Japan Synopsis
銀蝶渡り鳥
Gang leader Nami (cult film legend Meiko Kaji) kills a member of a yakuza group and goes away to prison. Upon her release three years later, she’s a shamed woman confined to living in the shadowy world of sex clubs and street gangs. She returns to the city to live with her uncle, a billiard-hall owner, and after befriending pimp and ne’er-do-well Ryuji (Tsunehiko Watase), she gets a job working at a hostess club in the chic Ginza neighborhood, where the expensive shops and neon lights conceal a dark world of crime and sexual slavery. But when a rival gang attempts to muscle in on the club, Nami becomes enmeshed in a violent struggle that forces her to wield a skilled pool cue to defend her uncle’s business, and eventually a short sword to wreak bloody vengeance upon her enemies.
The 1971–1973 Japan Window
62 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Wandering Ginza Butterfly sits at position #33.
Other Titles From Toei Company
The 1970s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1970s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Wandering Ginza Butterfly premiered. 197 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #3,021 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (34th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -0.3 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Action productions specifically: #1,188 of 1,714 (top 69%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Toei Company |
| Runtime | 1h 26m |
| Release Date | April 1, 1972 |
| IMDb | tt0934442 |