| 1931 |
生於日本大阪府豐中市。
Born in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan |
| 1933 |
1933年 因父親在滿州鐵道公司工作的關係，舉家遷往滿州(即現時中國東北)，居於瀋陽。
The job of Yamada's father at the Manchurian Railway Company led the family
to relocate to Manchuria (now Northeast of China). They settled in Shenyang. |
| 1935 |
遷往洽爾濱。
Moved to Harbin |
| 1938 |
遷往長春，入讀西廣場小學；兩個學期後再遷返瀋陽，轉讀加茂小學。
Moved to Changchun, enrolled at the West Square Primary School. After two
semesters, the family moved back to Shenyang. Yamada studied at Kamo
Primary School. |
| 1941 |
舉家返回日本東京，於池雪小學讀四年班。
Returned to Tokyo, Japan. Yamada entered the fourth grade at Chisetu Primary
School. |
| 1944 |
再次遷往滿州，移居大連，考入著名的大連一中。
Relocated once again to Manchura, and settled in Dalian. Yamada enrolled
at the prestigious Dalian Secondary School. |
| 1945 |
1945年 日本戰敗，紅軍、八路軍攻入大連，山田退學，與家人靠販賣家財為生。
Japan surrendered, the Red Army and the Eighth Route Army entered Dalian.
Yamada withdrew from school, and his family survived by selling their
possessions. |
| 1947 |
重返日本，定居於山口縣，於宇部中學就讀中四；因父親失業，山田放學後打苦工，幫補家計。
Returned to Japan, settled in Yamaguchi prefecture. Yamada entered the
tenth grade at Ube Secondary School. Due to his father's unemployment,
Yamada worked after school to support his family. |
| 1950 |
考入東京大學，加入「東大自由映畫研究所」。
Accepted by Tokyo University, and joined the Film Society of Tokyo University |
| 1954 |
東大法學部畢業，報考松竹不被取錄，後因「日活」聘走大批助導，結果以後補位置加入松竹，擔任助導。自言看見松竹的食堂擺滿豐富食物，認為在那裡工作一定三餐飽足，十分開心。在松竹擔任川島雄三、涉谷實、井上和夫、野村芳太郎等導演的助導。山田自言當時沒有想當導演的宏大理想，也不認為自己有能力，於是開始學寫劇本，打算做編劇。
Graduated from the Faculty of Law at Tokyo University. Yamada applied for
a job at the Shochiku Studio, but was rejected. Later when the rival
studio Nikkatsu recruited many of the staff from Shochiku, Yamada was
finally able to enter Shochiku to work as an assistant director for directors
such as Kawashima Yuzo, Shibuya Minoru, Inoue Kazuo and Nomura Yoshitaro.
Yamada once recalled gleefully the plentiful canteen at the Shochiku
studio, which convinced him that no staff of the studio would ever starve.
He did not aspire to be a director, nor did he consider himself capable,
so he started learning to write to prepare for a career as a screenwriter. |
| 1955 |
與大學時認識的
惠結婚，婚姻維持至今。日本電影新人導演協會招募劇本，憑「蜂之子」贏得第一名，賺取了人生首個８萬円劇本費，並在舊家具店買了一個衣櫃，至今仍在家中使用著。
Married his college sweetheart Yoshie, the marriage has lasted to this
day. Yamada entered the scriptwriting competition organised by the Japanese
New Director Association with Son
of the Bee, and won the first prize and 80,000 yen scriptwriting fee. He used some of the
money to buy a secondhand closet which is still in use at his home. |
| 1956 |
與野村芳太郎合編《月薪13000圓》，由野村執導而成，「山田洋次」的名字首次在松竹的銀幕上出現。
Co-wrote Gekkyu 13000
Yen with
Nomura Yoshitaro. The film was directed by Nomura and marked the first
time the name "Yamada Yoji" appeared in the credits of a Shochiku film. |
| 1960 |
以大島渚為中心的「日本新浪潮」抬頭，一眾新導演氣勢如虹，紛紛推出處女作。與大島渚同期加入松竹的山田則繼續創作其通俗喜劇故事。
The "Japanese New Wave" movement
led by Oshima Nagisa emerged. A number of new directors made their debuts.
