Kihachi Okamoto
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
film director
who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki
.
, Okamoto attended Meiji University
, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II
during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work, one third of which dealt with war. Finally graduating after the war, he entered the Toho
studies in 1947 and worked as an assistant under such directors as Mikio Naruse
, Masahiro Makino
, Ishirō Honda
, and Senkichi Taniguchi
. He made his debut as a director in 1958 with All About Marriage.
Okamoto directed almost 40 films and wrote the scripts for at least 24, in a career that spanned almost six decades. He worked in a variety of genres, but most memorably in action genres such as the jidaigeki
and war films. But he was known for throwing "curve balls", or making films with a twist. Inspired to become a filmmaker after watching John Ford
's Stagecoach, he would insert elements of the Western in war films like Desperado Outpost (1959) and Westward Desperado (1960), and eventually even filmed his own samurai Western in East Meets West (1995). A fan of musicals, he made over-the-top films such as Oh Bomb (1964), a gangster Noh
musical, and Dixieland Daimyo (1986), about jazz musicians entering Bakumatsu Japan. Over all, he took on "a very rhythmic approach to filming and editing action sequences. Carefully timed placement of sound effects and music combined with camera movement and movement within the frame to form a very rhythmic, almost musical whole." His basically critical stance towards Japanese society led him to often pursue satire and black comedy, with his The Age of Assassins (1967) becoming so dark and absurd, Toho initially refused to release it.
Okamoto could also be serious. His samurai films, such as Samurai Assassin
(1965), starring Toshirō Mifune
, about a group of 19th century political agitators planning to kill an important government official, The Sword of Doom
(1966), or Kill!
(1968), were often critical of Bushidō
and Tokugawa era Japan. Yet he approached this critique from his own perspective. Toho entrusted him with the epic Japan's Longest Day (1968), a cinematic version of what happened to official Japan at the end of the war, but the next year he also made The Human Bullet
for Art Theatre Guild
, a more personal and satirical vision of an everyman's experience of World War II
. To pursue some of his projects, Okamoto formed Okamoto Productions. His wife, Mineko Okamoto, often worked as producer on his later works.
He won the 1992 Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year
for Rainbow Kids
. Alongside Masaki Kobayashi, Okamoto was also a candidate for directing the Japanese sequences for Tora! Tora! Tora!
(1970) but instead Kinji Fukasaku
and Toshio Masuda
were chosen.
On February 19, just two days after his 81st birthday, Kihachi died at home from esophageal cancer
.
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually 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...
.
Career
Born in YonagoYonago, Tottori
is a city located in the northwest of Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan, and adjacent to Shimane. It is the prefecture's second largest city after Tottori and therefore a commercial center of the western part of this prefecture....
, Okamoto attended Meiji University
Meiji University
is a private university in Tokyo and Kawasaki, founded in 1881 by three lawyers of the Meiji era, Kishimoto Tatsuo, Miyagi Kōzō, and Yashiro Misao. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Japanese universities in Tokyo, Japan....
, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work, one third of which dealt with war. Finally graduating after the war, he entered the Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
studies in 1947 and worked as an assistant under such directors as Mikio Naruse
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...
, Masahiro Makino
Masahiro Makino
was a Japanese film director of more than 260 films, primarily in the chanbara and yakuza genres. His real name was Masatada , but he took the stage name Masahiro, the kanji for which he changed multiple times .-Career:...
, Ishirō Honda
Ishiro Honda
Ishirō Honda , sometimes miscredited in foreign releases as "Inoshiro Honda", was a Japanese film director...
, and Senkichi Taniguchi
Senkichi Taniguchi
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.Born in Tokyo, Japan, he attended Waseda University but left before graduating due to his involvement in a left-wing theater troupe. He joined P.C.L...
. He made his debut as a director in 1958 with All About Marriage.
