Ichizo Kobayashi's 150 Anniversary!

Signage for Godzilla Minus One and the Ichizo Kobayashi exhibit. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Another exhibit I attended was the gallery called Ichizo Kobayashi's 150th anniversary. Kobayashi, who was born on January 3, 1873, was the founder of the Takarazuka Revue, as well as a certain movie studio you may have heard of called Toho. Of course, even those massive accomplishments don't begin to scratch the surface of the other things he did, but that's what's relevant to this blog. 

The exhibit will be held from October 7 through November 5 on the third floor of Hibiya Chanter, and it features two notable displays: a '54 Godzilla statue (standing next to a life-size cutout of Kobayashi), as well as a Takarazuka mini stage. Best of all, the gallery is free to enter! The Godzilla statue looks like the one I've seen a few times at other exhibits, so (for me, at least) it wasn't much of a big deal.

Actually, there isn't much else here related to the Godzilla series. But what it does have are reproductions of the final draft of the Godzilla (1954) shooting script and the screenplay for Godzilla Raids Again (1955). In fact, the exhibit states that, following the massive success of the original Godzilla, Kobayashi immediately approved the making of the sequel that eventually became Raids Again. Other than that, though, there isn't much of interest to most kaiju fans. 

And that's about all. Here's what I saw. Enjoy!

ZONE FIGHTER REUNION! Two Alumni from Toho Tokusatsu Join Forces in Shinjuku!

Fumio Ishimori holds a Zone Fighter DVD. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I attended a talk given by screenwriter Fumio Ishimori (a.k.a. Shiro Ishimori). Ishimori-san penned many screenplays for Shochiku and Nikkatsu, including Toshio Masuda's Monument to the Girls' Corps (1968). Genre fans might know Ishimori-san as co-screenwriter of the Toho horror film Crest of the Wolf (1973) with Jun Fukuda. He also penned numerous episodes of Kamen Rider (1971-73), along with episodes of Ultraman Ace (1972-73) and Zone Fighter (1973).

Actress Sachiko Kozuki listens intently to Fumio Ishimori's memories. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was Takarazuka Revue legend Sachiko Kozuki, who also has made many appearances in film and television over the years. She had a recurring role on Zone Fighter (1973) as Mrs. Sakimori, the mother of the three main characters. She has also appeared in episodes of Mirrorman (1971-72), Ultraman Taro (1973-74), Ultraman Leo (1974-75), and Kamen Rider W (2009-10).

The two seemed to enjoy themselves as they reminisced about Zone Fighter and other topics. It was certainly a lot of fun to see.

Ishimori-san was just as friendly as he always is. After the Q&A session, Ishimori-san invited me to join him and his group at a nearby cafe, which is an invitation I was eager to accept.

And there you have it. I wasn't expecting the extra level of hospitality I received from Ishimori-san, so it was a very pleasant surprise.