Born in Tokyo as Iwasaki Takumi,[1] Furukawa graduated from the College of Art at Nihon University in 1941 and entered the Nikkatsu studio first in the screenwriting division before becoming an assistant director.

[2] He made his directorial debut in 1955 with Jigoku no Yōjinbō, which starred Rentarō Mikuni and for which he wrote the script.

[2][1] He is most known for directing Season of the Sun in 1956, which was a box office success and helped launch the career of Yujiro Ishihara.

[1][3] His Cruel Gun Story (1964) was released on DVD with English subtitles by Eclipse from the Criterion Collection.

[5][2] Furukawa died of heart failure on 4 October 2018 in a Tokyo hospital at the age of 101.