Another major childhood influence was Heigo Kurosawa , Akira 's older brother by four years . In the aftermath of the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923 , which devastated Tokyo , Heigo took the 13-year-old Akira to view the devastation . When the younger brother wanted to look away from the human corpses and animal carcasses scattered everywhere , Heigo forbade him to do so , encouraging Akira instead to face his fears by confronting them directly . Some commentators have suggested that this incident would influence Kurosawa 's later artistic career , as the director was seldom hesitant to confront unpleasant truths in his work
Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
Akira Kurosawa