TOEI Film Company a Retrospective

Probably one of the most significant releases was 1972's Female Prisoner 701:Scorpion, a gritty Yakuza and prison film set in a female prison, starring the legendary Meiko Kaji as a young woman set up to take a fall undercover.

Set in a hard-labour female prison, the film has disturbing scenes of violence and gang rape; for a film in the 70s, it was an instant cult hit. It spawned a series of sequels which to this day are revered as Japanese classics.

The Female Prisoner series of films are a must-see for any film fan wanting to get to know Japanese exploitation cinema.

Prisoner 701 to The Street Fighter

Another classic Martial Arts film is, of course, 1974's The Street Fighter, starring the late great Sonny 'Shinichi ' Chiba, who was one of Japan's leading martial arts stars in the 70s.

The Street Fighter was the first film to receive an 'X' rating in the USA for its gore and violence. It had a big influence in the USA, and the film has been paid homage to in many modern-day films like True Romance, the 1993 Tony Scott film.

Apparently, the video game series Street Fighter was named so because of the film.

What's great about Street Fighter is that the cast are all Karate experts and show Karate in fine form. The one thing with a film with Shinichi Chiba, you know you were getting the real deal. A student of the legendary Mas Oyama, Chiba shows how real Karate is done.

The film was big enough to have two sequels which we will look at in-depth as well.

The aptly named Return of the Street Fighter and The Street Fighters Last Revenge.

Add to this a spin of a series of films starring Etsuko Shihomi as Sister Street Fighter which had a trilogy of films as well as a later sequel, making four films in total.

Credited as Sue Shihomi in the USA to give her a more Western name, Sister Street Fighter showcased the art of Shorinji Kempo Karate. Each of the films sees Etsuko as Li Koryu/ Tina Li who comes to the aid of friends, often infiltrating criminal organisations to get to her goal.

Etsuko Shihomi aka Sue Shihomi star of Sister Street Fighter

Etsuko starred in many films at TOEI, as well as the Sister Street Fighter films; another was a revenge film titled Dragon Princess, alongside Shinichi Chiba. She also played opposite the legendary Hiroyuki Sanada in various Samurai films.

Etsuko starred in one of Japan's most expensive films in the 70s, Japan's answer to Star Wars, and Message from Space, which was shot on a budget of around $6 million and released in 1978, and was directed by Kinji Fukasaku.

Samurai's, Gangsters, Space Battles, and Ninja's

Kinji Fukasaku - Director ,Writer

Message from Space is worth a watch as it has a great story, and its story is very reminiscent of STAR WARS but with a twist; you have the main villain who's more like Christopher Lee's Fu Manchu or Emperor Ming in Flash Gordon. Then mix in Hiroyuki Sanada as Shiro, a flyboy who, along with his buddy, is more like the duo out of Battlestar Galactica.

It's a film all should see as it combines all of the above with an oriental myth and has a great cast including Vic Morrow and Shinichi Chiba.

Though original prints of Message from Space fetch a high price on auction sites, you can view the film on YouTube, though it is a bit lacking in picture quality.

A Blu-ray release is now available.

Tetsuya Watari , Star of Yakuza Graveyard

Other classics include Yakuza Graveyard from 1976 starring Tetsuya Watari and Meiko Kaji; this is another gritty Yakuza film about rival Yakuza gangs and a Police officer who uses extreme methods to get the job done, which gets him in trouble more often than not. Meiko Kaji plays the wife of a Yakuza boss serving a prison sentence.

Yakuza Graveyard is a fine masterpiece from Kinji Fukasaku, as he showcases gang life and police corruption in Japan in the 70s.

Meiko Kaji was not always tied to TOEI's books and often flitted between making films for rival TOHO and smaller studios.

But another two films we’ll be looking at from TOEI will be Wandering Ginza Butterfly and its sequel from 1972, which starred Meiko Kaji.

Amazingly, ARROW Video has released Wandering Ginza Butterfly on Blu-ray for those searching for the film.

Iconic Samurai Sagas and a Modern Revivial

Write your text here...Of course, one of TOEI Films' most prolific directors, Kinji Fukasaku, directed many greats for TOEI.

