Kōichi Saitō

Biography

Kōichi Saitō (斎藤 耕一 Saitō Kōichi, 3 February 1929 – 28 November 2009) was a Japanese film director and photographer. Born in Tokyo, Saitō started studying at Rikkyo University but ended up graduating from the Tokyo College of Photography (currently Tokyo Polytechnic University). He was initially a movie stills photographer at Nikkatsu before launching his own production company, Saito Productions, and directing his first film, Tsubuyaki no Jō, "a low-budget, independent film with a visual flair that earned comparisons with Claude Lelouch and with Richard Lester’s Beatles films, including A Hard Day’s Night". Some of his first films were youth movies featuring Group Sounds music. He came to prominence in the early 1970s with a series of movies about young people escaping to or searching for their identity in the countryside. He won the best director award at the 1972 Mainichi Film Awards. His Tsugaru jongarabushi was selected the best film of 1973 in the Kinema Junpo poll of critics. Saitō continued directing into his seventies and also made some documentaries. He was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun (4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette) in 2000.

Directed

1. Tsugaru Folksong (1973) — Director
2. The Rendezvous (1972) — Director
3. Journey Into Solitude (1972) — Director
4. The Homeless (1974) — Director
5. Shadow of Deception (1971) — Director
6. Onigiri: Arcadia monogatari (2004) — Director
7. Second Chance (1973) — Director
8. Little Snack (1968) — Director
9. Frozen River (1976) — Director
10. Jesus is My Boss (2001) — Director
11. Whispering Joe (1967) — Director
12. Bokyo (1993) — Director
13. The Blue Mountains '88 (1988) — Director
14. Takehisa Yumeji monogatari: koi suru (1975) — Director
15. Someday, Somewhere (1975) — Director
16. The Wonderful Ones (1968) — Director
17. Waterfront Blues (1970) — Director
18. Lemon in the Rainbow (1968) — Director
19. The S.S. Happiness Sets Sail (1980) — Director
20. Hotel Rose (1996) — Director
21. Ningen no sabaku (1990) — Director
22. Seasonal Wind (1977) — Director
23. Kigeki: koko kara hajimaru monogatari (1973) — Director
24. Kigeki: Hanayome sensô (1971) — Director
25. Memai (1971) — Director
26. Tabiji: ofukuro-san yori (1971) — Director
27. The Tide Does Not Return (1969) — Director
28. Dear Tomorrow (1969) — Director
29. Rainbow Over Paris (1970) — Director
30. Aspiration (1977) — Director
31. Invitation from the Beach (1978) — Director
32. Fallen Leaves and Sweet Memories (1969) — Director
33. YaYaBaka Yuttari-San (1999) — Director
34. Daihyô torishimariyaku deka (1990) — Director