Kon Ichikawa (1915-2008) was one of the most important and versatile directors of post-war Japanese cinema. His long career is characterized by a remarkable stylistic diversity, ranging from war dramas and satirical comedies to literary adaptations and documentaries. Among his most celebrated works are the anti-war films *The Burmese Harp* (1956), an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, and the stark *Fires on the Plain* (1959). He demonstrated great formal mastery in works such as *An Actor's Revenge* (1963) and revolutionized sports documentaries with the innovative *Tokyo Olympiad* (1965), which focused on the humanity of the athletes. Later in his career, he directed the refined family drama *The Makioka Sisters* (1983). Ichikawa received numerous international awards, including the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for *The Key* (1960). His style, noted for its widescreen compositions and a deep humanism tinged with pessimism, cements his place among the masters of world cinema.