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!

Seven Samurai's Shigeo Kato Passes Away at 94

Shigeo Kato in Kamakura in March 2017. Photo by Brett Homenick.

According to Japanese media reports, veteran Toho actor Shigeo Kato passed away at his home at 7:00 a.m. on June 14, just days shy of his 95th birthday on June 16. A private funeral was held with his daughter Yuko as chief mourner. 

Mr. Kato puts flowers on the final resting place of Akira Kurosawa. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

I had gotten to know Mr. Kato quite well over the years. We were put in touch by screenwriter Wataru Mimura, and I first met Mr. Kato in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the summer of 2014. I last visited Mr. Kato in late October of last year with my friend Jacob. Due to COVID-19, I was reluctant to visit Mr. Kato this year.

With Mr. Kato in January 2016.

Mr. Kato's credits are too numerous to list. He is most likely the last surviving cast member of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954), and he has appeared in countless Godzilla and other monster movies for Toho. You can read the first interview I conducted with Mr. Kato last year to give you more of an idea of his career. I should have the second interview (that focuses more on his acting career) ready to publish in a few days.

Shigeo Kato was one of the kindest people I've ever met, and I'll always cherish the generosity he showed me over the years.

Rest in peace, Mr. Kato.

UPDATE (6/20): My followup interview with Mr. Kato has been published at Vantage Point Interviews.

A Halloween Visit to Kamakura!

 The Great Buddha has arrived! Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Wednesday, October 30, Jacob and I paid a visit to Kamakura to take in the sites, as well as to meet up with actor Shigeo Kato. We went to a nearby cafe in which Kato-san regaled us with stories about his career, from Akira Kurosawa classics to the Godzilla series. Afterward, we went to the Great Buddha statue. It was a great afternoon, and here are the pics. (By the way, don't miss the pumpkin in front of the statue!)

End-of-the-Year Meeting with Kato-san

Shigeo Kato. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I've fallen behind in blog updates in the past few days, but I'm finally ready to get up to speed. Anyway, on with the updates. On Wednesday, December 27, I returned to Kamakura to pay a visit to retired Toho actor Shigeo Kato. At the age of 92, Kato-san is still going strong, and we had a great conversation about his days at Toho as an actor.

I'm sure we'll get together again very soon in the New Year. And I'm really looking forward to it!

THE EIGHTH SAMURAI! Visiting Actor Shigeo Kato!

Actor Shigeo Kato. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I spent another pleasant afternoon with actor Shigeo Kato, a veteran of countless Toho movies dating back to the early 1950s. At 92 years old, Kato-san is still in great health, and I hope I can have the same level of independence if and when I'm lucky enough to reach his age.

We met at Kamakura Station and then went to our usual cafe for a chat. Kato-san mentioned to me that, in light of the recent passing of Haruo Nakajima and Yoshio Tsuchiya, he is the last surviving cast member from Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954). Given his undying spirit and boundless energy, I think Kato-san should be dubbed the Eighth Samurai.

Many thanks, as always, to Kato-san for his kindness and generosity. These get-togethers are a lot of fun each and every time they happen!

SHIGE-SAN IS BACK! Talking with the Actor About His New Book!

Actor Shigeo Kato poses with his new book, Shige-san: The Early Days of Hase, Kamakura. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Today, I paid a visit to Kamakura and met with actor Shigeo Kato, who (at the age of 92) is still going strong. Kato-san is a former Toho actor who began working for the studio in the early 1950s and appeared in movies as varied as Ikiru (1952) and Godzilla vs. the Thing (1964). We talked about Kato-san's new book, which is only available in a few bookstores in the Kamakura area. The book recalls Kato-san's memories of growing up in the city.

We also talked about the movies and cartoons Kato-san grew up watching, everything from Mickey Mouse and Popeye animated shorts to the comedy films of Charlie Chaplin. During our conversation, I was surprised to find out that Kato-san was friendly with Shochiku director Kazui Nihonmatsu, who directed The X from Outer Space (1967) and Genocide (a.k.a. War of the Insects, 1968).

Nihonmatsu was also from Kamakura, and in the years after World War II (around the time both began their respective film careers), they would go out drinking together in the evening. Apparently, Nihonmatsu was a handsome guy who resembled Nikkatsu heartthrob Yujiro Ishihara, making him rather popular with the ladies. Moreover, Nihonmatsu grew up in California in the years prior to World War II and returned to Japan sometime before the war began. He could apparently speak English like a native speaker. (This could explain why his two genre films had large roles for American actors.) His family also had an elite background.

Nihonmatsu had a long career at Shochiku as an assistant director, but his career as a director didn't last very long. I was quite surprised to find that Kato-san knew Nihonmatsu, especially since very little information about the director is available anywhere.

It was a great afternoon to spend with Kato-san, despite the sweltering heat. I certainly look forward to seeing him again soon!

