Kon Ichikawa | |
|---|---|
市川 崑 | |
 Ichikawa in the 1950s | |
| Born | Giichi Ichikawa (1915-11-20)20 November 1915 |
| Died | 13 February 2008(2008-02-13) (aged 92) Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1936–2008 |
| Notable work |
|
| Spouse | |
Kon Ichikawa (市川 崑,Ichikawa Kon; 20 November 1915 – 13 February 2008) was a Japanesefilm director andscreenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war filmsThe Burmese Harp (1956) andFires on the Plain (1959), to the documentaryTokyo Olympiad (1965), which won twoBAFTA Film Awards,[1] and the 19th-century revenge dramaAn Actor's Revenge (1963). His filmOdd Obsession (1959) won the Jury Prize at the 1960Cannes Film Festival.[2]
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 spunkyNew Wave that followed and contemporary Japanese film.”"[3]
Ichikawa was born inIse, 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, Ichikawa 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 byWalt Disney's "Silly Symphonies" and decided to become an animator.[4] He attended a technical school inOsaka. 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 filmDonald Richie, "I'm still a cartoonist and I think that the greatest influence on my films (besidesChaplin, particularlyThe Gold Rush) is probablyDisney."[5]
He moved to the feature film department as an assistant director when the company closed its animation department,[4] working under directors includingYutaka Abe andNobuo Aoyagi.
In the early 1940s J.O Studio merged with P.C.L. and Toho Film Distribution to form theToho Film Company. Ichikawa moved to Tokyo. His first film was the puppet playA 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 theCinémathèque Française.
It was at Toho that he metNatto 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 inHimeji,Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan); the couple both had failed marriages behind them. She graduated with a degree in English literature fromTokyo Woman's Christian University. She married Kon Ichikawa on 10 April 1948, and died on 18 February 1983 ofbreast cancer.[7]
Ichikawa was among the first group of Toho staff that broke from thelabor union during theToho strikes, which became part ofShintoho. Due to a shortage of directorial talent at the new company, he made his debut as director withA Thousand and One Nights with Toho.[8]
It was after Ichikawa's marriage to Wada that the two began collaborating, first onDesign of a Human Being (Ningen moyo) andEndless 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 asTokyo Olympiad (Tōkyō Orinpikku), for which he was awarded theOlympic Diploma of Merit,[9] as well as the BAFTA United Nations Award and the Robert Flaherty Award (now known as theBAFTA 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 andFires on the Plain, and the technically formidable period-pieceAn Actor's Revenge (Yukinojo henge) about akabuki actor.
Among his many literary adaptations wereJun'ichirō Tanizaki'sThe Key (Kagi),Natsume Sōseki'sThe Heart (Kokoro) andI Am a Cat (Wagahai wa neko de aru), in which a teacher's cat critiques the foibles of the humans surrounding him, andYukio Mishima'sConflagration (Enjo), in which a priest burns down his temple to save it from spiritual pollution.The Key, released in the United States asOdd Obsession, was entered in the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, and won the Jury Prize withAntonioni'sL'Avventura.[2]
AfterTokyo 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]
In 1969, he along withAkira Kurosawa ,Masaki Kobayashi, andKeisuke Kinoshita formed theYonki-no-kai Productions company.
His final film, 2006'sInugamis, a remake of Ichikawa's own 1976 filmThe Inugami Family, was entered into the29th Moscow International Film Festival.[11]
Also in 2006, Ichikawa was the subject of a feature-length documentary,The Kon Ichikawa Story, directed byShunji Iwai.
Ichikawa died ofpneumonia 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 shootingKuroi Hyaku-ichi-nin no Onna ('A hundred and one dark women'), a parody ofTen Dark Women.
