Kazuo Ikehiro

Biography

Kazuo Ikehiro got his start as an assistant working for directors like Kenji Mizoguchi and Kon Ichikawa. He always had a strong preference for working in jidai-geki and says that he only did a number of modern-day yakuza films because of studio demands. Ikehiro developed a gritty, unconventional style that made him an excellent match for Zatoichi and the antihero screen personae of Raizo Ichikawa. Possibly his greatest achievement came with Raizo, when he played an instrumental part in the Nemuri Kyoshiro series. The first three movies had been fairly straightforward chambara adventures, but with 1964's Sword of Seduction, Ikehiro steered the series into the surreal and stylistically outrageous extremes that made the Son of the Black Mass so legendary.

Directed

1. Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold (1964) — Director
2. Zatoichi's Flashing Sword (1964) — Director
3. Zatoichi's Pilgrimage (1966) — Director
4. Shinobi No Mono 5: Return of Mist Saizo (1964) — Director
5. Monkey (1978) — Director
6. Sleepy Eyes of Death 4: Sword of Seduction (1964) — Director
7. Shinobi no mono 8: The Three Enemies (1966) — Director
8. Sleepy Eyes of Death 12: Castle Menagerie (1969) — Director
9. Lone Wolf Isazo (1968) — Director
10. The Trail of Blood (1972) — Director
11. Sleepy Eyes of Death 14: Fylfot Swordplay (1969) — Director
12. Sleepy Eyes of Death 9: Trail of Traps (1967) — Director
13. Broken Swords (1969) — Director
14. The Gambler's Code (1961) — Director
15. Hoodlum Priest And The Gold Mint (1968) — Director
16. Seven Miles to Nakayama (1962) — Director
17. The Fearless Avenger (1972) — Director
18. Young Boss: Prison Release (1965) — Director
19. Detective Ushio VS Case Reporter Saeko at the Terminal Station (2008) — Director
20. Wild Geese (1966) — Director
21. Slaughter in the Snow (1973) — Director
22. Young Boss (1965) — Director
23. Tulips in October (2022) — Director
24. Naked Ambition (1970) — Director
25. Rabble Tactics (1963) — Director
26. The Thieves' Who's Who (1966) — Director
27. Goro Dog (1980) — Director
28. Kogarashi Monjiro (1972) — Director
29. The Daring Nun (1968) — Director
30. Lowly Ronin (1981) — Director
31. Cut the Shadow (1963) — Director
32. Useless Creature: Fighting Man's Life (1970) — Director
33. Live My Share, Mother (1970) — Director
34. Terminal Station Series - Umbrella of Goodwill (2015) — Director
35. Murder Credit - Final Destination Series (2016) — Director
36. Prison Break (1969) — Director
37. Make-Up (1984) — Director
38. The Phantom Samurai (1961) — Director
39. Flowers of Chivalry (1961) — Director
40. Young Boss: Leader's Flesh (1967) — Director