THE STAR GALLERY! Toho Stars Triumphantly Return to Hibiya!

The Star Gallery in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

By sheer coincidence, I found The Star Gallery in the basement of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. On Saturday, November 4, an advertisement for Godzilla Minus One (2023) caught my eye, and, as I approached it to take a picture of it, I suddenly discovered The Star Gallery, which was right next to it.

The Star Gallery contains all the hand casts of Toho stars that was removed from the old Hibiya Chanter Square in late 2017 in anticipation of the area's renovation. I never found out what had happened to those hand casts and figured they were tossed into storage somewhere or worse. 

So you could imagine my surprise when I accidentally stumbled upon those same hand casts on the wall of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya some six years later. I was ecstatic to find it and snapped some photos. I'll highlight some of the names below.

With Izumi Yukimura's hand cast.

With Yuriko Hoshi's hand cast.

With Frankie Sakai's hand cast.

With Yosuke Natsuki's hand cast.

With Akira Takarada's hand cast.

Catching a Double Feature of Toho Classics in Ikebukuro!

Quite a double feature at Ikebukuro's Shin Bungeiza theater. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yesterday, I went to the Shin Bungeiza theater in Ikebukuro to take in a double feature of Akira Takarada films in 35mm as part of a tribute to the late actor, who passed away earlier this year. The theater is screening a variety of Takarada films from July 24 through August 2, although only two are tokusatsu-related: Godzilla (1954) and The Last War (1961).

A poster for the Toho crime thriller Blood and Diamonds (1964). Photo by Brett Homenick.

The first feature to be screened was Blood and Diamonds (1964), directed by Jun Fukuda, and starring Takarada, Yosuke Natsuki, Makoto Sato, and Kumi Mizuno. The black-and-white crime thriller was well directed by Fukuda. (Those who think he was a bad director just because they don't like his '70s Godzilla films really ought to check out his work here.) The story centers around a botched diamond robbery, during which Makoto Sato is nearly fatally shot, and the efforts by members of his gang to save his life.

The Toho films starring Akira Takarada that are being screened as part of the program. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It was absolutely fascinating seeing Yu Fujiki, who often played comedic characters in Toho's kaiju films, as slimy gangster with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Talk about casting against type! It was also interesting seeing Natsuki's police detective character interrogating actor Chico Lourant about the diamond robbery in English.

As impressive as the movie was, I was hoping its scope would have opened up a bit more. Maybe about half of the film takes place in the criminals' dreary hideout in or around a quarry. Overall, however, Jun Fukuda handles the visuals very well. Unlike the hardboiled crime films Kinji Fukasaku would make at Toei in the 1970s, this film has a typical crime-doesn't-pay ending. It's well worth checking out, even if the movie does get bogged down a bit in the hideout scenes.

A news report about the death of Akira Takarada on March 18 on a Hibiya Line train. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The second feature of the evening was the much lighter 007 spoof Ironfinger (1965), co-starring Mie Hama and Ichiro Arishima. The film print looked a bit worse for wear, but there is still no better way to experience a film. I'd only seen Ironfinger once before on DVD, so it was quite enjoyable for me to see the film as it was meant to be seen. I missed an opportunity a while back to catch this on the big screen, so I was especially glad to see it this time.

What a fun evening of classic Toho entertainment. I'll be checking out more Toho classics this week, so please stay tuned to this blog for more details.

Shintaro Ishihara, Former Toho Director and Screenwriter (and Governor of Tokyo), Passes Away at Age 89

Akira Takarada, Reiko Dan, and Shintaro Ishihara on the set of the 1960 Toho film The Dangerous Kiss.

Shintaro Ishihara, the outspoken and controversial former governor of Tokyo from 1999 through 2012, passed away on February 1 at age 89.

Mr. Ishihara's political opinions will be the subject of debate for years to come, and it should go without saying that they are well beyond the scope of this blog post. I would simply like to point out Mr. Ishihara's often-ignored stint as a writer-director at Toho.

