Inagaki Hiroshi

Born into a theatrical family, Inagaki appeared on stage from age 8 before joining Nikkatsu as an actor in 1922. However, his true passion lay in directing, a career he embarked on in 1928. He became a pillar of the jidaigeki (period drama) genre, known for blending large-scale spectacle with intimate human drama and child-like wonder.

While he frequently collaborated with star Kataoka Chiezô in the pre-war era, he is best known globally for his partnership with Mifune Toshirô. He directed Mifune in over 20 films—more than any other director, including Kurosawa Akira. Their most famous collaboration is the Samurai Trilogy (Musashi Miyamoto), epic color films released between 1954 and 1956. The first entry won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Inagaki's career reached another peak with Rickshaw Man (1958), a remake of his own earlier silent film, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. He also helmed the 1000th film produced by Toho, the mythological epic The Three Treasures (1959).

He crafted a previous, now lost, trilogy of Musashi Miyamoto films in the 1940s starring Kataoka, which laid the groundwork for his later, more famous adaptation.