| Year | English title | Japanese title | Romanized title | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Cowardly Samurai Squad | Yowamushi Chinsengumi | Animated short film | [13] | |
| 1945 | A Girl at Dojo Temple | Musume Dōjōji | Puppet film | [14][15][16] | |
| 1947 | A Thousand and One Nights with Toho | 東宝千一夜 | Tōhō sen'ichiya | [17] | |
| 1948 | A Flower Blooms | Hana hiraku | [15][17] | ||
| 365 Nights | Sanbyaku-rokujūgoya | [18][17][19] | |||
| 1949 | Human Patterns | Ningen moyō | Also known asDesign of a Human Being | [15][17] | |
| Passion Without End | Hateshinaki jōnetsu | [15][17] | |||
| 1950 | Sanshiro of Ginza | Ginza Sanshirō | Also known asA Ginza Veteran | [15][17] | |
| Heat and Mud | Netsudeichi | Also known asThe Hot Marshland orMoney and Three Bad Men | [15][17] | ||
| Pursuit at Dawn | Akatsuki no tsuiseki | Also known asPolice and Small Gangsters | [15][17] | ||
| 1951 | Nightshade Flower | Ieraishan | [15][17] | ||
| The Sweetheart | Koibito | Also known asThe Lover | [15][17] | ||
| The Man Without a Nationality | Mukokuseki-sha | [15][17] | |||
| Stolen Love | Nusumareta koi | [15][17] | |||
| Bengawan Solo | Bengawan Solo | [15][17] | |||
| Wedding March | Kekkon kōshinkyoku | [15][17] | |||
| 1952 | Mr. Lucky | Rakkī-san | [15][17] | ||
| Young People | Wakai hito | Also known asThe Young Generation | [15][17] | ||
| The Woman Who Touched Legs | Ashi ni sawatta onna | Remake ofYutaka Abe's 1926 film of the same name[20][21] | [15][17] | ||
| This Way, That Way | Ano te kono te | [15][17] | |||
| 1953 | Mr. Pū | Pū-san | Based on a comic book[20] | [15][17][16] | |
| The Blue Revolution | Aoiro kakumei | [15][17] | |||
| The Youth of Heiji Zenigata | Seishun Zenigata Heiji | [15][17] | |||
| The Lover | Aijin | [15][17] | |||
| 1954 | All of Myself | Watashi no subete o | Also known asAll About Me | [15][17] | |
| A Billionaire | Okuman chōja | [15][17] | |||
| Twelve Chapters About Women | Josei ni kansuru jūnishō | [15][17] | |||
| 1955 | Ghost Story of Youth | Seishun kaidan | [15][17] | ||
| The Heart | こころ | Kokoro | [15][17] | ||
| 1956 | The Burmese Harp | ビルマの竪琴 | Biruma no tategoto | [15][17] | |
| Punishment Room | Shokei no heya | [15][17] | |||
| 1957 | Bridge of Japan | Nihonbashi | [15][17] | ||
| The Crowded Street Car | Man'in densha | Also known asA Full-Up Train orThe Crowded Train | [15][17] | ||
| The Men of Tohoku | Tōhoku no zunmutachi | [15][17] | |||
| The Hole | 穴 | Ana | Also knownThe Pit orHole in One | [15][17] | |
| 1958 | Conflagration | 炎上 | Enjō | [15][17] | |
| 1959 | Goodbye, Hello | Sayonara, konnichiwa | [15][17] | ||
| Odd Obsession | 鍵 | Kagi | Also known asThe Key | [15][17] | |
| Fires on the Plain | 野火 | Nobi | [15][17] | ||
| 1960 | A Woman's Testament | 女経 | Jokyō | Directed the second segment | [15][17] |
| Bonchi | Bonchi | [15][17] | |||
| Her Brother | おとうと | Otōto | [15][17] | ||
| 1961 | Ten Dark Women | 黒い十人の女 | Kuroi jûnin no onna | [15][17] | |
| 1962 | The Broken Commandment | Hakai | Also known asThe Outcast orThe Sin | [15][17] | |
| Being Two Isn't Easy | 私は二歳 | Watashi wa nisai | Also known asI Am Two | [15][17] | |
| 1963 | An Actor's Revenge | 雪之丞変化 | Yukinojō henge | Also known asRevenge of a Kabuki Actor | [15][17] |
| Alone Across the Pacific | 太平洋ひとりぼっち | Taiheiyō Hitori-botchi | Also known asMy Enemy the Sea | [15][17] | |
| 1964 | Money Talks | Dokonjo monogatari: Zeni no odori | Also known asThe Money Dance | [15][17] | |
| 1965 | Tokyo Olympiad | 東京オリンピック | Tōkyō Orinpikku | Documentary | [15][17] |
| 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 | [15][17] |
