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Sun In The Last Days Of The Shogunate
is a 1957 Japanese comedy film directed by Yūzō Kawashima with a screenplay by Kawashima, Shōhei Imamura and Keiichi Tanaka. It was voted the fifth best Japanese film of all time in a poll of 140 Japanese critics and filmmakers conducted by the magazine ''Kinema Junpo'' in 1999. Plot It is set during the last days of the Bakumatsu era (1862), six years before the shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu returned power to the Emperor. The plot is centered around the rogue city dweller Saheiji (played by comedian Frankie Sakai), who arrived to have fun with three friends. They visit a brothel in the Shinagawa entertainment district. After spending the night, he was forced to admit that he lacked money to pay. So he must stay in order to settle his debt. Saheiji seeks to outwit the inhabitants of a brothel in order to survive in straitened times. Meanwhile, a group of samurai seek to destroy any foreigners that cross their path. Saheiji attracts all employees, from brothel owners to prostitute ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yūzō Kawashima
was a Japanese film director, most famous for making tragi-comic films and satires. Career Kawashima was born in Mutsu, Aomori in the Shimokita Peninsula. From his youth, he suffered from a paralysis that affected his right leg and arm. He was educated at Meiji University, where he was a member of the film study circle. He entered the Shōchiku studios in 1938 and served as an assistant director under Minoru Shibuya and Keisuke Kinoshita before directing his first film, '' The Man Who Has Returned'', in 1944. At Shōchiku after the war, he made many comedies before switching to Nikkatsu in 1955, when the studio resumed film production. There he made such notable works as '' Burden of Love'' (1955), '' Suzaki Paradise: Red Light District'' (1956), and ''Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate'' (1957), which was later voted the fifth best Japanese film of all time in Kinema Junpō's poll of 140 film critics and filmmakers in 1999. In his remaining years, Kawashima worked at multipl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masumi Okada
was a professional actor, singer, stand-up comedian, and film producer. Also known by his nickname "Fanfan", he was born in Nice, France, to a Japanese father, Minoru Okada, who was an artist, and a Danish mother, Ingeborg Sevaldsen, who was the sister of Eline Eriksen, the model for the "Mermaid of Copenhagen". Masumi Okada was the younger of two sons; his older brother, Taibi "Erick" Okada, was also an actor and presenter- known professionally as E. H. Eric, he was the emcee for the Beatles' 1966 concert in Tokyo. Biography Masumi Okada spent the first four years of his life in France before relocating to Japan in 1939. He received his education under his Western name, Otto Sevaldsen, at Saint Joseph International School (SJIS) in the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa prefecture, graduating in 1955. In 1952, while still a student at SJIS, Okada debuted as an actor in a musical at the Nichigeki Music Hall. He signed with Nikkatsu Corporation in 1954, appearing in his first film, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1957 Comedy Films
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year of the 1950s decade. Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be dismissed for having '' handled the ball'', in Test cricket. * January 9 – British Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigns. * January 10 – Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. * January 11 – The African Convention is founded in Dakar. * January 14 – Kripalu Maharaj is named fifth Jagadguru (world teacher), after giving seven days of speeches before 500 Hindu scholars. * January 15 – The film ''Throne of Blood'', Akira Kurosawa's reworking of '' Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1957 Films
