Watch Order
0 / 5 watchedFive Toei essentials.
About Tai Kato
Tai Kato directed lean Toei yakuza films about gamblers, hitmen and flower-card sharps. By a Man's Face Shall You Know Him pairs ex-soldier Noboru Ando with postwar black markets. I the Executioner follows a former prosecutor turned killer.
Red Peony Gambler 3, 6 and 7 continue Junko Fuji's Oryu saga through flower-card duels and clan wars. Watching in order shows Kato tightening action cutting from wide duels to swirling close-ups. The films share actors and gambling rituals rather than one plot, so order teaches the ninkyo code before the later variations.
Good to know
Watch in release order. The five titles are standalone gang stories, so no spoilers carry over. Starting with By a Man's Face first explains Kato's Ando partnership before the Fuji star vehicles. All five have English-friendly disc releases. Later Theater of Life remakes and the Ondekoza documentary can be explored after these Toei essentials.
