Kon Omura's 90th Birthday Celebration!

Kon Omura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

November 3 might be Godzilla's birthday, but it also saw a special event headlined by one of the stars of the Showa Gamera series. Kon Omura turned 90 years old on November 1, and this event was held in celebration of this milestone. The interview focused mostly on health and lifestyle topics, although Omura-san talked a bit about his career, too.

Omura-san's wife, Yoko, was also in attendance and was one of the event's participants. The multi-lingual Yoko sang a couple of songs in Italian. Suffice it to say, it was quite enjoyable.

After the event, I got to spend a few moments with Omura-san. I wished him a happy birthday and took photos with him and got a couple of things signed, as well.

Quite frankly, I was pleasantly surprised to have gotten to spend as much time with him as I did.

I also chatted with Yoko, who of course is very nice, too. She even called me handsome (and gets the last word on that subject) and told me an amusing story of visiting Italy once and meeting an Italian person who knew who her husband was. She also thought I might be British, which, believe it or not, I hear a lot in Japan.

It was a great afternoon spent in the company of a lovely couple. Here's to many more birthdays!

Seeing Gamera at Kadokawa Cinema!

As part of the ongoing Yokai/Tokusatsu Film Festival at Kadokawa Cinema in Yurakucho, I caught a screening of Gamera vs. Viras (a.k.a. Destroy All Planets, 1968) last night, as well as a screening of Gamera vs. Jiger (a.k.a. Gamera vs. Monster X, 1970) tonight. 

Last night's screening of Viras was billed as the "director's cut" of the movie, but for the life of me I couldn't notice any differences. The movie still played virtually the same, so whatever differences there were must have been fleeting.

The screening for Jiger tonight got off on the wrong foot, as the 4K projector experienced technical difficulties, delaying the start of the movie for several minutes. It's a rare treat to see Showa Gamera films on the big screen, so I was quite pleased to have such an opportunity. 

Japanese Superstars Gather at the Hotel New Otani!

Kon Omura, Takashi Sasano, Mitsuko Kusabue, and Akiko Santo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier tonight, I attended a special event featuring a bevy of Japanese luminaries from the entertainment and political world. It was held at the Hotel New Otani, and it was certainly one for the ages.

Kon Omura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

One of the headliners was actor Kon Omura, who is best known in the West for his comic-relief roles in Gamera vs. Guiron (1969) and Gamera vs. Jiger (1970). I had the privilege of meeting Omura-san last year, and I jumped at the chance of meeting him again, which is why I decided to attend. But there were a couple of cool surprises in store.

Mitsuko Kusabue. Photo by Brett Homenick.

A surprise guest who was presented a special award was Toho actress Mitsuko Kusabue. Kusabue-san isn't a name very familiar to Godzilla or tokusatsu fans. In terms of genre output, she appeared in the Toho SFX fantasy The Lost World of Sinbad (1963), but she is better known for her roles in dramas and comedies, such as Mikio Naruse's Yearning (1964) and the Shacho series of salaryman comedies.

Kon Omura, Takashi Sasano, and Mitsuko Kusabue talk onstage. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Kusabue-san was given her award, delivered a speech, briefly socialized with the other guests, and was promptly whisked away, never to be seen again. Granted, that wasn't unexpected, but suffice it to say, it would have been great had she stuck around and mingled with the attendees. She's one of the few Toho actresses left who acted in the 1950s, so I'd definitely love the chance to pick her brain.

Mitsuko Kusabue. Photo by Brett Homenick.

But hey, seeing her in person was quite cool, and I did get to snap some photos of her, so considering I didn't expect to see her at all, anyway, it was a great bonus.

Akiko Santo. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

The other surprise for me was the presence of former actress (and current politician) Akiko Santo. Santo-san appeared in episode 28 of Kaiju Booska (1966-67), episode 3 of Mighty Jack (1968), and a couple of Moonlight Mask movies. However, his biggest genre credit is voicing Susan Watson (Linda Miller) in the Japanese release of King Kong Escapes (1967). She is currently a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet.

Naturally, a lot of people wanted to take photos of Santo-san, but when I finally had a chance, the first thing I did was mention that I was a big fan of King Kong Escapes, which of course amused her. Despite so many people vying for her attention, she spent a good amount of time with me and was very accommodating, so I'm especially grateful to her for her kindness.

Kon Omura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Last (but certainly not least) is the man himself, Kon Omura. Omura-san was also constantly being asked for photos by attendees, so his time was limited. But he couldn't have been any friendlier. When a bingo game was being played, Omura-san approached me and asked me if I was having a good time. I answered in the affirmative. It was things like that that made me appreciate him all the more.

I had a longer chat with Omura-san's wife, Yoko. I explained the Gamera series' popularity in the West and that Omura-san was dubbed into English in his Gamera films (which piqued her curiosity). I enjoyed getting the chance to talk about growing up with Gamera films with the wife of one of the series' most iconic performers.

When Omura-san stepped off the stage at the end of the event, I shook his hand and thanked him again for being such an incredible special guest. It was a great evening and actually much more fun than last year's event.

