FILM DIRECTOR
Yasujirō Ozu
1903 - 1963
Yasujirō Ozu
Yasujirō Ozu (小津 安二郎, Ozu Yasujirō, 12 December 1903 – 12 December 1963) was a Japanese filmmaker. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Yasujirō Ozu has received more than 1,753,485 page views. His biography is available in 50 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 48 in 2019). Yasujirō Ozu is the 46th most popular film director (up from 62nd in 2019), the 35th most popular biography from Japan (up from 55th in 2019) and the 3rd most popular Japanese Film Director.
Ozu is most famous for his minimalist filmmaking style, which he used to depict the lives of ordinary Japanese people in the post-war era.
Memorability Metrics
1.8M
Page Views (PV)
73.96
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
50
Languages Editions (L)
6.40
Effective Languages (L*)
3.20
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Among FILM DIRECTORS
Among film directors, Yasujirō Ozu ranks 46 out of 2,041. Before him are James Cameron, David Lynch, Lars von Trier, Billy Wilder, Vittorio De Sica, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. After him are Roberto Rossellini, Isao Takahata, Emir Kusturica, Alan Parker, Takeshi Kitano, and Oliver Stone.
Most Popular Film Directors in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsJames Cameron
1954 - Present
HPI: 74.87
Rank: 40
David Lynch
1946 - 2025
HPI: 74.84
Rank: 41
Lars von Trier
1956 - Present
HPI: 74.53
Rank: 42
Billy Wilder
1906 - 2002
HPI: 74.44
Rank: 43
Vittorio De Sica
1901 - 1974
HPI: 74.36
Rank: 44
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
1945 - 1982
HPI: 74.13
Rank: 45
Yasujirō Ozu
1903 - 1963
HPI: 73.96
Rank: 46
Roberto Rossellini
1906 - 1977
HPI: 73.94
Rank: 47
Isao Takahata
1935 - 2018
HPI: 73.89
Rank: 48
Emir Kusturica
1954 - Present
HPI: 73.68
Rank: 49
Alan Parker
1944 - 2020
HPI: 73.52
Rank: 50
Takeshi Kitano
1947 - Present
HPI: 73.40
Rank: 51
Oliver Stone
1946 - Present
HPI: 73.26
Rank: 52
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1903, Yasujirō Ozu ranks 13. Before him are Georges Simenon, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Mark Rothko, Habib Bourguiba, C. F. Powell, and Fernandel. After him are Marguerite Yourcenar, Vladimir Horowitz, Adolf Butenandt, Andrey Kolmogorov, Kane Tanaka, and Jan Tinbergen. Among people deceased in 1963, Yasujirō Ozu ranks 14. Before him are Aldous Huxley, Robert Schuman, Ngo Dinh Diem, Tristan Tzara, C. S. Lewis, and Abd el-Krim. After him are Nâzım Hikmet, Theodor Heuss, Francis Poulenc, Sylvia Plath, Paul Hindemith, and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi.
Others Born in 1903
Go to all RankingsGeorges Simenon
WRITER
1903 - 1989
HPI: 77.76
Rank: 7
Ernst Kaltenbrunner
POLITICIAN
1903 - 1946
HPI: 76.30
Rank: 8
Mark Rothko
PAINTER
1903 - 1970
HPI: 75.67
Rank: 9
Habib Bourguiba
POLITICIAN
1903 - 2000
HPI: 75.13
Rank: 10
C. F. Powell
PHYSICIST
1903 - 1969
HPI: 74.37
Rank: 11
Fernandel
ACTOR
1903 - 1971
HPI: 73.99
Rank: 12
Yasujirō Ozu
FILM DIRECTOR
1903 - 1963
HPI: 73.96
Rank: 13
Marguerite Yourcenar
WRITER
1903 - 1987
HPI: 73.80
Rank: 14
Vladimir Horowitz
MUSICIAN
1903 - 1989
HPI: 73.56
Rank: 15
Adolf Butenandt
CHEMIST
1903 - 1995
HPI: 73.10
Rank: 16
Andrey Kolmogorov
MATHEMATICIAN
1903 - 1987
HPI: 72.19
Rank: 17
