Akio Jissoji
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese television
and film director
best known outside of Japan for the 1960s TV series Ultraman
and Ultra Seven
, as well as for his auteur
erotic
ATG-produced
Buddhist
trilogy
, , and .
He was also known for his film adaptations of Japanese horror author, Rampo Edogawa. Jissoji possessed a very distinctive visual style that was notable even in Japanese cinema
which is known internationally for its visual style. Every project he directed, from children's action shows to the most disturbing adult films
had an uncompromising approach to cinematic story telling. His episodes of the Ultraman TV shows are unique and quite unusual for children's television. His career is also unusual in that he went back and forth from children's television to film projects that were sexually provocative in some way or another. It is perhaps this aspect of his work that has prevented wider distribution of his films. Sadomasochistic and non-consensual sexual practices are featured in many of his film works with women receiving the brunt of the abuse. Another recurring theme was to pull the camera back and reveal the set his actors were working on. Most of his work is not available outside of Japan or with English subtitles.
Other notable films include:
, a visually sumptuous telling of the famed Japanese printmaker
's life centering around the years he was forced to make pornographic prints
for a living., a live-action science fiction/horror film., Jissoji directed the lead segment of this horror anthology
., Jissoji contributed a selection in this anthology of short films based on the writings of Natsume Sōseki
.
He died of stomach cancer
, aged 69, in his birth city of Tokyo
in 2006 just after starting work on a revival of his Silver Mask live action children's show. See for detailed background history.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese television
Television in Japan
Television broadcasting in Japan started in 1939, making the country one of the first in the world with an experimental television service. In spite of that, because of the beginning of World War II in the Pacific region, this first experimentation lasted only a few months...
and 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:...
best known outside of Japan for the 1960s TV series Ultraman
Ultraman
is Japanese television series that first aired in 1966. Ultraman, the first and best-known of the "Ultra-Crusaders," made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, , a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q...
and Ultra Seven
Ultra Seven
is tokusatsu SF TV series that aired on Japanese TV in 1967. Created by Eiji Tsuburaya, this follow up to Ultraman went on to become one of Japan's greatest fantasy TV series...
, as well as for his auteur
Auteur theory
In film criticism, auteur theory holds that a director's film reflects the director's personal creative vision, as if they were the primary "auteur"...
erotic
Erotic art
Erotic art covers any artistic work that is intended to evoke erotic arousal or that depicts scenes of love-making. It includes paintings, engravings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, music and writing.-Definition:...
ATG-produced
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...
Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
, , and .
He was also known for his film adaptations of Japanese horror author, Rampo Edogawa. Jissoji possessed a very distinctive visual style that was notable even in Japanese cinema
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...
which is known internationally for its visual style. Every project he directed, from children's action shows to the most disturbing adult films
Pornography in Japan
Pornography in Japan.-Before the 20th century:Shunga or pornographic wood-block pictures were printed with all imaginable situations. These often took the form of a book with sentences to describe verbal utterances of the partners, as well as to offer brief descriptions of a scene...
had an uncompromising approach to cinematic story telling. His episodes of the Ultraman TV shows are unique and quite unusual for children's television. His career is also unusual in that he went back and forth from children's television to film projects that were sexually provocative in some way or another. It is perhaps this aspect of his work that has prevented wider distribution of his films. Sadomasochistic and non-consensual sexual practices are featured in many of his film works with women receiving the brunt of the abuse. Another recurring theme was to pull the camera back and reveal the set his actors were working on. Most of his work is not available outside of Japan or with English subtitles.
Other notable films include:
, a visually sumptuous telling of the famed Japanese printmaker
Utamaro
was a Japanese printmaker and painter, who is considered one of the greatest artists of woodblock prints . His name was romanized as Outamaro. He is known especially for his masterfully composed studies of women, known as bijinga...
's life centering around the years he was forced to make pornographic prints
Shunga
' is a Japanese term for erotic art. Most shunga are a type of ukiyo-e, usually executed in woodblock print format. While rare, there are extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate the Ukiyo-e movement...
for a living., a live-action science fiction/horror film., Jissoji directed the lead segment of this horror anthology
Anthology film
An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director...
., Jissoji contributed a selection in this anthology of short films based on the writings of Natsume Sōseki
Natsume Soseki
, born ', is widely considered to be the foremost Japanese novelist of the Meiji period . He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, Chinese-style poetry, and fairy tales...
.
He died of stomach cancer
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
, aged 69, in his birth city of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in 2006 just after starting work on a revival of his Silver Mask live action children's show. See for detailed background history.
Filmography
- UltramanUltraman (1979 film)is a 1979 Japanese tokusatsu kaiju film directed by Akio Jissoji. It is a compilation film made up of scenes from Jissoji's episodes of the original Ultraman TV series.- Cast :*Akiji Kobayashi*Susumu Kurobe*Sandayū Dokumamushi*Masanari Nihei*Hiroko Sakurai...
(1979) - Tokyo: The Last MegalopolisTokyo: The Last Megalopolisis a tokusatsu historical fantasy film produced in 1987 by Exe and distributed in 1988 by Toho Studios. It is the first live-action adaptation of the Teito Monogatari series by Hiroshi Aramata.-Plot:...
(1987) - Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the StarsUltra Q The Movie: Legend of the Starsis a special-effects monster movie produced by Tsuburaya Productions in 1990.- Cast :*Masami Horiuchi*Hiroshi Tsuburaya*Akiji Kobayashi*Susumu Kurobe*Sandayū Dokumamushi...
(1990) - Murder on D StreetMurder on D Streetis a 1998 Japanese film directed by Akio Jissoji based on a novel by Edogawa Rampo.-Awards:20th Yokohama Film Festival* Won: Best Supporting Actress - Yumi Yoshiyuki...
(1998)