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Gojoe
is a 2000 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' action film directed by Gakuryū Ishii. In several English-speaking countries, it was released as ''Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle''. It is a historical fantasy martial arts film set in 12th-century medieval Japan before the Genpei War. Plot After the apparent defeat of the Genji in the war for Japan, a mysterious demon lurking at the Gojoe bridge in Kyoto kills every Heike warrior that tries to cross it. Meanwhile Musashibo Benkei, a samurai turned Buddhist monk out of repentance for his past crimes, receives a divine signal from Acalanatha informing him that he only will be forgiven after slaying the demon. Borrowing a sacred sword from a yamabushi sect, and against the wishes of his mentor Ajari, Benkei sets out to destroy the monster. At the scene of one of the murders in Gojoe, Benkei encounters his old rival Tankai, and also meets a scavenger named Tetsukichi, a former weaponsmith who now survives from looting from battle corpses. One nig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gakuryū Ishii
, formerly known as , is a Japanese filmmaker known for his stylistic punk films, which helped spark the cyberpunk movement in Japan. A number of contemporary filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino have cited Ishii's films as an influence. Early life Born Toshihiro Ishii, he grew up in Hakata, and because of all the American military bases in the area, he was exposed to a lot of American rock music. He spent his teenage years a part of the punk rock movement that grew in that region, singing and playing the guitar. In 1977 he enrolled at Nihon University in Tokyo, and founded ''Kyōei-sha'' (Crazy Film Group). He borrowed equipment from the school to shoot his own 8mm and 16mm short films, which featured the style and philosophy of his punk roots. It was difficult for a young person in Japan to make films during that period, and he decided to skip the traditional corporate ladder route to film directing by just making the films himself. Career During his first year of colle ... [...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 involved in the pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saito Musashibo Benkei
, popularly known as simply Benkei, was a Japanese warrior monk (''sōhei'') who lived in the latter years of the Heian Period (794–1185) .html" ;"title="/sup>">/sup>. Benkei led a varied life, first becoming a monk, then a mountain ascetic, and then a rogue warrior. He later came to respect and serve the famous warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune, also known as Ushiwakamaru. He is commonly depicted as a man of great strength and loyalty, and a popular subject of Japanese folklore, showcased in many ancient and modern literature and productions. Early life Stories about Benkei's birth vary considerably. One tells how his father was the head of a temple shrine who had raped his mother, the daughter of a blacksmith. Another sees him as the offspring of a temple god. Many give him the attributes of a demon, a monster child with wild hair and long teeth. In his youth, Benkei may have been called —"demon/ogre child", and there are many famous ukiyo-e works themed on Oniwakamaru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tadanobu Asano
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in ''Electric Dragon 80.000 V'', Kakihara in ''Ichi the Killer'', Mamoru Arita in '' Bright Future'', Hattori Genosuke in ''Zatoichi'', Kenji in '' Last Life in the Universe'', A man in ''Survive Style 5+'', Ayano in ''The Taste of Tea'', Temujin in ''Mongol'', Captain Yugi Nagata in ''Battleship'', Lord Kira Yoshinaka in ''47 Ronin''Keanu's 47 Ronin has A-List Japanese Cast Japan-Zone.com March 2, 2011 and in the |
Nobuhiro Suwa
is a Japanese film director working in Japan and France. His directorial works and screenplays often make use of improvisation techniques. Currently, Suwa is the President of Tokyo Zokei University. Biography Having graduated from Hiroshima Prefectural Hatsukaichi High School (located in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima), Suwa studied at Tokyo Zokei University, under the tutorship of Nobuhiro Kawanaka. While at the college, he began working producing independent films, of which ''Hanasareru Gang'' was chosen for the Pia Film Festival. After graduating from Tokyo Zokei, Suwa began directing television documentary films, and worked with directors such as Sōgo Ishii and Masashi Yamamoto. In 1996, his feature film directorial debut, was released. Suwa's second film, ''M/Other'', was released soon after in 1999, winning the prestigious FIPRESCI Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and being the subject of several other awards and critical acclaim, both in Japan and internationally. ''M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masakatsu Funaki
is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler known professionally as , who has previously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Newborn UWF (UWF), and Wrestle-1 (W-1). He is also the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations and non-rehearsed shoot wrestling promotions (following five years after the inception of Shooto but predating America's Ultimate Fighting Championship). Funaki was also Pancrase's biggest star; Josh Barnett described him as the "symbol of Japan", Frank Shamrock labeled Funaki "the golden boy" of Pancrase, and Guy Mezger called Funaki "hands down the smartest and most skilled fighter in Pancrase next to Ken Shamrock". Not only the organization's co-founder and most popular fighter, Funaki was also one of Pancrase's most successful fighters to date, scoring submission victories over numerous MMA champions such as Ken Shamrock, Fra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daisuke Ryu
