13 Facts About Kinji Fukasaku

Kinji Fukasaku was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.

Kinji Fukasaku wrote and directed over 60 films between 1961 and 2003.

Kinji Fukasaku won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Director of the Year three times, out of nine total nominations.

Kinji Fukasaku served as President of the Directors Guild of Japan from 1996, until his death from prostate cancer in 2003.

Kinji Fukasaku's films have inspired directors such as Quentin Tarantino, William Friedkin, and John Woo.

Kinji Fukasaku was born in 1930 in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture as the youngest of five children.

When he was 15 years old, Kinji Fukasaku's class was drafted, and he worked as a munitions worker during World War II.

Kinji Fukasaku studied cinema at Nihon University, in the country's first film department, before switching to the literature department for scriptwriting his junior year.

Kinji Fukasaku made his directorial debut in 1961 with the two featurettes Drifting Detective: Tragedy in the Red Valley and Drifting Detective: Black Wind in the Harbor, starring Sonny Chiba.

Kinji Fukasaku had his breakthrough hit in 1964 with Ken Takakura starring in Jakoman and Tetsu.

Kinji Fukasaku focused on historical epics; Shogun's Samurai, The Fall of Ako Castle, Samurai Reincarnation ; and science fiction; Message from Space and Virus.

Kinji Fukasaku was chosen to direct Violent Cop, but a scheduling conflict caused him to pull out and Takeshi Kitano took over in his first directorial role.

Kinji Fukasaku died at a Tokyo hospital on 12 January 2003, aged 72.