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, p ...

, most famous for the stylized, folk tale-influenced horror films he made in the 1950s and 1960s.

Career

Born in Kyoto, Nakagawa was early on influenced by

proletarian literature Proletarian literature refers here to the literature created by left-wing writers mainly for the class-conscious proletariat. Though the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' states that because it "is essentially an intended device of revolution", it is ...

and wrote amateur film reviews to the '' Kinema Junpō'' film magazine. He joined Makino Film Productions in 1929 as an assistant director and worked under Masahiro Makino. When that studio went bankrupt in 1932, he switched to

Utaemon Ichikawa was a Japanese film actor famous for starring roles in jidaigeki from the 1920s to the 1960s. Trained in kabuki from childhood, he made his film debut in 1925 at Makino Film Productions under Shōzō Makino. Quickly gaining popularity, he follow ...

's production company and made his debut as a director in 1934 with '' Yumiya Hachiman Ken''. He later moved to Toho, where he made comedies starring

Enoken was a popular Japanese singing comedian, mostly known by his stage name Enoken (エノケン). A major innovator during his heyday, Enoken's stage shows, radio appearances, and film roles were a major influence within Tokyo theatre before World ...

and even documentaries during the war. It was at Shintoho after the war that he became known for his cinematic adaptations of Japanese kaidan, especially his masterful version of '' Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan'' in 1959. To Western audiences, his most famous film is '' Jigoku'' (1960), which he also co-wrote. The film was released on DVD by the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

in 2006. He also filmed many ''kaidan'' for television. His last film was 1982's '' Kaidan: Ikiteiru Koheiji''.

Filmography

(incomplete) *''

Gekka no Wakamusha is the 30th single by Japanese entertainer Akina Nakamori. Written by Gorō Matsui and Shūgō Kajiwara, the single was released on October 5, 1994, by MCA Victor. Background "Gekka" was initially recorded by composer Kajiwara and released as a ...

'' (1938) *'' Itahachi Jima'' (1938) *'' Shinpen Tange Sazen: Sekigan no Maki'' (1939) *'' Tange Sazen: Sekigan no Maki'' (1939) *'' Rinchi'' (1949) *''

Shinya no Kokuhaku Shinya (Shin'ya) is a Japanese given name, usually for males. It is pronounced as "Shin-ya", not "Shi-nya". Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese curler and curling coach *, Japanese politician *Shinya Aoki (born 1983), professional mi ...

'' (1949) *'' Wakasama Samurai Torimonocho: Nazo no Nomen Yashiki'' (1950) *''

Kyo wa Kaisha no Getsuyobi Kyo can refer to: ;Anime, game and manga * Kusanagi 'Kyo', KOF 1994, one of the main characters of the ''King of Fighters'' series of video games * ''Kyo'', a manga comic created by Ryōji Minagawa in 1996 * Kyo Sohma, a character in the manga an ...

'' (1952) *'' Kinsan Torimonocho: Nazo no Ningyoshi'' (1953) *'' Shishun no Izumi'' (1953) *'' Horafuki Tanji'' (1954) *'' Wakaki Hi no Takuboku: Kumo wa Tensai de aru'' (1954) *'' Natsume Soseki no Sanshiro'' (1955) *''

Ningyo Sashichi Torimonocho Yoen Roku Shibijin as the name suggests, is a creature with both human and fish-like features, described in various pieces of Japanese literature. Though often translated as " mermaid", the term is technically not gender-specific and may include the "mermen". The ...

'' (1956) *''

Kaii Utsunomiya Tsuritenjo Kaii is a Japanese given name. People with this name include: *, Japanese artist *, Chinese-born Japanese table tennis player {{given name Japanese masculine given names Masculine given names ...

'' (1956) *''

Koi sugata kitsune goten is a 1956 black and white Japanese film directed by Nobuo Nakagawa. Cast * Hibari Misora as Maruya, Tomone * Haruhisa Kawada as Akinobu * Senjaku Nakamura * Chieko Naniwa as Okon * Chikage Oogi as Akemi * Shunji Sakai as Heihachi * Kyu Sazan ...

'' (1956) *''

Vampire Moth is a 1956 Japanese film directed by Nobuo Nakagawa. The film is about a professional nude model stalked by a bizarre, unknown man wearing a hideous mask. It has been described as the first Japanese vampire film, but in which the creature is reve ...

'' (''Kyuketsuki-ga'') (1956) *'' Kaidan Kasane-ga-fuchi'' (1957) aka ''The Depths'', aka ''The Ghost of Kasane Swamp'' *'' Borei Kaibyo Yashiki'' (1958) aka ''Black Cat Mansion'' *'' Dokufu Takahashi Oden'' (1958) *'' Kenpei to yurei'' (1958) * '' Kyōen Kobanzame'' (侠艶小判鮫) - first part is ''Kyōen Kobanzame zenpen'' (侠艶小判鮫前篇) and the second part is ''Kyōen Kobanzame kōhen'' (侠艶小判鮫後篇). *'' Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan'' (1959) aka ''The Ghost of Yotsuya'' *''

Nippon Romansu Kyuko Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

'' (1959) *''

Onna Kyuketsuki Onna is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Its name comes from an acronym of the names of the four predominant clans in the area: Oniong, Nnung Ndem, Awa Afaha and Awa. Onna has a population of about 495,000 p ...

'' (1959) aka ''Woman Vampire'', ''Lady Vampire'' *''

Onna Shikeishu no Datsugoku Onna is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Its name comes from an acronym of the names of the four predominant clans in the area: Oniong, Nnung Ndem, Awa Afaha and Awa. Onna has a population of about 495,000 ...

'' (1960) aka ''Death Row Woman'' *'' Jigoku'' (1960) aka ''Hell'', ''Sinners of hell'' *''

Hatamoto Kenka Taka A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as ''gokenin.'' However ...

'' (1961) *'' Nendo no Omen Yori: Kaachan'' (1961) *''

Inazuma to Uge no Ketto : may refer to: * Suzuki Inazuma 250, a motorcycle * , four destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force * ''Lightning'' (1952 film)'', or ''Inazuma'', a Japanese film by Mikio Naruse * Inazuma, an ''Usagi ...

'' (1962) *''

Kaidan Hebi-onna is a Japanese word consisting of two kanji: 怪 (''kai'') meaning "strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching apparition" and 談 (''dan'') meaning "talk" or "recited narrative". Overall meaning and usage In its broadest sense, ''kaidan'' refer ...

'' (1968) aka ''Ghost of the Snake Woman'' *'' Yoen Dokufuden: Hitokiri Okatsu'' (1969) *'' Yoen Dokufuden: Okatsu Kyojo Tabi'' (1969) *'' Kaidan: Ikiteiru Koheiji'' (1982)

References

External links

*
"Hell on Earth" essay
by Chuck Stephens for The Criterion Collection * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakagawa, Nobuo People from Kyoto Japanese film directors Samurai film directors Horror film directors 1905 births 1984 deaths