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Yūharu Atsuta

Cinematographer · Died December 7, 1992, aged 87 · Kobe, Japan

Yuharu Atsuta (January 1, 1905 - December 7, 1992) was a Japanese film cameraman. He is known as a famous cameraman of Yasujiro Ozu's group. Born in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, he grew up in Toranomon, Tokyo. In 1928, he worked as an assistant cinematographer on Yasujiro Ozu's second film, “Dreams of Youth,” and later became a close friend of Ozu's while working as an assistant on many of his films. After 15 years as an assistant, he became a cinematographer during the shooting of “What Ladies Forget” in 1937 and worked as a cinematographer for all of Ozu's films distributed by Shochiku until 1962.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 1, 1905
Died
December 7, 1992 (aged 87)
From
Kobe, Japan
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 49 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 19% in 30 days

What are Yūharu Atsuta's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Genres

Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 98th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 97th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
50%
Society
19%
Self
14%
Morality
11%
Survival
6%
Family bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeTradition vs change3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 4 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 9 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
10
Melancholic
8
Warm
5
Bittersweet
6
Tense
1

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet9
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Yūharu Atsuta's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Yūharu Atsuta's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

49 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • I Lived, But... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Cinematographer · as Self

  • Lover's Duet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Cinematographer

  • The River Yokobori (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Cinematographer

  • Wakai nobara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • Nagisa o kakeru onna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Cinematographer

  • Double Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Cinematographer

  • An Autumn Afternoon(1962)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • A Roaring Trade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Cinematographer

  • The Estuary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Cinematographer

  • Late Autumn(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Shu no kafun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Cinematographer

  • Vagabond Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Cinematographer

  • Good Morning(1959)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • People Waiting for Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Cinematographer

  • Equinox Flower(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Black River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Cinematographer

  • Tokyo Twilight(1957)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • I Will Buy You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Cinematographer

  • Early Spring(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Youth’s Romance Seat: Sitting on the Green Grass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Cinematographer

  • Tokyo Story(1953)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Hibari Jolly Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Cinematographer

  • Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Cinematographer

  • The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Over That Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Cinematographer

  • Early Summer(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Home Sweet Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Cinematographer

  • Omoide no borero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Cinematographer

  • Late Spring(1949)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • A Hen in the Wind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Cinematographer

  • Newlywed League Match (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Cinematographer

  • Record of a Tenement Gentleman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Cinematographer

  • Yurusareta ichiya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Cinematographer

  • The Woman Who Holds the Key (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Cinematographer

  • There Was a Father(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Cinematographer

  • Nobuko (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Cinematographer

  • Haha o tataeru uta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Family Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Mother and Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Assistant Camera

  • What Did the Lady Forget? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Cinematographer

  • The Only Son(1936)

    Lighting Technician

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Where Now Are the Dreams of Youth? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Assistant Camera

  • The Sorrow of the Beautiful Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    First Assistant Camera

  • Treasure Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Assistant Camera

  • Couple on the Move (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Cinematographer

  • Pumpkin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Camera Operator

  • Wife Lost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Camera Operator

  • Dreams of Youth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 49 titles from 1928 to 1983.

Biggest box office

Tokyo Story (1953)

$110K worldwide

Highest rated

Late Spring (1949)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography42 of 49: 42 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score97thOther crew7 of 49: 7 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1920s5 · crew1930s7 · crew1940s9 · crew1950s17 · crew1960s10 · crew1980s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Yūharu Atsuta's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 97th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 96th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12

Shape of the crowd

None of their 12 titles divides audiences: 12 are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved12

Most loved · cinematographer

Late Spring (1949)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 85/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 87, detractors 54. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Yūharu Atsuta's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 10 · minimalMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Yūharu Atsuta work with?

People who share at least 2 of Yūharu Atsuta's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Yasujirō Ozu shares the most, 11.

Directors

  • Yasujirō Ozu11 titles    See all 11 shared titles with Yasujirō Ozu

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers