Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Keisuke Kinoshita

Role / Field:

A celebrated Japanese film director known for sentimental beauty and technical experimentation.

Born:

1912-12-05

Died:

1998-12-30

Century / Era:

1912s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Keisuke Kinoshita (木下 惠介, Kinoshita Keisuke; December 5, 1912 – December 30, 1998) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu, he was a household figure in his home country, beloved by both critics and audiences from the 1940s to the 1960s. Kinoshita's films were marked by a sense of sentimentality, purity, and beauty, and often featured experimentation in both technique and subject matter. Kinoshita entered the film industry in 1933 as a film processor.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He moved on to the position of camera assistant, then assistant director. In 1943, Kinoshita was promoted to director and released his first film, Port of Flowers. A prolific filmmaker, Kinoshita directed 43 films in the first 23 years of his career, and then five more after a stint in television production. Among his best known films are Carmen Comes Home (1951), A Japanese Tragedy (1953), Twenty-Four Eyes (1954), She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum (1955) and The Ballad of Narayama (1958). Keisuke Kinoshita was born Masakichi Kinoshita on December 5, 1912, in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Alan Turing — Contemporary (Born in 1912) (1912): Father of theoretical computer science, known for the Turing machine and codebreaking.
• Aitana Bonmatí — Contemporary (Born in 1998) (1998): Star Spanish midfielder known for her decorated career with Barcelona and the Spain national team.
• Akira Kurosawa — Contemporary (Died in 1998) (1998): Master of Japanese cinema, known for dynamic style and epic storytelling.
• Alan Hodgkin — Contemporary (Died in 1998) (1998): Pioneering physiologist known for action potential theory and Nobel laureate.
• Abanindranath Tagore — Shared historical date (12-05 · Died) (1951): Pioneering figure of the Bengal School, modernizing Indian art against Western influence.
• Adolph Caesar — Shared historical date (12-05 · Born) (1933): Acclaimed American actor known for his deep voice and Off-Broadway staple status.
• Al-Qushayri — Shared historical date (12-30 · Died) (1072): Eminent Arab scholar, Sufi philosopher, and master of Islamic sciences.
• Alfred North Whitehead — Shared historical date (12-30 · Died) (1947): Pioneering philosopher and mathematician who established Process Philosophy.
• 1912 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1912
• December 5 (12-05) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on December 5
• 1998 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1998
• December 30 (12-30) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on December 30

Frequently Asked Questions about Keisuke Kinoshita