| Jōji Ohara | |
| Native Name: | 小原譲治 |
| Birth Date: | 27 September 1902 |
| Birth Place: | Tokyo |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles |
| Nationality: | Japanese |
| Occupation: | Cinematographer |
[1] was a Japanese cinematographer.
Born in Tokyo, Ohara entered the Kamata section of the Shochiku film studios in 1924 and was promoted to cinematographer in 1927.[2] [3] Ohara helped establish the modern touch of the studio's cinematography at Kamata together with Bunjirō Mizutani and Mitsuo Miura,[4] and is known for the soft tone of his images. He regularly worked for director Heinosuke Gosho on films like The Dancing Girl of Izu, Burden of Life and An Inn at Osaka.[5]
Ohara later worked at Tokyo Hassei Eiga, Toho, Shintoho, and Daiei Film, and shot films for directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Kōzaburō Yoshimura, Masahiro Makino and Shōhei Imamura. In 1954, he received the Mainichi Film Award for Best Cinematography for his work on The Valley Between Love and Death and The Cock Crows Twice.[6]