Torajirō Saitō

Torajirō Saitō
The filming site of the movie "Koisuredo Koisuredo Monogatari"(1956). The people in front are from right to left, Director Torajiro Saito, Tony Tani, Ichiro Arishima, and Mariko Miyagi.
Born(1905-01-30)January 30, 1905.
DiedMay 1, 1982(1982-05-01) (aged 77)
NationalityJapanese
Other namesThe God of Comedy
OccupationFilm director
Years active1926-1962
Known forDirecting over 200 Slapstick and nonsense comedy films
Notable workKodakara Sodo
SpouseTomoko Naniwa (actress)

Torajirō Saitō (斎藤 寅次郎, Saitō Torajirō; January 30, 1905 – May 1, 1982) was a Japanese film director known for his comedy films. Born in Akita Prefecture, he entered Shōchiku's Kamata studio in 1922 and debuted as a director in 1926. He later worked at the Shintoho and Toho studios. He became known as the "god of comedy" for directing over 200 films, many of which were nonsense comedies featuring famous clowns such as Ken'ichi Enomoto, Roppa Furukawa, and Junzaburo Ban.