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1-29 of 29
- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Okamoto belonged to what one colleague called "the generation where most of them got killed": the leagues of university graduates who were drafted into and sacrificed to the last years of Japan's war in the South Pacific. Okamoto was drafted during the very worst of it, in 1943, but almost alone among his colleagues managed to survive. The experience helped shape his outlook on the nature of human conflict in general, and the Japanese war in particular: among his earliest successes (which led to a series) was Dokuritsugu Gurentai (1959), an acerbic story of island-bound soldiers that helped make Okamoto's reputation. Okamoto also made a name for himself as a director of equally cynical gangster pictures at Toho, including Boss of the Underworld (1959) and The Age of Assassins (1967). Kihachi Okamoto began his filmic training in 1945 under such estimable teachers as directors Mikio Naruse, Senkichi Taniguchi. and Ishiro Honda.- Director
- Writer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Yasuharu Hasebe was born on 4 April 1932 in Japan. He was a director and writer, known for The Naked Seven (1972), Sukeban Deka: Dirty Mary (1974) and A Gangster's Morals (1970). He was married to Takako Hasebe. He died on 14 June 2009 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Akemi Negishi might never have become an actress but for Josef von Sternberg. The legendary director was in Japan looking for a woman to play the seductress who leads a bunch of soldiers astray in his upcoming (and as it turned out, last) movie _Anatahan (1954)_. But Sternberg spotted Negishi one night, dancing on the cabaret stage, and chose her at once. This was the first in a long string of exotic roles, most unusual for the average Japanese actress, but which became her trademark, in films as various as _Kingukongu tai Gojira (1962)_ and Dodes'ka-den (1970). She was a favorite actress of both Akira Kurosawa and Ishirô Honda, both directors seeing beyond the kind of role in which she was usually typecast, and thereby encouraging her to some of the best work any Japanese actress did in the 1950s and 1960s. Her most memorable roles are probably for Kurosawa, in The Lower Depths (1957) and Dodes'ka-den (1970); but she is probably best known outside Japan for playing the woman who leads the dance of tribute to Kong in _Kingukongu tai Gojira (1962)_. Negishi was an unusual presence in Japanese film at that time, since her presence was so aggressively, obviously sensual. This militated against her becoming a major star in the conservative Japanese atmosphere of the time, but she was fortunate to be able to do excellent character work throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Following her arresting cameo as the beautiful lone housewife in Dodes'ka-den (1970), it appears that Negishi retired.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
- Director
Yoshimitsu Banno studied at Toho under such directors as Hiromichi Horikawa, Mikio Naruse, Kengo Furusawa and Seiji Maruyama. By 1970 Toho was ready to promote him to full director, and the resulting project, Birth of the Japanese Islands (1970) played at Osaka's Expo 70, attracting record-breaking crowds. Gojira series producer Tomoyuki Tanaka signed him up to help revitalize the series. The result was the famous (or infamous) Gojira vs. Hedora (1971), a passionately avant-garde film which so horrified producer Tanaka that Banno's directorial privileges at Toho were temporarily suspended. He managed to restore his reputation by rewriting and directing second unit for Nosutodoramusu no Daiyogen (1974). He was approached to write and/or direct Gojira movies twice more in the 1970s, but his ideas continued to be too radical for the studio. Eventually he resigned as a director and became an executive in charge of project development, which in recent years has included the highly ambitious JAPAX Project, a 70mm. process meant to compete with the Imax process.- Nijiko Kiyokawa was born on 24 November 1912 in Matsudo, Chiba, Japan. She was an actress, known for Pom Poko (1994), Shiosai (1964) and The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956). She died on 24 May 2002 in Takatsu, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Director
- Art Department
- Animation Department
Noboru Ishiguro was born on 24 August 1938 in Tokyo, Japan. He was a director, known for Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984), Hoshi Neko Fullhouse (1989) and Heavy (1990). He died on 20 March 2012 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Hisano Yamaoka was born on 27 August 1926 in Omori-ku, Tokyo, Japan. She was an actress, known for Kamo to negi (1968), Onna to misoshiru (1968) and The House of the Sleeping Virgins (1968). She died on 15 February 1999 in Kawasaki, Japan.
- Keizô Kawasaki was born on 1 July 1933 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. He was an actor, known for We'll Meet Again (1957), Afraid to Die (1960) and Punishment Room (1956). He died on 21 July 2015 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Writer
- Actor
- Animation Department
Motoo Abiko is one half of one of the most prolific comic writing team of Fujiko Fujio whose volume of works are probably only rivaled by the famous American comic writing team of (Stan) Lee, and (Jack) Kirby. He met his future comic drawing partner Hiroshi Fujimoto when he was in fifth grade at an elementary school in his native Toyama. They started to draw comic together (although only as a hobby at the time) which continued for over the next 40 years.
In 1952 they made their comic debut with a comic titled "Tenshi no Tamachan" and two years later they've moved to Tokyo to pursue their professional career. They were mentored briefly by the late Osamu Tezuka (of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion fame) after coming to Tokyo like so many young comic artist of the time. Later they recalled seeing a stack of papers few feet high at Tezuka's house which were rejects of his comic pages. Tezuka's standards was so high that even under close inspection they couldn't tell what was wrong with the material. They helped Tezuka pen the last pages of Kimba the White Lion during that period.
