was a Japanese film director known for his comedy films. Born in

Akita Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is estimated 915,691 as of 1 August 2023 and its geographi ...

, he entered

Shōchiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed ''kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establishe ...

's Kamata studio in 1922 and debuted as a director in 1926. He later worked at the

Shintoho was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big six film studios (which also included Daiei, Nikkatsu, Shochiku, Toei Company, and Toho) during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Toho company ...

and

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

studios. He became known as the "god of comedy" for directing over 200 films, many of which were nonsense comedies featuring famous clowns such as

Ken'ichi Enomoto 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 Worl ...

Roppa Furukawa was a Japanese comedian. Career Furukawa was born the sixth son of Baron Katō Terumaro (1863–1925), making him the grandson of Baron Katō Hiroyuki. The family custom, however, was to have the younger sons adopted by related families, so Fu ...

, and Junzaburo Ban.Joseph L. Anderson, Donald Richie ''The Japanese Film: Art and Industry'' 1982 Page 198 "One of the earliest of the postwar comedies was Torajiro Saito's The Emperor's Hat (''Tennō no Bōshi''), made in 1950 and incorporating a plot which before the war would have constituted a severe political crime. A man working in a museum ..."

Filmography

His works include: * '' Akeyuku Sora'' (1929) * ''

Wasei Kingu Kongu is a lost 1933 Japanese black-and-white silent film directed by Torajiro Saito. A silent, three-reel comedy short, it uses the 1933 film ''King Kong'' as a backdrop to the story and was produced by Shochiku Studios (which released the original ...

'' (1933) * '' Kodakara Sodo'' (1935) * '' Akireta musume-tachi'', alternate title: (金語楼の子宝騒動) (1949) * ''

Nodo jimankyō jidai is a 1949 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Torajiro Saito. Cast * Hibari Misora See also * List of films in the public domain in the United States Most films are subject to copyright, but those listed here are believed to be in th ...

'' (1949) * ''

Odoroki ikka is a 1949 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Torajiro Saito. Cast * Hibari Misora * Takako Irie (入江たか子) * Harume Tone (利根はる恵) * Nijiko Kiyokawa (清川虹子) * Achako Hanabishi (花菱アチャコ) * Shintarō ...

'' (1949) * '' Akogare no Hawaii Kōro'' (1950) * ''

Aozora tenshi , literally: "Blue Sky Angel", is a 1950 Japanese black-and-white film directed by Torajiro Saito. Cast * Hibari Misora See also * List of films in the public domain in the United States Most films are subject to copyright, but those listed ...

'' (1950) * ''

Tennō no Bōshi The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

'' (天皇の帽子) (1950) jointly directed with Masaki Mori ( :ja:毛利正樹) * ''

Tokyo Kid is a 1950 black-and-white Japanese film musical comedy and drama directed by Torajiro Saito. Cast * Hibari Misora as an orphan Mariko Tanimoto * Haruhisa Kawata (川田晴久) as the street musician Sanpei * Shunji Sakai (堺駿二) as Sa ...

'' (1950) * '' Tonbo kaeri dōchū'' (1950) * ''Unusual trip to Hawaii'' (

Hawai chindochu Hawai may refer to: Places * Hawai, Tottori, a town in Tottori Prefecture, Japan * Hawai, India, the administrative headquarters of Anjaw District, in Arunachal Pradesh, India * Hāwai, New Zealand * Hawai River, New Zealand Other uses * "Hawái" ...

) (1954) * ''

Ukare Gitsune Senbon Zakura is a 1954 Japanese historical drama film directed by Torajirō Saitō. The title is derived from the ''kabuki'' ''Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura''. Plot Cast * Takashi Wada as Minamoto no Yoshitsune * Yumiko Hasegawa as Shizuka Gozen * Kiit ...

'' (1954)

References

External links

* Japanese film directors 1905 births 1982 deaths People from Nikaho, Akita {{Japan-film-bio-stub