Meeting an Icon of the Showa Gamera Series!

Kon Omura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I attended a gala event at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo headlined by actor Kon Omura. Omura-san remains a familiar face in Japan, but Westerners most likely only know him from his two appearances in the Showa Gamera series. He played comic-relief characters in Gamera vs. Guiron (1969) and Gamera vs. Jiger (1970). 

I was amazed at just how popular Omura-san was at the event, as he hardly seemed to get a moment's rest. He was constantly taking photos with attendees and never seemed to tire. Not bad for a gentleman who has just turned 87 years old.

I had a brief chat with Omura-san but made sure not to take up too much of his time. I'd been looking forward to meeting Omura-san ever since I got to Japan and am finally glad I had the opportunity.

KAMEN RIDER X REUNION! Forty-Four Years Later, Two Toei Heroes Ride Again!

Suit actor Kazuo Niibori (left) and actor Ryo Hayami strike the famed Kamen Rider pose. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I attended a special Showa Hero event in Nakano, Tokyo, in which two veterans of the Kamen Rider series reunited and hosted a Q&A session, as well as signed autographs.

Suit actor Kazuo Niibori.

Kazuo Niibori is a veteran Kamen Rider and Super Sentai suit actor. He started with both franchises from the very beginning, suit-acting as Kamen Rider 1 and Kamen Rider 2 in the original Kamen Rider (1971-73), as well as Akaranger in Himitsu Sentai Goranger (1975-77). In fact, Niibori-san would go on to don the red suit in the Super Sentai series all the way up through Chojin Sentai Jetman (1991-92).

Likewise, he played multiple Kamen Riders early in the series' history, which includes stints as Kamen Rider 1 in Kamen Rider V3 (1973-74), Kamen Rider X in Kamen Rider X (1974), Kamen Rider Amazon in Kamen Rider Amazon (1974-75), Kamen Rider Stronger in Kamen Rider Stronger (1975), Sky Rider in Sky Rider (1979-80), and Kamen Rider Black RX in Kamen Rider Black RX (1988-89). Along the way, he played the titular hero in Daitetsujin 17 (1977) and even guested on episode 10 of the Toho superhero series Megaloman (1979). (He appears as an out-of-the-suit baddie in that one.) He also played one of Ulrov's henchmen in the feature film Espy (1974).

Actor Ryo Hayami. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Also in attendance was actor Ryo Hayami. Hayami-san joined Daiei Studios in 1969. Under the stage name Sanshiro Honoo, he portrayed Keisuke Sawada (one of the main characters) in Gamera vs. Jiger (1970). He is much better known these days, however, for starring as Keisuke Jin in Kamen Rider X, which of course was the theme of the day.

The event started off with a fun (but brief) stage show in which Niibori-san did battle with with an event staff member. It was a lot of fun to see one of Toei's most celebrated suit actors do what he does best. Both guests were quite friendly and enjoyed themselves immensely. Despite not being very familiar with Kamen Rider, I enjoyed this foray into the world of Kamen Rider X.

A Farewell to Arthur "Chico" Lourant, 1929-2015

Actor Arthur Lourant (left) in a behind-the-scenes shots from the TV drama Shiiku. Photo courtesy of Ebony magazine.

I'm very sad to report the passing of former actor Arthur "Chico" Lourant, who passed away on July 20, 2015. Mr. Lourant, who was born on March 30, 1929, was 86 years old.

Best known to Japanese cult film fans in America as the Wester Island ambassador in Gamera vs. Jiger (a.k.a. Gamera vs. Monster X, 1970), as well as for his tour-de-force portrayal of Charlie in War of the Insects (a.k.a. Genocide, 1968), Mr. Lourant's acting career in Japan encompasses a much broader array of films, such as the gritty postwar drama Gate of Flesh (1964) and the envelope-pushing thriller Black Sun (1964), both of which were made at Nikkatsu Studios.

Mr. Lourant meets his fans in Japan. Photo courtesy of Ebony magazine.

The longtime resident of Tucson, AZ, was a Korean War veteran who found himself in Japan after the war, making his living by playing the trumpet before switching to becoming an actor. After being temporarily mistaken for Sidney Poitier by a Toho director, Mr. Lourant began his stint as an actor and became in demand in Japanese films in just about every genre there was at the time.

While not much has ever been known about his background, a July 1963 edition of Ebony magazine (Vol. 18, #9) surfaced in recent years that has filled in many blanks. (Information culled from the article, which can be retrieved on Google here, is used in this blog post.) For many years, most writers in the West referred to him by the erroneous name Chico "Roland," which is likely a result of the katakana rendering of his name. But let's make it clear that his name is actually Arthur Lourant.

In 2010, I wrote a letter to Mr. Lourant, requesting an interview. I received a friendly call from Mr. Lourant's daughter, who told me that he read my letter more than once and was very surprised anyone would be so interested in his acting career. At that time, it seemed like an interview would be a sure bet, but unfortunately his health began to decline, so it never happened. I will always regret never having had a chance to speak directly with him.

Rest in peace, Chico-san.