---
name: "Akira Kurosawa"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/akira-kurosawa"
fi1m_id: "akira-kurosawa"
imdb_id: "nm0000041"
tmdb_id: 5026
wikidata_id: "Q8006"
roles: ["Writer","Director","Producer"]
born: "23 March 1910"
died: "6 September 1998"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 10
average_fi1m_score: 68
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-03T02:44:10.766713+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Akira Kurosawa

## Identity

Akira Kurosawa

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/akira-kurosawa
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** akira-kurosawa
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000041
- **TMDB ID:** 5026
- **Wikidata ID:** Q8006
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Kurosawa, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8006, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000041/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5026

Writer and director. Born 23 March 1910 in Shinagawa, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. Died 6 September 1998.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer, Director, Producer
- **Born:** 23 March 1910, Shinagawa, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
- **Died:** 6 September 1998
- **Active:** 1950–2022
- **Also known as:** أكيرا كوروساوا, อะกิระ คุโระซะวะ, 黑澤明, Kurosawa Akira, 아키라 구로사와, 쿠로사와 아키라, 아키라 쿠로사와, آکیرا کوروساوا
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 10: 8 directing, 2 writing
- **Frequently works with:** [Hideo Oguni](https://film.one/person/hideo-oguni.md), [Toshirō Mifune](https://film.one/person/toshiro-mifune.md), [Shinobu Hashimoto](https://film.one/person/shinobu-hashimoto.md), [Takashi Shimura](https://film.one/person/takashi-shimura.md), [Ryuzo Kikushima](https://film.one/person/ryuzo-kikushima.md), [Sōjirō Motoki](https://film.one/person/sojiro-motoki.md), [Tatsuya Nakadai](https://film.one/person/tatsuya-nakadai.md), [Isuzu Yamada](https://film.one/person/isuzu-yamada.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 1 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as writer, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 92 (4), 1960s 89 (2), 1970s 82 (1), 1980s 92 (1), 2010s 54 (1), 2020s 81 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Kurosawa, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8006, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000041/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5026

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Seven Samurai*](https://film.one/film/seven-samurai.md) (95), [*Ikiru*](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md) (92), [*Rashomon*](https://film.one/film/rashomon.md) (92), [*High and Low*](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md) (90), [*Yojimbo*](https://film.one/film/yojimbo.md) (88), [*Throne of Blood*](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood.md) (88)
- **Apple TV:** [*Ran*](https://film.one/film/ran.md) (92)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Akira Kurosawa

> Akira Kurosawa makes action matter by giving us time to know the people caught up in it. We rate his patient storytelling as highly as his battles, though his actors can sometimes press a point too hard.

A village needs protection from bandits, and Kurosawa lets the recruitment occupy our attention before asking us to care about the fighting. In *Seven Samurai* (1954), each new man changes the company; we have time to consider why he would agree to fight without pay. We were absorbed by the gathering of these men because each arrival gave us someone distinct to watch. The 207 minutes feel well spent, and the care taken over introductions is a large part of the reason.

*Rashomon* (1950) builds its story from conflicting viewpoints; *Ikiru* (1952) follows a bureaucrat’s search for meaning. Both belong to a prolific stretch in which Kurosawa directed roughly a film a year through the 1950s and early 1960s. *Throne of Blood* (1957) takes *Macbeth* into feudal Japan, drawing on Noh theatre. Across these different settings and ways of telling stories, his interest in why people behave as they do remains clear.

His craft is easiest to appreciate when several people are moving at once. In *Seven Samurai*, cinematographer Asakazu Nakai keeps individual fighters visible without losing the larger battle, so we understand both a man’s decisions and what lies beyond his control. Kurosawa’s own editing distinguishes the attention needed for a duel from that needed for a mass fight. Fumio Hayasaka supplies an exciting score, but we would credit the photography and cutting first. The screenplay, written with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni, makes us take the villagers’ need seriously and notice the class differences between them and their protectors.

