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Kuroneko
Galbraith IV, Stuart (1994). ''Japanese Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Films''. McFarland & Company. is a 1968 Japanese horror film directed by Kaneto Shindo, and an adaptation of a supernatural folktale. Set during a civil war in feudal Japan, the film's plot concerns the vengeful spirits, or ''onryō'', of a woman and her daughter-in-law, who died at the hands of a band of samurai. It stars Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otowa, and Kiwako Taichi. ''Kuroneko'' was shot in black-and-white and in TohoScope format, and distributed by Toho. It was not dubbed in English, but was released with subtitles in the United States in 1968. Plot Yone and her daughter-in-law Shige, who live in a house in a bamboo grove, are raped and murdered by a troop of samurai, and their house is burned down. A black cat appears, licking at the bodies. The women return as ghosts with the appearance of fine ladies, who wait at Rajōmon. They find the samurai troop and bring them to an illusory mansion ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaneto Shindo
was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include '' Children of Hiroshima'', '' The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', '' Kuroneko'' and ''A Last Note''. His screenplays were filmed by directors such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Kōzaburō Yoshimura, Kon Ichikawa, Keisuke Kinoshita, Seijun Suzuki, and Tadashi Imai. His films of the first decade were often in a social realist vein, repeatedly depicting the fate of women, while since the seventies, portraits of artists became a speciality. Many of his films were autobiographical, beginning with his 1951 directorial debut '' Story of a Beloved Wife'', and, being born in Hiroshima Prefecture, he also made several films about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the effect of nuclear weapons. Shindo was one of the pioneers of independent film production in Japan, co-founding his own film company Kindai Eiga Kyōkai with directo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiwako Taichi
was a Japanese film actress. She appeared in 20 films between 1967 and 1985. Biography Kiwako Taichi was born in Tokyo on 2 December 1943. She graduated Shoin Junior and Senior High School and, after training in the Haiyuza Theatre Company, she joined Bungakuza in 1967. Appearing in such plays as ' and ', she was hailed as a potential successor to Haruko Sugimura. In 1970, she married actorTaisaku Akino but divorced. She died in a car accident in Ito, Shizuoka on 13 October 1992 while working there with Bungakuza. Partial filmography Film * ''Kawa jean blues'' (1961) * ''Beranme Chunori-san'' (1961) * ''Akuma no temari-uta'' (1961) - Satoko Nire * ''Minyo no tabi: Sakurajima Otemoyan'' (1962) * ''Tekka wakashu'' (1962) * ''Hibari no Hahakoi Guitar'' (1962) * ''Hana o kuu mushi'' (1967) - Nami Aoki * '' Kuroneko'' (1968) - Shige (Daughter-in-Law) * ''Dankon'' (1969) - Saori * ''Hitorikko'' (1969) * ''The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan'' (1970) - Namiji * ''Shokkaku ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nobuko Otowa
was a Japanese actress who appeared in more than 100 films between 1950 and 1994. A graduate of Takarazuka Girl's Opera School, Otowa was first signed to Daiei studios, before becoming a freelance actress by the early 1950s. After starring in Kaneto Shindo's '' Story of a Beloved Wife'', she became the director's mistress and appeared in nearly all of his following films. She finally married him in 1977, after his previous wife divorced him. Although closely associated with Shindo's films, with '' Children of Hiroshima'', '' The Naked Island'' and '' Onibaba'' being among the most well-known, Otowa also worked for noted directors such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Heinosuke Gosho, Keisuke Kinoshita and Nagisa Ōshima. Devoted to her profession, she frequently wrote and lectured on the art of film acting. In 1995, she was posthumously awarded as best actress in a supporting role at the 19th Japan Academy Prize for ''A Last Note'', having been diagnosed with terminal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hikaru Hayashi
was a Japanese composer, pianist and conductor. Hayashi is considered to be one of the most renowned and accomplished Japanese composers of the postwar period. In particular, Hayashi was noted for his choral suite ''Scenes from Hiroshima'' (1958–2001). In exploring the possibilities of Japanese language opera, Hayashi composed more than 30 operas. He was artistic director and resident composer of the Opera Theatre Konnyakuza. His oeuvre also includes symphonic works, works for band, chamber music, choral works, songs and more than 100 film scores. Hayashi was also the author of more than 20 books including ''Nihon opera no yume'' (日本オペラの夢 ''The Dream of Japanese Opera''). In 1998 Hayashi won the 30th Suntory Music Award. Early life Hikaru Hayashi was born in Tokyo on October 22, 1931. He was the cousin of renowned flautist Ririko Hayashi. Hayashi's father was a physician who had graduated from Keiō University Medical School, and had studied in Berlin befo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kei Satō
was a Japanese character actor and narrator. He is known for his work with Japanese New Wave director Nagisa Oshima, and for several films with Kaneto Shindo, such as '' Onibaba'' and '' Kuroneko''. He won the best actor award from ''Kinema Junpo'' for the films '' The Ceremony'' and ''Nihon no akuryō''. He also worked as a narrator for many documentaries, both on television and film. In his early days as an actor, before his success in ''The Human Condition'', he supported himself by producing ''gariban'' hand-written mimeographs, and he maintained his interest in hand-printing to the end of his life. In 1981 he appeared in the film ''Daydream Daydreaming is the stream of consciousness that detaches from current, external tasks when attention drifts to a more personal and internal direction. This phenomenon is common in people's daily life shown by a large-scale study in which partici ...'' performing an unsimulated sex scene with actress Kyoko Aizome. The involvement o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nakamura Kichiemon II
