Nikkatsu in the Evening!

Masako Izumi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Immediately after work tonight, I attended an event with former Nikkatsu actress Masako Izumi. If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you ought to recognize her by now. She's been doing events once a year in February for the last five years. I've attended each one.

Izumi-san began her acting career in 1958 and quickly became a star when she signed with Nikkatsu Studios in the early 1960s. At Nikkatsu, she starred in such films as Toshio Masuda's tragic World War II drama Monument to the Girls' Corps (1968) and Seijun Suzuki's Tattooed Life (1965). Naturally, she has many other roles to her credit.

She's always a lot of fun to hang out with. Occasionally, actresses can be a bit challenging to deal with, but not Izumi-san. She's one of the warmest and friendliest I've ever met. It was great to share some laughs with her and listen to her stories about some of the Nikkatsu directors she's worked with. It was a great way to spend an evening.