is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese leading film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

.

He became a star after he was discovered working as a Tokyo shop clerk by filmmaker Masaki Kobayashi during the early 1950s. He became the favorite leading man of internationally acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa

was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...

 after a well-publicized fallout between Kurosawa and the legendary Toshirō Mifune

Toshiro Mifune

Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...

.

Beginning in the late 1950s, he worked with a number of Japan's best-known filmmakers, starring or co-starring in five Kurosawa films, along with significant films made by Hiroshi Teshigahara (The Face of Another), Mikio Naruse

Mikio Naruse

was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...

 (When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse.Keiko, a young widow, becomes a bar hostess in Ginza to make ends meet. The story recounts the struggles to maintain her independence in a male-dominated society...

), Kihachi Okamoto

Kihachi Okamoto

was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...

 (Kill!

Kill!

is a 1968 film directed by Kihachi Okamoto, written by Akira Murao, Kihachi Okamoto, and Shugoro Yamamoto and starring Tatsuya Nakadai.- Cast :*Tatsuya Nakadai .... Genta *Etsushi Takahashi .... Hanji...

 and Sword of Doom), Hideo Gosha

Hideo Gosha

was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....

 (Goyokin

Goyokin

is a 1969 jidaigeki film co-written and directed by Hideo Gosha. Set during the late Tokugawa era, the story follows a reclusive ronin who is trying to atone for past transgressions. In 1975 it was remade as a Western film, entitled The Master Gunfighter.-Plot:...

), Shiro Toyoda

Shiro Toyoda

was a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Kyoto, Toyoda moved to Tokyo in his teens and began studying under the pioneering film director Eizō Tanaka. He joined Shōchiku's Kamata studio in 1924 and worked as an assistant director under Yasujirō Shimazu...

 (Portrait of Hell

Portrait of Hell

is a Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Shiro Toyoda and starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Kinnosuke Nakamura. It is based on the 1918 short story Hell Screen by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.-Plot summary:...

) and Kon Ichikawa

Kon Ichikawa

was a Japanese film director.-Early life and career:Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture. In the 1930s Ichikawa attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O. Studio, in their animation department...

 (Enjo

Enjo

is a 1958 Japanese film directed by Kon Ichikawa and adapted from the Yukio Mishima novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. It stands as one of his better known films...

 and Odd Obsession

Odd Obsession

is a 1959 Japanese drama film directed by Kon Ichikawa. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize. It was based on the novel The Key, by Japanese novelist Junichiro Tanizaki.-Plot:...

).

Notably, his long-term collaboration with Masaki Kobayashi invites comparison to the working relationship between Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa

was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...

 and Toshirō Mifune

Toshiro Mifune

Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...

. Nakadai was featured in 11 Kobayashi films, including the The Human Condition

The Human Condition (film trilogy)

is a Japanese epic film trilogy made between 1959 and 1961. It is based on a novel by Gomikawa Junpei 五味川純平 .-Background:It was directed by Masaki Kobayashi and stars Tatsuya Nakadai. The trilogy follows the life of Kaji, a Japanese pacifist and socialist, as he tries to survive in the fascist...

 trilogy, Harakiri, Samurai Rebellion

Samurai Rebellion

Samurai Rebellion is a 1967 Japanese film directed by Masaki Kobayashi. Its original Japanese title is Jōi-uchi: Hairyō tsuma shimatsu , which translates approximately as "Rebellion: Result of the Wife Bestowed" or "Rebellion: Receive the Wife".-Plot:In the Edo period of Japan, Isaburo Sasahara is...

 and Kwaidan

Kwaidan (film)

is a 1964 Japanese portmanteau film directed by Masaki Kobayashi; the title means 'ghost story'. It is based on stories from Lafcadio Hearn's collections of Japanese folk tales. The film consists of four separate and unrelated stories. Kwaidan is the archaic transliteration of Kaidan, meaning...

. The Thick-Walled Room marked Nakadai's acting debut. His next role was a little-noticed and uncredited one in Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai where he appears for a few seconds as a samurai wandering about town.

Filmography

• 1953: The Thick-Walled Room (Kabe atsuki heya) – directed by Masaki Kobayashi
• 1956: Hi no tori – d. Umeji Inoue
• 1956: Fukuaki no seishun – d. Senkichi Taniguchi
  Senkichi Taniguchi
  was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.Born in Tokyo, Japan, he attended Waseda University but left before graduating due to his involvement in a left-wing theater troupe. He joined P.C.L...
  
