The Golden Age of Chambara (1961-1970s)
These listings represent my personal collection and films I have seen. This is not meant as a comprehensive census of all known jidai-geki, but the list is always growing and maybe I'll get there eventually.
Yojimbo – Akira Kurosawa (1961) ![]()
Musashi Miyamoto 1: Zen and Sword – Tomu Uchida (1961)
Ako Roshi – Sadatsugu Matsuda (1961)
Bride of White Castle – Tadashi Sawashima (1961)
The Conspirator – Daisuke Ito (1961)
Daredevil in the Castle – Hiroshi Inagaki (1961)
Drunken Sword – Tadashi Sawashima (1961)
An Edo Magistrate – Yasushi Sasaki (1961)
Flowers on the Road – Eiichi Kudo (1961)
Ghost of Oiwa – Tai Kato (1961)
Hibari is Fashion Crazy – Yasushi Sasaki (1961)
A Lustful Man – Yasuzo Masumura (1961)
Mask of the Moon – Masahiro Makino (1961)
Satan's Sword 3: The Final Chapter – Kazuo Mori (1961)
Shingo's Challenge: Part 1 – Sadatsugu Matsuda (1961)
Yagyu Chronicles 1: Secret Scrolls – Masahiko Izawa (1961)
Yagyu Chronicles 2: The Secret Sword – Masahiko Izawa (1961)
Yagyu Chronicles 3: Valley Of Outlaws – Shoji Matsumura (1961)
Young Lord Yakuza – Toshikazu Kono (1961)
Harakiri – Masaki Kobayashi (1962) ![]()
Sanjuro – Akira Kurosawa (1962) ![]()
The Tale of Zatoichi – Kenji Misumi (1962) ![]()
The Tale of Zatoichi Continues – Kazuo Mori (1962) ![]()
Musashi Miyamoto 2: Duel at Devil's Mask Pass – Tomu Uchida (1962) ![]()
Shinobi No Mono – Satsuo Yamamoto (1962)
Chushingura – Hiroshi Inagaki (1962)
Good Rascals – Tadashi Sawashima (1962) ![]()
The Christian Revolt – Nagisa Oshima (1962)
Destiny's Son – Kenji Misumi (1962)
In a Ring of Mountains – Kazuo Ikehiro (1962)
In Search of Mother – Tai Kato (1962)
Knightly Advice – Sadatsugu Matsuda (1962) ![]()
The Paper Crane – Toshikazu Kono (1962)
Princess Sen and Hideyori – Masahiro Makino (1962)
The Red Shadow – Shigehiro Ozawa (1962)
A Revengeful Raid – Masahiro Makino (1962)
Tales of Young Genji Kuro 3 – Daisuke Ito (1962)
Travels of Hibari & Chiemi: The Tumultuous Journey – Tadashi Sawashima (1962)
While Traveling – Toshikazu Kono (1962)
Yagyu Chronicles 4: One-Eyed Swordsman – Shoji Matsumura (1962)
Thirteen Assassins – Eiichi Kudo (1963) ![]()
Musashi Miyamoto 3: Birth of the Two-Sword Style – Tomu Uchida (1963)
Warring Clans – Kihachi Okamoto (1963)
The Samurai Pirate – Senkichi Taniguchi (1963) ![]()
New Tale of Zatoichi – Tokuzo Tanaka (1963) ![]()
Zatoichi the Fugitive – Tokuzo Tanaka (1963) ![]()
Zatoichi on the Road – Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1963) ![]()
Nemuri Kyoshiro 1: The Chinese Jade – Tokuzo Tanaka (1963) ![]()
A Brave Ronin – Yasushi Sasaki (1963)
Bushido: The Cruel Code of the Samurai – Tadashi Imai (1963)
Castle of Owls – Eiichi Kudo (1963)
Duel of Blood and Sand – Sadatsugu Matsuda (1963) ![]()
Kingdom of Jirocho – Masahiro Makino (1963)
Shinsengumi Chronicles: I Want to Die a Samurai – Kenji Misumi (1963)
