Mitsuo Miura

was a Japanese cinematographer who photographed more than 100 films in a career that spanned 30 years. He worked for film directors such as Shirō Toyoda, Heinosuke Gosho, Mikio Naruse, Shigeyoshi Suzuki, and Kajirō Yamamoto. An award for new cinematographers was named after him in his memory.

Biography Miura was born in Miyagi Prefecture. In 1928, Miura made a trip to Hollywood for reasons of research, where he was impressed by the use of shadows in the films of Josef von Sternberg and the abundant lighting in Hollywood films in general. In an article he later contributed to the publication of the Japan Film Photographers Club (modeled on the American Society of Cinematographers),

After leaving Shochiku in the early 1930s, Miura worked for Nikkatsu, Fuji Eigasha, and Takako Irie's Irie Productions before finally entering P.C.L. (later Toho) in the late 1930s. He worked on Gosho's films, from Dispersed Clouds to Where Chimneys Are Seen,

Miura died in 1956 at the age of 53.

Filmography (selected) 1931: Flunky, Work Hard! 1937: A Woman's Sorrows 1937: Learn From Experience 1942: The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya 1947: Once More 1951: Dispersed Clouds 1953: Where Chimneys Are Seen 1953: The Wild Geese 1955: Marital Relations 1956: The Legend of the White Serpent 1956: A Cat, Shozo, and Two Women

Awards 1947: Mainichi Film Award for Best Cinematography (Once More) 1953: Blue Ribbon Award for Best Cinematography (Where Chimneys Are Seen, The Wild Geese and Aijō ni tsuite) 1956: Blue Ribbon Award for Best Cinematography and Mainichi Film Award for Best Cinematography (both for A Cat, Shozo, and Two Women and The Legend of the White Serpent)