  
• 1956: Sazae-san – d. Nobuo Aoyagi
  Nobuo Aoyagi
  was a Japanese film director and film producer. Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, he attended Meiji University but left before graduating. He worked at the Zenshinza theater troupe before joining the Toho studio in 1937. He debuted as a director in 1940 and was known for a series of live action films...
  
  
• 1956: Oshidori no mon – d. Keigo Kimura
• 1957: Black River
  Black River (1957 film)
  is a 1957 Japanese film directed by Masaki Kobayashi. The story follows a university student who moves into an apartment building and becomes involved with a waitress. The landlord then attempts to evict the tenants and sell the building through illicit means...
  
   (Kuroi kawa) – d. Masaki Kobayashi
• 1957: Oban – d. Yasuki Chiba
• 1957: Untamed (Arakure) – d. Mikio Naruse
  Mikio Naruse
  was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...
  
  
• 1957: Hikage no musume – d. Shūe Matsubayashi
• 1957: Zoku Oban: Fuun hen – d. Yasuki Chiba
• 1957: A Dangerous Hero (Kiken na eiyu) – d. Hideo Suzuki
• 1957: Zokuzoku Oban: Doto uhen – d. Yasuki Chiba
• 1957: Sazae's Youth (Sazae-san no seishun) – d. Nobuo Aoyagi
  Nobuo Aoyagi
  was a Japanese film director and film producer. Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, he attended Meiji University but left before graduating. He worked at the Zenshinza theater troupe before joining the Toho studio in 1937. He debuted as a director in 1940 and was known for a series of live action films...
  
  
• 1958: A Boy and Three Mothers (Haha sannin) – d. Seiji Hisamatsu
  Seiji Hisamatsu
  was a Japanese film director. He directed 101 films between 1934 and 1965.-Selected filmography:* * Keisatsu nikki * Onna no koyomi -External links:...
  
  
• 1958: All About Marriage (Kekkon no subete) – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 1958: Go and Get It (Buttuke honban) – d. Kozo Saeki
  Kozo Saeki
  -Filmography:Filmography of Kozo Saeki include 110 films as film director and other works:* * The Badger Palace aka The Princess of Badger Palace -External links:...
  
  
• 1958: Enjo
  Enjo
  is a 1958 Japanese film directed by Kon Ichikawa and adapted from the Yukio Mishima novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. It stands as one of his better known films...
  
   – d. Kon Ichikawa
  Kon Ichikawa
  was a Japanese film director.-Early life and career:Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture. In the 1930s Ichikawa attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O. Studio, in their animation department...
  
  
• 1958: The Naked Sun (Hadaka no taiyo) – d. Miyoji Ieki
• 1958: The Human Condition I
  The Human Condition (film trilogy)
  is a Japanese epic film trilogy made between 1959 and 1961. It is based on a novel by Gomikawa Junpei 五味川純平 .-Background:It was directed by Masaki Kobayashi and stars Tatsuya Nakadai. The trilogy follows the life of Kaji, a Japanese pacifist and socialist, as he tries to survive in the fascist...
  
   (Ningen no jōken I) – d. Masaki Kobayashi
• 1959: Yaju shisubeshi – d. Eizo Sugawa
• 1959: Odd Obsession
  Odd Obsession
  is a 1959 Japanese drama film directed by Kon Ichikawa. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize. It was based on the novel The Key, by Japanese novelist Junichiro Tanizaki.-Plot:...
  
   (Kagi) – d. Kon Ichikawa
  Kon Ichikawa
  was a Japanese film director.-Early life and career:Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture. In the 1930s Ichikawa attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O. Studio, in their animation department...
  
  
• 1959: Three Dolls in Ginza (Ginza no onéchan) – d. Toshio Sugie
  Toshio Sugie
  was a Japanese film director. He directed films from the 1940s to the 1960s.- Filmography :* So Young, So Bright * Romantic Daughters...
  
  
• 1959: Anyakoro – d. Shiro Toyoda
  Shiro Toyoda
  was a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Kyoto, Toyoda moved to Tokyo in his teens and began studying under the pioneering film director Eizō Tanaka. He joined Shōchiku's Kamata studio in 1924 and worked as an assistant director under Yasujirō Shimazu...
  
