Famed Japanese film director Yoshitaro Nomura dies
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-04-09 16:34

Yoshitaro Nomura, famed Japanese director of suspense thrillers such as "Castle of Sand", has died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital. He was 85.

He had been in hospital since March 22 and passed away on Friday, news reports said.

Undated file picture made available 09 April 2005, shows Yoshitaro Nomura, famed director of suspense thrillers such as 'Castle of Sand'. Nomura, 85, died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital 08 April 2005. [AFP/file]

Nomura, born to a film director, served in World War II and entered the cinema world in 1946, becoming an assistant director working under late Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa and others.

He made his debut as director in 1952 with "Pigeon". His 1974 suspense thriller "Castle of Sand" was widely praised and won the special prize from juries at the Moscow International Film festival the following year.

Nomura was prolific, shooting 88 films also including blockbusters "Village Of Eight Gravestones" (1977) amd "The Demon" (1978).

His disciples included Yoji Yamada, who directed the long-running "Tora-san" movie series that starred late Japanese comedian Kiyoshi Atsumi as a bumbling hawker.

"I deeply feel the death of this man (Nomura) marked an end to the great era of the Japanese films," Yamada was quoted saying in Japanese media.

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