Masaki Kobayashi (å° æž— æ£æ¨¹, Kobayashi Masaki, February 14, 1916
â€" October 4, 1996) was a Japanese film director, best known for the
epic trilogy The Human Condition (1959â€"1961), the samurai films
Harakiri (1962) and Samurai Rebellion (1967), and the horror film
Kwaidan (1964).Kobayashi was born in Otaru, then a small port on the
island of Hokkaido. He was a second cousin of the actress and director
Kinuyo Tanaka. In 1933 he entered Waseda University in Tokyo where he
studied East Asian art and philosophy. He embarked on a career in film
in 1941 as an apprentice director at Shochiku Studios, but was drafted
into the Imperial Japanese Army in January 1942 and sent to
Manchuria.Kobayashi regarded himself as a pacifist and a socialist,
and resisted by refusing promotion to a rank higher than private. In
1944 he was transferred to Miyakojima in the Ryuku Islands, and was
taken prisoner near the end of the war. Then he spent a year in a
detention camp in Okinawa. After his release, in 1946, he returned to
Shochiku as assistant to the director Keisuke Kinoshita.
â€" October 4, 1996) was a Japanese film director, best known for the
epic trilogy The Human Condition (1959â€"1961), the samurai films
Harakiri (1962) and Samurai Rebellion (1967), and the horror film
Kwaidan (1964).Kobayashi was born in Otaru, then a small port on the
island of Hokkaido. He was a second cousin of the actress and director
Kinuyo Tanaka. In 1933 he entered Waseda University in Tokyo where he
studied East Asian art and philosophy. He embarked on a career in film
in 1941 as an apprentice director at Shochiku Studios, but was drafted
into the Imperial Japanese Army in January 1942 and sent to
Manchuria.Kobayashi regarded himself as a pacifist and a socialist,
and resisted by refusing promotion to a rank higher than private. In
1944 he was transferred to Miyakojima in the Ryuku Islands, and was
taken prisoner near the end of the war. Then he spent a year in a
detention camp in Okinawa. After his release, in 1946, he returned to
Shochiku as assistant to the director Keisuke Kinoshita.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.