Okamoto directed almost 40 films and wrote the scripts for at least 24, in a career that spanned almost six decades. He worked in a variety of genres, but most memorably in action genres such as the jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually 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...
and war films. But he was known for throwing "curve balls", or making films with a twist. Inspired to become a filmmaker after watching John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
's Stagecoach, he would insert elements of the Western in war films like Desperado Outpost (1959) and Westward Desperado (1960), and eventually even filmed his own samurai Western in East Meets West (1995). A fan of musicals, he made over-the-top films such as Oh Bomb (1964), a gangster Noh
Noh
, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
musical, and Dixieland Daimyo (1986), about jazz musicians entering Bakumatsu Japan. Over all, he took on "a very rhythmic approach to filming and editing action sequences. Carefully timed placement of sound effects and music combined with camera movement and movement within the frame to form a very rhythmic, almost musical whole." His basically critical stance towards Japanese society led him to often pursue satire and black comedy, with his The Age of Assassins (1967) becoming so dark and absurd, Toho initially refused to release it.
Okamoto could also be serious. His samurai films, such as Samurai Assassin
Samurai Assassin
is a 1965 Japanese movie directed by Kihachi Okamoto and starring Toshirō Mifune, Koshiro Matsumoto, Yunosuke Ito, and Michiyo Aratama.Samurai Assassin is set in 1860, immediately before the Meiji Restoration changed Japanese society forever by doing away with the castes in society and reducing the...
(1965), starring Toshirō Mifune
Toshiro Mifune
Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...
, about a group of 19th century political agitators planning to kill an important government official, The Sword of Doom
The Sword of Doom
, is a jidaigeki movie released in 1966. It was directed by Kihachi Okamoto and stars Tatsuya Nakadai.-Story:The story follows the life of Ryunosuke Tsukue , an amoral samurai and a master swordsman with an unorthodox style. Ryunosuke is first seen when he kills an elderly Buddhist pilgrim who he...
(1966), or Kill!
Kill!
is a 1968 film directed by Kihachi Okamoto, written by Akira Murao, Kihachi Okamoto, and Shugoro Yamamoto and starring Tatsuya Nakadai.- Cast :*Tatsuya Nakadai .... Genta *Etsushi Takahashi .... Hanji...
(1968), were often critical of Bushidō
Bushido
, meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...
and Tokugawa era Japan. Yet he approached this critique from his own perspective. Toho entrusted him with the epic Japan's Longest Day (1968), a cinematic version of what happened to official Japan at the end of the war, but the next year he also made The Human Bullet
The Human Bullet
is a 1968 Japanese film about Him , a Japanese soldier during World War II who becomes assigned to a kamikaze mission against a U.S. battleship. It is an anti-war satire written and directed by Kihachi Okamoto....
for Art Theatre Guild
Art Theatre Guild
Art Theatre Guild was a film production company in Japan that started in 1961 and ran through to the mid 1980s. ATG, as it is abbreviated, released mostly Japanese New Wave films. Films released by ATG include Nagisa Oshima's Diary Of A Shinjuku Thief , Toshio Matsumoto's masterpiece Funeral...
, a more personal and satirical vision of an everyman's experience of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. To pursue some of his projects, Okamoto formed Okamoto Productions. His wife, Mineko Okamoto, often worked as producer on his later works.
He won the 1992 Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year
Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year
The of the Japan Academy Prize is one of the annual Awards given by the Nippon Academy-sho association .-List of winners:-External links:* - **...
for Rainbow Kids
Rainbow Kids
Rainbow Kids is a 1990 Japanese film. Its original Japanese title is . It was directed by Kihachi Okamoto.- Plot :Three recently released criminals decide to kidnap an 82-year-old woman, Toshiko Yanagawa , the wealthiest woman in the Osaka prefecture. They stake out her mansion, observing her for...
. Alongside Masaki Kobayashi, Okamoto was also a candidate for directing the Japanese sequences for Tora! Tora! Tora!
Tora! Tora! Tora!
is a 1970 American-Japanese war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the extent these facts were known at the time of production. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and stars an all-star cast, including So Yamamura, E.G...
