is a Japanese entertainment company known for its

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

productions. It is Japan's oldest major

movie studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...

, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Motion Pictures". Shareholders are Nippon Television Holdings (35%) and

SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation The SKY Perfect JSAT Group is a Japanese corporate group that claims to be Asia's largest satellite communication and multi-channel pay TV company. It owns the SKY PerfecTV! satellite broadcasting service and the SKY Perfect Well Think content s ...

(28.4%).

History

Founding in 1912

Nikkatsu was founded on September 10, 1912, when several production companies and theater chains,

Yoshizawa Shōten was a film studio and importer active in the early years of cinema in Japan. Originally involved in the magic lantern business, Yoshizawa bought a cinématographe camera off a visiting Italian and began exhibiting motion pictures in 1897. Run by ...

Yokota Shōkai was a Japanese film studio active in the early years of cinema in Japan. Its origins can be traced back to when Einosuke Yokota received one of the first Lumiere cinematograph machines in Japan from Inabata Katsutarō to conduct traveling ex ...

Fukuhōdō was a Japanese film studio active in the early years of cinema in Japan. Background Fukuhōdō was founded in 1910 when Kenzō Tabata built a chain of modern, concrete movie theaters in Tokyo. To supply these eight theaters, Tabata started a p ...

and M. Pathe, consolidated under the name Nippon Katsudō Shashin. The company enjoyed its share of success. It employed such notable film directors as Shozo Makino and his son

Masahiro Makino was a Japanese film director. He directed more than 260 films, primarily in the chanbara and yakuza genres. His real name was , but he took the stage name Masahiro, the kanji for which he changed multiple times (including , , and ). Career Masa ...

. During World War II, the government ordered the ten film companies that had formed by

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

to consolidate into two.

Masaichi Nagata was a Japanese businessman and served as president of Daiei Film. The self-proclaimed creator of Gamera, he produced the kaiju's second film ''Gamera vs. Barugon'', with the remainder of the Showa ''Gamera'' films produced instead by his son Hi ...

, founder of

Daiei Film Daiei Film Co. Ltd. ( Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, producing ...

and a former Nikkatsu employee, counter-proposed that three companies be formed and the suggestion was approved. Nikkatsu, set to merge with the two weakest companies,

Shinkō Kinema was a Japanese film studio active in the 1930s. Background Shinkō was established in September 1931 out of the remnants of the Teikoku Kinema studio with the help of Shōchiku capital. The historian Jun'ichirō Tanaka writes that the studio w ...

and Daito, were verbally displeased. The committee formed to establish the value of each company retaliated by purposefully undervaluing Nikkatsu, which led to Shinkō becoming the dominant head of production. The reformed Nikkatsu continued to prosper as an exhibition company but ceased all film production. The postwar film industry expanded rapidly and, in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

, Nikkatsu president Kyusaku Hori began construction of a new production studio. A graduate of

Tokyo Keizai University (Tokyo University of Economics) is a private university in Tokyo, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the w ...

, Hori had joined the company in 1951 after quitting his initial employment as the manager of Sanno Hotel (now rebuilt as

Sanno Park Tower The Sanno Park Tower
"

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

. Many assistant directors from other studios, including

Shōhei Imamura was a Japanese film director. His main interest as a filmmaker lay in the depiction of the lower strata of Japanese society. A key figure in the Japanese New Wave, who continued working into the 21st century, Imamura is the only director from J ...

and

Seijun Suzuki , born (24 May 1923 – 13 February 2017), was a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are known for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility. He made 40 predo ...

from

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not all ...

, moved to Nikkatsu with the promise of advancement to full director status within one or two years. Suzuki made dozens of films for Nikkatsu from 1956 onwards, developing an increasingly inventive visual style, but was controversially fired following the release of his 40th, ''

Branded to Kill is a 1967 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Annu Mari and Mariko Ogawa. The story follows contract killer Goro Hanada as he is recruited by a mysterious woman named Misako for a seemingly im ...

'' (1967), which Hori deemed "incomprehensible". The company made a few

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

films and historical dramas but by 1960 had decided to devote its resources to the production of urban youth dramas,

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

and

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

films. From the late 1950s to the start of the 1970s, they were renowned for their "borderless action" (''mukokuseki akushun'') movies, designed for the youth market, whose directors included Suzuki, Toshio Masuda, and

Takashi Nomura Takashi Nomura (野村孝) (February 18, 1927 – May 5, 2015) was a Japanese film director for studios including Nikkatsu. The Criterion Collection described him as a "prominent, stylistically daring director". In 1955, he joined Nikkatsu Film ...

. The studio also employed such stars as Yujiro Ishihara,

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 s ...

Joe Shishido was a Japanese actor most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones. He appeared in some 300 films but is best known in the West for his performance in the cult film '' Branded to Kill'' ...