He is less restrained with Toshirō Mifune’s Kikuchiyo, whose broad, often funny performance occasionally keeps insisting after we have understood. We could do with less emphasis, particularly in a film so good at distinguishing its people through the business of assembling them. Still, Mifune makes the company feel unsettled whenever he takes its centre. The excess can be tiring, but it scarcely dents our affection for this humane, exciting film.

After *Red Beard* (1965), Kurosawa directed less frequently, with international admirers later supporting *Kagemusha* (1980) and *Ran* (1985). The latter returned to Shakespeare through *King Lear*, with colour and visual scale prominent in its telling. For a first encounter, though, we would choose *Seven Samurai*, even for someone who regards sword fights as a reason to stay away. Give it an evening when nobody needs to be up early.

## Biography

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, editor and producer. He entered the film industry in 1936 as an assistant director after studying painting, and made his directorial debut with *Sanshiro Sugata* (1943).

He directed thirty films across a career of more than five decades. His early postwar work included *Drunken Angel* (1948) and *Rashomon* (1950), the latter winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1951. He collaborated frequently with actor Toshirō Mifune.

Kurosawa is credited as director, screenwriter and editor on *Seven Samurai* (1954). Other notable films include *Ikiru* (1952), *Yojimbo* (1961) and *Ran* (1985). He died in Tokyo on 6 September 1998.

*Sources: britannica.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (10)

### Directed (8)

- *Ran* (1985), Fi1m 92, Editor, Director, Screenplay, Storyboard Artist — [page](https://film.one/film/ran.md)
- *Dersu Uzala* (1975), Fi1m 82, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/dersu-uzala.md)
- *High and Low* (1963), Fi1m 90, Director, Editor, Screenplay, Associate Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md)
- *Yojimbo* (1961), Fi1m 88, Editor, Screenplay, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/yojimbo.md)
- *Throne of Blood* (1957), Fi1m 88, Screenplay, Producer, Director, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood.md)
- *Seven Samurai* (1954), Fi1m 95, Screenplay, Director, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/seven-samurai.md)
- *Ikiru* (1952), Fi1m 92, Editor, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md)
- *Rashomon* (1950), Fi1m 92, Screenplay, Director, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/rashomon.md)

### Wrote (2) — the average rests on these

- *Living* (2022), Fi1m 81, Original Film Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/living.md)
- *The Magnificent Seven* (2016), Fi1m 54, Original Film Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-magnificent-seven-2016.md)