Yamada, who entered Shochiku Studio around the same time as Oshima, continued
to write melodramas and comedies. |
| 1961 |
全盛時期的電影界有所謂「SP」(Sister
Picture)製作，乃測試新人執導能力的一小時電影。在野村的推薦下，山田執導了首部電影《二樓的陌生人》（片長56分鐘）。
During this golden age of Japanese cinema, a type of film called "SP" (Sister
Picture) was common as a test of the abilities of new directors. With the
recommendation of Nomura, Yamada directed his first film Strangers Upstairs (56 mins.) |
| 1963 |
把倍賞千惠子主唱的大熱流行曲＜平民區的太陽＞構思成同名電影，乃首次執導的長篇電影。倍賞亦自此成為山田電影的御用女主角。
Inspired by the hit song by Baisho Chieko, Yamada wrote and directed the
eponymous film The
Sunshine Girl, his first feature film. It also marked
the beginning of a life-long collaboration between Yamada and Baisho. |
| 1964-68 |
找花肇主演《笨蛋》系列、《喜劇》系列及其他喜劇作品，被視為《男人之苦》的原型。
Invited Hana Hajime to star in the "Baka" (The
Idiot) series and other comedies, which were seen as the prototype of the "Tora-san" series. |
| 1968年 |
邂逅喜劇演員渥美清，找他主演在富士電視台推出的《男人之苦》連續劇。電視版大結局時安排寅次郎死掉，惹起民憤，大批觀眾致電富士電視台投訴。
Meet comedic actor Atsumi Kiyoshi and asked him to star in the new "Tora-san" television
series for Fuji TV. The death of the character Torajiro in the series finale
provoked a popular outcry, numerous complaints were made by audiences to
the network. |
| 1969 |
山田向松竹提出把《男人之苦》拍成電影版，在社長強烈反對之下，執導了電影。誰知觀眾反應熱烈，笑聲滿場，影片票房大收。從未想過把《男人之苦》拍成電影系列的山田，結果順理成章把「寅次郎」的故事續拍下去，直至1995年最後一集，共編導了48集（當中只有第三、四集不是由山田執導），成為日本史上最長壽的電影系列。
Yamada suggested to the Shochiku Studio his idea of turning "Tora-san" into
a film, albeit the opposition of the head of the studio, directed Tora-san
Our Lovable Tramp. The film earned the overwhelming support of the public
and became a blockbuster hit. Yamada, who has never intended to make a
Tora-san film series, wrote and directed sequel after sequel around the
character of Torajiro, amounting to 48 films (only the third and fourth
film were not directed by him) until the last installment in 1995, thus
created the longest-running film series in Japan. |
| 1970-75 |
在每年執導兩齣《男人之苦》的同時，山田於這六年間完成了他的「家族三部曲」──《家族》、《故鄉》及《同胞》。
While directing two Tora-san films per year, Yamada also finished his "Family" trilogy
- Where Spring Comes Late, Home from the Sea and The Village. |
| 1977 |
執導的《幸福黃手絹》成為日本近代愛情片經典，片中大膽起用深入民心的「黑幫大佬」高倉健飾演沉鬱的柔情漢子，令人眼前一亮。山田初次執導歌劇，以平易近人的手法把《卡門》搬上舞台。
Directed The Yellow Handkerchief,
the Japanese romantic classic. Yamada hired Takaura Ken, an actor famous
for his portrayals of tough gangsters, to play the stoic but tender protangonist,
turning him into an unlikely romantic idol. Yamada also directed his first
theatrical musical by adapting Carmen with his signature common touch. |
| 1986 |
松竹大船攝影所五十周年紀念，山田執導了《電影天地》，片中以松竹舊片廠蒲田為背景，描寫當年松竹旗下年青導演不怕失敗的冒險精神及創作熱情，戲中可見以小津安二郎、島津保次郎、齊藤寅二郎、田中絹代等人為藍本的角色。
