Japanese film director Kon Ichikawa died 13 February 2008 of pneumonia. Born Giichi Ichikawa on 20 November 1915 in Mie, Uji-Yamada, Japan, he was nominated for seven Best Director Awards by the Japanese Academy. Ichikawa was well-known for antiwar dramas such as The Burmese Harp (1956) and Fires on the Plain (1959), as well as comedies, documentaries, and literary adaptations.
His directorial debut was Musume Dojoji (1946), and he continued working through Inugamike no ichizoku (2006). He also wrote and produced more than 50 films.
His genre work as a director or writer (or both), or as a producer, included: Yume jûya (Ten Dreamy Nights, 2006); Tsuru (Crane, 1988); Taketori monogatari (Princess from the Moon, 1987); Ginga tetsudô Three-Nine (Galaxy Express 999, 1979); Hi no tori (Firebird: Daybreak Chapter, 1978); Dodesukaden (Clickety-Clack, 1970); and Toppo Jijo no botan senso (Topo Gigio and the Missile War, 1967).
He started his film career as an animator, and then moved on to be an assistant director on live-action films. Around the time he began directing, he married Yumiko Mogi, a screenwriter with whom he had collaborated. She became known professionally as Natto Wada. She died in 1983. He is survived by two sons.
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