| 1968 | Youth: The 50th National High School Baseball Tournament | Seishun | Documentary | [22][23][15] | |
| Kyoto: Heart of Japan | 京 | Kyōto | Short documentary | [23][15][17] | |
| 1970 | Japan and the Japanese | Nihon to Nihonjin | Short documentary, also known asMt. Fuji | [15][17] | |
| 1971 | To Love Again | 愛ふたたび | Ai futatabi | [15][17] | |
| 1972–1973 | Kogarashi Monjirō | 木枯し紋次郎 | Kogarashi Monjirō | Television series | [24] |
| 1973 | The Wanderers | 股旅 | Matatabi | [15][17] | |
| Visions of Eight | Documentary, segment: "The Fastest" | [15] | |||
| 1975 | I Am a Cat | Wagahai wa neko de aru | [15][25] | ||
| 1976 | Between Women and Wives | Tsuma to onna no aida | [15][17] | ||
| The Inugami Family | 股旅 | Inugami-ke no ichizoku | Also known asThe Inugamis; first film starringKōji Ishizaka asKosuke Kindaichi | [15][17] | |
| 1977 | The Devil's Bouncing Ball Song | Akuma no temari-uta | Also known asRhyme of Vengeance; second film starringKōji Ishizaka asKosuke Kindaichi | [15][17] | |
| Island of Horrors | Gokumontō | Also known asHell's Gate Island orThe Devil's Island; third film starringKōji Ishizaka asKosuke Kindaichi | [15][17] | ||
| 1978 | Queen Bee | 女王蜂 | Joōbachi | fourth film starringKōji Ishizaka asKosuke Kindaichi | [15][17] |
| Phoenix | 火の鳥 | Hi no Tori | [15][17] | ||
| 1979 | The House of Hanging | 病院坂の首縊りの家 | Byōinzaka no kubi kukuri no ie | Fifth film starringKōji Ishizaka asKosuke Kindaichi | [15][17] |
| 1980 | Ancient City | 古都 | Koto | Also known asThe Old Capital | [15][17] |
| 1981 | Lonely Heart | 幸福 | Kōfuku | Also known asHappiness | [15][17] |
| 1983 | The Makioka Sisters | 細雪 | Sasame-yuki | [15][17] | |
| 1984 | Ohan | おはん | Ohan | [15][17] | |
| 1985 | The Burmese Harp | ビルマの竪琴 | Biruma no tategoto | Remake ofThe Burmese Harp | [15][17] |
| 1986 | The Adventures of Milo and Otis | 子猫物語 | Koneko Monogatari | Associate director | [26] |
| The Hall of the Crying Deer | Rokumeikan | Also known asHigh Society of Meiji | [15][17] | ||
| 1987 | Actress | Eiga joyū | Also known asFilm Actress | [15][17] | |
| Princess from the Moon | 竹取物語 | Taketori Monogatari | [15][17] | ||
| 1988 | Crane | Tsuru | [15][17] | ||
| 1991 | Noh Mask Murders [jp] | Tenkawa densetsu satsujin jiken | [15][17] | ||
| 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 | [27][28][29] |
| 1994 | 47 Ronin | 四十七人の刺客 | Shijūshichinin no shikaku | [15][17] | |
| 1996 | The 8-Tomb Village [jp] | Yatsuhaka-mura | [15][17] | ||
| 2000 | Shinsengumi [jp] | Shinsengumi | [15][17] | ||
| Dora-heita | Dora-heita | Also known asAlley Cat | [15][17] | ||
| 2001 | Kah-chan [jp] | かあちゃん | Kah-chan | [15][17] | |
| 2006 | Ten Nights of Dreams | Yume jûya | Segment: "The Second Dream" | [30][31] | |
| The Inugamis | 犬神家の一族 | Inugami-ke no ichizoku | Sixth film starringKōji Ishizaka asKosuke Kindaichi; remake ofThe Inugami Family | [11] |
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 withAkira Kurosawa,Kenji Mizoguchi andYasujirō Ozu as one of the masters of Japanese cinema.[32]
The Kon Ichikawa Memorial Room, a small museum dedicated to him and his wife Natto Wada displaying materials from his personal collection, was opened inShibuya in 2015, on the site of his former home.[33][34]
[...]Adventure of a Kitty (1986), later Americanized asThe Adventures of Milo and Otis. [...] (He also earned an associate director credit on Adventures of a Kitty [...]
The Return of Kogarashi Monjiro
1993 Kaette kita Kogarashi Monjirō / Fusa / The Return of Monjiro Kogarashi (lit.)
The Return of Monjiro Kogarashi Fuji TV, C.A.L. 1993
