---
name: "Asakazu Nakai"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/asakazu-nakai"
fi1m_id: "asakazu-nakai"
imdb_id: "nm0620014"
tmdb_id: 34380
wikidata_id: "Q2329908"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "29 August 1901"
died: "28 February 1988"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 90
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-09-26T17:46:13.756700+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."
---

# Asakazu Nakai

## Identity

Asakazu Nakai

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/asakazu-nakai
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** asakazu-nakai
- **IMDb ID:** nm0620014
- **TMDB ID:** 34380
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2329908
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asakazu_Nakai, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2329908, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0620014/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34380

Cinematographer. Born 29 August 1901 in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Died 28 February 1988.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 29 August 1901, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
- **Died:** 28 February 1988
- **Active:** 1952–1985
- **Frequently works with:** [Akira Kurosawa](https://film.one/person/akira-kurosawa.md), [Hideo Oguni](https://film.one/person/hideo-oguni.md), [Shinobu Hashimoto](https://film.one/person/shinobu-hashimoto.md), [Sōjirō Motoki](https://film.one/person/sojiro-motoki.md), [Takashi Shimura](https://film.one/person/takashi-shimura.md), [Toshirō Mifune](https://film.one/person/toshiro-mifune.md), [Ryuzo Kikushima](https://film.one/person/ryuzo-kikushima.md), [Takao Saitō](https://film.one/person/takao-saito.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 92 (3), 1960s 90 (1), 1970s 82 (1), 1980s 92 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 91 to 87 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 6, Action 2, History 2, Adventure 1, Crime 1, Mystery 1
- **Screen time:** 15 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $589m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asakazu_Nakai, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2329908, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0620014/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34380

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Seven Samurai*](https://film.one/film/seven-samurai.md) (95), [*Ikiru*](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md) (92), [*High and Low*](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md) (90), [*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.

## Biography

Asakazu Nakai (29 August 1901 – 28 February 1988) was a Japanese cinematographer born in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. He is best known for his long collaboration with director Akira Kurosawa, serving as director of photography on eleven of the filmmaker's projects.

His credits with Kurosawa include *Stray Dog* (1949), *Ikiru* (1952), *Seven Samurai* (1954), *Throne of Blood* (1957), *High and Low* (1963), *Red Beard* (1965), *Dersu Uzala* (1975) and *Ran* (1985). He won the Mainichi Film Award for Best Cinematography for *Stray Dog* and received an Academy Award nomination for *Ran*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *Ran* (1985), Fi1m 92, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/ran.md)
- *Dersu Uzala* (1975), Fi1m 82, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/dersu-uzala.md)
- *High and Low* (1963), Fi1m 90, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md)
- *Throne of Blood* (1957), Fi1m 88, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood.md)
- *Seven Samurai* (1954), Fi1m 95, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/seven-samurai.md)
- *Ikiru* (1952), Fi1m 92, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md)

