Kate Asabuki
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese actress who appeared in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films of the 1980s, and was an early adult video (AV) performer.
and English
in college, and joined Nikkatsu
to work in their Roman Porno films in 1982, while still attending university. She took her stage name "Kate" from Kate Bush
, who was her favorite singer. One of her earliest Nikkatsu appearances was in the seventh entry of the Female Teacher (Onna Kyoshi) series (1977–83), director Nobuhiko Saito's Assaulted The Female Teacher (1983).
At Nikkatsu, Asabuki appeared in several films directed by Atsushi Fujiura. She appeared in Fujiura's Lady's Triangle (Ojosan No Matagura, 1983). Fujiura also directed one of Asabuki's most successful films, Koichiro Uno's Dancer of Izu (Uno Koichiro No Izu No Odoriko, 1984). Nikkatsu's Koichiro Uno series consisted of humorous sex stories featuring strong female leads. The series was conceived as Roman Pornos designed to appeal to women, and films that couples could enjoy together. This entry, called the best in the series, was a parody of Yasunari Kawabata
's famous story, The Dancing Girl of Izu
. In Uno's version, Kawabata's titular classical dancer was instead a stripper.
Other prominent pinku eiga
directors for whom Asabuki acted were Shogoro Nishimura
in Woman with the Pierced Nipples (Chikubi Ni Pierce O Shita Onna) (1983), and Masaru Konuma
in Stewardess Scandal: Hold Me Like an Animal (Stewardess Scandal: Kemono No Youni Dakishimete) (1984). When asked to comment on Asabuki, Konuma said, "A nice girl. Very responsive. One of the only actresses who could speak multiple languages. I had her talk English in one of the sex scenes. I liked the way it sounded."
In 1983 Asabuki also appeared in some early videos released by Nikkatsu. One of them, Blue Experience Part 1, become a highly ranked AV collectors item by 2005, with an estimated price of almost 60,000 yen (about $600). A year later, in May 1984, Asabuki starred in one of the earliest adult videos produced by Japan Home Video
, Happy Onanie, which was released under their Penguin label, the precursor to the Alice Japan
brand.
In the late 1990s Asabuki was an anchor on the weekly TV program Tokyo Rock TV. She continued her studies in England
, and hoped to work as an actress in the United States, a country she had visited four times by 1989. In 1999 she made a fifth trip to the U.S. to model for photographer Ron Vogel for several American magazines, including Penthouse
and Hustler
.
Life and career
Asabuki studied FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in college, and joined Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
to work in their Roman Porno films in 1982, while still attending university. She took her stage name "Kate" from Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, who was her favorite singer. One of her earliest Nikkatsu appearances was in the seventh entry of the Female Teacher (Onna Kyoshi) series (1977–83), director Nobuhiko Saito's Assaulted The Female Teacher (1983).
At Nikkatsu, Asabuki appeared in several films directed by Atsushi Fujiura. She appeared in Fujiura's Lady's Triangle (Ojosan No Matagura, 1983). Fujiura also directed one of Asabuki's most successful films, Koichiro Uno's Dancer of Izu (Uno Koichiro No Izu No Odoriko, 1984). Nikkatsu's Koichiro Uno series consisted of humorous sex stories featuring strong female leads. The series was conceived as Roman Pornos designed to appeal to women, and films that couples could enjoy together. This entry, called the best in the series, was a parody of Yasunari Kawabata
Yasunari Kawabata
was a Japanese short story writer and novelist whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award...
's famous story, The Dancing Girl of Izu
The Dancing Girl of Izu
"The Dancing Girl of Izu" or , published in 1926, was the first work of literature by Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata to achieve great popular and critical acclaim. Kawabata would win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968...
. In Uno's version, Kawabata's titular classical dancer was instead a stripper.
