He was born in Tokyo, on August 20, 1905.As the youngest child of a poor family, his only chance at secondary education was to study engineering in technical school.At the age of fifteen, though having no vocation for cinema, he is employed by Shochicu studios as property manager. Later he is promoted to assistant director and in 1930 he gets to direct his first short, Chanbara fufu. In 1935, after 24 films mixing laughter with melodrama, made according to the studio demands, he leaves Shochiku for PCL,which soon grew into the important Toho company. He stayed there until 1967 and his 89th and last film. Master of «shomingeki», a realistic film genre about working class characters, and «the women’s film», he directed his best work – a series of low key masterpieces portraying the hardships of a joyless everyday existence, the dissolution of the family and the muted violence of emotions. He died in Tokyo, on July 2, 1969.
Filmography
Selected Filmography
1931 Koshiben ganbare / Little Man Do Your Best!
1933 Kimi to wakarete/ Apart from You
1933 Yogoto no yume / Every Night Dreams
1935 Otome-gokoro sannin shimai / Three Sisters with Maiden Hearts
1935 Tsuma yo bara no yo ni / Wife! Be Like a Rose!
1935 Uwasa no musume / The Girl on Everyone’s Lips
1937 Nyonin aishu / Feminine Melancholy
1938 Tsuruhachi Tsurujiro / Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro
1939 Hataraku ikka / The Whole Family Works
1939 Magokoro / Sincerity
1940 Tabi yakusha / Traveling Actors
1941 Hideko no shasho-san / Hideko, the Bus Conductor
1943 Uta andon / The Song Lantern
1944 Tanoshiki kana jinsei / This Happy Life
1951 Ginza gesho / Ginza Cosmetics
1951 Meshi / Repast
1952 Okaasan / Mother
1952 Inazuma / Lightning
1953 Fufu / Husband and Wife
1953 Tsuma / Wife
1953 Ani imoto / Older Brother,Younger Sister
1954 Yama no oto / Sound of the Mountain
1954 Bangiku / Late Chrysanthemums
1955 Ukigumo / Floating Clouds
1956 Shuu / Sudden Rain
1956 Nagareru / Flowing
1958 Iwashigumo / Summer Clouds a.k.a. Herringbone Clouds
1962 Horoki / A Wanderer’s Notebook a.k.a. Her Lonely Lane
1964 Midareru / Yearning
1967 Midaregumo / Scattered Clouds a.k.a.Two in
the Shadow / Σκόρπια σύννεφα
