He became an assistant director and worked under directors including Frank TOKUNAGA, Genjiro MIMURA, Minoru MURATA, Kenji MIZOGUCHI, and Kensaku SUZUKI before being promoted to director after only three years.
助監督となり、徳永フランク、三村源治郎、村田実、溝口健二、鈴木謙作らにつき、3年目には早くも監督に昇進した。