Revenge of a Kabuki Actor – Kon Ichikawa (1963)
Shinobi No Mono 2: Vengeance – Satsuo Yamamoto (1963)
Shinobi No Mono 3: Resurrection – Kazuo Mori (1963)
The Third Shadow – Umetsugu Inoue (1963) ![]()
Travels of Hibari & Chiemi: The Lovebird's 1000 Ryo Umbrella – Tadashi Sawashima (1963)
Seventeen Ninja – Yasuto Hasegawa (1963)
Yagyu Chronicles 5: Jubei's Redemption – Kokichi Uchide (1963)
Yagyu Chronicles 6: The Yagyu List – Yasuto Hasegawa (1963)
Yagyu Chronicles 7: Cloud of Disorder – Kokichi Uchide (1963)
Yagyu Chronicles 8: One-Eyed Ninja – Shoji Matsumura (1963)
Yakuza from Seki – Kosaku Yamashita (1963)
Three Outlaw Samurai – Hideo Gosha (1964) ![]()
Whirlwind – Hiroshi Inagaki (1964) ![]()
Musashi Miyamoto 4: Duel at Ichijoji Temple – Tomu Uchida (1964) ![]()
Kwaidan – Masaki Kobayashi (1964) ![]()
Onibaba – Kaneto Shindo (1964) ![]()
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold – Kazuo Ikehiro (1964) ![]()
Zatoichi's Flashing Sword – Kazuo Ikehiro (1964) ![]()
Fight, Zatoichi, Fight – Kenji Misumi (1964) ![]()
Adventures of Zatoichi – Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1964)
Nemuri Kyoshiro 2: Sword of Adventure – Kenji Misumi (1964) ![]()
Nemuri Kyoshiro 3: Full Circle Killing – Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1964)
Nemuri Kyoshiro 4: Sword of Seduction – Kazuo Ikehiro (1964)
Assassination – Masahiro Shinoda (1964)
The Cruel Story – Tai Kato (1964)
Dojo Yaburi: Samurai from Nowhere – Seiichiro Uchikawa (1964) ![]()
Drifting Crow – Kenji Misumi (1964)
The Great Killing – Eiichi Kudo (1964)
Ninja Hunt – Tetsuya Yamauchi (1964) ![]()
Revenge – Tadashi Imai (1964)
Shinobi No Mono 4: Siege – Tokuzo Tanaka (1964)
The Shogun's Vault – Teruo Ishii (1964)
The Thief in Black – Umetsugu Inoue (1964)
The Third Ninja – Toshikazu Kono (1964)
Warrior of the Wind – Tai Kato (1964)
Yagyu Chronicles 9: Assassin's Sword – Junji Kurata (1964)
Samurai Assassin – Kihachi Okamoto (1965) ![]()
Musashi Miyamoto 5: The Final Duel – Tomu Uchida (1965)
Zatoichi's Revenge – Akira Inoue (1965)
Zatoichi and the Doomed Man – Kazuo Mori (1965) ![]()
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert – Kenji Misumi (1965) ![]()
Nemuri Kyoshiro 5: Sword of Fire – Kenji Misumi (1965)
Nemuri Kyoshiro 6: Sword of Satan – Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1965)
Sword of the Beast – Hideo Gosha (1965)
Cold Rice / Osan / Chan – Tomotaka Tasaka (1965)
Dojo Yaburi 2 – Yasushi Kikuchi & Hiroki Matsuno (1965)
Samurai Spy – Masahiro Shinoda (1965)
Snake Princess – Tadashi Sawashima (1965)
Sword Devil – Kenji Misumi (1965)
The Third Contest – Tetsuya Yamauchi (1965)
Three Yakuza – Tadashi Sawashima (1965)
The Sword of Doom – Kihachi Okamoto (1966) ![]()
Zatoichi's Vengeance – Tokuzo Tanaka (1966)
Zatoichi's Pilgrimage – Kazuo Ikehiro (1966)
Nemuri Kyoshiro 7: Mask of the Princess – Akira Inoue (1966)
