Uncategorized

Daisuke Ito’s Masterpiece Discovered

The print of “Issatu-Tasho-Ken (一殺多生剣)”, Daisuke Ito’s 1929 film, was discovered and is scheduled to be screened at Kyoto Film Festival in October. Probably it is not a familiar title to you; even the name of the director, Daisuke Ito, is not usually among “all-time great Japanese directors” list. You might have seen the still photograph above in some of the Japanese cinema history books, though. The film was produced during the pinnacle of Jidaigeki cinema, late 1920s and early 30s, and Daisuke Ito was the central figure of the era. The reason the late 20s being the most productive …

  /
Uncategorized

Isuzu Yamada (1917 – 2012)

Isuzu Yamada, one of the most renowned actresses in Japanese cinema history, passed away on July 9, 2012. She was 95. Her memorable screen performance includes Mizoguchi’s “Osaka Elegy”, Naruse’s “Nagareru” and Kurowsawa’s “Thone of Blood”, to name the few. She started her career in her teens in Nikkatsu and was recognized quickly for superb acting skills. Her portrayal of damaged, rebellious teenage mistress and Geisha in Mizoguchi’s “Osaka Elegy” and “Sisters of the Gion” was breakthrough in prewar Japanese cinema, and boosted both Mizoguchi’s and Yamada’s careers. Before WWII, she was a top star at Toho, starring in many …

 
Uncategorized

Masumura, Ichikawa and Ozu

Speed of Growth In the age of global economy, a self-proclaimed expert announces “your bond is no longer as secure as it used to be” and then whole world goes berserk. A large part of transactions of securities, stocks, bonds, foreign currencies and other monetary entities is processed by computer algorithms without human intervention, in less than a microsecond over the continents. A myriad of security firms, banks, and other companies you never knew how to pronounce their names, destroy your retirement plan in two seconds. Most of us are jittery because off-shoring project in process in the floor below …

  / /