Kōji Shima
Biography
Born as Takehiko Kagoshima in Nagasaki, Shima left for Tokyo after graduating from high school. He was in the first class of the Nihon Eiga Haiyū Gakkō and joined the Nikkatsu studio as an actor in 1925. Playing mostly romantic leads, he appeared in films directed by such masters as Tomu Uchida and Kenji Mizoguchi. He turned to directing in 1939, and quickly came to prominence with films such as Kaze no Matasaburō, an adaption of a Kenji Miyazawa story, and Jirō Monogatari. After the war, he directed such films as Ginza Kankan Musume and Jūdai no Seiten at Shintoho and Daiei Studios. He won a prize at the 1st Moscow International Film Festival for Unforgettable Trail. Some of his last films were made in Hong Kong for Shaw Brothers. He directed over 90 films as a director and appeared in over 90 films as an actor. He was once married to the actress Yukiko Todoroki.
Known For & Full Filmography6 Titles
Movie - 1926, 2h 15m • as Detective
A twice-remade ironic comedy about a writer's encounter with a female thief.
Movie - 1929, 2h 15m • as Heizaemon Kitayama
Sweat (1929) is a slapstick riff on tendency-film themes, as a bored young millionaire has his clothes stolen by a tramp; dressed in the tramp’s clothes, he has to accept work as a labourer. As the hero ends up building the mausoleum he had himself commissioned.
Movie - 1926, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Movie - 1926, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
Otane, the daughter of a thread shop owner in Ryogoku, is in love with Sumio, the son of an ivory craftsman who lives nearby. The two are united in a tatami room on the second floor of a soba restaurant. Soon Sumio goes to study in Paris, but during that time Otane realizes that she is pregnant with Sumio's child. Considered a lost film.
Movie - 1929, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
A classic melodramatic love tragedy addressing social inequality in Taishō-era Japan, The nostalgic scenes of 1920s Tokyo provides a valuable visual experience set against the background of the title song, "Tokyo March." (Sadly, less than a half hour of the footage has been recovered and restored.)
Movie - 1936, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
Film about poet Ishikawa Takuboku