What Japanese state honor did Kurosawa receive in 1976?

Kurosawa received the Japanese honor Person of Cultural Merit in 1976.

The Person of Cultural Merit distinction recognizes people whose achievements have significantly advanced or developed Japanese culture. Japan created the system in 1951, and recipients receive a government-sponsored pension as part of the honor’s institutional purpose.

Kurosawa’s recognition came during a difficult period in his career. After the commercial failure of Dodes’ka-den and the collapse of the Hollywood-backed Tora! Tora! Tora!, he had struggled to secure work in Japan. Soon afterward, Soviet support enabled him to make Dersu Uzala, which premiered in 1975 and won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1976 ceremony.

The distinction is often confused with the Order of Culture. They are closely related: recipients of the Order of Culture are selected from among Persons of Cultural Merit, but they are not the same award. Kurosawa later received the Order of Culture in 1985.