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Kon Ichikawa

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Kon Ichikawa (市川 崑, Ichikawa Kon, 20 November 1915 – 13 February 2008) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films The Burmese Harp (1956) and Fires on the Plain (1959), to the documentary Tokyo Olympiad (1965), which won two BAFTA Film Awards,[1] and the 19th-century revenge drama An Actor's Revenge (1963). His film Odd Obsession (1959) won the Jury Prize at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.[2]

Kon Ichikawa
Ichikawa in the 1950s
Born
Giichi Ichikawa

20 November 1915
Ise, Mie, Empire of Japan
Died13 February 2008(2008-02-13) (aged 92)
Tokyo, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter
Years active1936–2008
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1948; died 1983)​

At his death in 2008, The New York Times recalled that "The Globe and Mail, the Canadian newspaper, called him in 2001 “the last living link between the golden age of Japanese cinema, the spunky New Wave that followed and contemporary Japanese film.”"[3]

Early life and career

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Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture as Giichi Ichikawa (市川儀一).[4] His father died when he was four years old, and the family kimono shop went bankrupt, so he went to live with his sister.[4] He was given the name Kon by an uncle who thought the characters in the kanji 崑 signified good luck, because the two halves of the Chinese character look the same when it is split in half vertically.[4] As a child he loved drawing and his ambition was to become an artist.[4] He also loved films and was a fan of "chambara" or samurai films.[4] In his teens he was fascinated by Walt Disney's "Silly Symphonies" and decided to become an animator.[4] He attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O Studio, in their animation department. Decades later, he told the American writer on Japanese film Donald Richie, "I'm still a cartoonist and I think that the greatest influence on my films (besides Chaplin, particularly The Gold Rush) is probably Disney."[5]

He moved to the feature film department as an assistant director when the company closed its animation department,[4] working under directors including Yutaka Abe and Nobuo Aoyagi.

In the early 1940s J.O Studio merged with P.C.L. and Toho Film Distribution to form the Toho Film Company. Ichikawa moved to Tokyo. His first film was the puppet play A Girl at Dojo Temple (Musume Dojoji 1946),[6] which was confiscated by the interim U.S. Occupation authorities under the pretext that it was too "feudal", but some sources suggest the script had not been approved by the occupying authorities. Thought lost for many years, it is now archived at the Cinémathèque Française.

It was at Toho that he met Natto Wada. Wada was a translator for Toho. They agreed to marry sometime after Ichikawa completed his first film as director. Natto Wada's original name was Yumiko Mogi (born 13 September 1920 in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan); the couple both had failed marriages behind them. She graduated with a degree in English literature from Tokyo Woman's Christian University. She married Kon Ichikawa on 10 April 1948, and died on 18 February 1983 of breast cancer.[7]

Ichikawa was among the first group of Toho staff that broke from the labor union during the Toho strikes, which became part of Shintoho. Due to a shortage of directorial talent at the new company, he made his debut as director with A Thousand and One Nights with Toho.[8]

1950–1965

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It was after Ichikawa's marriage to Wada that the two began collaborating, first on Design of a Human Being (Ningen moyo) and Endless Passion (Hateshinaki jonetsu) in 1949. The period 1950–1965 is often referred to as Ichikawa's Natto Wada period. It's the period that contains the majority of Ichikawa's most highly respected works, such as Tokyo Olympiad (Tōkyō Orinpikku), for which he was awarded the Olympic Diploma of Merit,[9] as well as the BAFTA United Nations Award and the Robert Flaherty Award (now known as the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary).[1] It is also during this period that Wada wrote 34 screenplays, most of which were adaptations.

He gained Western recognition during the 1950s and 1960s with two anti-war films, The Burmese Harp and Fires on the Plain, and the technically formidable period-piece An Actor's Revenge (Yukinojo henge) about a kabuki actor.