## Complete filmography (124)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Highest 2 Lowest* (2025), Original Film Writer
- *Searching For Kurosawa* (2025), Actor
- *The Draft!* (2023), Thanks
- *Living* (2022), Original Film Writer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/living.md)
- *Morceaux de Cannes* (2021), Actor
- *The Magnificent Seven* (2016), Original Film Writer — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/the-magnificent-seven-2016.md)
- *At the Gate of the Ghost* (2011), Original Story
- *The Last Princess* (2008), Original Story
- *Tsubaki Sanjuro* (2007), Writer
- *Ikiru* (2007), Screenplay
- *High and Low* (2007), Original Film Writer
- *Samurai 7* (2004), series, Original Concept, Original Film Writer
- *The Sea Is Watching* (2002), Screenplay
- *Kaze no Yojimbo* (2001), series, Original Film Writer
- *Dora-heita* (2000), Screenplay
- *After the Rain* (2000), Title Designer, Screenplay
- *Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai* (1999), Thanks — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/ghost-dog-the-way-of-the-samurai.md)
- *Inferno* (1999), Original Film Writer
- *Kurosawa: The Last Emperor* (1999), Actor
- *Misty* (1997), Original Film Writer
- *Last Man Standing* (1996), Original Film Writer
- *Madadayo* (1993), Director, Editor, Screenplay
- *Image: Kurosawa's Continuity: 'Kagemusha'* (1993), Concept Artist, Original Story
- *Image: Kurosawa's Continuity: 'Ran'* (1993), Original Story, Storyboard
- *Rhapsody in August* (1991), Director, Editor, Screenplay
- *Dreams* (1990), Director, Storyboard Artist, Writer
- *Seven Warriors* (1989), Original Film Writer
- *Runaway Train* (1985), Original Film Writer, Story
- *Ran* (1985), Screenplay, Director, Editor, Storyboard Artist — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/ran.md)
- *The Warrior and the Sorceress* (1984), Original Film Writer
- *The Seven Magnificent Gladiators* (1983), Original Film Writer
- *Battle Beyond the Stars* (1980), Original Story
- *Kagemusha* (1980), Director, Screenplay, Producer, Storyboard Artist, Editor
- *The Last Round* (1976), Original Film Writer
- *Dersu Uzala* (1975), Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/dersu-uzala.md)
- *Stray Dog* (1973), Original Story
- *The Magnificent Seven Ride!* (1972), Original Concept
- *Dodes'ka-den* (1970), Screenplay, Director, Executive Producer
- *Song of the Horse* (1970), Director, Writer
- *Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo* (1970), Original Concept
- *Guns of the Magnificent Seven* (1969), Original Concept
- *The Last Day of Hsianyang* (1968), Original Film Writer
- *Return of the Seven* (1966), Original Concept
- *Django* (1966), Original Film Writer
- *Sanshiro Sugata* (1965), Writer, Producer
- *Red Beard* (1965), Director, Screenplay, Editor
- *The Outrage* (1964), Original Story
- *A Fistful of Dollars* (1964), Original Story
- *Jakoman and Tetsu* (1964), Screenplay
- *Legacy of the 500,000* (1963), Editor
- *High and Low* (1963), Screenplay, Director, Associate Producer, Editor — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md)
- *The Fencing Master* (1962), Screenplay
- *Sanjuro* (1962), Screenplay, Director, Editor
- *Yojimbo* (1961), Director, Editor, Screenplay, Producer — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/yojimbo.md)
- *Play of the Week: Rashomon* (1960), Original Film Writer
- *The Magnificent Seven* (1960), Original Film Writer
- *The Bad Sleep Well* (1960), Producer, Editor, Director, Writer
- *Saga of the Vagabonds* (1959), Writer, Script
- *The Hidden Fortress* (1958), Editor, Screenplay, Producer, Director
- *Advance Patrol* (1957), Screenplay
- *The Lower Depths* (1957), Producer, Editor, Director, Screenplay
- *Throne of Blood* (1957), Editor, Director, Producer, Screenplay — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood.md)
- *I Live in Fear* (1955), Story, Director
- *Tomorrow I'll Be a Fire-Tree* (1955), Screenplay, Editor
- *Vanished Enlisted Man* (1955), Screenplay
- *Seven Samurai* (1954), Director, Screenplay, Editor — Fi1m 95, [page](https://film.one/film/seven-samurai.md)
- *My Wonderful Yellow Car* (1953), Screenplay
- *Ikiru* (1952), Director, Screenplay, Editor — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md)
- *Sword for Hire* (1952), Screenplay
- *The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail* (1952), Director, Writer, Screenplay
- *Vendetta of a Samurai* (1952), Writer
- *The Den of Beasts* (1951), Screenplay
- *The Idiot* (1951), Director, Editor, Screenplay
- *Beyond Love and Hate* (1951), Screenplay
- *Rashomon* (1950), Director, Editor, Screenplay — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/rashomon.md)
- *Fencing Master* (1950), Adaptation
- *Jiruba no Tetsu* (1950), Screenplay
- *Scandal* (1950), Director, Screenplay
- *Escape at Dawn* (1950), Screenplay
- *Stray Dog* (1949), Writer, Director, Associate Producer
- *Jakoman and Tetsu* (1949), Writer
- *Flirtation in Spring* (1949), Producer
- *The Quiet Duel* (1949), Writer, Director
- *Lady From Hell* (1949), Writer
- *The Portrait* (1948), Screenplay
- *Drunken Angel* (1948), Director, Writer
- *Snow Trail* (1947), Screenplay
- *One Wonderful Sunday* (1947), Director, Screenplay
- *Four Love Stories* (1947), Screenplay
- *No Regrets for Our Youth* (1946), Editor, Writer, Director
- *Those Who Make Tomorrow* (1946), Director
- *Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two* (1945), Director, Screenplay
- *The Admirable Isshin Tasuke!* (1945), Screenplay
- *The Most Beautiful* (1944), Director, Writer
- *Wrestling-Ring Festival* (1944), Writer
- *World of Love* (1943), Writer
- *Sanshiro Sugata* (1943), Director, Editor, Screenplay
- *Wings of Victory* (1942), Writer
- *Currents of Youth* (1942), Story
- *Horse* (1941), Assistant Director, Writer
- *The Monkey King* (1940), Assistant Director
- *Enoken's Cropped Hair* (1940), Assistant Director
- *Roppa's Honeymoon* (1940), Assistant Director
- *Easy Alley* (1939), Assistant Director
- *Enoken’s Shrewd Period* (1939), Assistant Director
- *Enoken's Surprising Life* (1938), Assistant Director
- *Composition Class* (1938), Assistant Director
- *Tojuro's Love* (1938), Assistant Director
- *Subterranean Heat* (1938), Assistant Director
- *The Beautiful Hawk* (1937), Assistant Director
- *Enoken's Chikiri Kinta Part 2 – Returning Is Scary, but the Weather Will Clear If You Wait* (1937), Third Assistant Director
- *Enoken's Chikiri Kinta Part 1 – Momma, the Hat: The Nice Way* (1937), Third Assistant Director
- *Avalanche* (1937), Second Unit, Assistant Director
- *Japanese Women's Textbook* (1937), Third Assistant Director
- *A Husband's Chastity: Fall Again* (1937), Third Assistant Director
- *A Husband's Chastity: If Spring Comes & Fall Once Again* (1937), Third Assistant Director
- *A Husband's Chastity: If Spring Comes* (1937), Third Assistant Director
- *Saga of the Vagabonds, Part Two: Forward at Dawn* (1937), Third Assistant Director
- *Saga of the Vagabonds, Part One: Tiger and Wolf* (1937), Third Assistant Director
- *Tokyo Rhapsody* (1936), Third Assistant Director
- *Enoken’s Ten Millions Sequel* (1936), Third Assistant Director
- *Enoken’s Ten Millions* (1936), Third Assistant Director
- *Paradise of the Virgin Flowers* (1936), Assistant Director
- *A Fistful of Dollars Remake*, Original Film Writer