  
• 1959: The Human Condition II
  The Human Condition (film trilogy)
  is a Japanese epic film trilogy made between 1959 and 1961. It is based on a novel by Gomikawa Junpei 五味川純平 .-Background:It was directed by Masaki Kobayashi and stars Tatsuya Nakadai. The trilogy follows the life of Kaji, a Japanese pacifist and socialist, as he tries to survive in the fascist...
  
   (Ningen no jōken II) – d. Masaki Kobayashi
• 1960: When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
  When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
  is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse.Keiko, a young widow, becomes a bar hostess in Ginza to make ends meet. The story recounts the struggles to maintain her independence in a male-dominated society...
  
   (Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki) – d. Mikio Naruse
  Mikio Naruse
  was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...
  
  
• 1960: Love Under the Crucifix (Oginsama) – d. Kinuyo Tanaka
  Kinuyo Tanaka
  was a Japanese actress and director.Tanaka was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. She became a leading actress at an early age, appearing in Yasujirō Ozu's I Graduated, But... in 1929...
  
  
• 1960: Daughters, Wives, and a Mother (Musume tsuma haha) – d. Mikio Naruse
  Mikio Naruse
  was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...
  
  
• 1960: The Blue Beast (Aoi yaju) – d. Hiromichi Horikawa
• 1960: Get 'em All ("Minagoroshi no uta" yori kenju-yo saraba!) – d. Eizo Sugawa
• 1961: The Other Woman (Tsuma to shite onna to shite) – d. Mikio Naruse
• 1961: Immortal Love
  Immortal Love
  Immortal Love is a 1961 Japanese drama film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.- Cast :*Hideko Takamine as Sadako*Keiji Sada as Takashi...
  
   (Eien no hito) – d. Keisuke Kinoshita
  Keisuke Kinoshita
  was a Japanese film director.Although lesser known internationally than his fellow filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa , Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu , Keisuke Kinoshita was nonetheless a household figure at home beloved by audience and critics alike, especially in the forties through the sixties...
  
  
• 1961: The Human Condition III
  The Human Condition (film trilogy)
  is a Japanese epic film trilogy made between 1959 and 1961. It is based on a novel by Gomikawa Junpei 五味川純平 .-Background:It was directed by Masaki Kobayashi and stars Tatsuya Nakadai. The trilogy follows the life of Kaji, a Japanese pacifist and socialist, as he tries to survive in the fascist...
  
   (Ningen no jōken III) – d. Masaki Kobayashi
• 1961: Yojimbo (用心棒 Yōjinbō) – d. Akira Kurosawa
  Akira Kurosawa
  was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
  
  
• 1961: Kumo ga chigieru toki – d. Heinosuke Gosho
  Heinosuke Gosho
  was a Japanese film director who directed Japan's first talkie, The Neighbor's Wife and Mine, in 1931. He once served as president of the Directors Guild of Japan.- Selected filmography :* Aiyoku no ki...
  
  
• 1962: Sanjuro
  Sanjuro
  is a 1962 black-and-white Japanese samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirō Mifune. It is a sequel to Kurosawa's previous film Yojimbo, with Mifune reprising his role as a wandering ronin...
  
   (Tsubaki Sanjuro) – d. Akira Kurosawa
• 1962: The Inheritance (Karami-ai) – d. Masaki Kobayashi
• 1962: Harakiri (Seppuku) – d. Masaki Kobayashi
• 1962: Madame Aki (Yushu heiya) – d. Shiro Toyoda
  Shiro Toyoda
  was a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Kyoto, Toyoda moved to Tokyo in his teens and began studying under the pioneering film director Eizō Tanaka. He joined Shōchiku's Kamata studio in 1924 and worked as an assistant director under Yasujirō Shimazu...
  
  
• 1963: High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku) – d. Akira Kurosawa
  Akira Kurosawa
  was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
  
  
• 1963: Pressure of Guilt (Shiro to kuro) – d. Hiromichi Horikawa
• 1963: The Legacy of the 500,000 (Gojuman-nin no isan) – d. Toshirō Mifune
  Toshiro Mifune
  Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...
  
  
• 1963: Miren
  Miren
  Mireń is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Pionki, within Radom County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Pionki, east of Radom, and south-east of Warsaw.-References:...
  
   – d. Yasuki Chiba
• 1963: A Woman's Life (Onna no rekishi) – d. Mikio Naruse
  Mikio Naruse
  was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...
  
