Yasujirō Ozu

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/yasujir-ozu

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Yasujirō Ozu born?December 12, 1903
2. When did Yasujirō Ozu die?December 30, 1963 (age 60)
3. Where was Yasujirō Ozu born?Tokyo, Japan
4. What is the filmography?Directed 54 films between 1927 and 1963, with 36 surviving today
5. Who was Yasujirō Ozu?Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese filmmaker born in Tokyo in 1903. He made many movies about everyday families and their feelings.
6. What is a "tatami shot"?A tatami shot is a low-angle camera view placed about 3 feet from the floor. It looks like someone sitting on a Japanese floor mat and shows the inside of a home.

Mono no aware: A Japanese term for the awareness of impermanence, a gentle sadness at the transience of things.
Minimalist Cinema: A style of filmmaking that emphasizes simplicity in narrative, visual style, and sound.
Tatami Shot: Ozu's signature low camera angle, placed at the height of a seated person on tatami mats.