Born 1935, Hirano Katsumi established the Nihon University Film Study Club and directed Conversation between Nail and Sock (Kugi to Kutsushita no Taiwa) in 1958. After graduating from university, he worked with Nippon Eiga Shinsha, the Kiroku Eiga Sakka Kyokai (Association of Documentary Filmmakers), and the Eizo Geijutsu no Kai (Association for Film Art). His works include Tokyo…Its Transformation and Time (Tokyo…Sono Henyo to Jikan, 1969) and The Scene of the Soul—The World of Ohno Kazuo (Tamashii no Fukei—Ohno Kazuo no Sekai, 1990).