Directing
Nobuo Nakagawa
JA cinema · 67 credits
Born
18 April 1905
Died
17 June 1984 (aged 79)
Birthplace
Kyōto, Kyōto Prefecture, Japan
Also known as Nakagawa Nobuo · 노부오 나카가와 · 나카가와 노부오
Nobuo Nakagawa (中川 信夫, Nakagawa Nobuo, April 18, 1905 – June 17, 1984) was a Japanese film director, most famous for the stylized, folk tale-influenced horror films he made in the 1950s and 1960s. Born in Kyoto, Nakagawa was early on influenced by proletarian literature and wrote amateur film reviews for the Kinema Junpō film magazine. He joined Makino Film Productions in 1929 as an assistant director and worked under Masahiro Makino. When that studio went bankrupt in 1932, he switched to Utaemon Ichikawa's production company and made his debut as a director in 1934 with Yumiya Hachiman Ken. He later moved to Toho, where he made comedies starring Enoken and even documentaries during the war. It was at Shintoho after the war that he became known for his cinematic adaptations of Japanese Kaidan, especially his masterful version of Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan in 1959. To Western audiences, his most famous film is Jigoku (1960), which he also co-wrote. The film was released on DVD by the Criterion Collection in 2006. He also filmed many Kaidan for television. His last film was 1982's Kaidan: Ikiteiru Koheiji.
Known for
Filmography
The Living Koheiji
Director, Writer
Japanese Ghost Story Masterpiece Theater: The Sealed Room of the Inner Chamber
Director
Quick-draw Okatsu
Director
Okatsu the Fugitive
Director
Snake Woman's Curse
Director, Writer
This Is Japan
Director
男の嵐
Director
The Phantom Goblin
Director
The Warrior from Kishu
Screenplay, Director
Showdown at Lightning Pass
Screenplay, Director
Jigoku
Director, Screenplay
Death Row Woman
Director
The Lady Vampire
Director
Black Cat Mansion
Director
A Wicked Woman
Director
The Ghost of Kasane
Director
Vampire Moth
Director
Chutaro of Banba
Director
Shishun no izumi
Director
Today is Payday
Director
Rinchi
Director
Rivals
Director
伊太八縞
1938
Itahachi shima
Director, Screenplay