For some background, let me quote from The Japan Times:

Born in Kobe on Sept. 30, 1932, Ishihara first rose to national fame as a young writer, winning the prestigious Akutagawa Award in 1956 for his novel “Taiyo no Kisetsu” (“Season of the Sun”), which he wrote a year earlier at the age of 22 while a student at Tokyo’s Hitotsubashi University. The book became a best-seller, and Ishihara’s younger brother, Yujiro, who would go on to become one of Japan’s top film stars, made his debut as an actor in the novel’s film adaptation.

That film adaptation was Crazed Fruit (1956), produced by Nikkatsu Studios, which garnered international acclaim. Shortly thereafter, he wrote and directed the boxing drama The Young Beast (1958) at Toho, starring Akira Kubo. In 1960, one of Mr. Ishihara's books was adapted into a much different boxing story, the farcical romance The Dangerous Kiss, starring Akira Takarada. This film, directed by Yuzo Kawashima with a screenplay by Zenzo Matsuyama, features a cameo by Mr. Ishihara himself.

The poster for The Dangerous Kiss (on the right), which prominently advertises the involvement of Shintaro Ishihara. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I saw The Dangerous Kiss theatrically back in 2017, so please follow this link if you'd like to read my writeup on it. 

It's quite amusing to think that such a consequential political figure in Japan once wrote the story on which an Akira Takarada comedy was based, but, lest we forget, the U.S. has seen its share of characters in public office, too. In this case, at least we can all put aside our political opinions and talk about some fun and entertaining movies for a change.

A Trio of New Interviews at Vantage Point Interviews!

Shigeo Kato in January 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I've posted a trio of new interviews at Vantage Point Interviews. First, my January 2019 interview with actor Shigeo Kato in which he talks about everything from his World War II memories to working with Akira Kurosawa on Seven Samurai (not to mention his recollections of the original Godzilla). 

There's also my 2010 interview with Godzilla series star Akira Takarada, which has been transcribed and published for the first time anywhere. 

Last but not least is my conversation with Toho SFX staff member Takashi Naganuma, who started his career in the early 1970s and continued on into the Heisei era. 

Check 'em out today!

Remembering JFFJ Editor Greg Shoemaker (1947-2019)

Greg Shoemaker meets Akira Takarada in 2010. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

The editor and publisher of the Japanese Fantasy Film Journal, the first and perhaps the best Godzilla/tokusatsu fanzine in the U.S., passed away on July 19.

In late 2009, I was pleased to conduct an interview with Greg about the history of JFFJ. The interview can be found here. To be honest, I was shocked that no one else tried to document the history of this ground-breaking fanzine (despite all the lip service many in the fan community paid to it), but I was honored to be the one to do it.

Yours truly with Greg Shoemaker in 2010.

I was also privileged to meet Greg in person in July 2010. I was able to introduce Greg to Akira Takarada when I was assisting Mr. Takarada during his first con appearance in the U.S. I had a few moments to share with Greg, but I wish I had many more. 

However, I'm pleased to report that the JFFJ legacy lives on. In February of this year, I was contacted by the clearance coordinator for a new Netflix series that wanted to feature issues of JFFJ in the series but wanted permission from Greg to use them. Naturally, I provided his contact information. I certainly hope permission was granted and that JFFJ will be exposed to a whole new generation of fans.

Rest in peace, Greg. Thank you for paving the way for the rest of us. 

A Toho All-Star Flick in Ikebukuro

Arashi o yobu gakudan at Ikebukuro's Shin-Bungeiza. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Last night, I went to the Shin-Bungeiza theater in Ikebukuro to take in a late-night screening of Arashi o yobu gakudan (1960), an all-star Toho musical with several notable actors from the studio. Among the featured players are: Akira Takarada, Tadao Takashima, Izumi Yukimura, Tatsuyoshi Ehara, and Shinichi Yanagisawa.

I've known about this movie for years but have never had to chance to see it ... until last night. It's a mostly light-hearted take on a jazz band that organically comes together and achieves almost overnight success. However, love (and egos) get in the way, and soon the members break up and go their separate ways. But will they get back together before the ending?

