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The Singing Lovebirds (1939)
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Ronin Gai (1957)
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Fighting Disposition (1958)
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Bull's Eye of Love (1959)
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Evil Man of Edo (1959)
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Echo in the Mountains (1959)
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The Newcomer to Shimizu (1960)
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Yakuza of Ina (1960)
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Mask of the Moon (1961)
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A Revengeful Raid (1962)
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Princess Sen and Hideyori (1962)
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Kingdom of Jirocho (1963)
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Masahiro Makino was the son of Shozo Makino, the pioneering director renowned as the father of Japanese cinema. He was also the half-brother of Shozo's illegitimate son, the director Sadatsugu Matsuda. Masahiro worked almost entirely in jidai-geki and other popular genre films and never quite lived up to the critical acclaim of his father. But he certainly was prolific, directing some 261 films across six decades.
Makino might be called the classic of ninkyo-eiga, the genre of idealized chivalrous yakuza that I have a great fondness for. He made more Shimizu no Jirocho movies than any other director, plus loads of other heroid gangster features besides. Makino also had a special flair for comedies, musicals and theatrical production numbers, making him a great match with his frequent leading lady Hibari Misora.
The Filmmakers