CELEBRATING SHIGEO KATO'S NEW BOOK! Memories of Showa-Era Kamakura!

The cover of Shigeo Kato's new book. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yesterday, I received a surprise in the mail. The great Shigeo Kato sent me a copy of his brand-new book, Shige-san: The Early Days of Hase, Kamakura. Kato-san, who turned 92 years old last month, shares his memories of growing up in Hase, Kamakura, in the form of a children's picture book.

The book seems to be only locally available in Kamakura, and it doesn't appear to be listed on amazon.com. (It doesn't even have a bar code on the back.) But it's a wonderful record of a bygone era through the eyes of a man who witnessed it all.

A great history of a city as told by an even greater man. Thank you very much for the present, Kato-san!

PAYING RESPECTS TO AKIRA KUROSAWA! Visiting the Celebrated Director's Grave in Kamakura!

 Akira Kurosawa's final resting place in Anyoin Temple. Photo by Brett Homenick.

One of the places I'd wanted to visit in Japan for some time was Akira Kurosawa's grave in Kamakura. Kurosawa, of course, is the famed Toho director who brought such classics as Rashomon (1950), Seven Samurai (1954), and Ran (1985) to the big screen. He is the most famous film director Japan has ever produced. 

Actor Shigeo Kato offers a gift to director Kurosawa. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Given that retired actor Shigeo Kato lives in the area, I phoned him up and set up a meeting. When I arrived in Kamakura, I asked him about going to Anyoin Temple to visit Kurosawa's grave. Kato-san knew exactly where to go, so off we went.

Shigeo Kato worked with Akira Kurosawa numerous times. He has a speaking role in Ikiru (1952) as a government bureaucrat, and he appears as a farmer in Seven Samurai (1954). He even appears in Kurosawa's final film, Madadayo (1993) as the stationmaster.

Shigeo Kato speaks with a visitor to the cemetery. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Along the way, Kato-san suggested that we purchase flowers to leave as a gift. I thought that was a great idea. We stopped at a local flower shop and each picked some up (which I dutifully paid for). We kept walking until we arrived at the temple.

Shigeo Kato at Akira Kurosawa's final resting place. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

When we arrived at the temple's cemetery (which is in a slightly different location from the temple proper), we placed the flowers in the appropriate place. Then we each offered our prayers to the late director.

Interestingly, while Kato-san and I were there, we happened to be joined by another American movie fan who also wanted to see Kurosawa's grave. Even more interestingly, he recognized me from my various writings on Japanese movies. I introduced him to Kato-san, and we all took our requisite photos.

After visiting Kurosawa's grave, Kato-san and I went to a coffee shop for some refreshments. I asked him about his small role in Battle in Outer Space (1959) as one of the conductors on the doomed train that crashes when the Natal aliens lift up the bridge. As it turns out, Kato-san doesn't remember the film at all! Otherwise, we talked about Kato-san's favorite directors, among whom are Kurosawa, Ishiro Honda, Yasuki Chiba, and Shiro Moritani, and also about which Japanese directors and actors were famous in the U.S.

Thank you very much, Kato-san, for making the day one I'll never forget! (Thank you also for the birthday card!)

KUROSAWA AND MIFUNE! Visiting a Special Exhibit in Kamakura!

With actor Shigeo Kato at the Kamakura City Kawakita Film Museum.

Today I traveled to Kamakura to visit Japanese Film Legend: Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. Running from September 16 until January 15 at the Kamakura City Kawakita Film Museum, the special exhibit boasts many rare and interesting items.

Shigeo Kato at the Kamakura City Kawakita Film Museum. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

I was fortunate to attend with veteran Toho actor Shigeo Kato, who himself has appeared in numerous Kurosawa films, going all the way back to Ikiru (1952) and Seven Samurai (1954). It was quite an experience to walk around the exhibit with an actor who has worked with Kurosawa and Mifune many times.

Shigeo Kato meets his old friend Ultraman again! Photo by Brett Homenick.

On hand at the exhibit were many posters for Kurosawa films (both domestic and international), several rare photographs (such as a shot of Toshiro Mifune with Charlie Chaplin and a photo of Mifune visiting the set of Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala), and even a few of their personal effects. For example, a medal awarded to Mifune by UCLA in the mid-1980s was on display, as was a coat Mifune himself made from a blanket he received shortly after leaving the military. Some of Mifune's own shooting scripts from his collaborations with Kurosawa could also be seen.

Kurosawa's memorial message to Mifune (written shortly after the actor passed away) was also on display, as was the Golden Lion award given to Rashomon by the Venice International Film Festival. Additionally, some of Kurosawa's personal art supplies (with which he drew up storyboards) were on hand, along with some of his other belongings, like his binoculars. 

It was a fascinating display filled with Toho history. I was lucky enough to take it all in with a man who was there for most of it. Many thanks to Kato-san for a wonderful afternoon!