Helmed Final Take: The Golden Age of
Movies to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Shochiku Ofuna Studio, using the old
Shochiku studio at Kamata as the backdrop to retell the stories of the
early Shochiku directors, recalling their adventurous spirits and creative
enthusiasm. Characters based on Ozu Yasujiro, Shimazu Yasujiro, SaitoTorajiro
and Tanaka Kinuyo populated the film. |
| 1988 |
為西田敏行主演的《釣魚狂人日記》編劇，至2003年的第14集。
Wrote Free and Easy, which
starred Nishida Toshiyuki, and continued through to the 14th installment
in 2003. |
| 1993 |
開拍以夜校為題的《學校》，獲得好評如潮，之後拍了四集，乃另一成功電影系列。
Released the night school-themed A
Class to Remember to critical acclaim. Together with three sequels made afterwards, the films became
another successful Yamada series. |
| 1995 |
心諳渥美清病情危急，決定《寅次郎紅之花》為《男人之苦》的最後一集；此時，山田組的攝影師高羽哲夫在開拍影片前時突然離世，令山田大受打擊。為紀念這位由1964年第三部作品《完全笨蛋》起便一直合作的老拍檔，山田在《紅之花》依然把高羽的名字放在攝影一欄。
Knowing that Atsumi Kiyoshi had reached the terminal stage of his illness,
Yamada decided to make Tora-san
to the Rescue the finale of the Tora-san
series. Just when the filming was about to begin, Yamada's longtime cinematographer
Takaba Tetsuo passed away suddenly. To remember this beloved collaborator
with whom Yamada had worked since his third film Baka
Marudai, he continued to list Takaba's name in the credits of Tora-san To the Rescue
as cinematographer. |
| 1996 |
八月四日渥美清病逝。之前，山田抱著渥美清還會復原的一絲希望，繼續籌備第49集，並找來西田敏行及田中裕子演出，可惜事如願違；山田遂安排兩人主演《摘彩虹的人》，代《男人之苦》頂上新年檔期。
Atsumi Kiyoshi passed away on 4 August. Before Atsumi's death, Yamada was
hopeful that he might recover and proceeded with the preparation of the
49th installment of the Tora-san series, asking Nishida Toshiyuki and
Tanaka Yuko to join the cast. Subsequently, Yamada cast the two actors
in The
Man Who Caught the Rainbow, which was released during the New Year holidays instead of the by now traditional
Tora-san film. |
| 2001 |
自1963年執導第一部長片以來，首次沒有推出作品的一年。外界盛傳山田垂老，他的電影世界已告終結。
The first year since Yamada made his debut in 1963 not to have any film
released. Rumor had it that Yamada was too old, and his film career has
ended. |
| 2002 |
在京都攝影所執導了第一部古代武士片《黃昏清兵衛》，故事改編自武士小說家藤澤周平的三個短篇小說。影片突破了日本武士片的傳統，把最下級的武士的生活、矛盾與感情表露無遺，被譽為是劃時代之作，山田的電影大師地位重新得到廣泛肯定。
Filmed his first Samurai costume drama The Twilight Samurai
at the Kyoto Studio. Adapted from three novellas by Fujisawa Shuhei, the
film subverted the conventions of Japanese Samurai films in exposing the
life, ambivalence and emotions of the lowest ranking member of the Samurai
class. The film was hailed as a masterpiece and reestablished Yamada as
one of the cinema greats in Japan. |
| 2004 |
第二部改編自藤澤周平小說的武士片《隱劍鬼爪》面世，引來全球注目。
The Hidden Blade,
the second film adapted from two novellas by Fujisawa Shuhei,
was released, attracting worldwide attention. |
