[1][2][3] He is most noted for his 1938 historical drama film Fallen Blossoms, which is now regarded as one of the outstanding works of 1930s Japanese cinema.

[3][4] He gave his directing debut at Toa Kinema in 1926, specialising in chanbara (sword fight) films,[1][4] the majority of which are regarded as lost.

[1] In the mid-1930s, Ishida made himself a name with literary adaptations, often in collaboration with the Bungakuza theatre troupe,[1] and films with female casts.

[4] Nowadays, his films set in entertainment districts are regarded as his standout works,[4] most notably the 1938 Fallen Blossoms, a formally innovative film about the inhabitants of a Kyoto geisha house in the late Edo period.

[1][4] Other notable films of the era include Yoru no hato (1937), Mukashi no uta and Hanatsumi nikki (both 1939), Keshōyuki (1940, based on a story by Mikio Naruse) and Asagiri gunka (1943).