The 1978 film The FALL OF AKO CASTLE is another telling of the Chūshingura- yes, the story of the 47 Ronin. The film stars Yorozuya Kinnosuke as Oishi Kuranosuke, the chief retainer who helps lead the revenge for their disgraced Lord Asano.

The story is one that's been told many times. And each version offers a slightly different take on the story, but who can forget the Western remake with Keanu Reeves slaying dragons? Well, we can.

The Fall of Ako Castle stars a host of big names in Japanese cinema, including Shinichi Chiba, Tsunhiko Watase, and the legendary Toshiro Mifune.

Another Samurai film from Kinji Fukasaku is Shogun's Samurai also known as The Yagu Clan Conspiracy; it's a historical piece, starring Shinichi Chiba and Yoruzuya Kinnosuke in the lead. Set in 1624 in the EDO period it follows the story of the death of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the conspiracy that he was poisoned.

Kinji Fukasaku is also responsible for one of the most off-the-wall Japanese films of the Millenium, the brilliant and violent Battle Royal (2000), with a screenplay adapted by his son Kenta.

The film stars one of Japan's coolest actors of our time, the mesmerising Takeshi Kitano.

Write your text here...From the Samurai, Yakuza, Police Corruption, Hardcore Karate, and off-the-wall ballistic action, the films of TOEI are vast, and we will be looking at many films over the coming months and beyond in our homage to some great Japanese talent past and present.

And we haven't even mentioned that Toei is responsible for a host of TV series from KAMEN Rider and Super Sentai, which spawned the world-famous POWER RANGERS.

Personally, I would love to cover the Original Kamen Rider series, but getting access to the English-subtitled version of the series is a hard task.

Though we did view the more recent Amazon Riders on Amazon Prime, which was done in conjunction with Toei and Amazon.

Write your text here...Below are some small bios of a few of the stars and directors who star in or direct the films. We will be covering the films as well as a listing for each of the films from the TOEIs catalogue that we have reviewed on site, which goes more into depth on each film and gives our final verdict at Kick'em in the Ghoulies.

Remember, Asian cinema is regional, and if you have only been looking at one region like Hong Kong/China or South Korea, then you have been missing out.

To get a full picture, you need to open your mind and take in the many delights from all regions.

Article Date: September 2026

Article By: Sertes Nake.

Shinichi Chiba 1939 -2021 Martial artist, Actor, Stuntman, Choreographer

Meiko Kaji - 1947-Present

Actress, Singer

Etsuko Shihomi, born 1955, Martial Artist, Actress, Photographer

Takeshi Kitano, Born 1947, Comedian, Actor, Producer, Director

Tetsuya Watari 1941 - 2020, Actor, Enka Singer, Businessman

Legendary Martial artist and actor who founded the Japan Action Club, after a string of hit films in the 70's and 80s, had a resurgence in 2003 after starring as Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill.

Martial artist and Actress who was Shinichi Chiba's protégé after joining the Japan Action Club. She also had a successful singing career in the 70's and 80's. Etsuko retired from Acting in 1987 after marrying Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, also a singer and Actor.

An actress who ignited a following after her debut in 1968. Her roles in the films like Blind Woman's Curse and the Stray Cat and Prisoner 701 series cemented her legacy. . Also a singer, she sang the title track for Lady Snowblood, in which she also starred. In later years, she has launched a YouTube channel and attended her first fan event in the USA.

Comedian and Actor Takeshi Kitano, aka Beat Takeshi, has been prolific in films since the late 60's right up to his iconic roles in Violent Cop, Boling Point, Zaitoichi, and many more. His dry and straight-faced demeanor in his films is what often brings a comedic theme to his roles as the hard-nosed, gangster-style image he portrays on screen.

Singer and Actor who started in the 60's. He's iconic in the 1966 film Tokyo Drifter as Phoenix Tetsu . His roles in Yakuza Graveyard and Graveyard of Honor secured his legacy as one of the greats of Japanese cinema.

But it was not just singing and Films and Television that secured his success in later years. Tetsuya was also the voice actor for Shintaro Kazama in the SEGA action game series Yakuza 2005- 2017). Making sure his fame reached generations.

Links to TOEI Film Reviews on site