Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award
While in college, he began making 8 mm films, but started working as an actor after graduation. While acting in Junji Sakamoto's "Scarred Angels", he also became a member of the staff. He appeared in and helped produce Hiroshi Okuhara's "Wave", which won the NETPAC Award at the 2002 Rotterdam Film Festival. In 2005, he directed his first film, "The Whispering of the Gods". His second film, "A Crowd of Three", earned him the 2010 Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award. His 2013 film "The Ravine of Goodbye" won the Special Jury Prize at the 35th Moscow International Film Festival.