Character Catalog

Revolutionary film telling a murder story from four contradictory points of view. Golden Lion at Venice 1951, it opened world cinema to Japan and introduced the narrative concept of the 'Rashomon effect' into universal culture.

A bureaucratic civil servant learns he is dying and seeks to give meaning to his life by having a children's park built. A humanist masterpiece considered one of the greatest films in cinema history about the meaning of existence.

A 3h27 epic in which seven samurai defend a village of farmers against bandits. A foundational work of world action cinema, it directly influenced Sergio Leone's westerns, Star Wars, and hundreds of other works.

A masterless samurai manipulates two rival clans into destroying each other. Adapted by Sergio Leone as 'A Fistful of Dollars', this film invented the cynical anti-hero character that dominates contemporary action cinema.

A humanist fresco about a doctor to the poor in 19th-century Japan. Kurosawa's last black-and-white film, it concludes his collaboration with Toshirō Mifune after sixteen films together.

A thief and look-alike replaces a dying warlord and must assume his role. Palme d'Or at Cannes, produced by Coppola and Lucas, this triumphant return by Kurosawa after a long absence marks the definitive international recognition of his genius.

An adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear set in feudal Japan: an aging lord divides his kingdom among his sons with tragic consequences. The absolute visual pinnacle of color cinema, considered Kurosawa's artistic testament.

I think that to understand my films, you must understand me. And to understand me, you must understand my films. My whole life is in my works.

I cannot explain Rashomon. If I could explain it in words, I would not have needed to make it in images. The film means exactly what it shows.

I am not yet sure that I truly understand cinema. I will keep working and perhaps one day I will understand. Thank you for giving me this award while I am still learning.

Kurosawa declares: 'A film is born three times: the first time when you write it, the second time when you shoot it, and the third time in the editing. At each birth, everything must be reinvented.'

Kurosawa was born in Ōta, a district in southern Tokyo, in a middle-class home. He grew up in this city, which he witnessed transformed by the 1923 earthquake and the 1945 bombings — formative experiences that shaped his relationship with catastrophe and resilience.

Kurosawa's primary workplace throughout his career, the Toho Studios in Setagaya hosted the majority of his indoor shoots. It was there that he developed his revolutionary directing techniques and trained several generations of Japanese film technicians.

The majestic forest near the Nara temple served as the main natural setting for 'Rashomon'. Kurosawa experimented there with his lighting technique of reflecting direct sunlight using mirrors, creating an unprecedented visual style.

The vast plains at the foot of Mount Fuji served as the backdrop for the great battles in 'Kagemusha' (1980) and 'Ran' (1985). These volcanic landscapes, with their ochre colors and sparse grasses, give the confrontations an epic and timeless dimension.

It was in Venice that 'Rashomon' received the Golden Lion in 1951, propelling Kurosawa and Japanese cinema onto the international stage. This triumph marked the beginning of worldwide recognition of Asian film culture in the West.

Kurosawa always wore a viewfinder around his neck to mentally frame each shot before even setting up the camera. This tool allowed him to visualize his compositions with a painter's precision.

Before each shoot, Kurosawa painted hundreds of watercolors depicting the scenes and shots of the film. For 'Ran', these paintings formed a genuine artistic storyboard that guided the entire technical crew.

On his vast outdoor shoots with hundreds of extras, the megaphone was Kurosawa's instrument of command. His authoritative voice directed armies of extras through the great battle sequences of his epic films.

The wide-brimmed cap and sunglasses Kurosawa wore on his sets became iconic. This outfit shielded him from the sun during long outdoor shooting days and contributed to his image as an authoritative commander.

Kurosawa shot exclusively on 35mm silver halide film, often with multiple simultaneous cameras for action scenes. He was one of the first directors to use multi-camera setups to capture battles from different angles in an authentic way.

Kurosawa collected authentic weapons and armor from the Edo period to integrate into his films. He demanded absolute historical accuracy in the handling of the katana, calling on genuine martial arts masters as advisors.