It was an enjoyable film, and I especially enjoyed seeing Shinichi Yanagisawa in a Toho movie. (Yanagisawa-san is better known for his Nikkatsu and Shochiku roles.) Folks who need monsters in their Toho movies are really missing out. Last night was a great night at the movies.

A Memorial Celebration of Yosuke Natsuki

Toward the end of March, I received an invitation in the mail to attend a memorial celebration of Yosuke Natsuki. Naturally, I immediately decided to attend, and so I made the necessary arrangements.

The celebration was held today (April 12) at the Capitol Hotel Tokyu in Nagatacho, Tokyo. Many of Natsuki-san's colleagues from his acting days were in attendance, and there were a few I got to meet for the first time.

Many of Natsuki-san's personal items were on display in the entrance, but once you got to the main ballroom, it was filled with about 320 people who knew Natsuki-san onscreen and off-.

Many familiar faces were on hand, and it was certainly great to see them again. Below, I will talk about some of my personal experiences and encounters at this memorial event.

Yasuhiko Saijo. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

The first person I ran into was actor Yasuhiko Saijo, a supporting actor at Toho and one of the stars of Ultra Q (1966). While on my way to the main ballroom, I had a (very brief) encounter with Toho actress Yoko Tsukasa. After entering the main ballroom, I encountered director Tom Kotani and had a brief chat with him.

Machiko Naka. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Toho actress Machiko Naka was also in attendance, as were a number of folks I hadn't met before. Director Minoru Kawasaki came up to me to say hello, and I later bumped into producer Shogo Tomiyama.

Akira Takarada and Yoko Tsukasa. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Many of the event's VIPs spoke in honor of Natsuki-san. While Akira Takarada and Yoko Tsukasa's comments struck a lighter tone, Tom Kotani's comments underscored the sadness of Natsuki-san's passing.

With Akira Wakamatsu. 

Early on in the event, I approached Toho actor Akira Wakamatsu, whom I met for the first and only time three years ago. I was surprised to find that he immediately recognized me. He came all the way from Fukushima to attend.

With Daijiro Harada. 

I had an amusing chat with Natsuki-san's G-Men '75 (1975-82) co-star Daijiro Harada. He's better known in the West as Mechagodzilla's pilot in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993). We had a fun chat about the English he spoke in the film. We snapped the above photo right before Harada-san had to leave to be interviewed by the Japanese media.

With Yumi Mizusawa. 

One actress I met for the first time was Yumi Mizusawa, one of the regulars on Natsuki-san's popular TV series What Is Youth? (1965-66). She was selected as a member of Toho New Talent's 5th class in 1965 (along with Son of Godzilla's Bibari Maeda) and went on to become a prolific television actress and singer. While her credits are mostly non-genre, she appeared in episode 91 of Kamen Rider (1971-73) and episode 16 of Iron King (1972-73). Her most notable film appearance is in Kihachi Okamoto's Epoch of Murder Madness (1967).

During the event, a slide show was projected onto a big screen that featured many photos from Natsuki-san's life and career. One interesting photo was of Gene Hackman's visit to the set of a period piece with Natsuki-san and Toshiro Mifune. Another notable shot was a candid of Natsuki-san (in full Professor Hayashida garb) and Yasuko Sawaguchi that was taken (presumably with Natsuki-san's personal camera) on the set of Godzilla (1984). One of the final photos in the presentation was one that I took. You can see it above. Suffice it to say, it was quite an honor that one of my photos was used in the tribute to Natsuki-san's life.

Overall, it was an excellent event, and the organizers did a top-notch job. While the reason we gathered in this hotel ballroom was especially sad, the warmth and  kindness of those in attendance truly made this a celebration of a great man.

Haruo Nakajima: A Monster Life Remembered

 Haruo Nakajima onstage at an event in Tokyo in March 2015. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Word has started circulating that Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit actor who portrayed the King of the Monsters from 1954 until 1972, has just passed away at the age of 88. While Nakajima-san's uncanny acting ability inside the monster suit is what attracted his legions of fans around the world in the beginning, it was his warmth and friendliness outside the suit that made him an international legend.

