Nikkatsu Studios Director Yukihiro Sawada Passes Away

Yukihiro Sawada in March 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

According to various social media posts, longtime Nikkatsu director Yukihiro Sawada has recently passed away. No other details are available at the moment, including the cause or even date of death. However, it is likely he was 89 years old at the time of his passing, especially since Sawada-san apparently attended a Q&A event in June of this year.

Yukihiro Sawada in March 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yukihiro Sawada was born on January 15, 1933, in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. He graduated from Chuo University’s Faculty of Economics in 1956 and joined Nikkatsu Studios after graduating from university. There, he worked on the legendary director Seijun Suzuki, among many others.

Yukiro Sawada in November 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

He debuted as a film director in his own right in 1970, directing Tetsuya Watari in the movie Attack (1970). He went on to direct the violent 1978 cult flick Panic in High School (alongside co-director Gakuryu Ishii), as well as the tokusatsu feature film Moonlight Mask (1981). He remained at Nikkatsu until 1983, after which he worked freelance.

In between Miyoko Akaza (left) and Yukihiro Sawada in November 2019.

Sawada-san is, however, probably best remembered for his work in television, having helmed episodes of the hit TV series Howl at the Sun! (1972-86), Seibu Keisatsu (1979-84), and Detective Story (1979-80). But, for tokusatsu fans, he directed the very first episode of the Nikkatsu-produced, pre-Super Sentai action series Strada 5 (1974), which seemed to anticipate many of the tropes that would come to be associated with that famous franchise.

With Yukihiro Sawada in March 2019.

I had the privilege of meeting Sawada-san three times over the years. I just wish I was more familiar with his career and could have talked to him in more detail about it.

Rest in peace, Sawada-san.

UPDATE (9/23): According to screenwriter Hiroshi Kashiwabara, Sawada-san passed away on September 21.

An Evening with Showa- and Heisei-Era Tokusatsu Legends!

Director Shusuke Kaneko and actor Tatsuhito Go. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I attended a special event with director Shusuke Kaneko and actor Tatsuhito Go. While most readers of this blog are familiar with Kaneko-san's credits in tokusatsu, I'm sure most may not be familiar with Go-san's. So let's take a quick look at the highlights.

Tatsuhito Go (whose previous stage name was Haruo Nakazawa) was a regular on the Super Sentai-esque TV series Strada 5 (1974) as Ichinen Takenaka/Apollo (Strada 3), and appeared in episode 8 of the series Jekyll and Hyde (1973) and episode 11 of Zone Fighter (1973) as the jealous racecar driver Yukio Sasaki. (This episode features both Godzilla and Gigan and was directed by Jun Fukuda.) 

Tatsuhito Go. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On the big screen, he appears as a youth in Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1971) and in Conflagration (1975) as helmsman Tamura. I brought my Blu-ray of Strada 5 for Go-san to sign, as well as a DVD sleeve of Conflagration. When Go-san saw it, he laughed and exclaimed the title of the film in Japanese.

I had fun chatting with Go-san about his tokusatsu experiences, although his memories of those projects have mostly faded these days. Still, he was an entertaining storyteller who had everyone (including me) laughing about his memories.

Shusuke Kaneko. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I also enjoyed hanging out with Kaneko-san again. We chatted about various tokusatsu topics, as well as more mundane, everyday things. Earlier in the evening, Kaneko-san signed my DVD sleeve of GMK (2001).

And that's about all. It was a very fun evening, with two cinematic luminaries whose career cover works as vastly different as the Heisei Gamera series and Zone Fighter. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

AN EVENING WITH A YAKUZA ACTOR! Meeting Jiro Okazaki!

 Jiro Okazaki. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Well, it certainly has been a long time since I last updated this blog. That's primarily due to the fact that the coronavirus caused several events and other functions to be cancelled. Things are slowly starting to pick back up, however, so we'll see how things go from here.

The event I attended tonight was guested by actor Jiro Okazaki. Okazaki-san began his acting career with Toei in 1964, and he still acts to this day. In the 1960s and '70s, he appeared in numerous films for Toei and Nikkatsu, even turning up in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). On TV, Okazaki-san appeared as George Miyamoto in episode 9 of Strada 5 (1974), episode 19 of Fight! Dragon (1974), and episode 1 of Kaiketsu Zubat (1977) as Goro Asuka.

It was my first time to meet him, and he was surprised to see an American at his event. He commented that my presence made it an international affair, which I guess it did. He was a very cool guy, and I enjoyed my time hanging out with him.

In Celebration of Yusaku Matsuda!

In between Miyoko Akaza (left) and Yukihiro Sawada. 

Tonight, I returned from another event. This one was a celebration of the late actor Yusaku Matsuda, who passed away 40 years ago after completing the Ridley Scott actioner Black Rain (1989). Two of Matsuda's collaborators were on hand for the event.

 Yukihiro Sawada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The first guest was director Yukihiro Sawada. Sawada-san has a prolific film and television career, but I know him best as the director of the first episode of Strada 5 (1974), Nikkatsu's task force-themed action series that predates Super Sentai by a year.

Earlier this year, I'd seen one of Sawada-san's feature films, Koko Dai Panic (a.k.a. Panic in High School, 1978). Despite its dark and controversial subject matter, it was a tight thriller that kept me invested in the film. As always, it was a joy to meet him again.

