A rather unexpected place to find Toei history represented is in the T-Joy Seibu Oizumi movie theater in Nerima, Tokyo. However, as it stands virtually right next to Toei Movie Studios, perhaps it's not such a random situation. The highlights of the exhibit for me were the parts featuring actor Ken Takakura and director Kinji Fukasaku, which you can see below. Oh, and Godzilla Minus One (2023) is playing there, too. Suffice it to say, this theater has it going on!
Osamu Sakuta in May 2017. Photo by Brett Homenick.
Word has been circulating on Japanese social media that actor Osamu Sakuta has recently passed away at the age of 62. No further details are available at this time.
Osamu Sakuta was born on July 9, 1958, in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, and began his professional acting career in 1971 after his family moved to Tokyo while he was in elementary school. He is best known for starring as Ken Takase, the titular character in Nebula Mask Machineman (1984), for Toei Studios. Prior to that, he could be seen in guest appearances on a variety of television tokusatsu programs as a child actor, such as episodes 38 and 39 of Spectreman (1971-72), episodes 31 and 48 of Kamen Rider (1971-73), episode 24 of Barom-1 (1972), and episode 7 of Kikaider (1972-73). He also appears as Lieutenant Oe in the Toho war epic The Imperial Navy (1981) and as Okada in the Ken Takakura drama Kaikyo (1982), directed by Shiro Moritani. In the 1990s, he became a voice actor for both TV anime shows as well as Japanese releases of American movies and TV programs.
I met Sakuta-san at an event held in May 2017. He was very friendly and approachable, and since we were connected on Facebook, I’d hoped that our paths would meet again someday. It’s a shame it was not to be.
Rest in peace, Sakuta-san.
UPDATE (12/8): Osamu Sakuta died of pancreatic cancer on December 4 at 11:59 p.m.
Earlier this evening, I attended a special dinner event with cinematographer Daisaku Kimura. A good case could be made that he is the greatest cinematographer in Japanese film history. A quick look at some of his credits ought to be an indicator: Submersion of Japan (1973), Blue Christmas (1978), Virus (a.k.a. Resurrection Day, 1980), and Station (1981), among many others.
In 1958, Kimura-san joined Toho Studios and worked as an assistant cameraman under Akira Kurosawa, during which his most prominent credit was Yojimbo (1961). In 1973, he became a cinemtographer in his own right.
Blue Christmas and Station are two of the best-looking movies I've ever seen, and Kimura-san filmed both. Suffice it to say, it was a true honor to meet him. At the end of the event, I was saying my goodbyes when Kimura-san asked where I lived. When I mentioned my neighborhood, he told me it wasn't too far from his home, and so he invited me to ride in the car with him. (It sure beat taking the train back, that's for sure!) It was certainly a unique experience, and thankfully the driver didn't seem to mind the short detour to my neighborhood.
While walking around Yotsuya, I found the Nihon Shashin Kaikan. The Portrait Gallery is on the fifth floor, but I didn't go up. Actually, I really didn't need to. Something especially cool was right there at the ground-floor entrance.
While walking along the street, this collection of photos caught my eye. Several very recognizable faces are among these photographs, and they're not the type that you see every day in Japan.
The Peanuts (Yumi and Emi Ito) were the ones who initially grabbed my attention. They, of course, are well known in the West for playing the Shobijin in several Godzilla and Mothra movies at Toho Studios.
Also featured is the legendary Ken Takakura. While he is virtually unknown in America (at least when compared to the likes of Toshiro Mifune), he is easily one of Japan's most popular and beloved stars -- a true icon if there ever was one.
Koji Tsuruta was another headliner in the collection. While he went on to mark his mark at Toei Studios, Tsuruta appeared in numerous Toho productions during the 1950s and early '60s, such as The Big Boss (1959), The Three Treasures (1959), and Secret of the Telegian (1960).
Suffice it to say, this was an unexpected (and totally welcome) surprise.
Peace! sez yours truly and SFX master Shinji Higuchi, whose SFX wizardry made the Heisei Gamera films so popular among Western G-fans.
While visiting Toho Studios remains the highlight of my recent Tokyo trip, meeting two new friends, both of whose work I have admired for years, ranks right up there. With several G-TOUR members, I ate dinner with Shinji Higuchi at a T.G.I. Friday's in Shinagawa on August 5.
Mr. Higuchi and I give Ken Takakura thumbs up!
Sitting next to Mr. Higuchi for the meal gave me the opportunity to pick his brain and swap stories about many of my favorite movie directors and actors, many of whom turned out to be his favorites, too! For example, he told me a great story about working with Tetsuro Tanba on his version of Sinking of Japan (2006), which showed that, even though Mr. Tanba was near death, he was as full of life as he ever was. We also discussed the award-winning Ken Takakura film Station (1981), Kinji Fukasaku flicks, the recently departed Sakyo Komatsu, among many other topics.
Did I mention that Mr. Higuchi is familiar with my current stomping grounds, Nakatsugawa? That alone earns him a lot of props!
Below is a video shot by J.D. Lees that captures the lighthearted atmosphere of the dinner:
Yutaka Hayashi and I meet for the first time.
Another highlight that occurred on August 5 was my meeting Yutaka Hayashi, who played Hiroshi Jinkawa in Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973). Readers of this blog may know that Megalon was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw, so its influence on my life cannot be overstated. Admittedly, I was totally in awe when I met Mr. Hayashi. It's not every day you get to meet a genuine childhood hero!
A real smile: You can see how excited I am to meet Mr. Hayashi!
As with Mr. Higuchi, Mr. Hayashi and I talked about the Japanese film industry. I even spoke with him about Station, which is when I learned that Ken Takakura's last film is likely to be released next year. We also discussed Hiroshi Fujioka, the original Kamen Rider, with whom Mr. Hayashi is a close friend.
Shortly after Mr. Hayashi left, I was told by our mutual friend Akio that Mr. Hayashi typically doesn't meet fans, but that he especially wanted to meet me. Suffice it to say, I was overwhelmed to hear that.
Here's some footage shot by Akio of me with Mr. Hayashi. I think my appreciation comes through on the video. Please see for yourself.