Among his many literary adaptations were Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's The Key (Kagi), Natsume Sōseki's The Heart (Kokoro) and I Am a Cat (Wagahai wa neko de aru), in which a teacher's cat critiques the foibles of the humans surrounding him, and Yukio Mishima's Conflagration (Enjo), in which a priest burns down his temple to save it from spiritual pollution. The Key, released in the United States as Odd Obsession, was entered in the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, and won the Jury Prize with Antonioni's L'Avventura.[2]

After 1965

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After Tokyo Olympiad Wada retired from screenwriting, and it marked a significant change in Ichikawa's films from that point onward. Concerning her retirement, he said "She doesn't like the new film grammar, the method of presentation of the material; she says there's no heart in it anymore, that people no longer take human love seriously."[10]

His final film, 2006's Inugamis, a remake of Ichikawa's own 1976 film The Inugami Family, was entered into the 29th Moscow International Film Festival.[11]

Also in 2006, Ichikawa was the subject of a feature-length documentary, The Kon Ichikawa Story, directed by Shunji Iwai.

Ichikawa died of pneumonia on 13 February 2008 in a Tokyo hospital. He was 92 years old.[12]

The Magic Hour marked Ichikawa's last appearance and was dedicated to his memory. (This message can be seen in the end of this film.) In this film, a movie director played by Ichikawa is shooting Kuroi Hyaku-ichi-nin no Onna ('A hundred and one dark women'), a parody of Ten Dark Women.

Legacy

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Ichikawa's films are marked with a certain darkness and bleakness, punctuated with sparks of humanity.

It can be said that his main trait is technical expertise, irony, detachment and a drive for realism married with a complete spectrum of genres. Some critics class him with Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu as one of the masters of Japanese cinema.[13]

The Kon Ichikawa Memorial Room, a small museum dedicated to him and his wife Natto Wada displaying materials from his personal collection, was opened in Shibuya in 2015, on the site of his former home.[14][15]

