Ultraman and Kamen Rider Alums Gather in Nakano for a Showa Hero Event!

From left to right: Toshihiro Iijima, Nana Yanagisawa, and Susumu Kurobe. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I attended a Showa Hero event in Nakano, Tokyo. It featured the cast and crew of the film Homecoming (2011), directed by Toshihiro Iijima and starring (among others) Susumu Kurobe and Nana Yanagisawa.

Of course, all three guests are no strangers to the world of kaiju and tokusatsu, and that's what really drew the folks in attendance to the event.

Susumu Kurobe poses with a Beta Capsule. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The featured guest was actor Susumu Kurobe, who portrayed Shin Hayata (Ultraman's alter ego) in the series of the same name. Before Ultraman, Kurobe-san was a Toho New Face who appeared in a numerous films produced by the studio. Among his most recognizable monster movies are Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Son of Godzilla (1967), King Kong Escapes (1967), Destroy All Monsters (1968), and Latitude Zero (1969). In later years, Kurobe-san returned to the Godzilla series during the Heisei era and can be seen in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) and Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992).

Director Toshihiro Iijima. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Director Toshihiro Iijima, who helmed episodes of Ultra Q (1966), Ultraman (1966-67), Ultra Seven (1967-68), and Operation: Mystery! (1968-69), was also there. He also directed the Tsuburaya Productions children's movie Daigoro vs. Goliath (1972).

Actress Kyoko Yashiro. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Accompanying Iijima-san was his wife, former Shintoho actress Kyoko Yashiro. Yashiro-san worked with acclaimed horror director Nobuo Nakagawa on The Lady Vampire (1959). She also appeared in Vampire Bride (1960) and The Ghost of the Girl Diver (1960). I first met her two years ago but hadn't seen her since then. I was very glad that she appeared at this event.

Nana Yanagisawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was actress Nana Yanagisawa, who played Phantom Thief Selene on GoGo Sentai Boukenger (2006-07) and Megumi Aso on Kamen Rider Kiva (2008-09).

With Toshihiro Iijima.

The guests were all friendly and a lot of fun to see. I'd met all of them on previous occasions (with the exception of Yanagisawa-san), and I enjoyed seeing them again. Of course, any time you can meet Susumu Kurobe or Toshihiro Iijima is an opportunity not to be missed.

With Nana Yanagisawa.

Of all the guests in attendance, the one I spoke with the most was the unofficial guest, Kyoko Yashiro. Of course, she was never announced to the attendees, and it didn't seem that most folks even knew who she was. I instantly recognized her, and was pleased to find that she remembered me, too.

With Susumu Kurobe.

Suffice it to say, the event was Ultra-good, and I'm already looking forward to the next one. I just hope it isn't too far in the future!

With Kyoko Yashiro.

As always, this blog will be the place to learn about all the coolest happenings in Japan. Stay tuned!

AN ULTRA-COOL EVENT! Ultraman Flies with Showa Hero!

Ultra-alumni Susumu Kurobe, Mitsuko Hoshi, and Eizo Yamagiwa share the stage. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Today, I attended a great Showa Hero event featuring a trio of Ultra-guests. On hand for the event were Susumu Kurobe, Mitsuko Hoshi, and Eizo Yamagiwa. The event began with a Q&A. One anecdote of particular interest is that when the interview asked Kurobe-san which monster he liked, Kurobe-san immediately answered Dada. I found that quite fascinating.

 With Eizo Yamagiwa.

Early in his career, Yamagiwa-san worked as an assistant director with Teruo Ishii and went on to direct numerous episodes of Return of Ultraman (1971-72), Ultraman Ace (1972-73), Ultraman Taro (1973-74), and Ultraman Leo (1974-75) at Tsuburaya Productions. He also helmed episodes of Silver Kamen (1971-72) and the Submersion of Japan TV series (1974-75). I hadn't seen Yamagiwa-san in a while, and I was very happy to see that he's still doing well.

 With Susumu Kurobe.

