Toyoda (born in Osaka, 1969) is a Japanese director and screenwriter who decided to start making films after he saw Dotsuitarunen (1989), Junji Sakamoto’s debut. Impressed by what he saw, he traveled to Tokyo and asked Sakamoto for a job. He began working in the same production house as Sakamoto - Arato Genijiiro Production. Together they wrote the screenplay for the film Ôte (Checkmate, 1991), directed by Sakamoto. They collaborated on the film Biriken (1996), and afterwards Toyoda made his screenwriting and directing debut with the crime drama Poruno sutâ (Pornostar, 1981). Afterwards he made the documentary Unchain (2000) about the Japanese boxer. For his next film Aoi haru (Blue Spring, 2001) he wrote the screenplay based on a manga and afterwards he directed the crime drama 9 Souls (2003) and the family drama Kűchű teien (2005) whose screenplay was based on Mitsuyo Kakuta’s novel with the same title. He is currently working in post-production on his film Yomigaeri no chi.