1910 23rd March
Birth of Akira Kurosawa
Birth of Akira Kurosawa
Cinema history · permanent subject timeline
Japanese Cinema History
Japanese films, directors and international recognition. This page combines historical context with 58 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database cinema archive.
Historical context
Japanese Cinema History: overview and significance
What happened?
Japanese cinema records in the archive include major directors, performers, films and festival recognition, with Akira Kurosawa especially prominent.
Why was it important?
Japanese cinema became a major international influence after the Second World War and shaped filmmakers far beyond Japan through both art cinema and genre filmmaking.
World History Database records
Japanese Cinema History timeline
The records below are selected from the 2,036-record Cinema History archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1910
1943
1943
Judo Saga
Kurosawas Judo Saga
1944
1944
The Most Beautiful
Kurosawas The Most Beautiful
1945
1945
The Men Who Tread On the Tigers Tail
Kurosawas The Men Who Tread On the Tigers Tail. Kurosawas Judo Saga 2
1946
1946
One Wonderful Sunday
Kurosawas One Wonderful Sunday. Kurosawas No Regrets for Our Youth
1948
1948
Drunken Angel
Kurosawas Drunken Angel
1949
1949
The Quiet Duel
Kurosawas The Quiet Duel. Kurosawas Stray Dog
1950
1950
Scandal
Kurosawas Scandal. Kurosawas Rashomon
1951
1951
Golden Lion-Kurosawa
Awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for Rashomon
1951
Honorary Academy Award
Honorary Academy Award: Best Foreign Language Film for Rashomon
1951
The Idiot
Kurosawas The Idiot
1952
1952
The Life of Oharu (Saikaku Ichidai Onna)
Kenji Mizoguchi directs The Life of Oharu (Saikaku Ichidai Onna)
1952
To Live
Kurosawas To Live
1953
1953
Ugetsu (Ugetsu Monogatar)
Kenji Mizoguchi directs Ugetsu (Ugetsu Monogatar)
1954
1954
Godzilla
Ishiro Honda releases the anti-nuclear horror film Gojira, which was translated in the West as Godzilla
1954
Gojira
Ishiro Honda releases the anti-nuclear horror film Gojira, which was translated in the West as Godzilla
1954
Seven Samurai
Kurosawas Seven Samurai
1954
Silver Bear
Winner of the Silver Bear at the Venice Film Festival for Ugetsu
1955
1955
Film
Hiroshi Inagaki wins an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Part I of his Samurai Trilogy
1955
I Live in Fear
Kurosawas I Live in Fear
1955
Silver Lion-
Awarded the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival for Seven Samurai
1956
1956
The Burmese Harp
Kon Ichikawa directs the anti-war drama The Burmese Harp
1957
1957
The Lower Depths
Kurosawas The Lower Depths. Kurosawas Spider Web Castle
1958
1958
Enjo
Kon Ichikawa directs the anti-war drama Enjo
1958
The Hidden Fortress
Kurosawas The Hidden Fortress
1959
1959
Fires On The Plain
Kon Ichikawa directs the anti-war drama Fires On The Plain
1960
1960
The Bad Sleep Well
Kurosawas The Bad Sleep Well
1961
1961
A Soldiers Prayer
Masaki Kobayashi made two of the three films which would collectively become known as the Human Condition Trilogy: No Greater Love (1958), and The Road To Eternity (1959). The trilogy was completed in 1961, with A Soldiers Prayer
1961
The Bodyguard
Kurosawas The Bodyguard
1962
1962
Sanjuro
Kurosawas Sanjuro
1963
1963
Heaven and Hell
Kurosawas Heaven and Hell
1964
1964
Woman in the Dunes
Hiroshi Teshigaharas Woman in the Dunes wins the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival
1965
1965
Kwaidan
Masaki Kobayashis Kwaidan picks up the Special Jury Prize at Cannes
1965
Red Beard
Kurosawas Red Beard
1970
1970
Dodesukaden
Kurosawas Dodesukaden
1975
1975
Academy Award
Awarded the Academy Award, Best Foreign Language Film for Dersu Uzala
1975
Dersu Uzala
Kurosawas Dersu Uzala
1976
1976
Realm of the Senses
Nagisa Oshima directs the Realm of the Senses, a World War II period piece about Sada Abe
1980
1980
Golden Palm-Kurosawa
Awarded the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for Kagemusha
1980
Kagemusha
Kurosawas Kagemusha
1980
Zigeunerweisen
Seijun Suzuki makes a comeback, beginning with Zigeunerweisen
1982
1982 11th February
Death of Takashi Shimura
Death of Takashi Shimura
1982
Career Golden Lion
Awarded the Career Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival
1983
1983
The Ballad of Narayama
Shohei Imamura wins the Golden Palm at Cannes for The Ballad of Narayama
1984
1984
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Awarded the Legion dHonneur
1984
Nausica„ of the Valley of Wind
Hayao Miyazaki adapts his manga Nausica„ of the Valley of Wind into a feature film
1985
1985
Ran
Kurosawas Ran
1986
1986
Dandelion
Directs, "Dandelion"
1990
1990
Akira Kurosawas Dreams
Kurosawas Akira Kurosawas Dreams
1990
Honorary Academy Award
Awarded the Honorary Academy Award
1991
1991
Rhapsody in August
Kurosawas Rhapsody in August
1993
1993 16th March
Death of Chishu Ryu
Death of Chishu Ryu
1993
Madadayo
Kurosawas Madadayo
1995
1995
The Great Patient
Directs, "The Great Patient"
1997
1997 20th December
Death of Juzo Itami
Death of Juzo Itami
1997 24th December
Death of Toshiro Mifune
Death of Toshiro Mifune
1998
1998 6th September
Death of Akira Kurosawa
Death of Akira Kurosawa
2006
2006
Iran Cinema Celebration
Awarded the 10th Iran Cinema Celebration, Special honor
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database cinema records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
British Film Institute · Library of Congress · Academy Awards
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