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Kogarashi Monjirō
is the main character and title of a Japanese novel by Saho Sasazawa, probably best known in the televised version broadcast during prime-time in 1972–1973, directed by Kon Ichikawa. In 1993, the drama was made into a film, titled '' Kaettekita Kogarashi Monjirō''. Monjirō is a drifter, iconic for his ragged straw hat and cape outfit and long toothpick in his mouth. His stock phrase was "It's nothing to do with me". Plot Kogarashi Monjirō or "Monjirō of the Wintry North Wind" (see §Characters below) is a ''toseinin'' (a profession-less gamblerTosei-nin とせい‐にん【渡世人】 , '' Kojien'', 4th ed., 1991.) in the |
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—''Portrait of Hell'', for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular setting. ''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants of their time. ''Jidaigeki'' films are sometimes referred to as chambara movies, a word meaning "sword fight", though chambara is more accurately a subgenre of ''jidaigeki''. ''Jidaigeki'' rely on an established set of dramatic conventions including the use of makeup, language, catchphrases, and plotlines. Types Many ''jidaigeki'' take place in Edo, the military capital. Others show the adventures of people wandering from place to place. The long-running television series ''Zenigata Heiji'' and ''Abarenbō Shōgun'' typify the Edo ''jidaigeki''. ''Mito ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Punch Line
A punch line (a. k. a. punch-line or punchline) concludes a joke; it is intended to make people laugh. It is the third and final part of the typical joke structure. It follows the introductory framing of the joke and the narrative which sets up for the punch line. In a broader sense, "punch line" can also refer to the unexpected and funny conclusion of any performance, situation or story. Etymology The origin of the term is unknown. Even though the comedic formula using the classic "set-up, premise, punch line" format was well-established in Vaudeville by the beginning of the 20th century, the actual term "punch line" is first documented in the 1920s; the Merriam-Webster dictionary pegs the first use in 1921. Linguistic analysis A linguistic interpretation of the mechanics of the punch line response is posited by Victor Raskin in his script-based semantic theory of humor. Humor is evoked when a trigger, contained in the punch line, causes the audience to abruptly shift its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marebito
''Marebito'' ( or ) is an ancient Japanese word referring to a supernatural being who comes from afar bringing gifts of wisdom, spiritual knowledge and happiness. The word ''mare'' means "rare," while -''bito'' (from the word ''hito'') means both "person" and "spirit." The term refers to any one of a number of divine beings who were believed to visit villages in Japan, either from beyond the horizon or from beyond distant mountain ranges, bringing gifts. Villagers usually welcomed a ''marebito'' with rituals or festivals. The 20th-century folklorist Shinobu Orikuchi, student of the great Japanese folklore scholar Kunio Yanagita, was the first to bring the ancient concept of ''marebito'' to the attention of modern scholars, and it has been widely assumed that the ''marebito'' tradition died out long ago. However, remnants can still be found in some areas of Japan, such as Akita Prefecture, where the ''Namahage The are demonlike beings portrayed by men wearing hefty '' oni'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zatōichi
is a fictional character created by Japanese novelist Kan Shimozawa. He is an itinerant blind masseur and swordsman of Japan's late Edo period (1830s and 1840s). He first appeared in the 1948 essay , part of Shimozawa's ''Futokoro Techō'' series that was serialized in the magazine ''Shōsetsu to Yomimono''. This originally minor character was drastically altered and developed for the screen by Daiei Film and actor Shintaro Katsu, becoming the subject of one of Japan's longest-running film series. A total of 26 films were made between 1962 and 1989. From 1974 to 1979, a television series was produced, starring Katsu and some of the same actors that appear in the films. Produced by Katsu Productions, 100 episodes were aired before the ''Zatoichi'' television series was cancelled. The seventeenth film of the ''Zatoichi'' series was remade in the US in 1989 by TriStar Pictures as ''Blind Fury'', starring Rutger Hauer. A 2003 film was directed by Takeshi Kitano, who also starred a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lone Wolf And Cub
is a Japanese manga series created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya, and is widely recognized as an important and influential work. ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' chronicles the story of Ogami Ittō, the ''shōgun''s executioner who uses a dōtanuki battle sword. Disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin. Along with his three-year-old son, Daigorō, they seek revenge on the Yagyū clan and are known as "Lone Wolf and Cub". Plot Ogami Ittō, formidable warrior and a master of the ''suiō-ryū'' swordsmanship, serves as the ''Kogi Kaishakunin'' (the Shōgun's executioner), a position of high power in the Tokugawa shogunate during the 1700s. Along with the oniwaban and the assassins, Ogami Ittō is responsible for enforcing the will of the ''shōgun'' over the ''daim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goseki Kojima
