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Shigemichi Sugita

すぎた しげみち

Sugita Shigemichi

Aliases: すぎた せいどう

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1943-10-05 （Shinmachi, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Director, Film director, Film producer, TV director, Stage director
Active Years
1970-
Affiliations
Fuji Television (Executive Director, executive status), Nippon Eiga Hoso (President; later Advisor to the Board), Japan Film and Television Producers Association (Chair)
Memberships
Japan Film and Television Producers Association (Chair)
Influenced By
So Kuramoto

Education

Aichi Prefectural Jishukan High School
Period: 〜1962
Year of Graduation: 1962
Country: Japan
Keio University, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters
Period: 1963〜1967
Year of Graduation: 1967
Country: Japan
Served as captain of the university karate club

Awards

Japan Academy Prize — Excellent Picture Award
1989
Work: Yushun ORACION
Category: 映画部門
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize — Excellent Picture Award
1995
Work: Last Song
Category: 映画部門
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize — Excellent Picture Award
2009
Work: Villon's Wife ~Cherries and Dandelions~
Category: プロデュース（作品賞）
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize — Excellent Picture Award
2012
Work: The Last Chushingura
Category: 監督（作品賞）
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Fujimoto Award — Special Prize
2010
Work: The Last Chushingura
Organization: Fujimoto Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Annecy International Animation Film Festival — Jury Special Prize
2014
Work: Giovanni's Island
Category: 原作・脚本
Organization: Annecy International Animation Film Festival
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize — Excellent Animation Award
2015
Work: Giovanni's Island
Category: 原作・脚本
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Satellite Broadcasting Association — Special Award
2019
Organization: Satellite Broadcasting Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Yushun ORACION

1988 Film

A human drama centered on racehorses; Sugita's theatrical film directorial debut.

familyambitionbonds between humans and animals

Last Song

1994 Film

A feature film exploring human relationships and conflicts; awarded Japan Academy Prize (Excellent Picture).

lovereconciliationcoming to terms with the past

The Last Chushingura

2010 Film

A large-scale jidaigeki (period drama) based on the Chushingura story; Sugita served as producer and director and the film received Japan Academy recognition.

historyduty and human feelingloyalty

Giovanni's Island

2014 Animation (original story & screenplay)

Sugita wrote the original story and screenplay for this animation set on a postwar island; it received international awards.

war and peaceloss of childhoodnational/ethnic divisions

Bibliography

  • Negawaku wa, Hato no Gotoku ni (Fusosha, 2010)
  • Giovanni's Island (Original/screenplay, Shueisha Mirai Bunko, 2014)

Adaptations

  • Giovanni's Island (animated film, 2014)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
human-drama focused storytellingdirection that emphasizes naturalistic settingslyrical yet realist approach
Recurring Motifs
family bondsnostalgia and rural landscapesrenewal from the past

Legacy

A director and filmmaker influential across television and film — notably the TV series 'North Country' — who has also produced major works and received acclaim domestically and internationally.

Academic Societies

  • Japan PEN Club

In Popular Culture

  • 'North Country' is frequently cited as a landmark work in Japanese television drama history.

Trivia

  • He was nicknamed the 'laughing devil' by some cast members due to his on-set habit of smiling while asking for retakes.
  • His family ran a sake wholesaler that traces back to the Edo period.
  • Married in 1969 with one son; later remarried and had four children.
  • Published a memoir-style essay 'Negawaku wa, Hato no Gotoku ni' in 2010.