Sunday, May 5, 2019

An Event Celebrating the Memory of Yusaku Matsuda

With Hironobu Hagimae (left) and Toru Murakawa (center). 

The Golden Week festivities continued on May 3, as I attended a special evening event with stuntman Hironobu Hagimae and director Toru Murakawa. The event centered around a screening of a Yusaku Matsuda film directed by Murakawa-san, but given my work schedule, I had to miss it. 

Toru Murakawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Toru Murakawa is a director best known for his many collaborations with actor Yusaku Matsuda. Murakawa-san directed the films The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf (1979) and The Beast to Die (1980), both of which star Matsuda. 


On the small screen, he directed episodes of Daitsuiseki (1978) and Tantei Monogatari (1979-80). However, I know Murakawa-san best as the chief assistant director of the Japanese scenes of Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970).

Hironobu Hagimae. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was Hironobu Hagimae. He's performed as a stuntman in America, Japan, and even Australia. He's a veteran of the '70s Kamen Rider series, as well as Mad Max (1979) and The Road Warrior (1981). 


I had a great time talking with Hagimae-san about his various adventures around the world. Hard to believe it had been a year since I first met him.

All in all, it was a lot of fun, and I hope we can do it again soon!

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