  
• 1964: Jigoku sakusen – d. Takashi Tsuboshima
• 1964: Kwaidan
  Kwaidan (film)
  is a 1964 Japanese portmanteau film directed by Masaki Kobayashi; the title means 'ghost story'. It is based on stories from Lafcadio Hearn's collections of Japanese folk tales. The film consists of four separate and unrelated stories. Kwaidan is the archaic transliteration of Kaidan, meaning...
  
   (Kaidan) – d. Masaki Kobayashi
• 1965: Saigo no shinpan – d. Hiromichi Horikawa
• 1965: Fort Graveyard (Chi to suna) – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 1966: Illusion of Blood (Yotsuya kaidan
  Yotsuya Kaidan
  Yotsuya Kaidan , the story of Oiwa and Tamiya Iemon, is a tale of betrayal, murder and ghostly revenge. Arguably the most famous Japanese ghost story of all time, it has been adapted for film over 30 times, and continues to be an influence on Japanese horror today.Written in 1825 by Tsuruya Nanboku...
  
  ) – d. Shiro Toyoda
  Shiro Toyoda
  was a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Kyoto, Toyoda moved to Tokyo in his teens and began studying under the pioneering film director Eizō Tanaka. He joined Shōchiku's Kamata studio in 1924 and worked as an assistant director under Yasujirō Shimazu...
  
  
• 1966: Cash Calls Hell (Gohiki no shinshi) – d. Hideo Gosha
  Hideo Gosha
  was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....
  
  
• 1966: The Sword of Doom
  The Sword of Doom
  , is a jidaigeki movie released in 1966. It was directed by Kihachi Okamoto and stars Tatsuya Nakadai.-Story:The story follows the life of Ryunosuke Tsukue , an amoral samurai and a master swordsman with an unorthodox style. Ryunosuke is first seen when he kills an elderly Buddhist pilgrim who he...
  
   (Dai-bosatsu toge) – d. Kihachi Okamoto
• 1966: The Face of Another (Tanin no kao) – d. Hiroshi Teshigahara
• 1966: The Daphne (Jinchoge) – d. Yasuki Chiba
• 1967: The Age of Assassins (Satsujin kyo jidai) – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 1967: Kojiro – d. Hiroshi Inagaki
  Hiroshi Inagaki
  was a Japanese filmmaker most known for the Academy Award-winning Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, which he directed in 1954.-Career:Born in Tokyo as the son of a shinpa actor, Inagaki appeared on stage in his childhood before joining the Nikkatsu studio as an actor in 1922...
  
  
• 1967: Samurai Rebellion
  Samurai Rebellion
  Samurai Rebellion is a 1967 Japanese film directed by Masaki Kobayashi. Its original Japanese title is Jōi-uchi: Hairyō tsuma shimatsu , which translates approximately as "Rebellion: Result of the Wife Bestowed" or "Rebellion: Receive the Wife".-Plot:In the Edo period of Japan, Isaburo Sasahara is...
  
   (Joi-uchi: Hairyo tsuma shimatsu) – d. Masaki Kobayashi
• 1967: Tabiji – d. Shinji Murayama
• 1968: Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die! (Oggi a me... domani a te!) – d. Tonino Cervi
• 1968: Kill!
  Kill!
  is a 1968 film directed by Kihachi Okamoto, written by Akira Murao, Kihachi Okamoto, and Shugoro Yamamoto and starring Tatsuya Nakadai.- Cast :*Tatsuya Nakadai .... Genta *Etsushi Takahashi .... Hanji...
  
   (Kiru) – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 1968: Admiral Yamamoto (Rengo kantai shirei chokan: Yamamoto Isoroku) – d. Seiji Maruyama
• 1968: The Human Bullet
  The Human Bullet
  is a 1968 Japanese film about Him , a Japanese soldier during World War II who becomes assigned to a kamikaze mission against a U.S. battleship. It is an anti-war satire written and directed by Kihachi Okamoto....
  
   (Nikudan) – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 1969: Goyokin
  Goyokin
  is a 1969 jidaigeki film co-written and directed by Hideo Gosha. Set during the late Tokugawa era, the story follows a reclusive ronin who is trying to atone for past transgressions. In 1975 it was remade as a Western film, entitled The Master Gunfighter.-Plot:...
  
   – d. Hideo Gosha
  Hideo Gosha
  was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....
  
  
• 1969: Eiko’s 5000 Kilograms (Eiko e no 5,000 kiro) – d. Koreyoshi Kurahara
  Koreyoshi Kurahara
  was a Japanese screenwriter and director. He is perhaps best known for directing Antarctica , which won several awards and was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival...
  
