Since the early days of cinema, Japan has been one of the most prominent exponents of the craft. It has produced a few of the greatest filmmakers in history, from Akira Kurosawa to Hayao Miyazaki.
It’s not all limited to these two directors, though. They may be Japan’s most famous representatives of the seventh art, but there are others like Masaki Kobayashi and Yasujirō Ozu who, though not quite as well established in the mainstream, are every bit as deserving of praise. From the mystery classic Harakiri to the moving family drama Tokyo Story, many of cinema’s greatest masterpieces have come from the Land of the Rising Sun.
10 ‘Late Spring’ (1949)
IMDb score: 8.2/10
Yasujirō Ozu directly disregarded the rules of cinema from his time and made slow, quiet meditations on human nature. One of his most widely celebrated films is Late Spring, about a 27-year-old woman who lives happily with her widowed father until he’s convinced that he must marry her daughter lest she remains alone forever.
Ozu is a master of subtlety in every sense. Late Spring is in no way scandalous, and at no point does it demand the audience’s involvement with cheap narrative resources. It flows like a beautiful and simple poem, the way only its director’s films can.
9 ‘Ugetsu’ (1953)
IMDb score: 8.2/10
In the thought-provoking historical drama Ugetsu, a potter leaves his family behind to make some money and ends up being seduced by a spirit. Blending elements of fantasy with the war drama genre, it tells a mystifying and deeply powerful story.
Directed by the underrated Kenji Mizoguchi, Ugetsu builds an entirely enveloping atmosphere with gorgeous visuals and a haunting soundscape, where audiences get to watch an interesting examination of the darkest depths of the human soul. It’s one of the most fascinating movies about greed and definitely a must-see.
8 ‘Tokyo Story’ (1953)
IMDb score: 8.2/10
Perhaps Ozu’s most highly acclaimed masterwork, Tokyo Story rises above and beyond the director’s knack for simplicity and naturalism to tell a surprisingly powerful tale about an elderly couple traveling to see their children, only to find that they don’t have much time to spend with them.
If you have enough patience for this slow-burning story, you’ll find that its beautifully constructed characters and low-key emotion will slowly start to creep up on you. By the time the credits start rolling, you’ll realize just how gut-wrenching and marvelously crafted a story you’ve just had the privilege of witnessing.
7 ‘Sansho the Bailiff’ (1954)
IMDb score: 8.4/10
In Medieval Japan, a compassionate ruler is exiled, and his family tries to reunite with him. That’s the story of Mizoguchi’s Sansho the Bailiff, a retelling of an old Japanese folk tale of immense emotional power and exquisite production qualities.
Many reviewers on IMDb agree that this is one of the saddest movies of all time, but it’s absolutely worth the box of tissues that it’ll inevitably take you to watch it from beginning to end. Without mercy, man is like a beast, and Sansho the Bailiff explores this idea in a cinematic achievement unlike any other.
6 ‘Your Name.’ (2016)
IMDb score: 8.4/10
When it comes to great anime movies, it’s not all Studio Ghibli. Makoto Shinkai is one of the most important modern representatives of the medium, and it’s pretty much universally agreed that Your Name.is his best work. It tells the touching story of two high schoolers who suddenly switch places and must learn to adjust their lives around each other.
Your Name. tells a love story so endearing and emotionally impactful that even those who don’t like romantic films are bound to appreciate this one. Visually impressive and utterly enchanting, it’s a modern anime classic that’s sure to remain timeless.
5 ‘The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity’ (1959)
IMDb score: 8.4/10
Masaki Kobayashi made many amazing films throughout his career, but many argue that his greatest achievement was the The Human Condition trilogy. Road to Eternity, where the pacifist protagonist struggles to stick to his ideals, maybe the lowest-rated of the series, but being the lowest-rated entry in one of the best film trilogies ever is still a commendable feat.
Road to Eternity is an anti-war piece of massive scope and epic proportions. Throughout its three-hour runtime, this staggering sequel depicts how humanity behaves in the most inhumane conditions and does so incredibly powerfully.
4 ‘Woman in the Dunes’ (1964)
IMDb score: 8.5/10
Erotic and unsettlingly eerie, Woman in the Dunes is a dramatic thriller so enveloping and deeply surrealist that it often feels like a horror film. In it, an entomologist is subjected to severe torture after being taken captive by the residents of a poor seaside village.
Raw, haunting, and absolutely unforgettable, Hiroshi Teshigahara‘s magnum opus is perplexingly bizarre yet entirely transfixing. Come for the groundbreaking camerawork; stay for the emotionally resonant narrative about human nature and civilized life.
3 ‘The Human Condition I: No Greater Love’ (1959)
IMDb score: 8.5/10
The first installment in Kobayashi’s incredible anti-war trilogy, The Human Condition I: No Greater Love,finds protagonist Kenji working as a supervisor in a Manchurian prison during WWII, hoping to avoid duty as a soldier.
Kobayashi beautifully juxtaposes moments of grim brutality that reflect the darkest depths of the human condition with poetic moments of romance and tranquility. Tatsuya Nakadai delivers one of the most powerful performances in the history of Japanese cinema, and the story that kicks off this astonishing trilogy is just as fascinating as what follows.
2 ‘Harakiri’ (1962)
IMDb score: 8.6/10
The war drama wasn’t the only genre that Kobayashi revolutionized. He also touched upon what’s arguably the most iconic genre of Japanese cinema: The samura film. In Harakiri, a samurai enters the house of a prosperous lord, asking for an honorable place to commit seppuku, but it’s slowly revealed that he’s hiding many secrets.
Any movie fan watching Harakiri will be reminded of the magical power of stories. The plot is so meticulously calculated, so deep in themes and characters, yet so delightfully simple in its approach, so thrillingly crafted and action-packed that there’s no way not to have a blast of fun with the movie.
1 ‘The Human Condition III: A Soldier’s Prayer’ (1961)
IMDb Score: 8.8/10
It takes something truly special to close off a trilogy as phenomenal as Kobayashi’s Human Condition series, but A Soldier’s Prayer (which deals with the effects of Japan’s defeat on its protagonist) is beyond what anyone watching these movies for the first time could ever predict. Simply put, it’s one of the greatest films ever made.
No film captures the weight of humanity and the soul-crushing potential of war and conflict like The Human Condition III. Anything that any cinephile could possibly want out of a film is here: powerful acting, an engaging story with an impactful ending, hauntingly beautiful visuals and sound, and an outstanding rating by viewers on IMDb.