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events. ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' topped the year's box office in North America, France, and Germany, and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1957 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Top-grossing films by country The highest-grossing 1957 films in various countries. Events * February 1 – RKO ceases domestic distribution of feature films which is taken over by Universal Pictures. * May – Ingmar Bergman's ''The Seventh Seal'' wins the Special Jury Prize at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. * June 6 – Jerry Lewis appears in his first film without Dean Martin in ''The Delicate Delinquent''. * June – United Artists rejoins the Motion Picture Association of America, following an expansion of the MPAA code appeals board members. The board had previously denied ''The Man With the Golden Arm'' a Production Code seal in 1955, leading UA to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kusaka Genzui
, (born Kusaka Hidezaburō; May 1840 – 20 August 1864) was a samurai of the Japanese domain of Chōshū who was active during the Bakumatsu period and a key proponent of the ''sonnō jōi'' movement. Early life He was born Kusaka Hidezaburō in 1840 in Hagi, a town in Nagato Province in Chōshū Domain. He was the third son of the physician Kusaka Ryōteki and Tomiko; their eldest son was named Genki, and their second died while still young. The family belonged to a 7th-rank samurai family, but received a stipend of only 25 koku of rice. From a young age Kusaka learned the Four Books by rote at a private ''juku'' that Takasugi Shinsaku also attended. He then attended the domain's Kōseikan medical school. At fourteen his mother died, and the following year so did his brother Genki and then mere days later his father as well. As the sole surviving member of his family Genzui became the head of the family and the family's medical practice; he thus shaved his head a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akira Kobayashi
is a Japanese actor and singer. His nickname is . Biography Kobayashi attended Meiji University but left before graduating. He became an actor at Nikkatsu and made his film debut with "Ueru Tamashii" directed by Yuzo Kawashima in 1956. He solidified his popularity with such films as ''Nangoku Tosa o Ato ni Shite'' (''A Farewell to Southern Tosa'') and starred in the '' Wataridori series'' and "Senpūji" ("Whirlwind Child") film series. Kobayashi, along with Yujiro Ishihara and others, formed the core of Nikkatsu Action's golden age. Kobayashi produced and starred detective tv drama series ''Target Men'' in 1971. In 1972, he left Nikkatsu and signed with Toei film. There he starred in many yakuza films, including Battles Without Honor and Humanity series. In 1989, Kobayashi made his director debut with ''Haru kuru Oni''. Marriage Kobayashi was married to popular singer Misora Hibari in 1962, but the marriage ended in divorce two years later in 1964. He remarried actress ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inoue Kaoru
Marquess Inoue Kaoru (井上 馨, January 16, 1836 – September 1, 1915) was a Japanese politician and a prominent member of the Meiji oligarchy during the Meiji period of the Empire of Japan. As one of the senior statesmen (''Genrō'') in Japan during that period, he had a tremendous influence on the selection of the nation's leaders and formation of its policies. Early years Born Yakichi (勇吉) to a lower-ranked ''samurai'' family in Yuda, Chōshū domain (present day Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi Prefecture), Inoue attended the ''Meirinkan'' domain school with his brother Ikutarō (幾太郎). He was a close boyhood friend of Itō Hirobumi who later became Japan's first prime minister, and he played an active part in the ''sonnō jōi'' movement. In 1858, he studied ''rangaku'', artillery and swordsmanship in Edo. In the Bakumatsu period, Inoue emerged as a leader of the anti-foreigner movement in his native Chōshū. Desiring to rid Japan of foreigners, he and Takasugi Shinsa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hideaki Nitani
was a Japanese actor. Career Born in Kyoto Prefecture, Nitani attended Doshisha University but quit before graduating. He first worked as an announcer at Nagasaki Broadcasting Company, but in 1956 made his debut as an actor at Nikkatsu. Gaining the nickname "Dump Truck Guy" for his handsome, tough guy roles, he soon became a staple in Nikkatsu Action movies, often playing the second lead, but sometimes starring in his own films. He is probably best known abroad for his role in Seijun Suzuki's ''Tokyo Drifter''. Nitani left Nikkatsu in 1971 and moved to television, where he starred in the ''Tokusō Saizensen'' police detective series, which ran for ten years between 1977 and 1987. Nitani married the actress Yumi Shirakawa and their daughter, Yurie Nitani, is also an actress. He died of pneumonia on 7 January 2012, three weeks before his 82nd birthday. Selected filmography Film * '' I Am Waiting'' (1957) * ''Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate'' (1957) * ''Underworld Beauty' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taiji Tonoyama