Other prominent pinku eiga
Pinku eiga
is a style of Japanese softcore pornographic theatrical film. Films of this genre first appeared in the early 1960s, and dominated the Japanese domestic cinema from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. In the 1960s, the pink films were largely the product of small, independent studios...
directors for whom Asabuki acted were Shogoro Nishimura
Shōgorō Nishimura
-Filmography:* Zankoku onna jōshi * Apartment Wife: Affair In the Afternoon * Affair at Twilight * Drifter's Affair * Sigh of Roses * Apartment Wife: Secret Rendezvous...
in Woman with the Pierced Nipples (Chikubi Ni Pierce O Shita Onna) (1983), and Masaru Konuma
Masaru Konuma
is a Japanese director most famous for his Roman Porno films for Nikkatsu during the 1970s.-Early life:Masaru Konuma was born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, on December 30, 1937. Konuma retains no memories of his father who was a teacher...
in Stewardess Scandal: Hold Me Like an Animal (Stewardess Scandal: Kemono No Youni Dakishimete) (1984). When asked to comment on Asabuki, Konuma said, "A nice girl. Very responsive. One of the only actresses who could speak multiple languages. I had her talk English in one of the sex scenes. I liked the way it sounded."
In 1983 Asabuki also appeared in some early videos released by Nikkatsu. One of them, Blue Experience Part 1, become a highly ranked AV collectors item by 2005, with an estimated price of almost 60,000 yen (about $600). A year later, in May 1984, Asabuki starred in one of the earliest adult videos produced by Japan Home Video
Japan Home Video
is a Japanese media corporation which produces and distributes film and video products and is also involved in TV programming and game software. It uses the label for its adult video production.-Company history and finances:...
, Happy Onanie, which was released under their Penguin label, the precursor to the Alice Japan
Alice Japan
was established on April 4, 1986 as the adult video label for Japan Home Video .-Company information:The early AVs produced by JHV went under the Penguin label, the first title being the 30 minute long softcore Asobinasareya, Tadakurue starring Hidemi Nakajima released May 21, 1984 with...
brand.
In the late 1990s Asabuki was an anchor on the weekly TV program Tokyo Rock TV. She continued her studies in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and hoped to work as an actress in the United States, a country she had visited four times by 1989. In 1999 she made a fifth trip to the U.S. to model for photographer Ron Vogel for several American magazines, including Penthouse
Penthouse (magazine)
Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
and Hustler
Hustler
Hustler is a monthly pornographic magazine aimed at men and published in the United States. It was first published in 1974 by Larry Flynt. It was a step forward from the Hustler Newsletter which was cheap advertising for his strip club businesses at the time. The magazine grew from a shaky start to...
.
Cinema
| Film title | Director | Company | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Joshidaisei no Kahanshin Na-nmo shsiran Oya |
Keiko Kusuda | Gendai Eizō Kikaku / Nikkatsu Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:... |
December 24, 1982 | With Marino Shimabara & Seiko Mihara |
| Assaulted Female Teacher Osowareru onna kyōshi |
Nobuyuki Saito | Nikkatsu Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:... |
February 4, 1983 | With Sonny Chiba Sonny Chiba , also known as Sonny Chiba, is a Japanese actor, singer, film producer, film director and martial artist.Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience.- Early life :Born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka,... , Mika Hijii, Kaoru Mizuki & Yuki Kazamatsuri |
| Woman With Pierced Nipples Chikubi ni piasu o shita onna |
