Kajirō Yamamoto
| Kajirō Yamamoto | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
15 March 1902 Kyōbashi, Tokyo |
| Died | 21 September 1974 (aged 72) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, actor |
Kajirō Yamamoto (山本 嘉次郎 Yamamoto Kajirō?, 15 March 1902 – 21 September 1974) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor who was known for his war films and comedies and as the mentor of Akira Kurosawa.
Born in Tokyo, Yamamoto attended Keio University where he helped form a film appreciation society. He first appeared in film in 1921 as an actor opposite Yoshiko Okada, but that only earned the wrath of his family, who disowned him.
He worked as an actor on the stage, joined Nikkatsu as an assistant director, and finally made his directorial debut in 1924 at Tōa Kinema. After working at Nikkatsu again, he was lured to Photo Chemical Laboratories (P. C. L.) in 1934, where he first made a name filming the comedies of Kenichi Enomoto. When P. C. L. became the Toho company, Yamamoto helmed realist dramas such as Tsuzurikata kyōshitsu and Uma (starring Hideko Takamine), and war films such as Hawai Mare oki kaisen.
After World War II, he continued directing films, but increasingly worked in television and radio.
He is now mostly known as the mentor of Akira Kurosawa, who served as his assistant director on 17 films.
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