Movies Like Shogun's Shadow

If you liked Shogun's Shadow (1989), a history and action movie directed by Yasuo Furuhata, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Kubi (2023)
★ 6.9/10Also history and action
Lord Oda Nobunaga plans to control Japan where rival warlords battle by waging war against several clans. His vassal Araki Murashige stages a rebellion and promptly disappears.
2
11 Rebels (2024)
★ 6.9/10Also action and history
When the brutal Boshin War breaks out in Japan, a group of inmates on death row unite to defend a fortress against the Imperial army.
3
The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1952)
★ 6.7/10Also history
A fugitive lord and his six retainers disguise themselves as monks to bluff their way through a hostile checkpoint.
4
Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012)
★ 7.5/10Also action and history
In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.
5
Samurai Assassin (1965)
★ 7.3/10Also action and history
Japan, 1860. The men of the Mito clan, victims of the Ansei purge, anxiously prowl around the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle with the intention of assassinating Naosuke Ii of Hikone, tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate and…
6
Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle (2001)
★ 6.8/10Also action and history
Benkei, a master fighter and killer, vows never to take another life after his conversion to Buddhism. His faith in pacifism, however, is shaken and ultimately broken by the attacks from a trio of fighters known only…
7
Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends (2014)
★ 7.7/10Also action
Shishio sets sail in his ironclad ship to bring down the government. In order to stop him, Kenshin trains with his old master to learn his final technique.
8
Kill! (1968)
★ 7/10Also action
A pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously a farmer, longs to become a noble samurai. The other, a former samurai…
9
Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (1974)
★ 7.1/10Also action
With most of his family already dead at Ogami Itto's hands, Retsudo launches one final plot to destroy him, and when that fails, unleashes the fury of every remaining member of the Yagyu clan.
10
Samurai Marathon (2019)
★ 6/10Also action and history
When feudal lord Itakura Katsuakira decides to prepare his samurai troops for the onslaught of modernization by having them compete in a marathon, his independent-minded daughter Yuki secretly joins the race.
11
The Sword of Doom (1966)
★ 7.8/10Also action
Ryunosuke, a gifted swordsman plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule, has no moral code and kills without remorse. It’s a way of life that leads to madness.
12
Chûshingura (1962)
★ 7.1/10Also history and action
After their lord is tricked into committing ritual suicide, forty-seven samurai warriors await the chance to avenge their master and reclaim their honor.
13
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954)
★ 7.2/10Also action
Struggling to elevate himself from his low caste in 17th century Japan, Miyamoto trains to become a mighty samurai warrior.
14
The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
★ 7.3/10Also action
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
15
Kamui (2009)
★ 6.1/10Also action
A rebellious ninja in 17th century Japan takes refuge with a fisherman and his family.
16
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)
★ 7.4/10Also action
Official Shogunate executioner Ogami Itto has been framed for disloyalty to the Shogunate by the Yagyu clan, against whom he now is waging a one-man war, along with his infant son, Daigoro.
17
Mumon: The Land of Stealth (2017)
★ 6.4/10Also action and history
Raised suckling poison arrows among the sparring Iga ninja factions, Mumon is a carefree 16th-century mercenary. When the ninja council makes a power play to defeat the young Nobukatsu Oda struggling to step into his…
18
Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno (2014)
★ 7.6/10Also action
Kenshin has settled into his new life with Kaoru and his other friends when he is approached with a request from the Meiji government. Makoto Shishio, a former assassin like Kenshin, was betrayed, set on fire and left…
19
Hana (2006)
★ 6.6/10Also action and history
In a poor district of Edo lives a young samurai named Soza. He has been sent by his clan to avenge the death of his father. He isn't an accomplished swordsman however, and he prefers sharing the life of the residents…
20
Sanjuro (1962)
★ 7.9/10Also action
In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its…