Nagisa Ôshima

Nagisa Ōshima was a seminal Japanese filmmaker, writer, and left‑wing activist whose career spanned over four decades, beginning in the early 1950s and culminating with his final feature in 1999. Born on 1932‑03‑31 in Tamano, Okayama, into an aristocratic samurai family, he lost his father at the age of six—a loss he later described as the pivotal event shaping his existential outlook. After studying political history at Kyoto University, he joined Shochiku Ltd. where he quickly rose to direct his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope (1959). His breakthrough came with Cruel Story of Youth (1960), a raw portrait of youthful rebellion and sexual exploration that heralded the Japanese New Wave (Nūberu bāgu). Throughout the 1960s he produced provocative works such as Night and Fog in Japan, The Sun's Burial, and the controversial Death by Hanging (1968), which employed Brechtian distancing to critique capital punishment and anti‑Korean sentiment, cementing his reputation as a daring political auteur. The 1970s saw him push boundaries further with the explicitly sexual In the Realm of the Senses (1976), leading to obscenity trials that he famously defended with the claim, “Nothing that is expressed is obscene. What is obscene is what is hidden.” His 1978 Cannes‑winning Empire of Passion demonstrated a more restrained yet still sensuous approach, while Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) showcased his ability to blend Western and Japanese sensibilities, featuring David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto. In the Realm of the Senses, Empire of Passion, and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence together illustrate his versatile style, ranging from black‑and‑white documentary realism to lush, widescreen erotic drama, always underscored by a commitment to challenge social taboos and political orthodoxy. In his later years, Ōshima served as president of the Directors Guild of Japan, translated works of John Gray, and faced health challenges that culminated in his death from pneumonia on 2013‑01‑15 at the age of 80. His legacy endures through his 23 feature films, numerous essays, and the continued scholarly interest in his radical cinematic vision.