Paying Respects to the Actor Behind 'Ultraman's' Ito

A young mangaka, Akiko Fukushima, and Bin Furuya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yesterday (Thursday, November 23), I was able to join a unique event held in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, celebrating the life of the actor Masanari Nihei. Billed as a "garden party," this event was actually held at Nihei-san's home where his family still lives. It was an incredible opportunity and one I couldn't pass up.

Akiko Fukushima with a shikishi board featuring a drawing of her late husband. Photo by Brett Homenick.

For those of you not in the know, Nihei-san got his big break in 1966 when Ultraman (1966-67) was launched on Japanese television. Playing Science Patrol member Ito (Ide in the Japanese version), he would ultimately become one of the most recognizable characters in the Ultra-franchise.

With Bin Furuya.

After arriving at Kamakura Station, I took a taxi directly to the Nihei home. The taxi ride was a bit longer than I expected, and the route back to the station was -- shall we say -- a bit less than clear to me. Thankfully, though, I left the event with the group, so I could find my way back with no issues whatsoever.

On hand for the festivities were his widow Akiko Fukushima and one of their two daughters, Kazuka. Fukushima-san, a professional photographer, married Nihei-san in 1972, and they stayed married until his passing on August 21, 2021. The pair prepared and served food and drinks to the guests in backyard of their home.

The view of the Pacific Ocean from a point near the Nihei home. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Bin Furuya, the legendary suit actor who portrayed the original Ultraman, as well as Amagi in the follow-up series Ultra Seven (1967-68), was the guest of honor. He was a fellow Toho New Face with Nihei-san in the same class. So, suffice it to say, their history together dates back much further than Ultraman. 

Another view of the Pacific Ocean with Mount Fuji in the distance. Photo by Brett Homenick.

A young female mangaka was in attendance, and she gave Nihei-san's widow a wonderful drawing of her late husband on a shikishi board (which you can see in photo that's second from the top of this blog post). 

Bin Furuya studies a toy of his alter ego. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As the event was winding down, our group headed to the nearby cemetery to pay our respects to Nihei-san at his grave. While there, we were mesmerized by the view of the ocean from a particular viewing spot from which you could also see Mount Fuji in the distance. What a sight it was!

I took a lot of photos at the garden party, so I'll just let them speak for themselves. There's really not much else to say -- we were there to hang out and have fun. 

I guess I should add that we all got a souvenir for attending -- a commemorative mini poster (about a fraction of the size of an average sheet of paper) on glossy stock with the aforementioned mangaka's rendering of Nihei-san and Furura-san on it, signed by Furuya-san himself. It's quite a cool keepsake!