Purple Magazine
— Purple #43 S/S 2025
The Tokyo Diary Issue
yasujirō ozu
NOTHINGNESS
photos
by CHIKASHI SUZUKI
Yasujirō Ozu (1903–1963) is widely regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers in Japanese cinematic history. Over his career, he created 54 films that deeply impacted world cinema, with beautifully simple titles such as Late Spring, Young Miss, Equinox Flower, Early Summer, An Innocent Maid, and Tokyo Story.
A contemporary of Akira Kurosawa, he frequently skipped classes at boarding school to watch films. He entered the industry at the young age of 20, during the silent era, directing his first film in 1927 and his first talking film, The Only Son, in 1936. His films mostly explored Japanese family life and the conflictual relationships between generations. He never married and lived with his mother until she died in 1961.
This photograph memorializes the legendary filmmaker’s tombstone in Kamakura, Japan, laden with alcoholic offerings in tribute to Ozu’s indulgent spirit. The granite headstone is etched with a single kanji character, representing “nothingness.”
