Kaneto Shindo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kaneto Shindō
Kaneto Shindō
Born	(1912-04-22)22 April 1912 Saeki, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Died	29 May 2012(2012-05-29) (aged 100) Hiroshima, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, film producer, writer
Spouse(s)	Takako Kuji (partner) Miyo Shindō ​ ​ (m. 1946; died 1978)​ Nobuko Otowa ​ ​ (m. 1978; died 1994)​
Children	Jiro Shindō

Kaneto Shindō (新藤 兼人, Shindō Kaneto, 22 April 1912 – 29 May 2012) was a famous Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer. He directed 48 movies and wrote scripts for 238. Some of his most well-known films as a director include Children of Hiroshima, The Naked Island, Onibaba, Kuroneko and A Last Note. Other directors like Kenji Mizoguchi and Kon Ichikawa also used his screenplays.

Many of his films showed real-life situations, often focusing on the lives of women. Later, he also made movies about artists. A lot of his films were about his own life. Since he was born in Hiroshima Prefecture, he made several films about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the effects of nuclear weapons.

Shindō was a leader in making independent films in Japan. He helped start his own film company, Kindai Eiga Kyōkai, in 1950. He kept working as a writer, director, and author until he was almost 100 years old.

Kaneto Shindō: A Film Legend

Early Life and Dreams

Shindō was born in 1912 in the Saeki District of Hiroshima Prefecture. He was the youngest of four children. His family used to be rich landowners, but his father lost everything. His older brother and two sisters went to find work. Kaneto lived with his parents in a storehouse. His mother worked hard on farms and passed away when he was young.

In 1933, Shindō was living with his brother in Onomichi. He watched a film called Bangaku No isshō and felt inspired to work in movies. He saved money from working in a bicycle shop. In 1934, he moved to Kyoto to find a job in films.

He got a job in the film developing department at Shinkō Kinema. He learned that movies were based on scripts by reading old ones. He would take these scripts home to study them. This job taught him how film pieces related to the stories he read.

In 1935, Shinkō Kinema moved to Tokyo. Shindō took a job in the art department. He was good at sketching, which helped him find locations for films. He soon realized that many people wanted to be directors. He decided he might have a better chance becoming a screenwriter instead.

Becoming a Screenwriter

Shindō wrote many film scripts, even though his friends often criticized them. He kept trying. He won a prize for a script about a farmer who lost his land. This script, however, was never made into a film.

In the late 1930s, he worked as an assistant to director Kenji Mizoguchi. He helped on films like The 47 Ronin. He showed his scripts to Mizoguchi, but Mizoguchi told him he "had no talent" for writing. This experience later inspired Shindō's first film as a director, Story of a Beloved Wife. His first script that was actually filmed was for Nanshin josei in 1940.

In 1942, he joined a film company called Koa Film. In 1943, he moved to the Shochiku studio. In April 1944, he was drafted into the navy during World War II. He was one of six men who survived from his group.

After the war ended in 1945, Shindō returned to the Shochiku film studio. He spent his time reading old scripts. In 1946, he married Miyo Shindō and bought a house. At Shochiku, he met director Kōzaburō Yoshimura. They became a very successful team. Shindō wrote scripts for almost all the Shochiku directors.

Shindō and Yoshimura were not happy at Shochiku. In 1950, they left to start their own independent film company, Kindai Eiga Kyokai. This company produced most of Shindō's future films.

Directing His Own Stories

In 1951, Shindō directed his first film, Story of a Beloved Wife. It was about his own life. Nobuko Otowa played a main role in this film. She would go on to star in almost all of his movies.

In 1952, Shindō was asked to make a film about the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. This film, Children of Hiroshima, starred Nobuko Otowa. She played a young teacher who returns to Hiroshima to find her old students. The film was shown at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. It was the first Japanese film to talk about the atomic bomb. It was praised, but some thought it was too emotional.

After this success, Shindō made Epitome in 1953. It was about a poor girl who becomes a geisha to help her family. Film critic Tadao Sato noted that Shindō often showed the strength of Japanese women in his films.

Between 1953 and 1959, Shindō continued to make films that looked at social issues. These included Life of a Woman and Dobu, which showed the struggles of workers. In 1959, he made Lucky Dragon No. 5. This was a true story about a fishing crew exposed to radiation from an atomic bomb test. The film won an award at a Czech film festival.

By this time, Shindō had a regular group of actors and crew he worked with. This included Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama, and composer Hikaru Hayashi.

International Success

Shindō's company was almost out of money. He put all his remaining funds into The Naked Island. This film had no talking and showed people struggling against nature. Nobuko Otowa and Taiji Tonoyama played a couple on a small island with no water. They had to boat to another island every day for fresh water. This film saved Shindō's company. It won the Grand Prize at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival in 1961. Shindō traveled abroad for the first time to attend the festival. He sold the film in 61 countries.

After two more social films, Shindō changed his focus. He started making films about individual people. This led to Onibaba in 1964. This film starred Nobuko Otowa and Jitsuko Yoshimura. They played peasant women in the 14th century who survived by robbing defeated samurai. The film won many awards.

