira Kurosawa | 1/1/1962 |
| Harakiri | Masaki Kobayashi | 9/16/1962 |
| Three Outlaw Samurai | Hideo Gosha | 1964 |
| Sword of the Beast | Hideo Gosha | 1965 |
| Samurai Assassin or Samurai | Kihachi Okamoto | 1965 |
| Sanshiro Sugata | Seiichiro Uchikiro | 1965 |
| The Sword of Doom | Kihachi Okamoto | 1966 |
| The Adventure of Kigan Castle | Senkichi Taniguchi | 1966 |
| Samurai Rebellion | Masaki Kobayashi | 1967 |
| Kill! | Kihachi Okamoto | 1968 |
| Samurai Banners | Hiroshi Inagaki | 1969 |
| Red Lion | Kihachi Okamoto | 1969 |
| Band of Assassins | Tadashi Sawashima | 1969 |
| Goyokin | Hideo Gosha | 1969 |
| Hitokiri (Tenchu) | Hideo Gosha | 1969 |
| Watch Out Crimson Bat | Hirokazu Ichimura | 1969 |
| Mission: Iron Castle | Kazuo Mori | 1970 |
| Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo | Kihachi Okamoto | 1970 |
| The Ambitious | Daisuke Itō | 1970 |
| Incident at Blood Pass | Hiroshi Inagaki | 1970 |
| Shogun's Samurai | Kinji Fukasaku | 1978 |
| The Fall of Ako Castle | Kinji Fukasaku | 1978 |
| Kagemusha | Akira Kurosawa | 1980 |
| The Bushido Blade | Tsugunobu Kotani | 1981 |
| Legend of the Eight Samurai | Kinji Fukasaku | 1984 |
| Ran | Akira Kurosawa | 1985 |
| Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi | Shintaro Katsu | 1989 |
| Heaven and Earth | Haruki Kadokawa | 2/8/1991 |
| 47 Ronin | Kon Ichikawa | 1994 |
| Twilight Samurai | Yôji Yamada | 11/2/2002 |
| When the Last Sword Is Drawn | Yojiro Takita | 1/18/2003 |
| Zatoichi | Beat Takeshi | 9/2/2003 |
| The Last Samurai | Edward Zwick | 11/22/2003 |
| The Hidden Blade | Yôji Yamada | 10/30/2004 |
| Love and Honor | Yôji Yamada | 12/1/2006 |
| Castle Under Fiery Skies | Mitsutoshi Tanaka | 2009 |
| 13 Assassins | Takashi Miike | 2010 |
| Ichimei | Takashi Miike | 2011 |
