He was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Ikeda studied and graduated in literature at the Waseda University in 1974. During his years as a student he already got involved in filmmaking. His first job was at a small independent production company called Ishihara Productions. However, shortly after he later moved to the major studio Nikkatsu even though there he also worked as an Assistant Director. Ikeda's first film with the Director's Company was the 1984 Mermaid Legend which is considered by many to be his finest work. Besides, this film also brought him the award for Best Director at the 1985 Yokohama Film Festival. Through the 1990s, he did little work in theatrical films and the only he did was on V-Cinema action and erotic films. After a lapse of some years, Ikeda returned to theatrical films with the 2001 two-part horror movie Campus Ghost Stories. By the end of his career he had worked in almost 40 features, directing 26 of those. Regarding his achievements, Ikeda won the award for Best Director at the 6th Yokohama Film Festival for Mermaid Legend, the award for Best Screenplay at the 1998 Santa Barbara International Film Festival for his film Kagi (1997), and the award for Best Director at the 1985 Yokohama Film Festival for his film Ningyo densetsu (1984). In sum, he is best known for directing the following films: Ningyo densetsu (1984), Kagi (1997), The Man Behind the Scissors (2005), Sweet Sweet Ghost (2000).