Yoshirō Edamasa

Yoshirō Edamasa
Edamasa in 1919
Born	22 September 1888 Hiroshima, Empire of Japan[1]
Died	8 September 1944 (aged 55)
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation	Film director
Years active	1914-1934

Yoshirō Edamasa (枝正 義郎, Edamasa Yoshirō, 22 September 1888 – 8 September 1944) was a Japanese film director best known for Sakamoto Ryoma (1928) and The Great Buddha Arrival (1934).^[2] The latter film is one of the earliest tokusatsu movies, which is exemplified by kaiju movies.^[3] He was an early pioneer of Japanese cinema who trained many outstanding directors and cinematographers including Eiji Tsuburaya.^[4]

Life

Edamasa was born in Kushima, Saeki, Hiroshima Prefecture (present-day Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima).^[5]

In 1910, he began working in the film industry when he was hired by Yoshizawa Shōten.^[1] He later worked as an operator also for Fukuhōdō , Tōyō Shōkai and Tenkatsu Nippori.^[1]

He made his debut as a director in 1919 on the film Ai no kyoku which was considered to be one of the most advanced films of that time.^[6] By the end of the 1930s, Edamasa had directed more than 20 films.^[1]

Edamasa belonged to a group of directors who emphasized the realistic style of acting.^[7]

Selected filmography

• Yoshitsune sembon zakura^[8] (1914) - Cinematographer
• Ninjutsu kaiso Koga Saburou (1918) - Cinematographer^[8]
• Momochi sandayu (1918) - Cinematographer^[8]
• Ai no kyoku (1919) - Director and Cinematographer^{[citation needed]}
• Awaremi no kyoku (1919) - Director^[8]
• Shima no tsuka (1920) - Director^[8]
• Korokuden (1924) - Director^{[citation needed]}
• Fuyuki shinju^[8] (1924) - Director^[8]
• Sakamoto Ryoma ^[8](1928) - Director^[8]
• Tsukigata hanpeita (1929) - Director^{[citation needed]}
• Higo no komageta^[8] (1929) - Director
• kōboro kakū no kyōjin^[8] (1932) - Director
• The Great Buddha Arrival (1934)^[9] - Director (Last work)^[9]

References

1. Komatsu, Hiroshi; Abel, Richard (2005). Encyclopedia of Early Cinema. London: Routledge. p. 199. ISBN 0-415-23440-9.
2. "Films directed by Yoshiro Edamasa". letterboxd.com. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
3. "Amazon.com: The Great Buddha Arrival : Hiroto Yokokawa: Prime Video". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
4. Yamamoto, Akira (1982). Hiroshima Encyclopedia (1). Chugoku Shimbun. p. 147.
5. Yamamoto, Akira (1982). 広島県大百科事典(上). 中国新聞社. p. 147.
6. Lee, Daw-Ming (2012). Historical Dictionary of Taiwan Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-8108-7922-5.
7. "Początki kina w Japonii – multimedialny wykład dra Jakuba Karpoluka". www.iluzjon.fn.org.pl. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
8. "Yoshiro Edamasa". IMDb. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
9. "Godzilla-Italia - Scheda Regista: Yoshiro Edamasa". www.fantaclassici.com. Retrieved 7 December 2020.

External links

• Yoshirō Edamasa at IMDb
• Yoshiro Edamasa at Japanese Movie Database