I'm a firm believer that a picture is worth a thousand words (and then some), so I'd like to take this moment to share a few of the photos I've taken of Nakajima-san over the years.

Nakajima-san discusses the art of suit-acting at a Godzilla-related event in March 2015.

The year 1954 was a big one in the life of Nakajima-san. Not only did he play Godzilla in the King of the Monsters' first film, he also appeared in Akira Kurosawa's seminal Seven Samurai, often called the greatest Japanese film of all time.

Two heroes, coming to the rescue!

Nakajima-san and assistant SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano discuss working on King Kong Escapes (1967) under the direction of Eiji Tsuburaya in September 2015.

Suit-acting explained: Nakajima-san gesticulates as he demonstrates the finer points of bringing monsters to life.

"Two Godzillas! What does it mean?!" It means that Nakajima-san and his suit-acting successor Kenpachiro Satsuma (Godzilla from 1984 until 1995) show the audience how to move like the King of the Monsters in October 2014.

Nakajima-san remembers working on his last film as Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) in September 2014.

Godzilla vs. Gigan star Hiroshi Ishikawa helps Nakajima-san with his microphone during a Q&A.

Nakajima-san talks shop next to Godzilla series star Akira Takarada at Super Festival in January 2016.

Nakajima-san joins King Kong Escapes co-stars Linda Miller and Akira Takarada at Super Festival.

Thank you for the memories, Nakajima-san. Rest in peace.

A RETURN TO THE MOVIES! Seeing Toho Flicks Again in Asagaya!

Tickets for tonight's double feature. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It's Monday, so that must mean I went back to the Laputa Asagaya for another double feature. On tonight's menu was a pair of Toho features, which couldn't be any more different from each other. One was the screwball romantic comedy The Dangerous Kiss (1960), and the other was the eerie vampire tale Lake of Dracula (1971). 

Prior to the screenings, another audio recording by none other than Shinichi Yanagisawa was played, describing the background of The Dangerous Kiss. It's always a treat to hear Yanagisawa-san's familiar voice. 

 A poster for The Dangerous Kiss (uh, the one on the right). Photo by Brett Homenick.

The Dangerous Kiss stars Akira Takarada, Reiko Dan, Ichiro Arishima, Sachio Sakai, and several other Toho regulars (most of whom didn't appear in the studio's monster films). It's a lighthearted, over-the-top comedy that doesn't take itself seriously for one second. Takarada-san plays a popular, handsome boxer named Akira Takada (get it?) who, after a car collision, is photographed by the paparazzi trying to revive a high school student (played by Reiko Dan) using an unusual combination of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and ramen broth. The photo (looking more like a make-out session than a life-saving attempt) ends up on the cover of a gossip magazine and causes all sorts of shenanigans among the multiple women in Takada's life.

There's a lot happening in this film, everything from a food-fight sequence to a stage show at a nightclub featuring a guy in a yeti suit menacing a dancer. (The suit looked a bit like the one used in Half Human but, to my eye, was demonstrably different.)  Takarada-san was at his most charismatic here, and the entire cast was obviously having a lot of fun with the material.

Poster art for Toho's Lake of Dracula. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

After The Dangerous Kiss, it was time for a movie about a different kind of dangerous kisses -- you know, the kind vampires give you when they're trying to eat. Lake of Dracula was screened in all its glory, and it has obviously never looked better. I've never seen it in 35mm before, but the detail of the images was fantastic. Watching Shin Kishida's death scene at the end was quite intriguing. I never noticed before that the makeup used on Kishida's face during his death scene wasn't applied to his neck, making it plainly obvious to the viewer that it's all just a touch-up job.

And so ends another eventful Monday night. I'll be back at the Laputa Asagaya soon, but on a different night from my usual routine. Why the change? Stay tuned to this blog for the exciting answer!