Born in
Shiga Prefecture, he joined the
Shōchiku studio in 1929. continued working as an assistant director for filmmakers
Yasujirō Ozu and
Yasujirō Shimazu on films like
Our Neighbor, Miss Yae and
What Did the Lady Forget? It was the 1939 film
Warm Current that established his status as a director. Yoshimura's 1947
The Ball at the Anjo House, starring
Setsuko Hara, was named the best picture of the year by film magazine
Kinema Junpo The film marked the start of a long relationship with screenwriter and film director
Kaneto Shindō. In 1950, the two of them left Shōchiku and started the independent production company
Kindai Eiga Kyōkai. Since the mid-1950s, Yoshimura's films were produced mostly by Daiei. which earned him the comparison with
Kenji Mizoguchi. Notable examples of Yoshimura's later work include
Night River (1956),
An Osaka Story (1957, a project he had taken over from Mizoguchi),
Night Butterflies (1957) and
Bamboo Doll of Echizen (1963). He is credited with furthering the careers of actresses such as
Fujiko Yamamoto,
Ayako Wakao and his regular collaborator
Machiko Kyō, from whom he elicited outstanding performances. In 1976, he received a
Medal of Honor (Purple Ribbon) for artistic accomplishments. ==Selected filmography==