Akira Kurosawa Movies: Release Order

A hotheaded young man in 1880s Japan learns discipline and humility while apprenticing under a judo master. As he matures, he must prove judo's superiority over traditional martial arts while navigating romance and deadly challenges.

During wartime Japan, young women working at a precision optics factory push themselves to their limits to exceed production quotas despite illness, injury, and personal hardships. Led by their determined supervisor, they struggle to balance their patriotic duty with the emotional toll of their sacrifices.

In this sequel to Akira Kurosawa's directorial debut, judo master Sanshiro Sugata faces new challenges as he confronts an American boxer and vengeful karate practitioners. He must balance his martial arts skills with spiritual discipline while navigating the pressures of rival schools and public expectations.

In postwar Japan, two sisters become involved in the growing labor movement as workers strike for better conditions, while their conservative father must confront his own beliefs about class struggle. This 1946 film, now considered lost, was produced by Toho to promote unionization during Japan's Allied Occupation.

After her anti-fascist professor father is dismissed, a young woman navigates love, political repression, and wartime upheaval while forging her own path in pre- and post-WWII Japan.

A young couple in post-war Tokyo spends their only day off together, trying to make the most of their meager 35 yen while searching for affordable housing and simple joys amidst the city's war-torn landscape.

In postwar Tokyo, an alcoholic doctor treats a young yakuza for tuberculosis, forming an unlikely relationship as the gangster struggles between recovery and his dangerous criminal past.

A young army surgeon accidentally contracts syphilis during a WWII operation and must grapple with the personal and ethical consequences of his condition while working at his father's clinic.

A young detective's gun is stolen by a pickpocket on a crowded Tokyo bus, leading him on a desperate undercover hunt through the city's sweltering streets. As he pursues the thief, the investigation becomes a psychological examination of both hunter and hunted.

A tabloid magazine creates a scandalous story about a painter and a famous singer based on a compromising photograph, leading to a dramatic court battle.

A groundbreaking Japanese film that explores the nature of truth through four conflicting accounts of a violent crime in medieval Japan.

A compassionate war veteran becomes entangled in a complex love triangle in snowy Hokkaidō, where his gentle nature ultimately leads to tragic consequences for all involved. This Japanese adaptation of Dostoevsky's classic novel explores themes of love, jealousy, and human frailty.

A fugitive lord and his six retainers disguise themselves as monks to bluff their way through a hostile checkpoint in this classic Japanese film.

A dying bureaucrat who has spent decades in a meaningless job searches for purpose in his final months, leading to a profound transformation in this philosophical masterpiece by Akira Kurosawa.

A masterful epic following seven samurai warriors who are hired by a poor farming village to defend them against marauding bandits. The film chronicles their preparation for battle and the bonds formed between the warriors and villagers as they train together for the inevitable confrontation.

An elderly Japanese foundry owner, consumed by fear of nuclear war, desperately tries to convince his family to flee to Brazil for safety. When his family seeks to have him declared mentally incompetent, a court counselor must decide whether his atomic anxieties are madness or justified concern.

Director Akira Kurosawa transposes Shakespeare's Macbeth to feudal Japan, following samurai warrior Washizu who encounters a prophetic spirit and is driven by his ambitious wife to commit murder for power. This acclaimed adaptation masterfully blends Japanese aesthetics with the timeless themes of ambition and fate.

In this adaptation of Gorky's play set in 19th-century Japan, residents of a squalid boardinghouse become entangled in a dangerous love triangle. When a thief switches his affections from the landlady to her younger sister, jealousy and betrayal lead to violent consequences.

In feudal Japan, two cowardly peasants stumble upon a mysterious man who leads them to a hidden mountain fortress during a brutal clan war.

In this loose adaptation of Hamlet, an illegitimate son infiltrates a powerful Japanese corporation and marries into the family of those he believes responsible for his father's death. He methodically executes a plan of revenge against the corrupt executives from within their own ranks.

A masterful ronin arrives in a small feudal Japanese village torn between two rival gangs and cleverly plays both sides against each other. Akira Kurosawa's influential samurai film showcases a lone warrior's cunning strategy to restore peace through calculated chaos.

In this sequel to Yojimbo, the cynical samurai Sanjuro reluctantly aids a group of naive young warriors in rooting out corruption within their clan. Kurosawa masterfully blends action and comedy as the gruff ronin challenges traditional notions of samurai honor.

A wealthy shoe executive in Yokohama must decide whether to pay a devastating ransom when kidnappers mistakenly abduct his chauffeur's son instead of his own child.

A young medical school graduate reluctantly begins working at a rural clinic under the mentorship of a gruff but wise doctor known as Red Beard. Through challenging cases and difficult patients, he learns the true meaning of compassionate medicine and personal sacrifice.

In a Tokyo shantytown, interconnected stories follow various residents struggling to survive, including a boy who pretends to drive an imaginary trolley and a homeless father and son who dream of building a house. Kurosawa weaves together tales of hardship and small moments of grace that help people endure their difficult circumstances.

A military explorer befriends Dersu Uzala, a native Goldi hunter, while mapping Russia's remote Siberian wilderness. Their unlikely friendship bridges two vastly different worlds as they navigate the harsh beauty of the untamed forest together.

A petty thief is recruited to impersonate a powerful feudal warlord in Akira Kurosawa's epic tale of deception and identity. When forced to truly become the leader he's pretending to be, the impostor must navigate the treacherous world of samurai politics and warfare.

Akira Kurosawa's epic adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, set in feudal Japan, follows an aging warlord who decides to divide his kingdom among his three sons with devastating consequences.

Akira Kurosawa's deeply personal film presents eight visually stunning vignettes inspired by his own dreams, exploring themes of childhood wonder, artistic inspiration, and humanity's complex relationship with nature through surreal and poetic imagery.

An elderly hibakusha in Nagasaki spends a summer with her grandchildren, whose questions about the atomic bombing awaken painful memories. When her American nephew visits, the family grapples with grief, guilt, and the possibility of healing across generations.

In postwar Tokyo, a beloved retired writer-professor is supported through life's hardships by his devoted former students who gather annually to celebrate him. Kurosawa's final film is a gentle, warmly comic meditation on aging, friendship, and the enduring bonds between teacher and students.