Yoji Yamada

Directing

Yoji Yamada

Born September 13, 1931 · Osaka, Japan (age 95)

Yoji Yamada (山田 洋次 Yamada Yōji, born September 13, 1931 in Toyonaka City, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese film director best known for his Otoko wa Tsurai yo series of films. He was born in Osaka. But because of the work of his father, who was an engineer for the South Manchuria Railway, from the age of 2 he was brought up in Manchuria. Following the end of World War II, he came back to Japan and sub…

Known For

The Twilight SamuraiThe Twilight Samurai · 2002
The Twilight Samurai
★ 7.82002
MovieDramaRomance
Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?
What a Wonderful Family! 2What a Wonderful Family! 2 · 2017
What a Wonderful Family! 2
★ 7.02017
MovieComedy
Several years after Shuzo settled his wife’s birthday-surprise divorce proposal (What a Wonderful Family, 40th), the Hirata family faces new problems. Ignoring his family’s worry that he is too old to drive, Shuzo takes his old schoolmate for a spin after carousing. Soon, a new disturbance arises for the Hirata family. Veteran director Yamada Yoji continues his comedy about the “perfect“ Japanese family turned upside down in chaos, laughters and understanding. This time, with an additional taste of death.
The Yellow HandkerchiefThe Yellow Handkerchief · 1977
The Yellow Handkerchief
★ 7.01977
MovieComedyDrama
A convict, newly released from prison for murder, joins two strangers on a road trip through Hokkaido to visit his ex-wife, whom he hasn't seen in four years, knowing that if she puts a yellow handkerchief on the window, it would mean that she wants him back at home.
Tokyo TaxiTokyo Taxi · 2025
Tokyo Taxi
★ 7.32025
MovieDrama
One day, taxi driver Koji Usami is tasked with driving 85-year-old Sumire Takano from Shibamata, Tokyo to a senior care facility in Hayama, Kanagawa. Sumire asks Koji to make some detours. Gradually opening up to her, Sumire begins to tell the story of her grand past...
Tora-san's Shattered RomanceTora-san's Shattered Romance · 1971
Tora-san's Shattered Romance
★ 7.71971
MovieComedy
Torajiro becomes homesick during his travels after watching a television report about his hometown and meeting a young woman that reminds him of his sister Sakura. Meanwhile, a new tenant moves into Toraya restaurant.
What a Wonderful Family!What a Wonderful Family! · 2016
What a Wonderful Family!
★ 7.32016
MovieComedyFamily
A husband and wife have been married for 50 years. For her birthday, the husband asks the wife what she wants for her birthday present. She replies that she wants a divorce. The wife's divorce announcement sends the entire family into chaos.
What a Wonderful Family! 3What a Wonderful Family! 3 · 2018
What a Wonderful Family! 3
★ 7.62018
MovieDramaComedy
At the Hirata home, three generations of their family live together. A crisis ensues when one afternoon, housewife Fumie falls asleep and wakes up to find a thief has stolen her secret money she kept hidden in the refrigerator.
The Castle of SandThe Castle of Sand · 1974
The Castle of Sand
★ 7.31974
MovieCrimeMystery
Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.

Filmography

Sort
Sea Without ExitSea Without Exit · 2006
Sea Without Exit
★ 5.92006
MovieWar
Koji Namiki is a young pitcher who has shown great promise on the diamond by winning the National High School Baseball Championships. Shortly after entering college, however, Namiki's athletic career is called into question after he suffers a severe elbow injury. But despite a disheartening diagnosis, Namiki is determined to make a comeback. With a little help from his teammates it appears that he is getting back on track, too. Recently, he's even developed a new slow ball that he and his teammates have christened "the magic pitch". Fate can be a cruel mistress though, and when World War II breaks out Namiki the entire team join the navy and begin a training regiment specifically designed to prepare them for the ultimate darkness, an submarine attack method also known as "The Human Torpedo".

Screenplay