Complete Cinematic Career and Filmography of Yoji Yamada

Yoji Yamada is a prominent Japanese film director and screenwriter whose extensive career spans multiple decades. Known for his work on long-running film series and deeply humanistic dramas, Yamada has contributed significantly to Japanese cinema through both directing and screenwriting.

Directing Career

Yamada's directorial credits cover a vast timeline from the early 1960s into the 2020s. His early works established his presence in the industry, followed by decades of consistent output.

2020s and 2010s

In recent years, Yamada has continued active production with projects such as Tokyo Taxi (2025) and Mom, Is That You?! (2023). The 2010s featured notable films including Tora-san, Wish You Were Here (2019), the What A Wonderful Family! series (2016–2018), Nagasaki: Memories of My Son (2015), The Little House (2014), and Tokyo Family (2013).

2000s and 1990s

Yamada's work in the 2000s included critically recognized period dramas such as The Twilight Samurai (2002), The Hidden Blade (2004), Love and Honor (2006), and Kabei: Our Mother (2008). During the 1990s, he directed several installments of the Gakko (A Class to Remember) series alongside multiple entries in the long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo (Tora-san) franchise.

1970s, 1960s, and the Tora-san Legacy

A major defining element of Yamada's career is his extensive work on the Tora-san series, directing dozens of films throughout the 1970s and 1980s that followed the adventures of Torajiro Kuruma. Alongside the Tora-san films, he directed dramas such as The Yellow Handkerchief (1977) and Where Spring Comes Late (1970), as well as earlier titles from the 1960s like Shitamachi no taiyou (1963).

Screenwriting Contributions

In addition to directing, Yamada has maintained a prolific career as a screenwriter. He has penned scripts for the majority of the films he directed, while also contributing screenplays to other prominent Japanese film series, including entries in the Free and Easy (Tsuribaka Nisshi) comedy franchise during the 1990s and 2000s, as well as classic dramas such as The Castle of Sand (1974).