← All films
Masaki Kobayashi

Director

Masaki Kobayashi

Born 14 February 1916 · Otaru, Hokkaidō, Japan — died 4 October 1996

Masaki Kobayashi (1916–1996) was a Japanese director known for humanist, critical films about individuals pitted against rigid institutions. His best-known works are the nine-hour war epic The Human Condition, the samurai dramas Harakiri and Samurai Rebellion, and the ghost anthology Kwaidan. His reputation has grown considerably since his death.

Key films

  • The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)

    Opens his monumental war trilogy, a defining humanist epic of postwar Japanese cinema.

  • Harakiri (1962)

    A stark, formally precise samurai film attacking feudal hypocrisy; often ranked among the greatest of the genre.

  • Kwaidan (1965)

    Lavishly stylised ghost-story anthology that showcased his visual artistry and reached international audiences.

  • Samurai Rebellion (1967)

    Another study of an individual defying authority, with Toshiro Mifune in a leading role.

  • The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961)

    Concludes the trilogy, tracing its protagonist's fate in the war's final stages and captivity.

Key awards

  • 1963: Cannes Film Festival, Special Jury Prize (Harakiri)
  • 1965: Cannes Film Festival, Special Jury Prize (Kwaidan)

On Cinespective

Full filmography · 24
  • 1952Youth of the SonDirector
  • 1953Sincere HeartDirector
  • 1954Somewhere Beneath the Wide SkyDirector
  • 1954Three LovesDirector
  • 1955Beautiful DaysDirector
  • 1956The Thick-Walled RoomDirector
  • 1956I Will Buy YouDirector
  • 1956FountainheadDirector
  • 1957Black RiverDirector
  • 1959The Human Condition I: No Greater LoveDirector
  • 1959The Human Condition II: Road to EternityDirector
  • 1961The Human Condition III: A Soldier's PrayerDirector
  • 1962HarakiriDirector
  • 1962The InheritanceDirector
  • 1965KwaidanDirector
  • 1967Samurai RebellionDirector
  • 1968Hymn to a Tired ManDirector
  • 1971Inn of EvilDirector
  • 1975The FossilDirector
  • 1978Glowing AutumnDirector
  • 1983Tokyo TrialDirector
  • 1985The Empty TableDirector
  • 1993Masaki Kobayashi on 'The Human Condition' · as SelfActor
  • 2024Unification of Japan 62Actor

Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.