  
• 1969: Battle of the Japan Sea (Nihonkai daikaisen) – d. Seiji Maruyama
• 1969: Tenchu! (Hitokiri) – d. Hideo Gosha
  Hideo Gosha
  was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....
  
  
• 1969: Blood End (Tengu-to) – d. Satsuo Yamamoto
  Satsuo Yamamoto
  was a Japanese film director.Yamamoto was born in Kagoshima Prefecture on July 15, 1910. He dropped out of Waseda University to join Shochiku, where he worked as an assistant director to Mikio Naruse and others. He followed Naruse when he moved to PCL, and became a director in his own right after...
  
  
• 1969: Portrait of Hell
  Portrait of Hell
  is a Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Shiro Toyoda and starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Kinnosuke Nakamura. It is based on the 1918 short story Hell Screen by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.-Plot summary:...
  
   (Jigokuhen) – d. Shiro Toyoda
  Shiro Toyoda
  was a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Kyoto, Toyoda moved to Tokyo in his teens and began studying under the pioneering film director Eizō Tanaka. He joined Shōchiku's Kamata studio in 1924 and worked as an assistant director under Yasujirō Shimazu...
  
  
• 1970: Duel at Ezo (Ezo yakata no ketto) – d. Kengo Furusawa
• 1970: Bakumatsu – d. Daisuke Itō
  Daisuke Itō (film director)
  was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who played a central role in the development of the modern jidaigeki and samurai cinema.-Career:Born in Ehime Prefecture, Itō joined the actors school at Shōchiku in 1920, but soon began writing screenplays under the recommendation of Kaoru Osanai. He...
  
  
• 1970: The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan
  The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan
  is a 1970 Japanese film directed by Masahiro Shinoda. It was Japan's submission to the 43rd Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.-See also:...
  
   (Buraikan) – d. Masahiro Shinoda
  Masahiro Shinoda
  is a Japanese film director, originally associated with the Shochiku Studio, who came to prominence as part of the Japanese New Wave in the 1960s.-Career:...
  
  
• 1970: Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (Zatoichi abare-himatsuri) – d. Kenji Misumi
  Kenji Misumi
  was a notable Japanese film director. He created films such as Lone Wolf and Cub and the initial film in the long-running Zatoichi series.He died at age 53.-Filmography:...
  
  
• 1970: Will to Conquer (Tenkan no abarembo) – d. Seiji Maruyama
• 1971: Inn of Evil (Inochi bonifuro) – d. Masaki Kobayashi
• 1971: The Battle of Okinawa (film) (Gekido no showashi: Okinawa kessen) – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 1972: The Wolves (Shussho Iwai) – d. Hideo Gosha
  Hideo Gosha
  was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....
  
  
• 1973: Osho – d. Hiromichi Horikawa
• 1973: Belladonna (Kanashimi no Belladonna
  Kanashimi no Belladonna
  , also known as "The Tragedy of Belladonna", is a 1973 feature film produced by the Japanese animation studio Mushi Production and distributor Nippon Herald Films...
  
  ) – Eiichi Yamamoto
  Eiichi Yamamoto
  Eiichi Yamamoto is a Japanese film director and screenwriter of Anime. He directed ten films between 1962 and 1986. His 1973 film Kanashimi no Belladonna was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival....
  
  
• 1973: The Human Revolution (Ningen kakumei) – d. Toshio Masuda
  Toshio Masuda
  is a Japanese film director. He developed a reputation as a consistent box office hit-maker. Over the course of five decades, 16 of his films made the yearly top ten lists at the Japanese box office—a second place record in the industry. Between 1958 and 1968 he directed 52 films for the Nikkatsu...
  
  
• 1973: Rise, Fair Sun
  Rise, Fair Sun
  is a 1973 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Tatsuya Nakadai - Sakuzo* Kinya Kitaoji - Asao, Haruko's lover* Keiko Takahashi - Haruko, Sakuzo's daughter...
  
   (Asayake no uta)– d. Kei Kumai
  Kei Kumai
  was a Japanese film director from Azumino, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he worked as director's assistant....
  
  
• 1974: Karei-naru Ichizoku
  Karei-naru Ichizoku
  Karei-naru Ichizoku is a Japanese drama aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System for its 55th anniversary. It is a remake of a 1970s novel of the same name by Toyoko Yamasaki...
  
