was a Japanese

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

Career

Morisaki was born in

Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast. N ...

and graduated from

Kyoto University , mottoeng = Freedom of academic culture , established = , type = Public (National) , endowment = ¥ 316 billion (2.4 billion USD) , faculty = 3,480 (Teaching Staff) , administrative_staff = 3,978 (Total Staff) , students = ...

. After editing the film magazine ''Jidai Eiga'', he joined the

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not al ...

studio in 1956. Moving from the Kyoto to Ofuna Studio, he wrote screenplays for Yoji Yamada's comedies and made his directorial debut in 1969 with ''Woman Can't Be Beaten''. Known for his earthy, acerbic comedy, he also directed one episode of the '' Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series. Turning freelance in 1975, he continued to make films. His last film, '' Pecoross' Mother and Her Days'' (2013), was made when he was 86 years old. He died on 16 July 2020 of a

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

at a hospital in Chigasaki, Kanagawa.

Awards

Morisaki was given a best new artist award in the film category of the

Agency for Cultural Affairs The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture. The agency's budget for FY 2018 rose to ¥107.7 billion. Overview The ag ...

's Geijutsu Senshō art awards for 1970, and then received the Minister of Education's award in the 2004 Geijutsu Senshō. He also received a special grand award for his career at the 25th

Yokohama Film Festival The is an annual awards ceremony held in Yokohama, Japan. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year and various awards are given to personnel. The first festival, held on February 3, 1980, was a small affair by fans and film critics. In 1994, ...

in 1994. '' Pecoross' Mother and Her Days'' was selected as the best film of 2013 in the critics' polls conducted by both the ''

Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...

'' and ''Eiga Geijutsu'' magazines.

Selected filmography

* ''Woman Can't Be Beaten'' (1969) * '' Tora-san, His Tender Love'' (1970) * ''Stray Dog'' (1973) * ''

Time and Tide Time and Tide (usually derived from the proverb ''Time and tide wait for no man'') may refer to: Music Albums * ''Time and Tide'' (Greenslade album), 1975 * ''Time and Tide'' (Basia album), 1987 * ''Time and Tide'' (Battlefield Band album), ...

'' (1983) * ''Location'' (1984) * ''The Nuclear Gypsies'' (1985) * ''Guys Who Never Learn'' (1987) * ''The Great Department Store Robbery'' (1987) * ''Tsuribaka Nisshi Special'' (1994) * '' Oishinbo'' (1996) * ''Love Letter'' (1998) * ''Chicken Is Barefoot'' (2004) * '' Pecoross' Mother and Her Days'' (2013)

Bibliography

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References

External links

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Interview
Directors Guild of Japan {{DEFAULTSORT:Morisaki, Azuma Japanese film directors 1927 births 2020 deaths Japanese screenwriters People from Nagasaki Prefecture Kyoto University alumni Writers from Nagasaki Prefecture