GANG VS. GANG! Taking in a Toei Yakuza Actioner in Shibuya!

Signage outside Shibuya Cinemavera, announcing its Teruo Ishii film program. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The other day, I found out about a film program happening now at Shibuya Cinemavera, focusing on the films of director Teruo Ishii. Ishii is one of Japan's biggest cult directors, having directed everything from the Starman films at Shintoho to Horrors of Malformed Men (1969) at Toei.  

 Photos of director Ishii in the theater lobby.

The film I saw today was a great 35mm print of Gang vs. Gang (1962), a black-and-white yakuza programmer from Toei. I actually bought this film on DVD just over four years ago and watched it at the time, but it was interesting to see how much of it I'd forgotten! It's quite a stylish actioner, starring Koji Tsuruta (Secret of the Telegian) and Tetsuro Tamba (Submersion of Japan) as gangsters on opposite sides. The story is more or less a routine revenge flick about a gangster named Mizuhara (played by Tsuruta) who's double-crossed by his old gang and then plots his revenge. The ending is about as nihilistic as it gets. Crime most certainly does not pay for anyone in this movie.

A poster for Gang vs. Gang on display in the theater lobby.

I'll probably return to the theater later this week for another screening. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Teruo Ishii is a director who deserves more attention in the West.

DINNER WITH A DIRECTOR! Sharing a Meal with Tsuburaya Pro's Eizo Yamagiwa!

Tsuburaya Productions director Eizo Yamagiwa at a Chinese restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight I had an enjoyable meal with director Eizo Yamagiwa. Yamagiwa-san served 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).

Yamagiwa-san signs a book about Return of Ultraman that he presented to me as a gift. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Shortly after we met in Shibuya, we exchanged gifts. I gave him a box of traditional Japanese snacks, and Yamagiwa-san gave me a book about the making of Return of Ultraman in which he is interviewed. Suffice it to say, I was amazed!

We spoke for a couple of hours about a variety of subjects, everything from the Ultra-series to Humphrey Bogart. I always enjoy these one-on-one meetings with luminaries from the world of Japanese entertainment. Many thanks to Yamagiwa-san for his generosity!

Edogawa Rampo rampages in English!

Acclaimed mystery writer Edogawa Rampo ponders black lizards, malformed men, and blind beasts. Just another day at the office for this prolific Japanese author... Source: here.

If the name Edogawa Rampo sounds a bit like Edgar Allan Poe to you, then 1) you're quick on the uptake, or 2) you're already familiar with the work of author Taro Hirai (1894-1965), who took the aforementioned pen name as a nod to one of his main influences.

And, if you're already familiar with the name of Edogawa Rampo, it's likely through the movies based on his writings, such as Kinji Fukasaku's Black Lizard (1968, featuring fellow author Yukio Mishima), Teruo Ishii's Horrors of Malformed Men (1969), and Yasuzo Masumura's Blind Beast (1969).

While the above titles have been written about and discussed by fans of Japanese genre films, how many of these fans have actually read the source material? What's that, you say? They're not available in English?

Ha! Ha, I say!

"Eh," sez Edogawa Rampo to fellow writer (and Black Lizard actor) Yukio Mishima. "If they made a movie about my life, I'd so get more than four chapters." Source: here.

Thanks to a couple of book publishers who specialize in translating Japanese fiction into English, you now have your chance!

Kurodahan Press has translated Black Lizard into English, and it can be purchased here. Meanwhile, Shinbaku Books has done the honors for Blind Beast, and that title can be bought by following this link.

And, for something not-so-completely different, Tuttle Publishing has translated Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan into English, which will have you howling, "Kowai!" It can be purchased here.

With Halloween on the horizon, the time is right to crack open a few of these books! Break out those reading glasses today!