Sōjirō Motoki

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''. 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''. As a writer, he provided the story for Kei Kumai's 1968 film ''The Sands of Kurobe'', starring Kurosawa favorite Toshiro Mifune.

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''. Motoki sent the letter to screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto inviting him to help expand the script of ''Rashomon''.

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''. Provided by Wikipedia