Takashi Yamazaki | |
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![]() Yamazaki in October 2023 | |
Born | Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan | June 12, 1964
Alma mater | Asagaya College of Art and Design |
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Years active | 1984–present |
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Takashi Yamazaki (山崎 貴, Yamazaki Takashi, born June 12, 1964) is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor. Known for his blockbusters featuring advanced visual effects, he is considered a leading figure in the Japanese film industry.[1] Yamazaki is the recipient of multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, eight Japanese Academy Awards, five Nikkan Sports Film Awards, two Hochi Film Awards, and an Asian Film Award. His films have collectively grossed over $523 million worldwide.[2]
Yamazaki developed an interest in filmmaking after watching Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (both 1977). He started working at visual effects studio Shirogumi in 1986 before creating his first features: Juvenile (2000) and Returner (2002). Yamazaki achieved both critical and commercial success in Japan by directing film adaptations of popular anime, novels, and manga, including Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), Space Battleship Yamato (2010), The Eternal Zero (2013), and Stand by Me Doraemon (2014); the latter two films both earned a total of nine awards at the 38th Japanese Academy Awards. Yamazaki's career later advanced with The Great War of Archimedes, Dragon Quest: Your Story, Lupin III: The First (all 2019), and Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020).
His 2023 kaiju epic, Godzilla Minus One, became the most successful Japanese Godzilla film of all time. Yamazaki and the film's visual effects team also became the first Japanese crew ever to receive the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. In 2024, Yamazaki was included in Gold House's annual list of 100 Most Impactful Asians.[3]