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Curated category

Japanese film directors

  • Kenzō MasaokaKenzō Masaoka made history in 1917. He became the first person to use cel animation and recorded sound in anime. This technical shift changed how Japanese…
  • Noburō ŌfujiNoburō ōfuji began his career in the early 1920s as a trainee under Jun'ichi Kōuchi. This master animator taught him the fundamentals of frame-by-frame…
  • Mitsuyo SeoMitsuyo Seo began his career painting signs for businesses in Japan. He moved from that trade into animation by working at a toy film company.
  • Yoko OnoYoko Ono was born on the 18th of February 1933 in Tokyo to a wealthy banking family. Her father Eisuke worked for the Yokohama Specie Bank and her mother…
  • Akira KurosawaOn the 23rd of March 1910, Akira Kurosawa was born in Tokyo to a samurai family. His father Isamu worked as the director of the Army's Physical Education…
  • Hideaki AnnoHideaki Anno was born in 1960 within the city of Ube, Yamaguchi. He attended Wakō Kindergarten and Unoshima Municipal Elementary School before moving to…
  • Yoshiyuki TominoYoshiyuki Tomino was born on the 5th of November 1941 in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. His family held deep roots as regional landowners in Ojima, now part…
  • Osamu TezukaToyona, Osaka, 1928. A young boy named Osamu Tezuka sat in a darkened theater watching Disney films over and over again.
  • Kihachirō KawamotoKihachirō Kawamoto was born in 1925. From his earliest years, he felt a deep pull toward the art of making dolls and puppets.
  • Isao TakahataOn the 29th of June 1945, a nine-year boy named Isao Takahata stood in the ruins of Okayama City. He and his sibling had been separated from their family for…
  • Yukio MishimaOn the 14th of January 1925, Kimitake Hiraoka entered the world in Nagazumi-cho, Yotsuya-ku of Tokyo City. His early years were defined by a rented house…