was a Japanese

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

. He served as the head of production for Toho Studios. He was co-producer of Akira Kurosawa's ''

The Hidden Fortress is a 1958 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' adventure film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It tells the story of two peasants who agree to escort a man and a woman across enemy lines in return for gold without knowing that he is a general and the woman is a pri ...

''. He also produced many other films, including Yasujirō Ozu's ''

The End of Summer is a 1961 Japanese film directed by Yasujirō Ozu for Toho Films. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was his penultimate; only ''An Autumn Afternoon'' (1962) followed it, which he made for Shochiku Films. P ...

'',

Kihachi Okamoto was a Japanese film director who worked in several different genres. Career Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted into the Air Force 1943 and entered World War II, an experience that had a profound effect on his late ...

's ''

The Sword of Doom ''The Sword of Doom'', known in Japan as , is a 1966 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film directed by Kihachi Okamoto and starring Tatsuya Nakadai. It is based on the serial novel of the same title by Kaizan Nakazato. Plot The story follows the life of Ryu ...

'' and '' Japan's Longest Day'' and several films directed by

Mikio Naruse was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967. Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook. He made primarily shomin-geki ("common people drama") films with female protagonists, ...

. After co-producing ''The Hidden Fortress'', Fujimoto had the task as Toho's head of production of convincing Kurosawa to form his own production company. He had to convince Kurosawa that his own production company would be to his advantage, even though the main reason Toho wanted Kurosawa to form his own production company was to avoid the risk of cost overruns as had happened on ''The Hidden Fortress''. Fujimoto then became a

board member A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organi ...

of Kurosawa Productions.

Selected filmography

*'' Repast'' (めし Meshi),

, (1951) *'' Husband and Wife'' (夫婦 Fûfu),

, (1953) *'' Mr. Pu'' (Pu-san), Kon Ichikawa, (1953) *'' Wife'' (妻 Tsuma),

, (1953) *''

Sound of the Mountain is a 1954 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on the novel ''The Sound of the Mountain'' by Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata. Plot Shingo, an aging businessman, sees the marriage of his son Shuichi and his daughter-in ...

'' (山の音 Yama no Oto),

, (1954) *''

Late Chrysanthemums is a 1954 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. It follows four retired geisha and their struggles to make ends meet in post World War II Japan. The film is based on three short stories by female author Fumiko Hayashi. Plot ''Late Chrysa ...

'' (晩菊 Bangiku),

, (1954) *''

Floating Clouds is a 1955 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on the novel of the same name by Japanese writer Fumiko Hayashi, published just before her death in 1951. The film received numerous national awards upon its release and remai ...

'' (浮雲 Ukigumo),

, (1955) *'' Sudden Rain'' (驟雨 Shūu),

, (1956) *''

A Wife's Heart is a 1956 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. Plot Kiyoko lives with her husband Shinji and Shinji's mother in the family's house, where the married couple runs a not-too-successful food store. Although their marriage is not happy, it i ...

'' (妻の心 Tsuma no kokoro),

, (1956) *'' Flowing'' (流れる Nagareru),

, (1956) *''

Song for a Bride is a 1958 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Ishirō Honda. Cast Release ''Song for a Bride'' was released on February 11, 1958. Reception In a retrospective review, Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski declared the film "one of Honda's m ...

'' (花嫁三重奏 Hanayome sanjuso), Ishirō Honda, (1958) *''

'' (隠し砦の三悪人 Kakushi toride no san akunin), Akira Kurosawa, (1958) *''

A Daughter, a Wife, and a Mother A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'' (娘妻母 Musume tsuma haha),

, (1960) *'' Sir Galahad in Campus'' (大学の若大将 Daigaku no Wakadaishō),

Toshio Sugie was a Japanese film director. He directed films from the 1940s to the 1960s. Career Sugie was born in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture (currently Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City). After graduating from the Waseda University, Sugie joined P.C ...

, (1961) *'' The Last War'' (世界大戦争 Sekai Daisensō),

Shūe Matsubayashi (born July 7, 1920 - August 15, 2009, Shimane Prefecture, Japan) was a Japanese film director. He is best known for films in the comedy and war genres. He was also an ordained Shin Buddhist priest. His final work as director was in the 1992 fi ...

, (1961) *''

'' (小早川家の秋 Kohayagawa-ke no aki), Yasujirō Ozu, (1961) *''

A Wanderer's Notebook , also known as '' Her Lonely Lane'', is a 1962 black-and-white Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse, starring Hideko Takamine. It is based on the autobiographical novel of the same title by writer Fumiko Hayashi and its stage adaptation ...

'' (放浪記 Hourou-ki),

, (1962) *'' Chūshingura'' (忠臣蔵　花の巻　雪の巻 Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki), Hiroshi Inagaki, (1962) *'' Yearning'' (乱れる Midareru),

, (1964) *'' Godzilla vs. The Thing'' (モスラ対ゴジラ Mosura tai Gojira), Ishirō Honda, (1964) *''

The Crazy Adventure is a 1965 Japanese comedy action film directed by Kengo Furusawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the fifth film in the '' Crazy Cats'' film series produced from 1963 to 1971 and was produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of ...

'' (大冒険, ''Kureji no daiboken''), Kengo Furusawa, (1965) *''

The Stranger Within a Woman is a 1966 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on the 1951 novel ''The Thin Line'' by Edward Atiyah. Plot Isao and Masako Toshiro are what looks like a happily married middle-class couple with two children. One day, Sayuri ...

'' (女の中にいる他人 Onna no naka ni iru tanin),

, (1966) *''

'' (大菩薩峠 Dai-bosatsu Tōge),

, (1966) *'' Japan's Longest Day'' (日本のいちばん長い日 Nihon no ichiban nagai hi),

, (1967) *''

Goyokin is a 1969 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film directed by Hideo Gosha. Set during the late Tokugawa period, the story follows a reclusive ''rōnin'' who is trying to atone for past transgressions. Plot Magobei Wakizaka is a samurai for the Sabai clan. A ...

'' (御用金 Goyōkin),

Hideo Gosha was a Japanese film director. Born in Arasaka, Tokyo Prefecture, Gosha graduated from high school and served in the Imperial Navy during the Second World War. After earning a business degree at Meiji University, he joined Nippon television as a ...

, (1969) *''

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. Screen play by Shuji Terayama. Cast *Tatsuya Na ...

'' (無頼漢 Buraikan),

Masahiro Shinoda is a retired Japanese film director, originally associated with the Shochiku Studio, who came to prominence as part of the Japanese New Wave in the 1960s. Early life Shinoda attended Waseda University, where he studied theater and also partici ...

, (1970) *'' To Love Again'' (愛ふたたび Ai futatabi), Kon Ichikawa, (1971) *''

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

'' (激動の昭和史沖縄決戦 Gekidō no Shōwashi: Okinawa Kessen),

, (1971) *'' The Wolves'' (Shussho Iwai),

, (1971) *'' The Gate of Youth'' (青春の門 Seishun no mon), Kirirō Urayama, (1975)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujimoto, Sanezumi 1910 births 1979 deaths People from Yamaguchi (city) Japanese film producers