| 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.
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Born in Tokyo, Yamamoto attended Keio University where he helped form a film appreciation society.[1] 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.[1]
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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[2]
After World War II, he continued directing films, but increasingly worked in television and radio.[2]
He is now mostly known as the mentor of Akira Kurosawa, who served as his assistant director on 17 films.[3]