Tetsuya Watari born (December 28, 1941 – August 10, 2020) was a Japanese film, stage, and television actor. Life He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University. Watari belonged to the karate club at university. He made his screen debut in 1964, in Isamu Kosugi ...

Ruriko Asaoka , born 2 July 1940 in Xinjing, Manchukuo (now Changchun, Jilin, China), is a Japanese actress. She won the Medal with Purple Ribbon (2002) and Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2011). She married actor Koji Ishizaka in ...

Chieko Matsubara is a Japanese actress from Nagoya, Spotted at a beauty contest sponsored by the Nikkatsu studio, Matsubara made her debut in 1961 at age 16 in ''Yoru no chōsensha''. Matsubara won popularity and became one of the representative actresses of th ...

and, later,

Meiko Kaji is a Japanese actress and singer. Since the 1960s, she has appeared in over 100 film and television roles, most prominently in the 1970s with her most famous roles as outlaw characters, best known for her performances in the film series '' Stra ...

and

Tatsuya Fuji is a Japanese actor. He was born in Beijing and raised in Yokohama. In 1962, Fuji joined Nikkatsu Company and began his acting career with small roles in Nikkatsu film. In 1968, Fuji married actress Izumi Ashikawa. He gained popularity throu ...

. Director

began his career there and between 1958 and 1966 made for them such notable films as ''

Pigs and Battleships The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

'' (

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

), ''

The Insect Woman is a 1963 Japanese drama film directed by Shōhei Imamura. It was entered into the 14th Berlin International Film Festival, where Sachiko Hidari won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award. It was also awarded numerous national film prizes. Plo ...

'' (

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

) and ''

The Pornographers is a 1966 satiric Japanese film directed by Shōhei Imamura. It is based on the novel ''Erogotoshitachi'' by Akiyuki Nosaka. Plot ''The Pornographers'' tells the story of porn filmmaker Mr. Subuyan Ogata, whose business is under threat from thie ...

'' ( 1966).

Daikaiju genre

Strangely during the height of the popularity of Japan's 1960s daikaiju (giant monster) genre, Nikkatsu only produced one

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...

-type monster movie, 1967's ''Daikyoju Gappa'' (''Giant Beast Gappa''), released internationally as '' Gappa: The Triphibian Monster'' and '' Monster from a Prehistoric Planet'', a film generally regarded as a remake of the 1961 British film '' Gorgo''.

Pink films

By 1971 the increased popularity of television had taken a heavy toll on the film industry and in order to remain profitable Nikkatsu turned to the production of

Roman Porno in its broadest sense includes almost any Japanese theatrical film that includes nudity (hence 'pink') or deals with sexual content. This encompasses everything from dramas to action thrillers and exploitation film features. The Western equi ...

(from the French word 'roman' for 'novel' and the English word 'porno') and ''pinku eiga'' or pink films, which focus on

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones ( ova, of ...

violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...

, S&M and

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

. Hori resigned over the change in focus, and many stars and directors left the company. A few, including the film directors

Yasuharu Hasebe was a Japanese film director best known for his movies in the "Violent pink" subgenre of the ''Pink film'', such as ''Assault! Jack the Ripper'' (1976), ''Rape!'' (1976), '' Rape! 13th Hour'' (1977) and ''Raping!'' (1978). Earlier genre films d ...

Keiichi Ozawa is a Japanese film director. He joined Nikkatsu studio and worked as an assistant director under Toshio Masuda. He made his director debut in 1968 with " Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2". Including the ''Outlaw'' series, Tetsuya Watari appeared in most o ...

Shōgorō Nishimura was a Japanese film director. Filmography * '' Moeru Tairiku'' (1968) * ''Cruel Female Love Suicide'' (1970) * '' Apartment Wife: Affair In the Afternoon'' (1971) * ''Affair at Twilight'' (1972) * ''Drifter's Affair'' (1972) * ''Sigh of Roses'' ...

, and

Koreyoshi Kurahara (31 May 1927 – 28 December 2002) was a Japanese screenwriter and director. He is perhaps best known for directing ''Antarctica'' (1983), which won several awards and was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. He also co- ...

, stayed. It also witnessed the emergence of such new directors as

Tatsumi Kumashiro was a Japanese film director known for his critically acclaimed, award-winning '' Roman Porno'' films, such as ''Ichijo's Wet Lust'' (1972) and '' The Woman with Red Hair'' (1979). He was the most highly acclaimed director of the early Nikkatsu ...

Masaru Konuma is a Japanese film director known for his '' Roman Porno'' films for Nikkatsu during the 1970s. Life and career Early life Masaru Konuma was born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, on December 30, 1937. Konuma retains no memories of his father who was a te ...

and

Chūsei Sone was a Japanese film director known for his stylish and popular '' Roman Porno'' films for Nikkatsu, particularly the first two installments of the '' Angel Guts'' series. Despite a somewhat uneven career, many mainstream critics consider Sone ...