Daisuke Ryu (Japanese: 隆大介, Korean: 장명남, Jang Myeong-nam, hanja: 張明男; 14 January 1957 – 11 April 2021) was a Japanese actor of Korean descent. He won the Japanese "best new actor" Blue Ribbon Award for his performance as the warlord Oda Nobunaga in Akira Kurosawa's ''Kagemusha''. His other notable performances include Saburo Ichimonji in another Kurosawa epic, ''Ran'', and the legendary yamabushi, Musashibo Benkei, in Sogo Ishii's critically acclaimed '' Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle''. In 'The Ginger Tree' (based on the novel by Oswald Wynd), Daisuke Ryu played Count Kentaro Kurihama. On March 21, 2015, Ryu travelled to Taiwan, where he was to perform in the Martin Scorsese film ''Silence''. Upon arrival at Taoyuan International Airport Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is an international airport serving Taipei and northern Taiwan. Located about west of Taipei in Dayuan District, Taoyuan, the airport is Taiwan's largest. It was also the busiest ai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jun Kunimura
is a Japanese actor who has performed in Japan, Hollywood and Hong Kong. He won Best Supporting Actor and the Popular Star Award at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in the South Korean horror film '' The Wailing'', directed by Na Hong-jin. Early life and education Kunimura was born Yoshihiro Yonemura (米村 喜洋 ''Yonemura Yoshihiro'') in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, but his family moved to Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture soon after, before moving again to Osaka when he was two years old. He graduated from a theatre program operated by the Osaka Broadcasting Corporation, a theatre company owned and operated by a local NHK affiliate. He has cited actor Yūsaku Matsuda as an influence. Career Kunimura began his acting career with a bit part in Shirō Moritani's 1973 disaster film ''Tidal Wave''. He went on to appear in the TV dramas ''Ayu no Uta'' and ''Yôi don,'' before holding his first starring role in Kazuyuki Izutsu's ''Gaki Teikoku''. Throughou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masatoshi Nagase
is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's '' Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train''. Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of the great unsung heroes of Japanese film, a hugely reliable character actor with seemingly unerring taste in projects who - despite a huge body of work - remains largely unknown by name." Career Nagase co-starred in Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train'' (1989) with Youki Kudoh. He has starred in films such as Sion Sono's '' Suicide Club'' (2001), Shinji Aoyama's '' Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name'' (2002), and Yoji Yamada's ''The Hidden Blade'' (2004). Filmography Film * ''Shonben Rider'' (1983) * '' Miyuki'' (1983), Masato Wakamatsu * ''Mystery Train'' (1989) * ''Bakayarou! 3: Hen na Yatsura'' (1990) * ''My Sons'' (1991) * ''Autumn Moon'' (1992) * '' Tora-San Makes Excuses'' * ''Original Sin'' (1992) * ''The Most Terrible Time in My Life'' (1994) * ''Outobai Shoujo'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taira No Kiyomori
was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first son of Taira no Tadamori, who was the head of the Taira clan. It has been speculated that Kiyomori was actually an illegitimate son of Emperor Shirakawa. His mother, Gion no Nyogo, was a palace servant according to ''The Tale of the Heike''. Family * Father: Taira no Tadamori * Mother: Gion no Nyogo (d. 1147) *Concubines and regents: **Wife: N/A *** Taira no Shigemori *** Taira no Munemori *** Taira no Tomomori *** Taira no Tokuko *** Taira no Shigehira Career After the death of his father in 1159, Kiyomori assumed control of the Taira clan and ambitiously entered the political realm in which he had previously only held a minor post. Before that though, in 1156, he and Minamoto no Yoshitomo, head of the Minamoto clan, suppressed the rebe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taketoshi Naito
was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1953 and 2003. He died of lymphoma on 21 August 2012. Selected filmography Film * ''Mahiru no ankoku'' (1956) * ''An Actress'' (1956) - Akio Satomi * '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) - Pvt. Kobayashi * '' Lucky Dragon No. 5'' (1959) - Announcer * ''The Scent of Incense'' (1964) - Murata * ''The Snow Woman'' (1968) * '' Coup d'Etat'' (1973) - Army officer * ''Shogun Assassin'' (1980) * ''The Battle of Port Arthur'' (1980) - Narrator * ''Chōchin'' (1987) * '' Luminous Moss'' (1992) - Novelist * ''Kamikaze Taxi'' (1995) - Domon * ''My Secret Cache'' (1997) - Morita * '' After Life'' (1998) - Ichiro Watanabe * ''Samurai Fiction'' (1998) - Kanzen Inukai Television * ''Minamoto no Yoshitsune'' (1966) - Hitachibō Kaison * ''Ōgon no Hibi'' (1978) - Akechi Mitsuhide * ''Tokugawa Ieyasu'' (1983) - Honda Masanobu * ''Sanga Moyu'' (1984) - Taketora Matsui * ''Musashibō Benkei'' (1986) - Hōjō Tokimasa * ''Takeda Shingen'' (198 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Demonic Possession
Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and religions, including Buddhism, Christianity,Mark 5:9, Luke 8:30 Haitian Vodou, Hinduism, Islam, Wicca, and Southeast Asian, African, and Native American traditions. Depending on the cultural context in which it is found, possession may be considered voluntary or involuntary and may be considered to have beneficial or detrimental effects on the host. In a 1969 study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, spirit possession beliefs were found to exist in 74% of a sample of 488 societies in all parts of the world, with the highest numbers of believing societies in Pacific cultures and the lowest incidence among Native Americans of both North and South America. As Pentecostal and Charismatic Christian churches move into both African ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