## Complete filmography (71)

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

- *Ran* (1985), Director of Photography — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/ran.md)
- *Love and Separation in Sri Lanka* (1976), Director of Photography
- *Dersu Uzala* (1975), Director of Photography — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/dersu-uzala.md)
- *The Origin of Twenty Years Old* (1973), Director of Photography
- *First Love* (1972), Director of Photography
- *Shiosai* (1971), Director of Photography
- *Wakare no uta* (1971), Director of Photography
- *Take Care, Red Riding Hood* (1970), Director of Photography
- *L'Essayage* (1969), Director of Photography
- *When Love Awakens* (1969), Director of Photography
- *Konto 55: The Weaknesses of the Century* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Judge and Jeopardy* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Great Incidents* (1967), Director of Photography
- *The Daphne* (1966), Director of Photography
- *We Will Remember* (1965), Director of Photography
- *Red Beard* (1965), Director of Photography
- *The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers* (1964), Director of Photography
- *Apple Blossom Town* (1963), Director of Photography
- *High and Low* (1963), Director of Photography — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md)
- *Musume to watashi* (1962), Director of Photography
- *The End of Summer* (1961), Director of Photography
- *Girls of the Night* (1961), Director of Photography
- *Eternity of Love* (1961), Director of Photography
- *The Blue Beast* (1960), Director of Photography
- *The Dangerous Kiss* (1960), Director of Photography
- *The Lost Alibi* (1960), Director of Photography
- *New Third Class Executive: Travel, Women and Drinking* (1960), Director of Photography
- *The Enchanting Devil* (1959), Director of Photography
- *I Love You* (1959), Director of Photography
- *I Want to Be a Shellfish* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Big Boss* (1959), Director of Photography
- *The Naked General* (1958), Director of Photography
- *All About Marriage* (1958), Director of Photography
- *A Bridge for Two Alone* (1958), Director of Photography
- *The Oil-Hell Murder* (1957), Director of Photography
- *A Dangerous Hero* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Ujō* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Throne of Blood* (1957), Director of Photography — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood.md)
- *I Live in Fear* (1955), Director of Photography
- *The Tears of Geisha Konatsu* (1955), Director of Photography
- *School Girls in Costume* (1955), Director of Photography
- *The Road to the Spring* (1955), Camera Operator
- *Seven Samurai* (1954), Director of Photography — Fi1m 95, [page](https://film.one/film/seven-samurai.md)
- *Mr. Pu* (1953), Director of Photography
- *Husband and Wife* (1953), Director of Photography
- *Oka wa hanazakari* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Ikiru* (1952), Director of Photography — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md)
- *Who Knows a Woman's Heart* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Dancing Girl* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Freedom School* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Elegy* (1951), Director of Photography
- *Clothes of Deception* (1951), Director of Photography
- *The End of the War* (1950), Director of Photography
- *Escape from Prison* (1950), Director of Photography
- *Stray Dog* (1949), Director of Photography
- *The Blue Mountains: Part II* (1949), Director of Photography
- *The Blue Mountains: Part I* (1949), Director of Photography
- *Suiren fujin to bara musume* (1948), Director of Photography
- *Actress* (1947), Director of Photography
- *One Wonderful Sunday* (1947), Director of Photography
- *No Regrets for Our Youth* (1946), Director of Photography
- *The Brick Factory Girl* (1946), Director of Photography
- *Yoki na onna* (1946), Director of Photography
- *Three Women of the North* (1945), Director of Photography
- *Battle Troop* (1944), Director of Photography
- *Nichijô no tatakai* (1944), Director of Photography
- *The Song Lantern* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Banzuiin Chōbei* (1940), Director of Photography
- *Hideko the Cheerleader* (1940), Director of Photography
- *Otomebashi* (1936), Director of Photography
- *The Scent of Pheasant’s Eye: An Episode from the Tales of Flowers* (1935), Director of Photography

## Gallery

- ![Asakazu Nakai](https://film.one/media/person/59919/gallery-b613790add25.jpg) Asakazu Nakai — キネマ旬報社　撮影者不明, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Asakazu_Nakai.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![映画『赤ひげ』撮影中の黒澤明監督。 (1964)](https://film.one/media/person/59919/gallery-90fdaa89d1ab.jpg) 映画『赤ひげ』撮影中の黒澤明監督。 (1964) — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Bungei-Shunju-1964-July-2.jpg/1280px-Bungei-Shunju-1964-July-2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Photo of Setsuko Hara being filmed by Asakazu Nakai and Akira Kurosawa on the set of No Regrets for Our Youth. Taken by Tadahiko Hayashi in 1946.](https://film.one/media/person/59919/gallery-2feefe12209a.png) Photo of Setsuko Hara being filmed by Asakazu Nakai and Akira Kurosawa on the set of No Regrets for Our Youth. Taken by Tadahiko Hayashi in 1946. — Tadahiko Hayashi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Hara_Setsuko_in_1946.png/1280px-Hara_Setsuko_in_1946.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![『キネマ旬報』1958年11月上旬号、p.9 (2022)](https://film.one/media/person/59919/gallery-6f090d5a4e3f.jpg) 『キネマ旬報』1958年11月上旬号、p.9 (2022) — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB%E3%80%8E%E8%A3%B8%E3%81%AE%E5%A4%A7%E5%B0%86%E3%80%8F%281958%29.jpg/1280px-%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB%E3%80%8E%E8%A3%B8%E3%81%AE%E5%A4%A7%E5%B0%86%E3%80%8F%281958%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1986: Best Cinematography (nominated), for *Ran*

*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/asakazu-nakai