was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989. He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members. He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company Kindai Eiga Kyokai with Shindo and Kōzaburō Yoshimura. He served in the Japanese military in China in the Second Sino-Japanese War and considered himself to have narrowly escaped from death. He was married but also had a mistress and maintained relationships with both women until the end of his life. He was a keen reader of detective stories and a fan of jazz music. He wrote a series of semi-autobiographical essays under the title , meaning "third rate actor". Kaneto Shindo wrote a biography of Tonoyama called ''Sanmon yakusha no shi'',三文役者の死 meaning "The death of a third-rate actor", which he also filmed as ''By Player is a 2000 Japanese biographical film directed by Kaneto Shindo based on the life of actor Taiji Tonoyama. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akira Nishimura (actor)
is a Japanese composer from Osaka. Biography Nishimura studied composition and musical theory on a graduate course at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He also studied Asian traditional music, religion, aesthetics, cosmology and the heterophonic concepts, all of which have a lasting influence on his music. He has won several national and international awards, including the 36th Suntory Music Award (2004) and has been commissioned by many overseas music festivals. Nishimura was the judge at the 2007 Toru Takemitsu composition award. Works Operas *''Asters'' (premiered February 2019) Other works *''Mantra of the Light'', for female choir and orchestra Other activities *Tokyo College of Music: professor (composition) See also * Music of Japan In Japan, music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern. The word for "music" in Japanese language, Japanese is 音楽 (''ongaku''), combining the kanji 音 ''on'' (sound) with the kanji ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Izumi Ashikawa
is a Japanese actress. Ashikawa was called the Japanese Audrey Hepburn. In 1953, Ashikawa was scouted by director Yuzo Kawashima and joined the Shochiku studio. She made her film debut with ''Tokyomadamu to Osakafujin'' directed by Yuzo Kawashima. In 1955, she moved to the Nikkatsu studio and gained popularity. In 1968, Ashikawa married actor Tatsuya Fuji and retired. She made her final film appearance in the 1968 film ''Koto no Taiyo''. Selected filmography *''Tokyomadamu to Osakafujin'' (1953) * ''The Baby Carriage'' (1956) * '' The Balloon'' (1956) * ''Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate'' (1957) * '' Suzaki Paradise: Akashingō'' (1957) * ''Man Who Causes a Storm'' (1957) * ''The Perfect Game'' (1958) * '' Kurenai no Tsubasa'' (1958) * ''A Slope in the Sun'' (1959) * ''Mutekiga Ore o Yondeiru'' (1960) * ''Man with a Shotgun is a 1961 Japanese Western film directed by Seijun Suzuki in the vein of the Nikkatsu Studio's "borderless action cinema". Hideaki Nitani stars as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toshio Takahara
was a Japanese actor. Notable film appearances were ''Seven Samurai'' and ''Twenty-Four Eyes''. He is also known for his role as Commander Gonpachi Edogawa in the tokusatsu superhero series ''Himitsu Sentai Gorenger''. He started his acting career at the Bungakuza theatre company in 1941. In 1943, he made his stage debut with ''Denen ''. He gave his film debut with ''Ginza no Odoriko'' in 1950. Takahara signed his contract with Nikkatsu studio between 1956 and 1960 and starred in many Nikatsu films, including ''Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate'' directed by Yūzō Kawashima and ''Pigs and Battleships'' directed by Shōhei Imamura. He died of heart failure on 26 February 2000. Filmography Films * ''Ginza no Odoriko'' (1950) as Rickshaw man * ''Listen to the Voices of the Sea'' (1950) as combat medic * ''Kaizoku-sen'' (1950) as Gyuhi * ''Hino hate'' (1954) * '' Taiyō no nai Machi'' (1954) as young man * ''Seven Samurai'' (1954) as Samurai with Gun * ''Okuman chōja'' (1954 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