Filmography

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Year English title Japanese title Romanized title Notes Ref
1935 Cowardly Samurai Squad Yowamushi Chinsengumi Animated short film [16]
1945 A Girl at Dojo Temple Musume Dōjōji Puppet film [17][18][19]
1947 A Thousand and One Nights with Toho 東宝千一夜 Tōhō sen'ichiya [20]
1948 A Flower Blooms Hana hiraku [18][20]
365 Nights Sanbyaku-rokujūgoya [21][20][22]
1949 Human Patterns Ningen moyō Also known as Design of a Human Being [18][20]
Passion Without End Hateshinaki jōnetsu [18][20]
1950 Sanshiro of Ginza Ginza Sanshirō Also known as A Ginza Veteran [18][20]
Heat and Mud Netsudeichi Also known as The Hot Marshland or Money and Three Bad Men [18][20]
Pursuit at Dawn Akatsuki no tsuiseki Also known as Police and Small Gangsters [18][20]
1951 Nightshade Flower Ieraishan [18][20]
The Sweetheart Koibito Also known as The Lover [18][20]
The Man Without a Nationality Mukokuseki-sha [18][20]
Stolen Love Nusumareta koi [18][20]
Bengawan Solo Bengawan Solo [18][20]
Wedding March Kekkon kōshinkyoku [18][20]
1952 Mr. Lucky Rakkī-san [18][20]
Young People Wakai hito Also known as The Young Generation [18][20]
The Woman Who Touched Legs Ashi ni sawatta onna Remake of Yutaka Abe's 1926 film of the same name[23][24] [18][20]
This Way, That Way Ano te kono te [18][20]
1953 Mr. Pū Pū-san Based on a comic book[23] [18][20][19]
The Blue Revolution Aoiro kakumei [18][20]
The Youth of Heiji Zenigata Seishun Zenigata Heiji [18][20]
The Lover Aijin [18][20]
1954 All of Myself Watashi no subete o Also known as All About Me [18][20]
A Billionaire Okuman chōja [18][20]
Twelve Chapters About Women Josei ni kansuru jūnishō [18][20]
1955 Ghost Story of Youth Seishun kaidan [18][20]
The Heart こころ Kokoro [18][20]
1956 The Burmese Harp ビルマの竪琴 Biruma no tategoto [18][20]
Punishment Room Shokei no heya [18][20]
1957 Bridge of Japan Nihonbashi [18][20]
The Crowded Street Car Man'in densha Also known as A Full-Up Train or The Crowded Train [18][20]
The Men of Tohoku Tōhoku no zunmutachi [18][20]
The Hole 穴 Ana Also known The Pit or Hole in One [18][20]
1958 Conflagration 炎上 Enjō [18][20]
1959 Goodbye, Hello Sayonara, konnichiwa [18][20]
Odd Obsession 鍵 Kagi Also known as The Key [18][20]
Fires on the Plain 野火 Nobi [18][20]
1960 A Woman's Testament 女経 Jokyō Directed the second segment [18][20]
Bonchi Bonchi [18][20]
Her Brother おとうと Otōto [18][20]
1961 Ten Dark Women 黒い十人の女 Kuroi jûnin no onna [18][20]
1962 The Broken Commandment Hakai Also known as The Outcast or The Sin [18][20]
Being Two Isn't Easy 私は二歳 Watashi wa nisai Also known as I Am Two [18][20]
1963 An Actor's Revenge 雪之丞変化 Yukinojō henge Also known as Revenge of a Kabuki Actor [18][20]
Alone Across the Pacific 太平洋ひとりぼっち Taiheiyō Hitori-botchi Also known as My Enemy the Sea [18][20]
1964 Money Talks Dokonjo monogatari: Zeni no odori Also known as The Money Dance [18][20]
1965 Tokyo Olympiad 東京オリンピック Tōkyō Orinpikku Documentary [18][20]
1967 Topo Gigio and the Missile War トッポ・ジージョのボタン戦争 Toppo Jîjo no botan sensō Puppet film [18][20]
1968 Youth: The 50th National High School Baseball Tournament Seishun Documentary [25][26][18]
Kyoto: Heart of Japan 京 Kyōto Short documentary [26][18][20]
1970 Japan and the Japanese Nihon to Nihonjin Short documentary, also known as Mt. Fuji [18][20]
1971 To Love Again 愛ふたたび Ai futatabi [18][20]
1972–1973 Kogarashi Monjirō 木枯し紋次郎 Kogarashi Monjirō Television series [27]
1973 The Wanderers 股旅 Matatabi [18][20]
Visions of Eight Documentary, segment: "The Fastest" [18]
1975 I Am a Cat Wagahai wa neko de aru [18][28]
1976 Between Women and Wives Tsuma to onna no aida [18][20]
The Inugami Family 股旅 Inugami-ke no ichizoku Also known as The Inugamis; first film starring Kōji Ishizaka as Kosuke Kindaichi [18][20]
1977 The Devil's Bouncing Ball Song Akuma no temari-uta Also known as Rhyme of Vengeance; second film starring Kōji Ishizaka as Kosuke Kindaichi [18][20]
Island of Horrors Gokumontō Also known as Hell's Gate Island or The Devil's Island; third film starring Kōji Ishizaka as Kosuke Kindaichi [18][20]
1978 Queen Bee 女王蜂 Joōbachi fourth film starring Kōji Ishizaka as Kosuke Kindaichi [18][20]
Phoenix 火の鳥 Hi no Tori [18][20]
1979 The House of Hanging 病院坂の首縊りの家 Byōinzaka no kubi kukuri no ie Fifth film starring Kōji Ishizaka as Kosuke Kindaichi [18][20]
1980 Ancient City 古都 Koto Also known as The Old Capital [18][20]
1981 Lonely Heart 幸福 Kōfuku Also known as Happiness [18][20]
1983 The Makioka Sisters 細雪 Sasame-yuki [18][20]
1984 Ohan おはん Ohan [18][20]
1985 The Burmese Harp ビルマの竪琴 Biruma no tategoto Remake of The Burmese Harp [18][20]
1986 The Adventures of Milo and Otis 子猫物語 Koneko Monogatari Associate director [29]
The Hall of the Crying Deer Rokumeikan Also known as High Society of Meiji [18][20]
1987 Actress Eiga joyū Also known as Film Actress [18][20]
Princess from the Moon 竹取物語 Taketori Monogatari [18][20]
1988 Crane Tsuru [18][20]
1991 Noh Mask Murders [jp] Tenkawa densetsu satsujin jiken [18][20]
1993 The Return of Monjirō Kogarashi 帰って来た木枯し紋次郎 Kaettekita Kogarashi Monjirō Based on the 1972 television series [30][31][32]
