Which studio produced and distributed Kurosawa's Rashomon?

Daiei Film produced and distributed Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon.

The film was made for Daiei after Kurosawa’s regular studio, Toho, had abandoned the project as too risky. Producer Sōjirō Motoki later presented the screenplay to Daiei, which agreed to finance and release the production. Daiei’s willingness to support the relatively low-budget project helped bring the film to theaters in 1950.

Rashomon was produced by Jingo Minoura and made at a time when Japanese studios generally controlled both production and domestic distribution. Its credits therefore list Daiei Film as the production company and Daiei as the distributor. The studio’s backing became especially significant after the film won the Golden Lion at the 1951 Venice Film Festival and gained international attention.

The other options are major Japanese studios, but they are associated with different parts of Kurosawa’s career. Toho produced many of his best-known films, while Shochiku and Nikkatsu were separate companies. They did not produce and distribute Rashomon.