A Special Evening with a Nikkatsu Starlet!

Nami Misaki. Photo by Brett Homenick.

November 3 marked Godzilla's birthday, but I was busy at work for most of those festivities. After work, however, I did have time to meet a lovely and charming actress for the first time, Nami Misaki. Misaki-san was born on May 27, 1955, and hails from Kyoto. She became an actress in 1977, originally working for Toei. Shortly thereafter, she switched to Nikkatsu where, let's just say, she starred in movies of a rather risque nature. 

When I arrived, I was seated at a table with Misaki-san's younger sister, Yukari, who lives in Kyoto. We had a fun time chatting, and, while I was there, Misaki-san walked by our table and was surprised to see an American at the event. It didn't take her long to say, "I love you," to me in English. What a warm welcome!

After Misaki-san joined our table, she talked about her work in Hong Kong movies. This was particularly interesting to me because it's (naturally) quite rare to meet actresses from Hong Kong movies in Japan. Her IMDb page lists her as appearing in The Tattoo Connection (1978) with Jim Kelly and Bruce and the Iron Finger (1979) with Bruce Li. However, since I couldn't find much corroboration online for her appearances in these flicks, I assumed it was another IMDb mix-up.

But she confirmed that she actually did act in Hong Kong, although she couldn't confirm that she was in these particular films. She remembered working with one of the Hong Kong actors credited in one of the films, but that was all. She was credited in these movies under a name that sounds something like "Ri Hoikei" (at least in its Japanese rendering), but I'm not sure of the actual Chinese spelling.

(For what it's worth, a "Misaki Name" is listed in the opening credits of The Tattoo Connection, and a Lee Hai Ke is credited in the opening credits of Bruce and the Iron Finger.)

A (mostly) family affair: Yukari, Mami, and Nami! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Another interesting note is that she lived for a short time in Seattle, Washington, many years ago (for a little over a year, I was told), although she seems to have forgotten most of the English she learned there. One amusing anecdote is that she told me that I have the same face as her boyfriend in Seattle, who was named Philip. I've gotten some nice comments from various Japanese actresses over the years, but this was the first time I've been told that I resemble an ex! During the evening, she also posed for pics with me using her own phone. (It's always great when the guests ask you for a photo!)  At the end of the event, she went in for a hug, which I was happy to oblige.

What a fun evening this was! I certainly look forward to meeting Misaki-san again. I just gotta get more familiar with her filmography!