1994 47 Ronin 四十七人の刺客 Shijūshichinin no shikaku [18][20]
1996 The 8-Tomb Village [jp] Yatsuhaka-mura [18][20]
2000 Shinsengumi [jp] Shinsengumi [18][20]
Dora-heita Dora-heita Also known as Alley Cat [18][20]
2001 Kah-chan [jp] かあちゃん Kah-chan [18][20]
2006 Ten Nights of Dreams Yume jûya Segment: "The Second Dream" [33][34]
The Inugamis 犬神家の一族 Inugami-ke no ichizoku Sixth film starring Kōji Ishizaka as Kosuke Kindaichi; remake of The Inugami Family [11]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Film in 1966 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b "KAGI". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Kon Ichikawa, Japanese Film Director, Dies at 92 (Published 2008)". 14 February 2008. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Ichikawa Kon Film Book (in Japanese). Nihon Eiga Senmon Channeru. March 2012.
  5. ^ Richie, Donald. "The Several Sides of Kon Ichikawa". in Quandt (2001), p. 53.
  6. ^ "Musume Dôjôji". IMDb.
  7. ^ Quandt (2001), p. 35.
  8. ^ Anderson, Joseph L.; Richie, Donald (1960). The Japanese Film: Art and Industry. New York: Grove Press. pp. 168, 183.
  9. ^ Findling, John E.; Pelle, Kimberly D. (2004). Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement. Westport: Greenwood Press. p. 172.
  10. ^ Quandt (2001), p. 40.
  11. ^ a b "29th Moscow International Film Festival (2007)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  12. ^ Compiled from Kyodo Associated Press (14 February 2008). "Director Ichikawa, 92, dies". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  13. ^ Phillips, Alastair and Julian Stringer (2007). Japanese Cinema: Texts and Contexts. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 1. ISBN 9781134334223. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  14. ^ "大監督による代表的７作品の貴重な資料を展示「市川崑記念室」". ZAKZAK (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  15. ^ Gerow, Aaron. "Ichikawa Kon Memorial Room". Tangemania. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  16. ^ Loo, Egan (23 April 2014). "Oldest Surviving Anime Short by Phoenix Film's Kon Ichikawa Found". Anime News Network. Kadokawa Corporation. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  17. ^ Loo, Egan (13 February 2008). "Phoenix, Galaxy Express Films' Kon Ichikawa Passes Away (Updated)". Anime News Network. Kadokawa Corporation. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx Quandt, James (2001). Kon Ichikawa. Cinematheque Ontario. p. 429-437. ISBN 0-9682969-3-9.
  19. ^ a b "Ichikawa Kon". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv Phillips, Alastair; Stringer, Julian (2007). Japanese Cinema: Texts and Contexts. Routledge. pp. 149–151. ISBN 9781134334223.
  21. ^ Joseph L. Anderson and Donald Richie. The Japanese Film: Art and Industry. New York: Grove Press, 1960, 168.
  22. ^ Galbraith, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story - A History and Complete Filmography. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461673743.
  23. ^ a b Crow, Jonathan. "Kon Ichikawa [biography]". AllMovie. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  24. ^ "Children of the Sun (Taiyo no Ko)". Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Youth: The 50th National High School Baseball Tournament". Japan Society (Manhattan). Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  26. ^ a b "DVD". Kon Ichikawa Website. Archived from the original on 6 November 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  27. ^ Jonathan Clements; Motoko Tamamuro (2003). The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953. Stone Bridge Press. p. 198. ISBN 9781880656815.
  28. ^ Jasper Sharp (13 October 2011). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 92. ISBN 9780810875418.
  29. ^ Galbraith, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story - A History and Complete Filmography. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461673743. [...] Adventure of a Kitty (1986), later Americanized as The Adventures of Milo and Otis. [...] (He also earned an associate director credit on Adventures of a Kitty [...]
  30. ^ Galbraith, Stuart (16 May 2008). The Toho Studios Story - A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. p. 384. ISBN 9781461673743. The Return of Kogarashi Monjiro
  31. ^ Jacoby, Alexander (10 February 2013). A Critical Handbook of Japanese Film Directors: From the Silent Era to the Present Day. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 9781611725315. 1993 Kaette kita Kogarashi Monjirō / Fusa / The Return of Monjiro Kogarashi (lit.)
  32. ^ Michael Singer (2002). Film Directors. Lone Eagle Pub. pp. 124, 561. ISBN 978-1-58065-043-4. The Return of Monjiro Kogarashi Fuji TV, C.A.L. 1993
  33. ^ Jasper Sharp (13 October 2011). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 385. ISBN 9780810875418.
  34. ^ Mark Betz (2009). Beyond the Subtitle: Remapping European Art Cinema. University of Minnesota Press. p. 284. ISBN 9780816640355.
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