Sadao Nakajima, Japanese Director of ‘Gokudo no Onna-tachi’ Film Series, Dead at 88

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:34 JST, June 15, 2023

Sadao Nakajima, a film director known for his “Gokudo no Onna-tachi” (Wives of yakuza) series, died from pneumonia on Sunday at the age of 88, it has been learned.

Born in Chiba Prefecture, Nakajima graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Letters. He made his directorial debut in 1964 with “Kunoichi Ninpo.” He subsequently worked on popular series such as “Kogarashi Monjiro” and “Gokudo no Onna-tachi.”

With his passion for creating, he was able to turn out a wide variety of films, including yakuza films, period dramas and artistic works.