In 1968, Shindō made Kuroneko, a horror film similar to Onibaba. It was about a mother and daughter-in-law who seek revenge. The film won awards for Best Actress (Otowa) and Best Cinematography.

He also made the comedy Strong Women, Weak Men in 1968. It showed a mother and daughter who become cabaret hostesses to escape poverty. Shindō wanted to show the lively spirit of ordinary people.

His crime drama Heat Wave Island (1969) was about a farmer who dies mysteriously. Live Today, Die Tomorrow! (1970) was based on the true story of a young man and the poverty he faced. This film won the Golden Prize at the 7th Moscow International Film Festival in 1971.

Later Years and Legacy

From 1972 to 1981, Shindō was the head of the Writers Guild of Japan. In 1972, he directed Sanka. His 1974 film My Way was about an elderly woman trying to get her husband's body back, fighting against government rules.

In 1975, Shindō made Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director. This was a documentary about his mentor, Kenji Mizoguchi. It used film clips and interviews to show Mizoguchi's life. Shindō also wrote a book about Mizoguchi.

In 1977, The Life of Chikuzan was released. It was about a blind musician. That same year, Shindō went to America to film a documentary about the Hiroshima atomic bomb. He met Paul Tibbets, the pilot who dropped the bomb, but could not interview him on camera.

In 1978, he married Nobuko Otowa. Her performance in his 1979 film The Strangling won her an award for Best Actress.

In 1984, Shindō made The Horizon, based on his sister's life. It showed her experiences as a poor farm girl who became a bride in America. She faced many difficulties, including being in an internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II.

In 1988, Shindō returned to the theme of nuclear weapons with Sakura-tai Chiru. This film followed a theater group whose members died during the Hiroshima bombing.

Shindō's son, Jiro, produced many of his films from the mid-1980s. Shindō's granddaughter, Kaze Shindō, also became a film director and scriptwriter.

During the making of Shindō's film A Last Note, Nobuko Otowa became very ill. She passed away in 1994, before the film was released in 1995. A Last Note won many awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

Final Films

After Otowa's death, Shinobu Otake became the lead actress in Shindō's films. In Will to Live (1999), Otake played the daughter of an elderly father.

In 2000, at 88 years old, Shindō filmed By Player. This was a biography of actor Taiji Tonoyama, who had worked with Shindō for a long time. It also included parts of Shindō's film company history.

His 2003 film Owl, again starring Otake, was about farmers sent back to difficult farmland after World War II. The entire film was shot on one set because of Shindō's health. He won a special award for his contributions to world cinema at the 25th Moscow International Film Festival.

In 2010, Shindō directed Postcard. This story was about middle-aged men drafted for military service at the end of World War II. It was based on Shindō's own experiences. Postcard was chosen as Japan's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Shindō announced it would be his last film due to his health.

For the last 40 years of his life, Shindō lived in a small apartment. After Nobuko Otowa passed away, he lived alone. As he got older, his granddaughter, Kaze Shindō, moved in to care for him.

In 2012, a special event in Hiroshima celebrated Shindō's 100th birthday. It included screenings of his films and appearances by special guests.

Kaneto Shindō passed away peacefully on May 29, 2012. His son said he was still talking about new film ideas even at the end. He asked for his ashes to be scattered on Sukune island, where The Naked Island was filmed.

Awards and Recognition

• 1961 Grand Prize at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival for The Naked Island.
• 1964 Grand Prix at the Panama Film Festival for Onibaba.
• 1971 Golden Prize at the 7th Moscow International Film Festival for Live Today, Die Tomorrow!
• 1996 Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year for A Last Note
• 1998 Person of Cultural Merit.
• 1999 Golden St. George at the 21st Moscow International Film Festival for Will to Live
• 2002 Order of Culture.
• 2003 Japan Academy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Selected Filmography

Director

Shindō wrote or co-wrote the scripts for all the films he directed. He also worked as an art director for some films.

Screenwriter (selected)

These are films where Shindō wrote the script but did not direct.

Writings

• Shindo, Kaneto (27 April 1976) (in ja). Aru Eiga Kantoku - Mizoguchi Kenji to Nihon Eiga. Iwanami Shinsho. 962. Iwanami. ISBN 4-00-414080-3. – a book about Kenji Mizoguchi
• Shindo, Kaneto (January 1978) (in ja). Eizō Hitori Tabi - eiga "Chikuzan hitori tabi" sōzō no kiroku. Miraisha.
• Shindo, Kaneto (2000) (in ja). Sanmon yakusha no shi: Seiden Tonoyama Taiji. ISBN 978-4-00-602017-0.
• Shindo, Kaneto (21 July 2004) (in ja). Shinario Jinsei. Iwanami Shinsho. 902. Iwanami. ISBN 4-00-430902-6. – essays about writing scripts
• Shindo, Kaneto (2008) (in ja). Ikite iru kagiri Watashi no Rirekisho. Nihon Keizai Shimbunsha. ISBN 978-4-532-16661-8. – a collection of newspaper articles
• Shindo, Kaneto (2012). Nagase, Hiroko. ed (in ja). 100 sai no ryugi. PHP. ISBN 978-4-569-80434-7. http://www.php.co.jp/books/detail.php?isbn=978-4-569-80434-7. – a collection of essays.