Yasujirō Ozu
Known for
Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese director born in Tokyo, celebrated for a body of work centered on family, generational change, and the quiet passage of time in postwar Japan. Tokyo Story, his most acclaimed film, follows aging parents visiting their grown children with a restraint that has made it a touchstone of world cinema, while Late Spring, Early Summer, and An Autumn Afternoon return repeatedly to themes of marriage, duty, and loss. His visual style was famously austere and instantly recognizable: a low, tatami-level camera position, minimal camera movement, and calm, static compositions that let emotion emerge through accumulation rather than incident. Largely unseen in the West until decades after his death, Ozu is now regarded, alongside Kurosawa and Mizoguchi, as one of the essential figures of Japanese cinema.
Yasujirō Ozu
56 Directed
Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese director born in Tokyo, celebrated for a body of work centered on family, generational change, and the quiet passage of time in postwar Japan. Tokyo Story, his most acclaimed film, follows aging parents visiting their grown children with a restraint that has made it a touchstone of world cinema, while Late Spring, Early Summer, and An Autumn Afternoon return repeatedly to themes of marriage, duty, and loss. His visual style was famously austere and instantly recognizable: a low, tatami-level camera position, minimal camera movement, and calm, static compositions that let emotion emerge through accumulation rather than incident. Largely unseen in the West until decades after his death, Ozu is now regarded, alongside Kurosawa and Mizoguchi, as one of the essential figures of Japanese cinema.
Movies
Director
Tokyo Story
1953
Director
Late Spring
1949
Director
Good Morning
1959
Director
An Autumn Afternoon
1962
Director
Tokyo Twilight
1957
Director
The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice
1952
Director
Spring Comes from the Ladies
1932
Director
Late Autumn
1960
Director
Equinox Flower
1958
Director
Sword of Penitence
1927
Director
Dreams of Youth
1928
Director
The Luck Which Touched the Leg
1930
Director
Floating Weeds
1959
Director
There Was a Father
1942
Director
Early Summer
1951
Director
The End of Summer
1961
Director
The Only Son
1936
Director
Early Spring
1956
Director
A Hen in the Wind
1948
Director
I Was Born, But...
1932
Director
Record of a Tenement Gentleman
1947
Director
The Munekata Sisters
1950
Director
A Story of Floating Weeds
1934
Director
Dragnet Girl
1933
Director
What Did the Lady Forget?
1937
Director
Tokyo Chorus
1931
Director
Walk Cheerfully
1930
Director
That Night's Wife
1930
Director
Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family
1941
Director
Passing Fancy
1933
Director
A Mother Should Be Loved
1934
Director
Where Now Are the Dreams of Youth?
1932
Director
Days of Youth
1929
Director
The Lady and the Beard
1931
Director
I Flunked, But...
1930
Director
A Straightforward Boy
1929
Director
An Inn in Tokyo
1935
Director
Woman of Tokyo
1933
Director
Fighting Friends
1929
Director
I Graduated, But...
1929
Director
Until the Day We Meet Again
1932
Full Filmography
The Radish and the Carrot
Story
1965
Film
Watashi-wa beretto
Writer
1964
Film
Youth After School
Writer
1963
Film
An Autumn Afternoon
Director
1962
Film
The End of Summer
Director
1961
Film
Late Autumn
Director
1960
Film
Floating Weeds
Director
1959
Film
Equinox Flower
Director
1958
Film
Tokyo Twilight
Director
1957
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yasujirō Ozu still alive?
Yasujirō Ozu passed away on December 12, 1963 at age 60.
What are the most famous roles of Yasujirō Ozu?
Yasujirō Ozu is best known for directing Tokyo Story, Late Spring, An Autumn Afternoon.
How many movies has Yasujirō Ozu directed?
Over a 36-year career (since 1927), Yasujirō Ozu has directed or written 56 films and worked on 0 TV shows.
What was Yasujirō Ozu's first movie?
The career of Yasujirō Ozu began with Sword of Penitence (1927).
What is Yasujirō Ozu's most recent movie or series?
Yasujirō Ozu's most recent release is Lil’ Tokyo Story, which premiered on October 20, 2016.
Yasujirō Ozu
1903-12-11 · Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are prominent themes in Ozu's work. His most lauded films include Late Spring (1949), Tokyo Story (1953), Floating Weeds (1959), and An Autumn Afternoon (1962). His reputation has continued to grow since his death, and he is widely regarded as one of the world's most influential directors. In the 2012 Sight & Sound poll, Ozu's Tokyo Story was voted the greatest film of all time by world directors.