   – d. Satsuo Yamamoto
  Satsuo Yamamoto
  was a Japanese film director.Yamamoto was born in Kagoshima Prefecture on July 15, 1910. He dropped out of Waseda University to join Shochiku, where he worked as an assistant director to Mikio Naruse and others. He followed Naruse when he moved to PCL, and became a director in his own right after...
  
  
• 1975: The Gate of Youth (Seishun no mon) – Kiriro Urayama
  Kiriro Urayama
  was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Career:Born in Hyōgo Prefecture, Urayama graduated from Nagoya University before joining the Nikkatsu studio in 1954. After working as an assistant director to Yūzō Kawashima and Shōhei Imamura, he debuted as a director with Foundry Town in 1962, a...
  
  
• 1975: Tokkan – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 1975: I Am a Cat (Wagahai wa neko de aru) – d. Kon Ichikawa
  Kon Ichikawa
  was a Japanese film director.-Early life and career:Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture. In the 1930s Ichikawa attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O. Studio, in their animation department...
  
  
• 1975: Kinkanshoku – d. Satsuo Yamamoto
  Satsuo Yamamoto
  was a Japanese film director.Yamamoto was born in Kagoshima Prefecture on July 15, 1910. He dropped out of Waseda University to join Shochiku, where he worked as an assistant director to Mikio Naruse and others. He followed Naruse when he moved to PCL, and became a director in his own right after...
  
  
• 1976: Banka – d. Yoshihiro Kawasaki
• 1976: Zoku ningen kakumei – d. Toshio Masuda
  Toshio Masuda
  is a Japanese film director. He developed a reputation as a consistent box office hit-maker. Over the course of five decades, 16 of his films made the yearly top ten lists at the Japanese box office—a second place record in the industry. Between 1958 and 1968 he directed 52 films for the Nikkatsu...
  
  
• 1976: Fumo chitai
  Fumō Chitai
  Fumō Chitai is a a novel by Toyoko Yamasaki. It has been adapted into a movie in 1976 and then twice as a television mini-series in 1979 and 2009.-Cast:*Mikijirō Hira - Tadashi Iki*Tomisaburo Wakayama - Ichizo Daimon...
  
   – d. Satsuo Yamamoto
  Satsuo Yamamoto
  was a Japanese film director.Yamamoto was born in Kagoshima Prefecture on July 15, 1910. He dropped out of Waseda University to join Shochiku, where he worked as an assistant director to Mikio Naruse and others. He followed Naruse when he moved to PCL, and became a director in his own right after...
  
  
• 1977: Sugata Sanshiro – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 1978: Blue Christmas
  Blue Christmas (film)
  , also known as Blood Type: Blue or The Blue Stigma, is a 1978 Japanese science fiction film by director Kihachi Okamoto. It deals with prejudice against UFO witnesses whose blood is turned blue by the encounter. The close encounters occur on Christmas, hence the title....
  
   (Buru Kurisumasu) – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 1978: Queen Bee (Jo-oh-bachi) – d. Kon Ichikawa
  Kon Ichikawa
  was a Japanese film director.-Early life and career:Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture. In the 1930s Ichikawa attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O. Studio, in their animation department...
  
  
• 1978: Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron
  Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron
  is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Hideo Gosha.-Awards and nominations:21st Blue Ribbon Awards* Won: Best Supporting Actress - Junko Miyashita...
  
   (Kumokiri nizaemon) – d. Hideo Gosha
  Hideo Gosha
  was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....
  
  
• 1978: The Firebird (Hi no tori) – d. Kon Ichikawa
  Kon Ichikawa
  was a Japanese film director.-Early life and career:Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture. In the 1930s Ichikawa attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O. Studio, in their animation department...
  
  
• 1979: Hunter in the Dark (Yami no karyudo) – d. Hideo Gosha
  Hideo Gosha
  was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....
  
  
• 1980: Kagemusha
  Kagemusha
  is a 1980 film by Akira Kurosawa. The title is a term used for an impersonator. It is set in the Warring States era of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable...
  
   – d. Akira Kurosawa
  Akira Kurosawa
  was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
  
  
• 1980: Port Arthur (203 kochi) – d. Toshio Masuda
  Toshio Masuda
  is a Japanese film director. He developed a reputation as a consistent box office hit-maker. Over the course of five decades, 16 of his films made the yearly top ten lists at the Japanese box office—a second place record in the industry. Between 1958 and 1968 he directed 52 films for the Nikkatsu...
  
