Masahiro Shinoda (篠田 正浩, Shinoda Masahiro; March 9, 1931 – March 25, 2025) was a Japanese film director, whose career spanned over four decades and covered a wide range of genres and styles. He was one of the central figures of the Japanese New Wave during the 1960s and 1970s. He directed films for Shochiku Studio from 1960 to 1965, before turning to independent cinema from 1966 onward. His film style was characterized by socially marginalized characters, many of whom turn to crime or suicide, and meticulous attention to pictorial beauty. He drew on traditional Japanese fiction and theater and some of his films bear the influence of Kenji Mizoguchi, whom he admired.
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Early life
Shinoda was born on March 9, 1931, in Gifu Prefecture and attended Waseda University, where he studied theater and also participated in the Hakone Ekiden long-distance race.
Career
Shinoda joined the Shōchiku Studio in 1953 as an assistant director, where he worked on films by such directors as Yasujirō Ozu. He debuted as a director in 1960 with One-Way Ticket for Love, which he also scripted.