We all Susumu Kurobe as Shin Hayata in the original Ultraman (1966-67), but I'm more familiar with his Toho work. With credits like Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Son of Godzilla (1967), King Kong Escapes (1967), Destroy All Monsters (1968), and Latitude Zero (1969), it shouldn't be hard to see why. I brought a DVD sleeve of Adventure in Kigan Castle (1966) for him to sign, which features him on the cover. He spent quite a bit of time looking at it and seemed surprised that he was on the cover. It was great to meet Kurobe-san again.

With Mitsuko Hoshi.

Last but certainly not least is Mitsuko Hoshi. She played TAC member Yuko Minami in Ultraman Ace (1972-73), one half of Ace's human alter ego, in episodes 1-28, 38, and 52. She can also be seen in episode 8 of Iron King (1972-73), episode 39 of Ultraman Taro (1973-74), episodes 39-52 of Denjin Zaborger (1974), and episode 44 of Ultraman Mebius (2006-07). She also appears in the movie Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers (2008). Hoshi-san is a rare guest at events, so I was especially enthusiastic to meet her. She certainly did not disappoint and seemed just as enthusiastic as everyone else was to meet her.

Immediately after this event, I quickly made my way to the next one. More on that in the next blog post.

ULTRA-GOOD! Showa Hero Reunites Ultraman Cast and Crew!

From left to right: Susumu Kurobe, Toshihiro Iijima, and Bin Furuya reunite to celebrate Ultraman. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I attended a very special event at the Nakano Sunplaza in Tokyo. Hosted by Showa Hero, it saw a reunion of three key players from Tsuburaya Productions' seminal TV series Ultraman (1966-67).

 Kurobe! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Headlining the guest list was actor Susumu Kurobe, who portrayed Shin Hayata (Ultraman's alter ego) in the series. Prior to his to turn in Ultraman, Kurobe-san was a Toho New Face who appeared in a wide range of movies. His most notable credits are Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Son of Godzilla (1967), King Kong Escapes (1967), Destroy All Monsters (1968), and Latitude  Zero (1969). Kurobe-san returned to the Godzilla series during the Heisei era and can be seen in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) and Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992). Of course, Kurobe-san has appeared in many other films and TV programs, tokusatsu and otherwise.

Bin Furuya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was Ultraman suit actor Bin Furuya. While I've met Furuya-san many times over the years, this was my first time to see him onstage with Susumu Kurobe.  

With Toshihiro Iijima.

The third guest in attendance was director Toshihiro Iijima, who helmed episodes of Ultra Q (1966), Ultraman, and Ultra Seven (1967-68). It's always a joy to see Iijima-san, who is a very kind gentleman.

With Susumu Kurobe. 

I was particularly glad to meet Susumu Kurobe. Contrary to most others, I'm sure, I'm actually more interested in his Toho career than his involvement in the Ultra-series. I grew up with his kaiju movies; Ultraman came much later in life for me.

With Bin Furuya.

What can I say? It never gets old visiting Bin Furuya!

And that's a wrap! Many thanks to Ms. Kojima and Showa Hero for staging another enjoyable event. I hope to attend the next one!

TOKYO TIMES: The Events of September 2013

Signing autographs is always a fun activity before eating Chinese food!

I just returned from a great trip to Tokyo from 9/27 to 9/29. I had a lot of fun and got to spend time with many friends. Below are just some of the highlights from the visit!

Posing with Akira Takarada's award for his production of The Fantasticks last year at his office.

Outside a nearby Chinese restaurant.

Ultraman guests Bin Furuya, Susumu Kurobe, and Hiroko Sakurai take the stage at Tokyo's Super Festival.

Toho greats Akira Kubo and Hiroshi Koizumi answer questions at Super Festival.

Meeting Kubo-san again.

Meeting Koizumi-san again.

With two legends.

Hanging out is what it's all about! With friends Butch Portillo and Yasushi Okuyama at a familiar location. More stuff is coming soon, so watch this space!