  
• 1981: Nihon no Atsui Hibi Bōsatsu: Shimoyama Jiken
  Nihon no Atsui Hibi Bōsatsu: Shimoyama Jiken
  Willful Murder is a 1981 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was entered into the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Yōko Asaji* Kaneko Iwasaki* Tatsuya Nakadai* Ichirō Nakatani* Daisuke Ryū* Kōji Yakusho* Kei Yamamoto...
  
   – d. Kei Kumai
  Kei Kumai
  was a Japanese film director from Azumino, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he worked as director's assistant....
  
  
• 1982: Onimasa
  Onimasa
  is a 1982 Japanese film directed by Hideo Gosha. It was Japan's submission to the 55th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.-Awards and nominations:25th Blue Ribbon Awards...
  
   (Kiruin Hanako no shogai) – d. Hideo Gosha
  Hideo Gosha
  was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....
  
  
• 1983: Final Yamato
  Final Yamato
  The Space Battleship Yamato saga ended in 1983 with the fifth theatrical movie, . At a running time of approximately 165 minutes, Final Yamato currently holds the record as being the longest running animated film ever made.-Synopsis:The Galman Empire is destroyed but the planet Galmania is not, by...
  
   (Uchū senkan Yamato: Kanketsuhen) – d. Tomoharu Katsumata
  Tomoharu Katsumata
  is a Japanese film director best known for his work on various anime works. A leading director at the Toei Animation studio during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Katsumata worked as a director on several of Toei's TV anime adaptations of manga by Go Nagai, including Devilman , Mazinger Z , Cutey...
  
   / Yoshinobu Nishizaki
  Yoshinobu Nishizaki
  Yoshinobu Nishizaki was a Japanese film producer best known as one of the two co-creators of the anime series Space Battleship Yamato. He was sometimes credited as Yoshinori Nishizaki...
  
   / Takeshi Shirado / Toshio Masuda
  Toshio Masuda
  is a Japanese film director. He developed a reputation as a consistent box office hit-maker. Over the course of five decades, 16 of his films made the yearly top ten lists at the Japanese box office—a second place record in the industry. Between 1958 and 1968 he directed 52 films for the Nikkatsu...
  
  
• 1984: Kita no hotaru – d. Hideo Gosha
  Hideo Gosha
  was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....
  
  
• 1985: Ran
  Ran (film)
  is a 1985 Japanese-French jidaigeki film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film starred Tatsuya Nakadai as Hidetora Ichimonji, an aging Sengoku-era warlord who decides to abdicate as ruler in favor of his three sons. It also stars Mieko Harada as the wife of Ichimonji's eldest son...
  
   – d. Akira Kurosawa
  Akira Kurosawa
  was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
  
  
• 1985: The Empty Table (Shokutaku no nai ie) – d. Masaki Kobayashi
• 1986: Atami satsujin jiken – d. Kazuo Takahashi
  Kazuo Takahashi
  Kazuo Takahashi, ring name Yoshiki Takahashi is a Japanese former mixed martial artist. He has competed in many large MMA promotions, including the UFC, Pancrase, and Pride Fighting Championships. Takahashi is best known for his incredible toughness, heart, and will to win...
  
  
• 1987: Hachi-ko (Hachiko monogatari) – d. Seijirō Kōyama
  Seijirō Kōyama
  is a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Gifu Prefecture, Kōyama attended Nihon University but quit midway to join the independent production company Kindai Eiga Kyōkai, where he worked as an assistant director under such directors as Kaneto Shindō, Kōzaburō Yoshimura, and Tadashi Imai...
  
  
• 1988: Return From the River Kwai
  Return from the River Kwai
  Return from the River Kwai is a 1989 film directed by Andrew McLaglen. It stars Timothy Bottoms and Nick Tate.. It is loosely based on events concerning the Burma-Thailand Death Railway and subsequent that inspired the earlier film Bridge on the River Kwai, although both films use separate...
  
   – d. Andrew V. McLaglen
• 1988: Oracion (Yushun) – d. Shigemichi Sugita
• 1989: Four Days of Snow and Blood (Ni-ni-roku) – d. Hideo Gosha
  Hideo Gosha
  was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....
  
  
• 1991: Heat Wave (Kagero) – d. Hideo Gosha
  Hideo Gosha
  was a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion....
  
