The 1953 Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi that tells ghost stories from feudal Japan is Ugetsu.
Also known as Ugetsu Monogatari, the film is a period fantasy set during Japan's civil-war-torn Azuchi–Momoyama period, from 1568 to 1600. It follows Genjūrō, a potter whose ambition and fascination with wealth draw him away from his wife and child. His encounter with the mysterious Lady Wakasa gives the story its haunting supernatural turn.
Mizoguchi adapted the film from two tales in Ueda Akinari's 1776 collection Ugetsu Monogatari: “The House in the Thicket” and “The Lust of the White Serpent.” The title means “Rain Moon Tales,” evoking an atmosphere of mist, moonlight, and supernatural possibility.
Ugetsu is not simply a traditional horror film. Its ghosts expose human weaknesses, especially greed, vanity, war, and neglect of family. Tokyo Story and Seven Samurai are also landmark Japanese films from the 1950s, but neither is Mizoguchi's feudal ghost tale.