| Sōjirō Motoki | |
| Birth Date: | 19 June 1914 |
| Birth Place: | Shinbashi, Tokyo, Japan |
| Death Place: | Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation: | Film producer, screenwriter, film director |
| Yearsactive: | 1938–1977 |
was a Japanese filmmaker who served primarily as a film producer, but also as a writer and director. He was most famous for producing several films for Akira Kurosawa, including Seven Samurai, Ikiru and Throne of Blood.[1] He also produced films for other directors, including Mikio Naruse, for whom he produced Spring Awakens and Battle of Roses, and Kazuo Mori, for whom he produced Vendetta for a Samurai.[1] As a writer, he provided the story for Kei Kumai's 1968 film The Sands of Kurobe, starring Kurosawa favorite Toshiro Mifune.[2]
Besides the films he is credited with producing, Motoki also had an influence on other Kurosawa films. For example, he was involved in the production of Rashomon.[3] Motoki sent the letter to screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto inviting him to help expand the script of Rashomon.[4]
During the late 1940s, Motoki joined with directors Kurosawa, Senkichi Taniguchi and Kajiro Yamamoto (eventually joined by Naruse as well) to form a short-lived independent production company, the Motion Picture Art Association, which was responsible for such films as Rashomon, The Quiet Duel and Stray Dog.[5]