was a Japanese

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

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best known outside Japan for the 1960s

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...

TV series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

'' Ultraman'' and '' Ultraseven'', as well as for his

auteur An (; , ) is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded and personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, thus manifesting the director's unique style or thematic ...

erotic ATG-produced

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trilogy A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...

, , and . He was also known for his film adaptations of Japanese horror author Edogawa Rampo. Jissoji possessed a very distinctive visual style that was notable even in Japanese cinema which is known internationally for its visual style. Every project he directed, from children's action shows to disturbing adult films had an uncompromising approach to cinematic story telling. His episodes of the ''Ultraman'' TV shows are unique and quite unusual for children's television. His career is also unusual in that he went back and forth from children's television to film projects that were sexually provocative in some way or another. It is perhaps this aspect of his work that has prevented wider distribution of his films. Sadomasochistic and non-consensual sexual practices are featured in many of his film works with women receiving the brunt of the abuse. Most of his work is not available outside Japan or with English subtitles. Other notable films include: * , a visually sumptuous telling of the famed Japanese printmaker's life centering on the years he was forced to make pornographic prints for a living. * , a live-action

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

/horror film. * , Jissoji directed the lead segment of this horror

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

. * , Jissoji contributed a selection in this anthology of

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

s based on the writings of Natsume Sōseki. He died of stomach cancer, aged 69, in his birth city of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

in 2006 just after starting work on a revival of his ''Silver Mask'' live action children's show.

Filmography

* '' The Father of Ultra Q'' (1966) * '' Mujo'' (1970) * ''Mandala'' (1971) * ''Poem'' (1972) * '' Ultraman'' (1979) * '' Lanterns on Blue Waters'' (1983) * '' Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis'' (1987) * '' Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars'' (1990) * '' Murder on D Street'' (1998)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jissoji, Akio 1937 births 2006 deaths Deaths from stomach cancer in Japan Japanese film directors Japanese television directors Film people from Tokyo People from Shinjuku