Akira Kurosawa spanned more than five decades, during which he directed more than thirty movies, many of them indisputable classics: Rashomon, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo, among others. During the height of his creative output, Kurosawa became one of the most influential and well-known directors in the world, inspiring filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and movies such as The Magnificent Seven; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; and Star Wars.
In the portrait, Marty depicts Kurosawa in his signature proletarian hat and glasses, and the bottom left of the design bears the quote, “Like a salmon, I cannot forget where I was born”--reflecting Kurosawa’s philosophy of staying true to one’s roots.
