Biografie

18. November 1964 · Wakayama, Japan

Frequently casts Susumu Terajima and Shin'ichi Tsutsumi in his films.

Member of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival in 2017.

[on Chasuke's Journey (2015)] With regard to shopping arcades, it's a frequent feature a lot of my work. It's a space that I love. Especially this shopping arcade in Okinawa was very specific and unique, because it has all these great narrow alleyways and old buildings, so it was great to capture that.[2015]

So, the truth is, I've made so many films, but I still don't consider myself a filmmaker. I didn't have a particular desire to be a filmmaker in the beginning, so I still lack the confidence, to tell you the truth. I think it really helped that I worked for over 10 years as an actor, so I knew how the crew was supposed to function, and I understood how the set operates, and I had a sense of that. I also like to create stories, and that helped, as well. I was also in a band and so was interested in music, so I knew how to incorporate score, for instance. I also studied at the Osaka fashion school, so I had a sense of how art, fashion and wardrobe were supposed to work, as well. And it just all comes down to watching a lot of movies: There a lot of movies that became a model for me, so that's how I learned.[2015]

Of course, there were a lot of masterpieces in the world, and I'm sure a lot of people have these preconceived notions about what a film is supposed to be, but I've been making my films by breaking down those preconceived notions, to try to create something that was newer and freer. I would advise the same for your readers; forgo preconceived notions and try to be more free and try to create something that's new.[2015]

I'm a grown man, so I have to be, to a certain degree, serious; but I do value the importance of entertainment and I want to make sure that the audience has fun.[2015]

[on Chasuke's Journey (2015)] This film actually originated with an entirely different story that I had in mind, and that story also had a yakuza as the protagonist. He gets into an accident and he's about to die, and that's when he gets the special power to heal people, and for the first time in his entire life, he learns what it feels like to make people happy, and he becomes addicted to this feeling. He learns what it feels like. So that was the story that I had in mind, and that was the character of Chasuke.[2015]