. Between 1974 and 1986, Nikkatsu promoted a number of their leading Roman Porno actresses of the popular BDSM niche under the epithet . They include

Naomi Tani is a Japanese pink film actress who is best known for her appearances in Nikkatsu's '' Roman Porno'' films with an S&M theme during the 1970s. Life and career Early Born October 20, 1948, in the Hakata ward of Fukuoka, Naomi Tani moved to Tokyo ...

(1974–1979),

Junko Mabuki is a pink film actress who became famous in Nikkatsu Roman Porno films, particularly in 1981. Career Born , she made her acting debut by 1979, in ''Aftermath of Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' (Eiichi Kudo), with the alias . The same year, ...

(1980–1981),

Izumi Shima is a Japanese mainstream film actress who is best known for her roles in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno film series. Life and career Shima was born Keiko Ishida () in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, Japan on December 3, 1953. Ishida made her acting deb ...

(1982–1983),

Nami Matsukawa is a Japanese 1980s pink film actress and bondage and fetish model who is best known for being the 4th Nikkatsu SM Queen in 1983. Career By 1980, Nami Matsukawa was a sex worker named "Emi" at the SM club ''Blue Chateau'' in Akasaka, Tokyo. Mats ...

(1983),

Miki Takakura (born on December 14, 1960 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa) is a Japanese gravure idol and pink film actress who was active in the 1980s and rose to prominence as Nikkatsu's from 1983 to 1985. Life and career Nikkatsu When famed Nikkatsu S&M actress Nao ...

(1983–1985), and Ran Masaki (1985-1986). The advent of

home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...

brought an end to active production at Nikkatsu. ''Bed Partner'' (1988) was the last release in the venerable 17-year Roman Porno series. Nikkatsu declared bankruptcy in 1993.

Sushi Typhoon

In 2005, the company was sold to

Index Holdings , formerly known as , is a Japanese corporate information and communications technology company owned by Sawada Holdings. "Index Corporation" was a corporate name used by three different Japanese companies, between 1997 and 2016, the last one be ...

and in 2010, a revived Nikkatsu studio announced new production of ''Sushi Typhoon'', a movie series made in partnership with a U.S. distributor. The

Sushi Typhoon Sushi Typhoon is a Japanese genre film production company founded in 2010 and currently owned by media conglomerate Nikkatsu Corporation, Japan's oldest existing film studio. History Sushi Typhoon was founded in 2010 as a subsidiary of Nikkats ...

arm of Nikkatsu creates low-budget horror, science fiction, and fantasy films aimed at an international audience. By 2011, the company had produced seven feature films.

Ownership

*1912 Nippon Katsudō Shashin K.K. was established by the merger of four film companies:

and M. Pathe. *1993 applied for Corporate Reorganization Act. *1996 acquired by a Japanese leisure company

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

. *2005 sold to

, a Japanese holding company which has interests in media contents industries.

Actors from Nikkatsu

;Male ;Female

Prominent directors

Tomu Uchida , born Tsunejirō Uchida on 26 April 1898, was a Japanese film director. The stage name "Tomu" translates to “spit out dreams”. Early career Uchida started out at the Taikatsu studio in the early 1920s, but came to prominence at Nikkatsu, ada ...

(1927-1932; 1936-1940; 1955) *

Yuzo 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 ...

* Shouhei Imamura *

Toru Murakawa TORU or Toru may refer to: *TORU, spacecraft system *Toru (given name), Japanese male given name *Toru, Pakistan Toru Mardan Toru is a village and union council in Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It has an altitude of 291 m (958 fe ...

* Toshio Masuda *

Buichi Saitō was a Japanese film director from Saitama Prefecture. His representative works included ''The Wandering Guitarist, Wataridori series'' starring Akira Kobayashi, ''Farewell to Southern Tosa''(1959) and ''Gazing at Love and Death''(1964). Saitō o ...

Cultural references

In 2011, the French director Yves Montmayeur produced a documentary about the Pink Film period at Nikkatsu called ''Pinku Eiga: Inside the Pleasure Dome Of Japanese Erotic Cinema''.Todd Brown
"Acclaimed Documentarian Yves Montmayeur Launches 'Pinku Eiga: Inside the Pleasure Dome Of Japanese Erotic Cinema' "
''ScreenAnarchy'', June 2, 2011

References

Bibliography

* ; p. 228-9

External links

Official website

Corporate Overview
{{Authority control Japanese film studios Mass media companies established in 1912 IXIT Corporation 1912 establishments in Japan Former Bandai Namco Holdings subsidiaries