Kazuaki Kiriya, a multifaceted Japanese creative talent, was born on April 20, 1968. His journey began in 1983, when he relocated to the United States in his second year of junior high school. He went on to attend Northfield Mount Hermon School and the Cambridge School in Weston, Massachusetts, and later enrolled at the prestigious School of Constructed Environments at Parsons The New School for Design in New York.
Initially, Kiriya aimed to pursue a career in the business world, but his passion for art was ignited when he discovered the joy of communicating through drawing during times when his English skills were limited. This newfound interest led him to focus on the world of art, and by 1994, he had established himself as a talented designer, photographer, and music video director, working with renowned artists such as Hikaru Utada, SMAP, The Back Horn, Mr. Children, Misia, Southern All Stars, Glay, and Ayumi Hamasaki.
In 2004, Kiriya made his feature film debut with the ambitious live-action adaptation of Casshan, which was notable for being one of the first films shot on a digital backlot. Seven years later, he wrote and directed his second film, Goemon, a fantasy epic inspired by the life of Ishikawa Goemon, in which he also made a cameo appearance as Akechi Mitsuhide.
Kiriya's directorial endeavors continued to evolve, and in 2015, he ventured into English-language filmmaking with Last Knights, a reimagining of the legendary tale of the forty-seven ronin. Throughout his career, Kiriya has consistently demonstrated his versatility and creative range, solidifying his position as a respected figure in the world of Japanese cinema and beyond.
