The King's Move

Born October 12, 1898, in Uwajima, Ehime, Daisuke Ito was one of the top directors and screenwriters of his time in Japan. Often regarded as the “Father of Jidaigeki (period drama),” he particularly laid his bricks in samurai cinema, building the foundation of modern jidaigeki from the era of silent film (his first screenplay was produced in 1921), to his final film in 1971.

During his early filmmaking days in the silent era, he was known for his mobile camera style, and earned himself the nickname “Ido DAISUKE” (“I LOVE Motion”), a pun on “Ito Daisuke.” Over his many years of filmmaking, he worked with such legendary stars as Kinnosuke NAKAMURA, Raizo ICHIKAWA, Shintaro KATSU, Denjiro OKOCHI, and Tsumasaburo BANDO. The director of Samurai Vendetta, Kazuo Mori, was also a beloved student of Daisuke Ito.

As a director, he’s perhaps best known for his award-winning Hangyakuji, a.k.a. Conspirator (1961), and Benten Kozo, a.k.a. The Gay Masquerade (1958). As a writer, he’s best-known for his adaptation of Yukinojo Henge, a.k.a. Revenge of a Kabuki Actor, as well as his single contributions to long-running samurai series such as Sleepy Eyes of Death 8 (1966), and Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965).

Ito died on July 19, 1981, at the age of 82, after a career that lasted more than half a century. —AnimEigo