Kazuo Ikehiro, a prominent figure in Japanese cinema, began his career as an assistant to renowned directors Kenji Mizoguchi and Kon Ichikawa, honing his craft and developing a distinct aesthetic that would later become a hallmark of his work.
Ikehiro's passion for jidai-geki, a genre of Japanese period dramas, was evident throughout his career, and he reportedly only ventured into modern-day yakuza films due to studio demands. However, this departure from his comfort zone allowed him to explore unconventional storytelling and visual styles, making him an ideal match for the complex, antihero characters embodied by Raizo Ichikawa.
One of Ikehiro's most notable achievements came with his collaborations with Raizo, particularly in the Nemuri Kyoshiro series. Initially, the first three films in the series followed traditional chambara adventure patterns, but with the release of Sword of Seduction in 1964, Ikehiro boldly steered the franchise into uncharted territory, embracing surreal and stylistically daring elements that would later make Son of the Black Mass a legendary entry in the series.