Nemuri Kyoshiro 8: Sword of Villainy – Kenji Misumi (1966)
Adventure in Kigan Castle – Senkichi Taniguchi (1966)
The Betrayal – Tokuzo Tanaka (1966) ![]()
Eleven Samurai – Eiichi Kudo (1966) ![]()
Golden Ninja – Tadashi Sawashima (1966)
Irezumi – Yasuzo Masumura (1966)
Rise Against the Sword – Hiroshi Inagaki (1966)
Samurai Wolf – Hideo Gosha (1966)
The Secret of the Urn – Hideo Gosha (1966)
Samurai Rebellion – Masaki Kobayashi (1967) ![]()
Zatoichi's Cane Sword – Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1967) ![]()
Zatoichi the Outlaw – Satsuo Yamamoto (1967)
Zatoichi Challenged – Kenji Misumi (1967) ![]()
Nemuri Kyoshiro 9: A Trail of Traps – Kazuo Ikehiro (1967)
Heiji the Detective – Tetsuya Yamauchi (1967)
Samurai Wolf II – Hideo Gosha (1967)
Kill! – Kihachi Okamoto (1968) ![]()
Zatoichi and the Fugitives – Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1968) ![]()
Samaritan Zatoichi – Kenji Misumi (1968)
Nemuri Kyoshiro 10: Hell Is A Woman – Tokuzo Tanaka (1968)
Nemuri Kyoshiro 11: In The Spider's Lair – Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1968)
Female Demon Ohyaku – Yoshihiro Ishikawa (1968)
Lone Wolf Isazo – Kazuo Ikehiro (1968)
Tenchu – Hideo Gosha (1969) ![]()
Samurai Banners – Hiroshi Inagaki (1969)
Goyokin – Hideo Gosha (1969)
Red Lion – Kihachi Okamoto (1969)
Nemuri Kyoshiro 12: Castle Menagerie – Kazuo Ikehiro (1969)
Blood End – Satsuo Yamamoto (1969)
Broken Sword – Kazuo Ikehiro (1969)
The Devil's Temple – Kenji Misumi (1969)
Double Suicide – Masahiro Shinoda (1969)
The Haunted Castle – Tokuzo Tanaka (1969)
Lady Sazen and the Drenched Swallow Sword – Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1969)
The Magoichi Saga – Kenji Misumi (1969)
Portrait of Hell – Shiro Toyoda (1969)
Quick-Draw Okatsu – Nobuo Nakagawa (1969) ![]()
Okatsu the Fugitive – Nobuo Nakagawa (1969)
Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor – Tadashi Sawashima (1969)
Incident at Blood Pass – Hiroshi Inagaki (1970) ![]()
The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan – Masahiro Shinoda (1970) ![]()
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo – Kihachi Okamoto (1970)
Zatoichi: The Festival of Fire – Kenji Misumi (1970) ![]()
The Ambitious – Daisuke Ito (1970)
Inn of Evil – Masaki Kobayashi (1971)
Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman – Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1971)
Silence – Masahiro Shinoda (1971)
Zatoichi at Large – Kazuo Mori (1972)
Zatoichi in Desperation – Shintaro Katsu (1972)
Zatoichi's Conspiracy – Kimiyoshi Yasuda (1973) ![]()
Musashi Miyamoto: Sword of Fury – Tai Kato (1973)
Zatoichi – starring Shintaro Katsu (TV series, 1974-1979)
The Last Samurai – Kenji Misumi (1974 – not the Tom Cruise movie) ![]()
Battle Cry – Kihachi Okamoto (1975)
Under the Cherry Blossoms – Masahiro Shinoda (1975)
Star Wars – George Lucas (1977 – honorary chambara)


