page_title: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
section_title: Style and influences
hierarchical_section_title: Kiyoshi Kurosawa / Style and influences
caption_attribution_description: English: Yasujiro Ozu日本語: 小津安二郎
context_page_description: Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film critic and a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. Although he has worked in a variety of genres, Kurosawa is best known for his many contributions to the Japanese horror genre.
context_section_description: Kurosawa's directing style has been compared to those of Stanley Kubrick and Andrei Tarkovsky, though he has never expressly listed those directors as influences.  In an interview, he claimed that Alfred Hitchcock and Yasujirō Ozu contributed to shaping his personal vision of the medium. He has also expressed admiration for American film directors such as Don Siegel, Sam Peckinpah, Robert Aldrich, Richard Fleischer, and Tobe Hooper.
  In a 2009 interview with IFC, Kurosawa talked about the reason why he has cast the actor Kōji Yakusho in many of his films: "He has similar values and sensitivities. We’re from the same generation. That’s a big reason why I enjoy working with him on the set."
  According to Tim Palmer, Kurosawa's films occupy a peculiar position between the materials of mass genre, on the one hand, and esoteric or intellectual abstraction, on the other. They also clearly engage with issues of environmental critique, given Kurosawa's preference for shooting in decaying open spaces, abandoned (and often condemned) buildings, and in places rife with toxins, pestilence and entropy.
  According to the Tokyo Art University where he is teaching students, Kurosawa is talking about his stye. The interviewer mentions that Kurosawa is also versatile when they are talked about Clint Eastwood. Kurosawa said he admires such people who can do many things. He says he does not put himself in one style or one theme; he thinks that is not interesting for him. "Next thing he wants to is something he has never done. " he answered to the question asking what he wants to try next. 
  In the same article, he mentions that he has seen many films since he was  young, and he knows there are many great films over the world. Those films motivate him to be a better filmmaker; he always ask himself how to make films that are memorable for a long time. 
  In an article by Tokyo Art University, Kurosawa names film critic Hasumi Shigehiko as a mentor and early influence in his filmmaking career. Much of Hasumi's influence would go on to shape the core of Kurosawa's filmography. Kurosawa met Hasumi in University, where he was one of the few students to finish his course, and credits Hasumi with teaching him that film is worth dedicating your entire life for. Hasumi and Kurosawa believe that every element of the film matters and must be meticulously planned. Kurosawa has also stated that one of his goals as a filmmaker is to share Hasumi's teachings.
caption: Yasujiro Ozu
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