Career
Kawashima was born in Mutsu, Shimokita District, Aomori Prefecture. After graduating from Meiji University's Department of Literature, he entered the Shōchiku studios and served as an assistant director under Minoru Shibuya, Yasujirō Shimazu, Hiroshi Shimizu and others. In 1944, he directed his first film, ''The Man Who Has Returned''. After the war, Kawashima made many comedies at Shōchiku, but it was not before his move to Nikkatsu in 1955 that his work received critical acclaim. At Nikkatsu, he directed such notable works as ''Burden of Love'' (1955), '' Suzaki Paradise: Red Light District'' (1956, Kawashima's own personal favourite of his films), and '' Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate'' (1957). In his remaining years, Kawashima worked at multiple studios— Daiei, Tokyo Eiga, and Toho—continuing to create satirical works like ''Temptation on Glamour Island'' (1959),'' Room for Let '' (1959), and '' The Graceful Brute'' (1962), as well as literary adaptations like ''Women Are Born Twice'' (1961) and ''The Temple of Wild Geese'' (1962). Kawashima suffered from polio and was known as an excessive drinker. He died in 1963 at the age of 45, having completed 50 films during a career which spanned only 19 years.Legacy
Kawashima was a key influence on director Shōhei Imamura, who worked as his assistant director. In 1999, ''Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate'' was voted the fifth best Japanese film of all time in Kinema Junpō's poll of 140 film critics and filmmakers.Selected filmography
* 1944 ''The Man Who Has Returned'' (還って来た男) * 1948 ''The Follower'' (追跡者) * 1948 ''Oh Citizens!'' (市民諸君) * 1952 ''Tonkatsu taishō'' (とんかつ大将) * 1954 ''The Path of Sincerity'' (真実一路) * 1953 '' Ojōsan shachō'' (お嬢さん社長) * 1954 ''Between Yesterday and Tomorrow'' (昨日と明日の間) * 1955 ''Burden of Love'' (愛のお荷物) * 1955 ''Till We Meet Again'' (あした来る人) * 1955 '' Tales of Ginza'' (銀座二十四帖) * 1956 '' The Balloon'' (風船) * 1956 '' Suzaki Paradise: Red Light'' (洲崎パラダイス 赤信号) * 1956 ''Our Town'' (わが町) * 1956 ''Hungry Soul'' (飢える魂) * 1956 ''Hungry Soul, Part II'' (続 飢える魂) * 1957 '' Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate'' (幕末太陽傳) * 1958 ''Woman Unveiled'' (女であること) * 1958 ''Noren'' (暖簾) * 1959 ''Temptation on Glamour Island'' (グラマ島の誘惑) * 1959 ''Room for Let'' (貸間あり) * 1960 ''The Flow of Evening'' (夜の流れ, aka ''The Lovelorn Geisha'') (with Mikio Naruse) * 1960 ''Soft Touch of Night'' (赤坂の姉妹 夜の肌) * 1961 ''Romance Express'' (特急にっぽん) * 1961 ''Women Are Born Twice'' (女は二度生まれる, aka ''A Geisha’s Diary'') * 1962 ''The Temple of the Wild Geese'' (雁の寺) * 1962 ''The Tale of the Blue Beka Boat'' (青べか物語) * 1962 '' The Graceful Brute'' (しとやかな獣, aka ''Elegant Beast'') * 1962 ''Mount Hakone'' (箱根山)References
External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawashima, Yuzo 1918 births 1963 deaths Japanese film directors People from Mutsu, Aomori Meiji University alumni