was a Japanese manga artist. He is known for his collaborations with manga writer Kazuo Koike, the most famous of them being ''Lone Wolf and Cub''. Biography Kojima was born in Yokkaichi, Mie, on the same day as Osamu Tezuka. After getting out of junior high school, Kojima painted advertising posters for movie theaters as his source of income. In 1950, he moved to Tokyo. The post-World War II environment led to forms of manga meant for impoverished audiences. Kojima created art for ''kamishibai'' or "paper play" narrators. Kojima then started to create works for the '' kashi-bon'' market but soon started working as an assistant of manga artist Sanpei Shirato. In 1957, he made his manga artist debut with ''Onmitsu Kuroyoden''. In 1967, Kojima created the ninja adventure ''Dojinki'', his first manga for a magazine. In 1970, he and writer Kazuo Koike created ''Kozure Okami'' (''Lone Wolf and Cub''), the first and most famous of their four major collaborations. Koike and Kojima wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bunta Sugawara
was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 200 feature films. Dropping out of Waseda University, he worked as a model before entering the film industry in 1956. After years of work, Sugawara finally established himself as a famous actor at the age of 39, with the lead role of Shozo Hirono in the ''Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' series (1973–1976) of yakuza films. He quickly found additional success starring as the truck driver Momojiro Hoshi in the comedic ''Torakku Yarō'' series (1975–1979). In 1980, Sugawara won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a detective in the satirical ''Taiyō o Nusunda Otoko'' (1979). Life and career Sugawara was born in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. His father was a newspaper reporter. His parents divorced when he was four, and he moved to Tokyo to live with his father and stepmother. As part of a wartime policy to evacuate children from major cities, he was moved back to Sendai during fourth grade. As an adult ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sadao Nakajima
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter (born 8 August, 1934) known for his work in yakuza films and jidaigeki. Career Born in Chiba Prefecture, he attended Hibiya High School and then the University of Tokyo before joining the Tōei studio in 1959. Working at Tōei's Kyoto studio, he served as an assistant director under such directors as Masahiro Makino, Tadashi Imai, and Tomotaka Tasaka. He made his directorial debut in 1964 Kunoichi ninpō and won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award in 1966 for '' Yakuza (893) gurentai'', the first gendaigeki shot at Tōei's Kyoto studio. He directed such popular film series as ''Kogarashi Monjirō'' and ''Nihon no don'', and also worked on television. His 1985 film '' Seburi monogatari'' was entered into the 35th Berlin International Film Festival. From 1987 to 2008 he served as a professor of the Osaka University of Arts. He has directed over 60 films in his career. Selected filmography * ''Kunoichi ninpō'' (くノ一 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certified broadcasting holding company itself a subsidiary of Nikkei, Inc., serving as the flagship station of the TX Network.." TV Tokyo. Retrieved on June 21, 2010. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specialising in anime. History TV Tokyo was established by the Japan Science Foundation in 1951 and started broadcasting, as on April 12, 1964. It took its name from its VHF frequency channel 12. It almost went bankrupt in 1968; on 1 July that year, a limited liability company, Tokyo Channel 12 Production was established with the help of the '' Nikkei'' and Mainichi Broadcasting System. In 1969 the ''Nikkei'' and MBS signed a memorandum of understanding which stipulates that Tokyo Channel 12 should share programs with N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Achilles Tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (heel) bone. These muscles, acting via the tendon, cause plantar flexion of the foot at the ankle joint, and (except the soleus) flexion at the knee. Abnormalities of the Achilles tendon include inflammation ( Achilles tendinitis), degeneration, rupture, and becoming embedded with cholesterol deposits (xanthomas). The Achilles tendon was named in 1693 after the Greek hero Achilles. History The oldest-known written record of the tendon being named for Achilles is in 1693 by the Flemish/Dutch anatomist Philip Verheyen. In his widely used text he described the tendon's location and said that it was commonly called "the cord of Achilles." The tendon has been described as early as the time of Hippocrates, who described it as the "" (Latin f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramen Noodles
is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle dishes. Nearly every region in Japan has its own variation of ramen, such as the ''tonkotsu'' (pork bone broth) ramen of Kyushu and the ''miso'' ramen of Hokkaido. History Etymology The word ''ramen'' is a Japanese borrowing of the Mandarin Chinese '' lāmiàn'' (, "pulled noodles"). However, historian Barak Kushner argues that this borrowing occurred retroactively and that various independent Japanese corruptions of Chinese words had already led to Japanese people calling this Chinese noodle dish "ramen". One theory suggests that the Japanese mistook the Chinese particles "le" (了) or "la" (啦, a contraction of 了啊) for a "ra" sound when Chinese cooks would announce "hăo le" (好了) to communicate that a dish was complete. The Japanese th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