was a Japanese actor, kabuki performer and costume designer. He was a so-called Living National Treasures of Japan, Living National Treasure. Nakamura Kichiemon was a formal kabuki stage name. The actor's grandfather first appeared using the name in 1897; and Nakamura Kichiemon I continued to use this name until his death.Leiter, Samuel. (2006). Kichiemon I was the maternal grandfather of Kichiemon II.母方の祖父 (maternal grandfather) In the conservative Kabuki world, stage names are passed from father to son in formal system which converts the kabuki stage name into a mark of accomplishment. In choosing to be known by the same stage name as his grandfather, the living kabuki performer honors his family relationships and tradition. Early life Nakamura was born as Tatsuj ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toho
is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer and distributor of many ''kaiju'' and ''tokusatsu'' films, the Chouseishin ''tokusatsu'' superhero television franchise, the films of Akira Kurosawa, and the anime films of Studio Ghibli, CoMix Wave Films, TMS Entertainment and OLM, Inc. All nine of the highest-grossing Japanese films are released by Toho. Other famous directors, including Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Masaki Kobayashi, and Mikio Naruse, also directed films for Toho. Toho's most famous creation is Godzilla, who is featured in 32 of the company's films. Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla are described as Toho's Big Five because of the monsters' numerous appearances throughout the franchise, as well as spin-offs. Toho has also been involve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taiji Tonoyama
was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989. He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members. He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company Kindai Eiga Kyokai with Shindo and Kōzaburō Yoshimura. He served in the Japanese military in China in the Second Sino-Japanese War and considered himself to have narrowly escaped from death. He was married but also had a mistress and maintained relationships with both women until the end of his life. He was a keen reader of detective stories and a fan of jazz music. He wrote a series of semi-autobiographical essays under the title , meaning "third rate actor". Kaneto Shindo wrote a biography of Tonoyama called ''Sanmon yakusha no shi'',三文役者の死 meaning "The death of a third-rate actor", which he also filmed as ''By Player is a 2000 Japanese biographical film directed by Kaneto Shindo based on the life of actor Taiji Tonoyama. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emishi
The (also called Ebisu and Ezo), written with Chinese characters that literally mean " shrimp barbarians," constituted an ancient ethnic group of people who lived in parts of Honshū, especially in the Tōhoku region, referred to as in contemporary sources. The first mention of the Emishi in literature that can be corroborated with outside sources dates to the 5th century AD, in which they are referred to as (毛人 - "hairy people") in Chinese records. Some Emishi tribes resisted the rule of various Japanese Emperors during the Asuka, Nara and early Heian periods (7th–10th centuries AD). The origin of the Emishi is disputed. They are often thought to have descended from some tribes of the Jōmon people. Some historians believe that they were related to the Ainu people, but others disagree with this theory and see them as a completely distinct ethnicity.Aston, W.G., trans. Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD 697. Tokyo: Charles E.Tuttle Co., 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rajōmon
, also called , was the gate built at the southern end of the monumental Suzaku Avenue in the ancient Japanese cities of Heijō-kyō (Nara) and Heian-kyō ( Kyoto), in accordance with the Chinese grid-patterned city layout. At the other far north-end of Suzaku Avenue, one would reach the Suzakumon Gate, the main entrance to the palace zone. , the southern end of Suzaku Avenue and the possible remainder of the equivalent gate in Fujiwara-kyō ( Kashihara) are yet to be discovered. Name The gate's name in modern Japanese is ''Rajōmon''. ''Rajō'' (羅城) refers to city walls and ''mon'' (門) means "gate," so ''Rajōmon'' signifies the main city gate. Originally, this gate was known as ''Raseimon'' or ''Raiseimon'', using alternate readings for the kanji in the name. The name ''Rashōmon'', using the kanji 羅生門 (which can also be read ''Raseimon''), was popularized by a noh play Rashōmon (c.1420) written by Kanze Nobumitsu (1435–1516). The modern name, ''Rajōmon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minamoto No Yorimitsu
, also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He is one of the earliest Minamoto of historical note for his military exploits, and is known for quelling the bandits of Ōeyama. His loyal service earned him the governorships of Izu Province, Kozuke and a number of others in turn, as well as a number of other high government positions. Yorimitsu served as commander of a regiment of the Imperial Guard, and as a secretary in the Ministry of War. When his father Minamoto no Mitsunaka died, he inherited Settsu Province. Yorimitsu is usually accompanied by his four legendary retainers, known as the Shitennō (The Four Heavenly Kings). They were Watanabe no Tsuna, Sakata no Kintoki, Urabe no Suetake, and Usui Sadamitsu. Legends Yorimitsu featured in a number of legends and tales, including the legend of Kintarō (Golden Boy a.k.a. Sakata no Kintoki), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