  
• 1992: The Wicked City
  The Wicked City (1992 film)
  The Wicked City is a 1992 science fiction film directed by Peter Mak and produced by Tsui Hark. It is a live-action film adaptation of the Japanese anime of the same name. The film stars Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai, Yuen Woo-ping, Roy Cheung, Tatsuya Nakadai, Michelle Reis, and Carman Lee...
  
   (Yao shou du shi) – d. Mak Tai-Kit
• 1992: Basara – The Princess Goh (Goh-hime) – d. Hiroshi Teshigahara
• 1992: Faraway Sunset (Toki rakujitsu) – d. Seijiro Koyama
  Seijirō Kōyama
  is a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Gifu Prefecture, Kōyama attended Nihon University but quit midway to join the independent production company Kindai Eiga Kyōkai, where he worked as an assistant director under such directors as Kaneto Shindō, Kōzaburō Yoshimura, and Tadashi Imai...
  
  
• 1993: Lone Wolf and Cub: Handful of Sand (Kozure Okami: Sono chiisaki te ni) – d. Akira Inoue
• 1993: Summer of the Moonlight Sonata (Gekko no natsu) – d. Seijiro Koyama
  Seijirō Kōyama
  is a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Gifu Prefecture, Kōyama attended Nihon University but quit midway to join the independent production company Kindai Eiga Kyōkai, where he worked as an assistant director under such directors as Kaneto Shindō, Kōzaburō Yoshimura, and Tadashi Imai...
  
  
• 1995: East Meets West – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 1996: Miyazawa Kenji sono ai – d. Seijiro Koyama
  Seijirō Kōyama
  is a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Gifu Prefecture, Kōyama attended Nihon University but quit midway to join the independent production company Kindai Eiga Kyōkai, where he worked as an assistant director under such directors as Kaneto Shindō, Kōzaburō Yoshimura, and Tadashi Imai...
  
  
• 1996: A Son of the Good Earth (NHK Television series)
• 1999: After the Rain (Ame agaru) – d. Takashi Koizumi
  Takashi Koizumi
  Takashi Koizumi is a Japanese film director. He has received four nominations and four wins.-Filmography as Assistant Director:* Ran * Akira Kurosawa's Dreams...
  
  
• 1999: Spellbound
  Spellbound (1999 film)
  is a 1999 Japanese film directed by Masato Harada.-Awards and nominations:24th Hochi Film Award* Won: Best Film* Won: Best Actress - Jun Fubuki* Won: Best Supporting Actor - Kippei Shiina-References:...
  
   (Kin'yu fushoku retto: Jubaku) – d. Masato Harada
  Masato Harada
  Masato Harada is a Japanese film director, critic, and sometimes an actor; he is best known to Western audiences as Omura in The Last Samurai and as Mr Mita in Fearless...
  
  
• 2001: Vengeance for Sale (Sukedachi-ya Sukeroku) – d. Kihachi Okamoto
  Kihachi Okamoto
  was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
  
  
• 2002: To Dance With the White Dog (Shiroi inu to Waltz wo) – d. Takashi Tsukinoki
• 2002: Hi wa mata noboru – d. Kiyoshi Sasabe
• 2003: Like Asura
  Like Asura
  is a 2003 Japanese film directed by Yoshimitsu Morita. At the 27st Japan Academy Prize it won three awards and received ten other nominations.- Awards and nominations :27th Japan Academy Prize.*Won: Best Director - Yoshimitsu Morita...
  
   (Ashura no gotoku) – d. Yoshimitsu Morita
• 2005: Yamato (Otoko-tachi no Yamato) – d. Junya Sato
  Junya Sato
  is a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Tokyo, Sato graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1956 with a degree in French literature. He joined the Toei studio and worked as an assistant to such directors as Tadashi Imai and Miyoji Ieki. He debuted as a director in 1963 with Rikugun zangyaku...
  
  
• 2006: The Inugamis (Inugamike no ichizoku) – d. Kon Ichikawa
  Kon Ichikawa
  was a Japanese film director.-Early life and career:Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture. In the 1930s Ichikawa attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O. Studio, in their animation department...
  
  
• 2007: Furin Kazan
  Furin Kazan (Taiga drama)
  was the 46th NHK Taiga drama beginning on January 7, 2007. It was aired throughout 2007.The four characters from left to right are wind, woods, fire, and mountain. The title is a reference to the war banner used by Takeda Shingen, which in turn was taken from Sun Tzu's The Art of War...
  
   (NHK Taiga drama)

External links

• The Eighth Samurai: Tatsuya Nakadai by Chuck Stephens