Takashi Yamazaki

Takashi Yamazaki
Yamazaki in October 2023
Born	(1964-06-12) June 12, 1964 (age 60) Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
Alma mater	Asagaya College of Art and Design [ja]
Occupations	Film director screenwriter visual effects supervisor character designer
Years active	1984–present
Notable work	Returner (2002) Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005) The Eternal Zero (2013) Stand by Me Doraemon (2014) Lupin III: The First (2019) Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Spouse	Shimako Satō ​ (m. 2012)​
Awards	Academy Award for Best Visual Effects Japan Academy Film Prize for Director of the Year Japan Academy Film Prize for Screenplay of the Year
Signature

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 found employment at visual effects and animation studio Shirogumi in 1986, and has remained there throughout his career. His first directorial features were the science fiction films Juvenile (2000) and Returner (2002), for which he became known as the "Japanese James Cameron".^[3] He later gained further notice 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 and one of his highest-grossing films. Yamazaki and the 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.^[4]