
Buichi Saitō
Directing
Biography
Buichi Saitō was a Japanese film director from Saitama Prefecture. His representative works included Wataridori series starring Akira Kobayashi, Farewell to Southern Tosa and Gazing at Love and Death. Saitō often worked with Akira Kobayashi, Joe Shishido and Sayuri Yoshinaga.
Known For

A master swordsman, Kiichi Hogan, wanders Japan in search of the Spanish swordsman who murdered his parents and slashed his throat 18 years before. Renouncing any normal life the samurai has become the feared bounty hunter, "Devil" Hogan, the Mute Samurai.
Mute Samurai

Ogami Itto is a master swordsman who holds a position of high power in the Tokugawa Shogunate. Highly trusted by the Shogun, he serves as the official decapitator, assisting lords and samurai who have been ordered by the Shogun to commit seppuku. One day, Itto’s wife and members of his household are brutally murdered by a clan seeking to avenge their lord’s execution, which had been carried out by Itto. In the wake of the attack, two items are left in Itto’s home: his unhurt infant son, Daigoro, and a symbol meant to signify Itto’s betrayal of the Shogun. Disgraced by the false symbol, Itto is labeled a traitor and forced to forfeit his position. He becomes a ronin, wandering the country with his son, searching for the men who killed his wife, seeking to clear his name and avenge her death.
Lone Wolf and Cub

Noriko is perfectly happy living at home with her widowed father, Shukichi, and has no plans to marry -- that is, until her aunt Masa convinces Shukichi that unless he marries off his 27-year-old daughter soon, she will likely remain alone for the rest of her life. When Noriko resists Masa's matchmaking, Shukichi is forced to deceive his daughter and sacrifice his own happiness to do what he believes is right.
Late Spring

Continuing the adventures from the film series, Shikoro Ichibei is back with his cache of unique weapons and the quickest sword in all Japan. Having worked directly for the shogun in the past, he now runs a school in his secret identity as an educator. Meanwhile he takes on secret missions as ”The Bounty Hunter” (Shokin Kasegi). The touches of humor during the scenes around the school disappear once Ichibei takes on a contract. Powerful swordplay and brutal violence highlight these episodes as Japan’s greatest sword star Wakayama Tomisaburo stands tall against all odds in this dynamic television series.
Bounty Hunter

Byakkotai was part of Aizu's four-unit military, set up in the domain's drive to finalize its military modernization, in the wake of the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. The other three units were Genbutai, Seiryūtai, and Suzakutai. Each of the four was named after the protecting gods of compass directions. Byakkotai was meant to be a reserve unit, as it was composed of the young teenage 16 to 17 year old sons of Aizu samurai in a group around 350, who fought in the Boshin War (1868–1869)
Byakkotai
A murder occurs at a party hosted by Dr. Aida's former students (mostly women), most of whom live in Kanagawa Prefecture. Dr. Aida is invited to the party and, at the request of his former students, decides to become involved in the case. Soon after, detectives from the local police department arrive (always accompanied by the chief of police), and a little later, Lieutenant Suda from the Fujisawa North Police Station (now the Yokohama Port Police Station) arrives to begin questioning the people involved (Dr. Aida secretly overhears this). The murders continue and the case becomes more and more confusing. Dr. Aida gets hints from the tools of the ancients that he has unearthed, and unravels the trick that was used to commit the crimes. The birth secrets of the people involved are the key to the case, and Dr. Aida (or Suda) always visits the obstetrics and gynecology clinic in the interview scene in the middle of the story.
Bijin Koroshi Series

Ogami Itto is hired to kill a tattooed female assassin and battles Retsudo, head of the Yagyu clan, and his son Gunbei.
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril

Yojiro Ishizaka's original work was made into a drama co-starring Masahiko Tsugawa and Chieko Matsubara. Centered around Misako Inoue, who runs a dressmaking school with her mother together, and Kentaro Kamijima, a high school physical chemistry teacher. The drama depicts the love between the two, their youth, and their growth.
Yama no Kanata ni

Romantic action film set against the beautiful backdrop of Rio de Janeiro. Jiro Ibuki has decided to leave the world of the yakuza and live with his fiancée Reiko.
Diamonds of the Andes

It had been a year and four months since Mitsuo was last on a movie set. Welcomed back by director Ishizaki and his film crew, Mitsuo is excited to star as the lead in "My Sweetheart". One day, half way through production, he meets his friends from a popular rock group, "The Spiders". Through their discussion regarding the climax scene, they criticize that the script is too grim. In a notion to protect their friend's career, they decide to pay the scriptwriter a little visit.
My Sweetheart

The Byakkotai was part of Aizu’s four-unit military, set up in the domain’s drive to finalize its military modernization, in the wake of the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. The other three units were Genbutai, Seiryūtai, and Suzakutai. Each of the four was named after the protecting gods of compass directions. Byakkotai was meant to be a reserve unit, as it was composed of the young teenage 16 to 17 year old sons of Aizu samurai in a group of around 350, who fought in the Boshin War (1868–1869).
The White Tiger Battalion

Heartwarming story of an ambitious girl who becomes a concert pianist with the help of her musician father.
The Song of Love

In the nine part Wataridori series (1959-1962), Kobayashi played a wanderer on Japan’s back roads with most of the accoutrements of a Western hero, from a horse to fringes, guitar and even a trusty bullwhip.
The Rambler Goes North

The final chapter of the Hibotan Bakuto series. Oryu the Red Peony visits an old dying Boss of an ally family and promised her that she would help guide the new Boss. Meanwhile a turf war breaks out. When the family is betrayed from within and the rival family becomes violent, Oryu takes things into her own hands…
Red Peony Gambler: Execution of Duty

In the nine part Wataridori series (1959-1962), Kobayashi played a wanderer on Japan’s back roads with most of the accoutrements of a Western hero, from a horse to fringes, guitar and even a trusty bullwhip.
The Rambler under the Southern Cross

Arriving in the town of Hakodate, a wandering musician, Shinji Taki, is soon recruited by the local gang as a hired hand. However, with the arrival of a sinister gunman, Taki's mysterious past catches up with him.
The Rambling Guitarist

A moodo/akushon yakuza picture with heavy emphasis on poignant seishun romance.
Your Life

Attacking Asao Uchida's lonely, clifftop mansion in no-holds barred massacre.
Yakuza Wolf 2: Extend My Condolences

A young girl knows that she is going to die and in this she is supported by the devotion of the boy who loves her. They originally met at the hospital. There it transpired that the only way to save her life was to sacrifice an eye and part of her face. The operation seems a success. Later, however, her other eye becomes affected. She feels she must let the boy go, and yet she depends so much upon his devotion.
Gazing at Love and Death

It is 1922 and Fumiko is a high school student. Her family is poor but she loves to study literature. Her father, a peddler, does not return home and Fumiko finds herself in financial trouble, not being able to pay for her schooling and her school excursion trip. Still, she gets a temporary job at a factory and tries to make ends meet. A film about bright side of youth adapted from the television serial of the same name.