Skip to content
Masaki Kobayashi

Personal Information

Known ForDirecting
GenderMale
Born / DiedFeb 14, 1916 (Died at 80)
Zodiac Sign♒Aquarius
Place of BirthOtaru, Hokkaido, Japan
Career Span1931 – 1996
Known Credits35 Titles
Official Links
DirectingPopularity Score 1.4

Masaki Kobayashi

Also known as:Масаки Кобаяси小林正树고바야시 마사키코바야시 마사키+2 more
Total Works

35

33 movies • 1 shows

Avg Rating

7.5 / 10

across rated releases

Box Office

—

worldwide gross

Global Reach

#1

TMDB star index

Biography

Masaki Kobayashi (小林 正樹, Kobayashi Masaki; February 14, 1916 – October 4, 1996) was a Japanese filmmaker. He is best remembered for directing the epic war trilogy The Human Condition (1959–1961), the samurai films Harakiri (1962) and Samurai Rebellion (1967), and the horror anthology epic Kwaidan (1964). Senses of Cinema described him as "one of the finest depicters of Japanese society in the 1950s and 1960s." Although overshadowed by other Japanese filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu in his lifetime, his work has gained wider traction in the 21st century with several of his films being ranked as some of the greatest films ever made. Description above from the Wikipedia article Masaki Kobayashi, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Signature Roles & Milestones

Harakiri
8.5
Harakiri
1962•movie
Role: Director
Kwaidan
7.7
Kwaidan
1965•movie
Role: Director
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
8.2
Role: Director
Samurai Rebellion
8.2
Samurai Rebellion
1967•movie
Role: Director

Full Filmography & Credits

Showing 35 titles featuring Masaki Kobayashi

Harakiri
8.5
Harakiri
1962•movie

Role: Director

Kwaidan
7.7
Kwaidan
1965•movie

Role: Director

The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
8.2

Role: Director

Samurai Rebellion
8.2
Samurai Rebellion
1967•movie

Role: Director

The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
8.2
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
8.4
Dodes'ka-den
7.1
Dodes'ka-den
1970•movie

Role: Executive Producer

Tokyo Olympiad
7.7
Tokyo Olympiad
1965•movie

Role: Thanks

Black River
7.0
Black River
1957•movie

Role: Director

The Inheritance
7.3
The Inheritance
1962•movie

Role: Director

Carmen Comes Home
6.3
Carmen Comes Home
1951•movie

Role: Assistant Director

Inn of Evil
6.3
Inn of Evil
1971•movie

Role: Director

The Thick-Walled Room
7.2

Role: Director

I Will Buy You
7.1
I Will Buy You
1956•movie

Role: Director

Yotsuya Ghost Story Part 1
6.6

Role: Assistant Director

The Fossil
7.2
The Fossil
1975•movie

Role: Director

Sincere Heart
6.5
Sincere Heart
1953•movie

Role: Director

Dora-heita
5.4
Dora-heita
2000•movie

Role: Screenplay

Fountainhead
6.1
Fountainhead
1956•movie

Role: Director

Tokyo Trial
7.0
Tokyo Trial
1983•movie

Role: Director

Youth of the Son
6.8
Youth of the Son
1952•movie

Role: Director

Final Approach
5.5
Final Approach
2004•anime

Role: Executive Producer

Beautiful Days
6.9
Beautiful Days
1955•movie

Role: Director

Somewhere Beneath the Wide Sky
6.8

Role: Director

The Empty Table
6.9
The Empty Table
1985•movie

Role: Director

Broken Drum
6.7
Broken Drum
1949•movie

Role: Screenplay

Hymn to a Tired Man
8.2

Role: Director

Apostasy
6.0
Apostasy
1948•movie

Role: Assistant Director

The Portrait
6.7
The Portrait
1948•movie

Role: Assistant Director

Three Loves
7.3
Three Loves
1954•movie

Role: Director

The Revenge Champion
7.0

Role: Screenplay

Glowing Autumn
8.0
Glowing Autumn
1978•movie

Role: Director

Fossil
Fossil
1972•series

Role: Director