## Gallery

- ![Akira Kurosawa (March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. 1953 photo, on the set of Seven Samurai. T](https://film.one/media/person/59917/gallery-aa4b6a929619.jpg) Akira Kurosawa (March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. 1953 photo, on the set of Seven Samurai. T — 映画の友 (Eiga no tomo), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Akirakurosawa-onthesetof7samurai-1953-page88.jpg/1280px-Akirakurosawa-onthesetof7samurai-1953-page88.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Akira Kurosawa (March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. 1953 photo, on the set of Seven Samurai. T](https://film.one/media/person/59917/gallery-62b6800896a4.jpg) Akira Kurosawa (March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. 1953 photo, on the set of Seven Samurai. T — 映画の友 (Eiga no tomo), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Akirakurosawa-onthesetof7samurai-1953-page88_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Akirakurosawa-onthesetof7samurai-1953-page88_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Akira Kurosawa](https://film.one/media/person/59917/gallery-00b36ad2f50c.jpg) Akira Kurosawa — Image via TMDB
- ![Akira Kurosawa](https://film.one/media/person/59917/gallery-cca5d0e7620e.jpg) Akira Kurosawa — Image via TMDB
- ![Akira Kurosawa](https://film.one/media/person/59917/gallery-b3bc34d5509e.jpg) Akira Kurosawa — Image via TMDB
- ![Akira Kurosawa](https://film.one/media/person/59917/gallery-63a400c6e13c.jpg) Akira Kurosawa — Image via TMDB
- ![Akira Kurosawa](https://film.one/media/person/59917/gallery-c637fe6da7a8.jpg) Akira Kurosawa — Image via TMDB
- ![Akira Kurosawa](https://film.one/media/person/59917/gallery-7fea5d064658.jpg) Akira Kurosawa — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 1 nominated

