Juzo Itami

Juzo Itami (伊丹 十三, Itami Jūzō, May 15, 1933 – December 20, 1997) was an actor and (later) a popular modern Japanese film director. Many critics came to regard him as Japan's greatest director since Akira Kurosawa. His 10 movies, all of which he wrote himself, are comic satires on elements of Japanese culture. Itami was born Yoshihiro Ikeuchi in Kyoto, Japan. The name Itami was passed on from his father, Mansaku Itami—who had himself been a renown... more

Juzo Itami (伊丹 十三, Itami Jūzō, May 15, 1933 – December 20, 1997) was an actor and (later) a popular modern Japanese film director. Many critics came to regard him as Japan's greatest director since Akira Kurosawa. His 10 movies, all of which he wrote himself, are comic satires on elements of Japanese culture. Itami was born Yoshihiro Ikeuchi in Kyoto, Japan. The name Itami was passed on from his father, Mansaku Itami—who had himself been a renowned satirist and film director before World War II. At the end of the war, when he was in Kyoto, Itami was chosen as an infant prodigy and educated at Tokubetsu Kagaku Gakkyu (特別科学学級; "the special scientific education class") as a future scientist who was expected to defeat the allied powers. Among his fellow students, were the sons of Hideki Yukawa and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. This class was abolished in March 1947. He moved from Kyoto to Ehime when he was a high school student. After transferring to the prestigious Matsuyama Higashi High School,... less