was a Japanese
film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...
.
Biography
Born in
Shiga Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the north ...
, he joined the
Shōchiku studio in 1929.
He debuted as director in 1934, but continued working as an assistant director for such filmmakers as
Yasujirō Ozu and
Yasujirō Shimazu after that. It was the 1939 film ''Warm Current'' that established his status as a director.
During the
Sino-Japanese war he directed a number of military dramas such as ''
The Legend of Tank Commander Nishizumi'' (1940), for which he toured the actual battlefields in China. His 1947 work ''
The Ball at the Anjo House'', starring
Setsuko Hara, was named the best picture of the year by ''
Kinema Junpo
, commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...
''.
This film marked the start of a long relationship with the screenwriter and film director
Kaneto Shindō. In 1950, the two of them started the independent production company
Kindai Eiga Kyokai.
Yoshimura is credited with furthering the careers of such actresses as
Fujiko Yamamoto,
Machiko Kyō and
Ayako Wakao
is a Japanese actress who was one of the country's biggest stars of the 20th century.
Biography
Wakao began her career contracted to Daiei Studios in 1951 as part of the fifth "New Face" group. She has gone on to appear in over 100 feature films ...
.
He directed over 60 films during his career,
and received a
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...
(Purple Ribbon) from the Japanese government in 1976.
Selected filmography
* ''Warm Current'' (暖流, Danryū) (1939)
* ''The Legend of Tank Commander Nishizumi'' (1940)
* ''The Spy isn't Dead Yet'' (1942)
* ''The Ball at the Anjo House'' (安城家の舞踏会, Anjō-ke no butōkai) (1947)
* ''
The Tale of Genji'' (1951)
* ''Before the Dawn'' (1953)
* ''
Epitome
An epitome (; gr, ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents " ...
'' (1953) (producer only)
* ''
Life of a Woman'' (1953) (producer only)
* ''Ginza no onna'' (1955)
* ''
Night River'' (1956)
* ''
An Osaka Story
is a 1957 black-and-white Japanese historical drama film directed by Kōzaburō Yoshimura. The film had originally been planned by Kenji Mizoguchi, who had adapted several stories by Saikaku Ihara into a script. After Mizoguchi's death, the proj ...
'' (1957)
* ''A Woman's Uphill Slope'' (女の坂, Onna no saka) (1960)
* ''
A Woman's Testament
is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Kōzaburō Yoshimura, Kon Ichikawa and Yasuzo Masumura. It was entered into the 10th Berlin International Film Festival.
Plot
This is a series of three stories revolving around women. The first story ...
'' (女経, Jokyō) (1960) (episode "The Woman Who Forgot to Love")
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoshimura, Kozaburo
1911 births
2000 deaths
Japanese film directors
People from Ōtsu, Shiga