That same year, Inagaki made his directorial debut on the film 'Tenka Taiheiki' (Record of the Great Peace Under Heaven), which starred Chiezo and whose screenplay was written by Itami; thereafter, he made a great number of cheerful period dramas showing Chiezo's merrier side, including 'Hoto zanmai' (Drowning in the Three Pleasures), 'Genji kozo' (The Young Priest Genji), 'Ehon musha shugyo' (Picture Book of a Warrior Traveling to Hone His Martial Skills), and 'Genroku Ju-san nen' (Year Thirteen of the Genroku Era (about the year 1700)), leading to Inagaki and Itami being called the 'two supporting pillars' of Chiezo Productions.
同年千恵蔵主演、伊丹脚本の「天下太平記」で監督としてデビューし、以後、「放蕩三昧」「源氏小僧」「絵本武者修行」「元禄十三年」といった千恵蔵主演の明朗にして陽気な時代劇を多数手がけ、伊丹と共に千恵蔵プロの二本柱と呼ばれた。