Kane Tanaka
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1903 - 2022
HPI: 71.87
Rank: 18
Jan Tinbergen
ECONOMIST
1903 - 1994
HPI: 71.50
Rank: 19
Others Deceased in 1963
Go to all RankingsAldous Huxley
WRITER
1894 - 1963
HPI: 77.08
Rank: 8
Robert Schuman
POLITICIAN
1886 - 1963
HPI: 77.06
Rank: 9
Ngo Dinh Diem
POLITICIAN
1901 - 1963
HPI: 76.83
Rank: 10
Tristan Tzara
WRITER
1896 - 1963
HPI: 76.55
Rank: 11
C. S. Lewis
WRITER
1898 - 1963
HPI: 74.46
Rank: 12
Abd el-Krim
POLITICIAN
1882 - 1963
HPI: 74.24
Rank: 13
Yasujirō Ozu
FILM DIRECTOR
1903 - 1963
HPI: 73.96
Rank: 14
Nâzım Hikmet
WRITER
1902 - 1963
HPI: 73.87
Rank: 15
Theodor Heuss
POLITICIAN
1884 - 1963
HPI: 73.41
Rank: 16
Francis Poulenc
COMPOSER
1899 - 1963
HPI: 73.03
Rank: 17
Sylvia Plath
WRITER
1932 - 1963
HPI: 72.84
Rank: 18
Paul Hindemith
COMPOSER
1895 - 1963
HPI: 72.80
Rank: 19
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
POLITICIAN
1884 - 1963
HPI: 72.35
Rank: 20
In Japan
Among people born in Japan, Yasujirō Ozu ranks 35 out of 6,245. Before him are Sadako Sasaki (1943), Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892), Saigō Takamori (1828), Yayoi Kusama (1929), Sasaki Kojirō (1583), and Lee Myung-bak (1941). After him are Itō Hirobumi (1841), Isao Takahata (1935), Emperor Kōmei (1831), Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1894), Hiroshige (1797), and Gichin Funakoshi (1868).
Others born in Japan
Go to all RankingsSadako Sasaki
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1943 - 1955
HPI: 74.72
Rank: 29
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
WRITER
1892 - 1927
HPI: 74.64
Rank: 30
Saigō Takamori
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1828 - 1877
HPI: 74.57
Rank: 31
Yayoi Kusama
PAINTER
1929 - Present
HPI: 74.30
Rank: 32
Sasaki Kojirō
POLITICIAN
1583 - 1612
HPI: 74.10
Rank: 33
Lee Myung-bak
POLITICIAN
1941 - Present
HPI: 74.04
Rank: 34
Yasujirō Ozu
FILM DIRECTOR
1903 - 1963
HPI: 73.96
Rank: 35
Itō Hirobumi
POLITICIAN
1841 - 1909
HPI: 73.89
Rank: 36
Isao Takahata
FILM DIRECTOR
1935 - 2018
HPI: 73.89
Rank: 37
Emperor Kōmei
POLITICIAN
1831 - 1867
HPI: 73.84
Rank: 38
Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi
POLITICIAN
1894 - 1972
HPI: 73.80
Rank: 39
Hiroshige
ARTIST
1797 - 1858
HPI: 73.77
Rank: 40
Gichin Funakoshi
MARTIAL ARTS
1868 - 1957
HPI: 73.62
Rank: 41
Among FILM DIRECTORS In Japan
Among film directors born in Japan, Yasujirō Ozu ranks 3. Before him are Hayao Miyazaki (1941), and Akira Kurosawa (1910). After him are Isao Takahata (1935), Takeshi Kitano (1947), Kenji Mizoguchi (1898), Shohei Imamura (1926), Masaki Kobayashi (1916), Nagisa Oshima (1932), Hirokazu Kore-eda (1962), Hideaki Anno (1960), and Franklin J. Schaffner (1920).
Hayao Miyazaki
1941 - Present
HPI: 84.06
Rank: 1
Akira Kurosawa
1910 - 1998
HPI: 81.56
Rank: 2
Yasujirō Ozu
1903 - 1963
HPI: 73.96
Rank: 3
Isao Takahata
1935 - 2018
HPI: 73.89
Rank: 4
Takeshi Kitano
1947 - Present
HPI: 73.40
Rank: 5
Kenji Mizoguchi
1898 - 1956
HPI: 69.37
Rank: 6
Shohei Imamura
1926 - 2006
HPI: 67.79
Rank: 7
Masaki Kobayashi
1916 - 1996
HPI: 67.50
Rank: 8
Nagisa Oshima
1932 - 2013
HPI: 67.18
Rank: 9
Hirokazu Kore-eda
1962 - Present
HPI: 64.99
Rank: 10
Hideaki Anno
1960 - Present
HPI: 64.78
Rank: 11
Franklin J. Schaffner
1920 - 1989
HPI: 64.53
Rank: 12