- 1986: Best Director (nominated), for *Ran*
- 1952: Academy Awards (won)

### BAFTA Film Awards — 2 won

- 1986: Best Film Not in the English Language (won), for *Ran*
- 1981: Best Direction (won), for *Kagemusha*

### Cannes Film Festival — 1 won

- 1980: Palme d'Or (won), for *Kagemusha*

### Venice Film Festival — 1 won

- 1951: Golden Lion (won), for *Rashomon*

### Berlin International Film Festival — 2 won

- 1959: Silver Bear (won)
- 1959: Best Director (won), for *The Hidden Fortress*

### Other awards — 45 won

- People's Honour Award 1998: People's Honour Award (won)
- Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy 1994: Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy (won)
- Praemium Imperiale 1992: Praemium Imperiale (won)
- Academy Honorary Award 1990: Academy Honorary Award (won)
- Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize 1990: Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize (won)
- Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film 1986: Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film (won), for *Ran*
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Director 1986: Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Director (won), for *Ran*
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Film 1986: Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Film (won), for *Ran*
- David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director 1986: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director (won), for *Ran*
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 1986: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (won)
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Director 1986: Mainichi Film Award for Best Director (won), for *Ran*
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Film 1986: Mainichi Film Award for Best Film (won), for *Ran*
- Order of Culture 1985: Order of Culture (won)
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Film 1981: Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Film (won), for *Kagemusha*
- César Award 1981: César Award (won)
- César Award for Best Foreign Film 1981: César Award for Best Foreign Film (won), for *Kagemusha*
- David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director 1981: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director (won), for *Kagemusha*
- Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 1981: Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (won)
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Director 1981: Mainichi Film Award for Best Director (won), for *Kagemusha*
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Film 1981: Mainichi Film Award for Best Film (won), for *Kagemusha*
- Nastro d'argento for best non-Italian film 1981: Nastro d'argento for best non-Italian film (won), for *Kagemusha*
- Hōchi Film Award for Best Picture 1980: Hōchi Film Award for Best Picture (won), for *Kagemusha*
- Prize of the French Critics' Union/Best Australian Film 1978: Prize of the French Critics' Union/Best Australian Film (won), for *Dersu Uzala*
- David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director 1977: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director (won), for *Dersu Uzala*
- Nastro d'argento for best non-Italian film 1977: Nastro d'argento for best non-Italian film (won), for *Dersu Uzala*
- Person of Cultural Merit 1976: Person of Cultural Merit (won)
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Film 1966: Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Film (won), for *Red Beard*
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Film 1966: Mainichi Film Award for Best Film (won), for *Red Beard*
- Asahi Prize 1965: Asahi Prize (won)
- Ramon Magsaysay Award 1965: Ramon Magsaysay Award (won)
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Screenplay 1964: Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Screenplay (won), for *High and Low*
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Film 1964: Mainichi Film Award for Best Film (won), for *High and Low*
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Screenplay 1964: Mainichi Film Award for Best Screenplay (won), for *High and Low*
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Film 1959: Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Film (won), for *The Hidden Fortress*
- FIPRESCI Prize of the Festival de Cannes 1959: FIPRESCI Prize of the Festival de Cannes (won), for *The Hidden Fortress*
- Silver Lion 1954: Silver Lion (won), for *Seven Samurai*
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Screenplay 1953: Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Screenplay (won), for *Ikiru*
- Kinema Junpo Award 1953: Kinema Junpo Award (won), for *Ikiru*
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Film 1953: Mainichi Film Award for Best Film (won), for *Ikiru*
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Screenplay 1953: Mainichi Film Award for Best Screenplay (won), for *Ikiru*
- National Board of Review Awards 1951 1951: National Board of Review Awards 1951 (won), for *Rashomon*
- Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Screenplay 1950: Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Screenplay (won), for *Rashomon*
- Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film of the Year 1949: Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film of the Year (won), for *Drunken Angel*
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Film 1949: Mainichi Film Award for Best Film (won), for *Drunken Angel*
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Director 1948: Mainichi Film Award for Best Director (won), for *One Wonderful Sunday*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/akira-kurosawa