In 1956 they formed Shin Manga-To with Fujio Akatsuka, and Ishinomori Shotaro (of Kamen Rider, Kikaida, and Cyborg 009 fame). There were a close knit group of comic writer friends back then who had similar backgrounds of leaving their birth place and coming to Tokyo to start their careers. In the late '50s and early '60s Abiko with Fujimoto mostly penned action adventure comics oriented towards pre-teen boys such as the "Big One", "Silver Cross", and "Umi no Ooji". In 1964 they co-authored "Obake no Q-taro" which later became an animated cartoon series which saw wide spread syndication all over the world including North America, and Hong Kong. They continued their prolific career in the '60s and the '70s by penning other cartoons which saw animated syndication such as Paa Man, Kaibutsu-Kun, and Doraemon. One of their works, Ninja Hattori-kun, became a TV series acted by real live actors.
Later in the 70s Fujiko Fujio started writing comics for adults, often depicting the surreal side of society as fiction which included the return of Obake no Q-Taro to the family of now grown up ex-friend Sho-chan. Q-Taro in this episode finds that reality of society robbed the youthful dreams of his ex-friends and returns to his spiritual world disappointed. They also penned a semi-autobiographical comic of their life and career at that time with Fujimoto being depicted as the somewhat naive main character.
In 1987 Abiko dissolved the partnership with Fujimoto, and for the first time in over 40 years, they decided to pursue their own careers with Fujimoto taking the pen name Fujiko F Fujio, and Abiko taking the pen name Fujiko Fujio (A). While Fujimoto passed away in 1996, Abiko is still active in writing adult-oriented cartoons.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Miyuki Kanbe was born on 7 May 1984 in Kanagawa, Japan. She was an actress, known for Battle Royale II (2003), Kamen Rider Hibiki (2005) and Kamen Rider Hibiki & the Seven Fighting Demons (2005). She died on 18 June 2008 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Writer
- Additional Crew
Susumu Takaku was born on 11 January 1933 in Fukushima, Japan. Susumu was a writer, known for The Golden Bat (1966), Chouriki Sentai Ohranger (1995) and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger (1994). Susumu was married to Kumiko. Susumu died on 22 July 2009 in Miyamae, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Art Director
- Additional Crew
- Production Designer
Kiyoshi Awazu was born on 19 February 1929 in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. He was an art director and production designer, known for Demon Pond (1979), Gonza the Spearman (1986) and The Face of Another (1966). He died on 28 April 2009 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Nobuyuki Ishida was born on 30 August 1950 in Akita-ken, Tohoku, Japan. He was an actor, known for Reborn from Hell II: Jubei's Revenge (1996), Reborn from Hell: Samurai Armageddon (1999) and Mirrorman (1973). He died on 13 June 2019 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Toshinori Kondo was born on 15 December 1948 in Ehime, Japan. He was a composer and actor, known for 1/3 Lover (1993), Blow the Earth in Japan (2013) and Dogs (1999). He died on 17 October 2020 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Director
- Actor
Ben Wada was a director and actor, known for Ashura no gotoku (1979), Kanzen-naru shiiku (1999) and Ashura no gotoku paato II (1980). He was married to Emi Wada. He died on 14 January 2011 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Kazuo Shinohara was born on 2 April 1925 in Shizuoka, Japan. He died on 15 July 2006 in Kawasaki, Japan.
- Writer
- Production Manager
Shigeru Yokota was born on 14 November 1932 in Tokushima, Japan. He was a writer and production manager, known for Megumi (2008), Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story (2006) and Megumi (2008). He was married to Sakie Yokota. He died on 5 June 2020 in Kawasaki, Japan.- Toshihiko Koga was born on 21 November 1967 in Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. He died on 24 March 2021 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
- Writer
Yônosuke Koike was an assistant director and director, known for Shin Wani bunsho (1997), Battle Hawk (1976) and The Detective Story (1979). He died on 22 September 2010 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Mitsuko Mizuashi was born on 12 September 1914 in Baba, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. Mitsuko was a writer, known for Yuki no mosho (1967). Mitsuko died on 13 October 2003 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Hiroshi Nagano was a writer and editor, known for Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (1974), The Creature Called Man (1970) and Ôedo sôsamô (1970). He died on 26 October 2012 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Shin'ichi Hashimoto was a director, known for Horumaika: Tebori Nakayama zuidou no kiroku (2005) and Yamakoshi: The Recovery of a Tiny Japanese Village (2009). Shin'ichi died on 17 June 2011 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Yô Sano was a writer, known for Hi no ataru isu (1965), Koi no gashû (1961) and Black Money (1963). Yô died on 27 April 2013 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Kokinji Katsura was born on 6 October 1926 in Tokyo, Japan. He was an actor, known for The Scarred Crest (1964), Zenigata Heiji torimono hikae: Bijin-gumo (1960) and Jigoku no saiten (1963). He died on 3 November 2014 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Yasumitsu Toyoda was born on 12 February 1935 in Daigo, Ibaraki, Japan. He was an actor, known for Kiken na kankei (1957) and Yakyukyô no uta (1977). He was married to Mineko. He died on 14 August 2016 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Eisuke Nakazono was born in 1920 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was a writer, known for KT (2002). He died on 9 April 2002 in Kawasaki, Japan.
- Nekohachi Edoya IV was born on 30 November 1949 in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. He was an actor, known for Kôkôsei burai hikae (1972), Kah-chan (2001) and Tora-san's Forget Me Not (1973). He died on 21 March 2016 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Nobuyuki Furuta was born on 4 April 1958 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. He was an actor, known for Tokyo Godfathers (2003), Castle in the Sky (1986) and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - The Motion Picture (1991). He died on 29 August 2017 in Miyamae, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Writer
- Art Department
Mikiya Mochizuki was born on 16 December 1938 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. He was a writer, known for Wild 7 (2011), Wild 7 (1972) and Wairudo 7 (1994). He was married to Sanae. He died on 3 April 2016 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.