Yōzō Tanaka
An image from Branded to Kill, one of the productions that also features Yōzō Tanaka.
Yōzō Tanaka

Yōzō Tanaka

May 17, 1939 — Nihonbashi, Tokyo, Japan

Yōzō Tanaka is a Japanese screenwriter. He was born in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. After joining the production department of Nichigeki Music Hall, he started writing radio scripts. While he was a student at Waseda University, he met Atsushi Yamatoya and Kaname Kawachi. Before becoming a screenwriter, Tanaka worked as a reporter, conducting a series of interviews with eccentrics in the magazine Weekly Sankei. After joining Nikkatsu, he joined a screenwriting team led by director Seijun Suzuki. Individuals in this group such as Tanaka, Yamatoya, and Chūsei Sone also contributed to various projects at Wakamatsu Productions during this period of the 1960s.

He is also a driving force behind the heyday of Nikkatsu Roman Porno, writing numerous screenplays. He continued to collaborate with fellow veterans of the aforementioned series such as Shinji Sōmai and Kichitaro Negishi.

His disciples include Haruhiko Arai and Miho Nakazono.

In 2005, he worked as an associate professor at the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts.

In 2017, a book of Yōzō Tanaka's essays and other archival materials such as interviews and screenplays was published.

Branded to Kill

Branded to Kill

1967

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun

1981

Zigeunerweisen

Zigeunerweisen

1980

Flower & Snake

Flower & Snake

1974

Yumeji

Yumeji

1991

Kagero-za

Kagero-za

1981

Wife to Be Sacrificed

Wife to Be Sacrificed

1974

New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 2: Head of the Boss

New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 2: Head of the Boss

1975