Miyoko Akaza. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also in attedance was actress Miyoko Akaza. Akaza-san starred as Otsuyu in the Daiei horror classic The Haunted Lantern (a.k.a. The Bride from Hell, 1968) that she began to receive attention. In the West, her best-known credit would probably be Toho's Lady Snowblood (1973) as Sayo Kashima.

It's pretty safe to say that she's ageless. It was a lot of fun listening to her reminisce about some of her old co-stars and colleagues, especially Masaaki Daimon.

Special Effects Shooting!

Yoshihiro Mori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today I was pleased to attend a special event with a new special guest whom I'd never met before. The guest was cinematographer Yoshihiro Mori whose career in SFX productions spans several decades and covers some of Japan's most famous creations. 

Yoshihiro Mori began his career in the late 1950s at Toho, working on such tokusatsu classics as The Three Treasures (1959), Battle in Outer Space (1959), The Secret of the Telegian (1960), I Bombed Pearl Harbor (1960), and Mothra (1961). After working at the studio as an assistant cameraman, he quit Toho to join Toei and later worked at Tsuburaya Productions during the studio's heyday, lending his talents to Ultra Q (1966), Ultraman (1966-67), Kaiju Booska (1966-67) Ultra Seven (1967-68), Time of the Apes (1974-75), and Megaloman (1979), among many others. 

As if Mori-san's participation weren't enough, we were joined by a surprise guest: actor Shinya Ono. Ono-san was a regular on the TV series Wild 7 (1972-73) and Strada 5 (1974), both of which feature tokusatsu elements. Mori-san also worked on Wild 7 as a cameraman.

With Shinya Ono.

It was a wonderful event with friendly guests. It was also interesting to hear many firsthand stories about tokusatsu shooting.

Strada 5 Panic!

 Yukihiro Sawada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I attended a 35mm screening of Koko Dai Panic (a.k.a. Panic in High School, 1978), a controversial film co-directed by Nikkatsu's Yukihiro Sawada. The film chronicles a crazed student who steals a rifle and goes on a rampage at his school after another student's suicide. (Yes, the subject matter is quite dark.) It was interesting to see Koichi Ueda (a staple of the Heisei and Millennium Godzilla series) in the film as a policeman who tries to subdue the shooter. 

I'd met director Sawada once before, but this was my first time to see a film of his. I mostly know Sawada-san as the director of the first episode of Strada 5 (1974), Nikkatsu's task force-themed action series that predates Super Sentai by a year. I had Sawada-san sign my Strada 5 Blu-ray.

MEETING A NIKKATSU DIRECTOR! Breaking Bread with the Man Who Directed Strada 5's Pilot Episode!

Director Yukihiro Sawada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I was privileged to meet Nikkatsu director Yukihiro Sawada, who specialized in directing some of the studio's more erotic output during the 1970s. I must admit that I'm rather unfamiliar with his work in that area, but one of his credits that is of interest to me is the 13-episode TV series Strada 5 (1974), of which he directed only the pilot episode.

It's not every day that one has the chance to meet the director of an obscure Super Sentai-esque TV series (although it predates Super Sentai by a year), so I was sure to seize the opportunity. I'm glad I did!

A WILD DAY FOR WILD 7! Actors from Wild 7 and Strada 5 Join Forces in Tokyo!

Shinya Ono, Yusuke Koike, Anne Mari, and Tatsuhito Go share the stage at Nakano Sun Plaza. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

I enjoyed attending a special Showa Hero event on the 15th floor of Nakano Sun Plaza. The event reunited cast members from the action series Wild 7 (1972-73) and Strada 5 (1974).

Anne Mari poses for photos. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Shinya Ono was a regular on both series. Tatsuhito Go was a regular on Strada 5 and appeared in episodes of the series Jekyll and Hyde (1973) and Zone Fighter (1973) and is credited with appearing in Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1971). Yusuke Koike regularly appeared on Wild 7, among many other movie and TV roles.

 Meeting Tatsuhito Go.

The guest I was most interested in meeting, however, was Anne Mari. Anne Mari inspired the naming of Yuriko Hishimi's character in Ultra Seven "Anne Yuri." She appears in the Toho caper The Killing Bottle (1967) with Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno, and a bevy of other Toho stars. She acted in several notable Nikkatsu films, particularly the international cult flick Branded to Kill (1967).

With Shinya Ono. 

In Japan, Anne Mari is best remembered for her guest appearances in Ultraman (1966-67) and Ultra Seven (1967-68). She can also be spotted in Mighty Jack (1968), Kamen Rider (1971-73), and Unbalance (1973). In addition to all that, she was a regular on Wild 7.

Meeting Anne Mari, an actress familiar to Toho, Tsuburaya, and Nikkatsu fans. 

All the guests were wonderful and very friendly. Anne Mari signed a couple of Ultra-books I brought. I told her I enjoyed The Killing Bottle, which prompted her to shake my hand and talk a bit about her role.

With Yusuke Koike.

Ms. Kojima produced another great event, and I cannot wait for the next one. I always enjoy meeting movie actors and actresses whenever I have the chance. Many thanks to everyone involved!