Motoyoshi Oda was a distinguished English major who graduated from Waseda University, one of Japan's most prestigious institutions, in 1935. This impressive academic achievement paved the way for his entry into the directors' program at Tokyo's P.C.L. (Photo Chemical Laboratories),a film company later incorporated into Toho Studios. Under the guidance of renowned director Kajiro Yamamoto, Oda was part of a prestigious group of trainees that included future legends Akira Kurosawa, Ishiro Honda, and Senkichi Taniguchi.
When his colleagues Honda and Taniguchi were drafted into Japan's war in China, Oda's career received an unexpected boost. He was promoted to director in 1940 with the release of SONG OF KUNYA (Kunya no Uta),a remarkable achievement considering his relatively short period of training. The war effort likely contributed to Oda's rapid ascent, as he was not drafted into the army himself.
As a result of his accelerated career, Oda found himself making programmers, or trivial pictures, to keep product flowing into theaters. These films offered little room for artistic expression, but they did allow Oda to hone his skills as a director. Some of his most notable credits include LADY FROM HELL (1949),based on a script by Akira Kurosawa, TOMEI NINGEN (1954),and the second Godzilla film, GOJIRA NO GYAKUSHU (1955),which was the only film he made to be shown outside Japan.
Toho Studios relied heavily on Oda to direct as many as seven movies a year, knowing that he could deliver them on time. Throughout his illustrious career, Motoyoshi Oda directed an impressive fifty films, in addition to his work as assistant director and second-unit director on Ishiro Honda's EAGLE OF THE PACIFIC (Taiheiyono Washi, 1953). After 1957, no credits are available for Oda, leading many to speculate that he may have taken an early retirement.
