Kensho Yamashita (Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla Director) Passes Away

Director Kensho Yamashita poses with a poster image of his first job as assistant director. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Kensho Yamashita, director of Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994), and assistant director for Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) and Blue Christmas (1978), has recently passed away, two of the director's colleagues have confirmed. 

I'm glad I had the chance to meet Yamashita-san several times since last year. He joined me and designer Akihiko Iguchi for a small birthday dinner that Iguchi-san arranged for me in March. Yamashita-san and I rode the train after the dinner as he told me about working on Blue Christmas and Space Godzilla.

If more details become available, I will post them here.

Rest in peace, Yamashita-san.

UPDATE (9/3): Yamashita-san died of heart failure on August 16. Funeral services were held today.

BATTLE OF OKINAWA! Kihachi Okamoto's Classic Is Screened in Yokohama!

Teruyoshi Nakano, Takashi Naganuma, and Kensho Yamashita pose with a Battle of Okinawa poster. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today I attended a screening of Kihachi Okamoto's Battle of Okinawa (1971). It was my first time to see the film in 35mm, and it's never looked better. The movie remains a powerful anti-war statement more than 40 years after its original release. I was privileged to sit next to Nakano-san during the screening.

After the screening, SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano and assistant director Kensho Yamashita held a Q&A session in which they talked about their experiences. Given Nakano-san's expertise in explosions, he naturally described how many of those shots were accomplished.

Assistant director Kensho Yamashita focused more on the dramatic side of things. He even brought a scrapbook with him, which contained many behind-the-scenes photos from the set. There were many rare shots of Okamoto-san directing the action. Yamashita-san was also an assistant director on Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) and Blue Christmas (1978) and went on to direct Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994).

Following the talk, it was dinnertime! Many of us gathered around separate tables and broke bread with the guests of honor. In particular, I talked with Naganuma-san about the model work on Godzilla (1984), a personal favorite of mine.

I always enjoy seeing Naganuma-san, as he is among the friendliest Toho alumni you could meet. It's always fun asking about many of the classics from the '70s, as he still has vivid memories of them.

Kensho Yamashita is also a lot of fun, and he seems to enjoy these events as much as anyone else.

And that's a wrap! There's always something happening in my neck of the woods, so stay tuned for the latest (and coolest) happenings in the world of Toho movies!

LA SHION: Setagaya's Watering Hole for Ultraman!

Near Futako-Tamagawa Station in Setagaya, Tokyo, is a bar owned and operated by actor Shunichi Okita, best known to Western fans as Terrible Monster Attacking Crew (TAC) member Ichiro Yamanaka from Tsuburaya Productions' Ultraman Ace (1972-73). While that is Okita-san's primary tokusatsu credit, he is also known in Japan for being one of Nikkatsu Studios' 1964 New Face actors (as Tsuyoshi Yoshida), working with celebrated director Seijun Suzuki on Tokyo Drifter (1966) and later with Kihachi Okamoto on Battle of Okinawa (1971) at Toho Studios.

So, for those of you who are interested in Japanese entertainment, La Shion is most definitely a place to check out. It's very similar to the now-defunct Kaiju-ya in Shibuya, in that the bar is adorned with pictures, books, autographed shikishi boards, and assorted memorabilia from Okita-san's career. Karaoke is also part of the festivities, and yes, English-language songs are available.

That's me posing with Okita-san. While I wasn't the first foreigner who's ever visited his establishment, I was the first to seek it out specifically because of Okita-san. I was quite pleased to hear that. He's a welcoming and charming gentleman, and it was very cool to meet him. I'll most certainly be back!