(1970) but instead Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku
was a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer...
and Toshio Masuda
Toshio Masuda
is a Japanese film director. He developed a reputation as a consistent box office hit-maker. Over the course of five decades, 16 of his films made the yearly top ten lists at the Japanese box office—a second place record in the industry. Between 1958 and 1968 he directed 52 films for the Nikkatsu...
were chosen.
On February 19, just two days after his 81st birthday, Kihachi died at home from esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
.
Selected filmography
- All About Marriage (結婚のすべて Kekkon no subete) (1958)
- Desperado Outpost (独立愚連隊 Dokuritsu gurentai) (1959)
- Westward Desperado (独立愚連隊西へ Dokuritsu gurentai nishi e) (1960)
- Sengoku YarōSengoku Yarois a 1963 Japanese jidaigeki period black comedy adventure film directed by Kihachi Okamoto, co-written by Shinichi Sekizawa and starring Yūzō Kayama. Masaru Satō composed the music for the film...
(戦国野郎) (1963) - Oh Bomb (ああ爆弾 Aa bakudan) (1964)
- Samurai AssassinSamurai Assassinis a 1965 Japanese movie directed by Kihachi Okamoto and starring Toshirō Mifune, Koshiro Matsumoto, Yunosuke Ito, and Michiyo Aratama.Samurai Assassin is set in 1860, immediately before the Meiji Restoration changed Japanese society forever by doing away with the castes in society and reducing the...
(侍 Samurai) (1965) - The Sword of DoomThe Sword of Doom, is a jidaigeki movie released in 1966. It was directed by Kihachi Okamoto and stars Tatsuya Nakadai.-Story:The story follows the life of Ryunosuke Tsukue , an amoral samurai and a master swordsman with an unorthodox style. Ryunosuke is first seen when he kills an elderly Buddhist pilgrim who he...
(大菩薩峠 Daibosatsu Tōge) (1966) - The Age of Assassins (殺人狂時代 Satsujinkyō jidai) (1967)
- Japan's Longest Day (日本のいちばん長い日 Nihon no ichiban nagai hi) (1967)
- Kill!Kill!is a 1968 film directed by Kihachi Okamoto, written by Akira Murao, Kihachi Okamoto, and Shugoro Yamamoto and starring Tatsuya Nakadai.- Cast :*Tatsuya Nakadai .... Genta *Etsushi Takahashi .... Hanji...
(斬る Kiru) (1968) - The Human BulletThe Human Bulletis a 1968 Japanese film about Him , a Japanese soldier during World War II who becomes assigned to a kamikaze mission against a U.S. battleship. It is an anti-war satire written and directed by Kihachi Okamoto....
(肉弾 Nikudan) (1968) - Red LionRed LionRed Lion may refer to:Botany* Red Lion, a cultivar of the Hippeastrum genus of flowering plantsEntertainment* A robot vehicle from the animated television series Voltron...
(赤毛 Akage) (1969) - Zatoichi and Yojimbo (座頭市と用心棒 Zatōichi to Yōjinbō) (1970)
- Sugata Sanshirō (姿三四郎) (1977)
- Blue ChristmasBlue Christmas (film), also known as Blood Type: Blue or The Blue Stigma, is a 1978 Japanese science fiction film by director Kihachi Okamoto. It deals with prejudice against UFO witnesses whose blood is turned blue by the encounter. The close encounters occur on Christmas, hence the title....
(ブルークリスマス Burū Kurisimasu) (1978) - Dixieland Daimyo (ジャズ大名 Jazu daimyō) (1986)
- Rainbow KidsRainbow KidsRainbow Kids is a 1990 Japanese film. Its original Japanese title is . It was directed by Kihachi Okamoto.- Plot :Three recently released criminals decide to kidnap an 82-year-old woman, Toshiko Yanagawa , the wealthiest woman in the Osaka prefecture. They stake out her mansion, observing her for...
(大誘拐 Daiyūkai) (1991) - East Meets West (1995)