Yamamoto Kajiro (山本嘉次郎)
Kajiro YAMAMOTO (March 15, 1902 - September 21, 1974) was a film director, actor, screenwriter and essayist in Japan. He was known for having nurtured Akira KUROSAWA and Hideko TAKAMINE. Moreover, he was a filmmaker who worked best with Kenichi ENOMOTO. Initially, when writing scripts and debuting as an actor, Yamamoto often wrote movie scripts and appeared in films under the name of Nobuyuki HIRADO or Nobuyuki HIRATA.
Brief personal history
Yamamoto was born in Uneme-cho, Ginza, Tokyo. His parents ran a restaurant and started selling oyakodon (literally, parent and child bowl, or chicken and egg rice bowl) which they had invented. After graduating from Keio University, Yamamoto debuted as an actor in "Manatsu no yo no yume" (A Midsummer Night's Dream) costarring with Yoshiko OKADA in 1920. As a result of this, however, he was disowned by his parents, but with the money he received from them, he founded Mumei Eiga Kyokai (production company) and featured himself.
Afterwards, Yamamoto was employed by the Nikkatsu (movie studio) and worked as an assistant director. In the meantime, he wrote scripts and created a screenplay for "Haru to musume" (Spring and A Girl) in 1932, which is known as the first film to be dubbed with a full soundtrack.
After the Great Kanto Earthquake, Yamamoto worked as director of "Atsubi no jujiro" at Hayakawa Production, which was founded in the Kansai region. He afterwards directed various Enoken films (films starring Enoken, or Kenichi ENOMOTO) at Photo Chemical Laboratory Co. Ltd. Of the many Enoken films, 2 in particular, "Enoken no donguri Tonbe" (Enoken's acorn Tonbe) of 1936 and "Enoken no chakkiri Kinta" (Enoken's Chikiri Kinta) of 1937, are said to be the best films to feature Enoken's characteristic music jokes.
Yamamoto directed "Tsuzurikata kyoshitsu" (Composition Class) played by Hideko TAKAMINE in 1938, and produced "Uma" (Horse) with Akira KUROSAWA as his assistant director in 1941. These 2 films were highly praised as fine works dealing with worlds that had not been filmed before.
In 1942, during World War II, Yamamoto directed "Hawai Mare oki kaisen" (The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malay) at Toho Co., Ltd. (film studio) with Eiji TSUBURAYA as his special effects director.
Yamamoto later directed Hizuru TAKACHIHO's debut movie "Hopu-san" (Mr. Hope) in 1951 and the first color film at Toho "Hana no naka no musumetachi" (Girls Amongst the Flowers) 2 years later in 1953. He showed he was alive and well.
Yamamoto had only a few opportunities to direct films in his later years but wrote many scripts. His sophisticated lifestyle of proclaiming himself 'Katsudo-ya' (film person) attracted numerous intellectuals.
Personal profile
Because he was curious about everything, knowledgeable and a gourmet, Yamamoto was nicknamed 'Nandemo Kajiro' (literally, chew anything, a pun on the verb to chew, which is pronounced like his name Kajiro). He wrote many books.