Kurosawa was credited for paving the way for later generations of Japanese filmmakers to find success outside Japan .
Later generations of Japanese filmmakers who would find acclaim outside Japan—from Kon Ichikawa , Masaki Kobayashi , Nagisa Oshima and Shohei Imamura to Juzo Itami , Takeshi Kitano and Takashi Miike—were able to pass through the door that Kurosawa was the very first to open .
Akira Kurosawa