Shōgorō Nishimura Shōgorō Nishimura -Filmography:* Zankoku onna jōshi * Apartment Wife: Affair In the Afternoon * Affair at Twilight * Drifter's Affair * Sigh of Roses * Apartment Wife: Secret Rendezvous... |
Nikkatsu | April 25, 1983 | With Usagi Aso & Jun Izumi |
| Lady's Triangle Ojōsan no matagura |
Atsushi Fujiura | Nikkatsu | September 16, 1983 | With Junko Asahina & Akio Kaneda |
| Final Scandal: Madam Likes It Hard Final scandal: okusama wa okatai no ga osuki |
Masaru Konuma Masaru Konuma is a Japanese director most famous for his Roman Porno films for Nikkatsu during the 1970s.-Early life:Masaru Konuma was born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, on December 30, 1937. Konuma retains no memories of his father who was a teacher... |
Nikkatsu | December 23, 1983 | With Midori Satsuki, Kaoru Okamoto, Takashi Shikauchi & Toshiaki Amada |
| Kahanshin Shō Kō Gun |
Genji Nakamura | Nikkatsu | February 3, 1984 | |
| Stewardess Scandal: Hold Me Like An Animal Stewardess Scandal: Kemono No Youni Dakishimete |
Masaru Konuma Masaru Konuma is a Japanese director most famous for his Roman Porno films for Nikkatsu during the 1970s.-Early life:Masaru Konuma was born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, on December 30, 1937. Konuma retains no memories of his father who was a teacher... |
Nikkatsu | March 16, 1984 | With Makoto Yoshino, Shigeru Muroi & Tomoko Ai |
| Koichiro Uno's Dancer of Izu Uno Koichiro no Izu no odoriko |
Atsushi Fujiura | Nikkatsu | May 25, 1984 | With Kaoru Oda, Nami Matsukawa, Mizuho Nakagawa & Rika Ishii |
| Odoru chibusa |
Yoshihiro Kawasaki | Nikkatsu | July 13, 1984 | With Miduho Nakagawa, Kaoru Mizuki & Shinji Sekikawa |
| Joshidaisei: onsen geisha |
Atsushi Fujiura | Nikkatsu | December 8, 1984 | |
| Kyōko Aizome's Widow's Boarding House Aizome Kyōko no Mibōjin Geshuku |
Shinya Yamamoto | Nikkatsu | December 22, 1984 | With Kyōko Aizome Kyoko Aizome is a Japanese erotic actress, singer, AV director, and writer who has been called, "the first hard-core porn actress in Japan."-Early life:Kyōko Aizome was born on February 9, 1958 in Noda Chiba Prefecture. Aizome grew up in a troubled household. Her father was a police officer who beat his wife,... |
| Swappu shinsatsushitsu: mitsushibuki |
Atsushi Fujiura | Nikkatsu | February 22, 1986 | With Megumi Kiyosato |
Adult Videos (AV)
| Video title | Director | Company | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Experience Part 1 Aoi Taiken PART 1 |
Hidehiro Ito | Nikkatsu A-101 |
August 16, 1983 | |
| Blue Experience Part 2 Aoi Taiken PART 2 |
Hidehiro Ito | Nikkatsu A-102 |
August 16, 1983 | |
| Happy Onanie |
Shinya Yamamoto | Japan Home Video Japan Home Video is a Japanese media corporation which produces and distributes film and video products and is also involved in TV programming and game software. It uses the label for its adult video production.-Company history and finances:... / Penguin KA-1006 |
May 21, 1984 | |
| New Woman Teacher Dream Examination |
Five Star | 1985 | ||
| Medical Examination At Night |
Five Star | 1986 | ||
| Provacative Performance Chōhatsu Honban |
Five Star | 1986 | ||
| The School Mistress Weeps for Rape |
Shuji Kataoka | h.m.p. H.m.p. (Japan) h.m.p. is a Japanese company which is involved in adult entertainment including the production and sales of adult videos and the marketing of adult toys and sex aids.-Company information:... OE-002 |
April 24, 1994 | With Conchita Matsumoto, Mai Asakura, Mari Misato & Yuri Murakami |
Sources
- Asabuki, Kate. (1999). "Hollywood or Bust - Memoirs of America" in Asian Cult Cinema #25, 4th Quarter, 1999. p. 58-62. (Asabuki Keito)|accessdate=2007-03-03|language=Japanese|work=JMDB}} - Asabuki Keito|accessdate=2007-03-03|language=Japanese|work=Web I-dic}}
- "Kate Asabuki - A pictorial", Asian Cult Cinema #22, p. 32-33
- Konuma, Masaru. (1998). Interviewed by Thomas and Yuko Mihara Weisser on November 6, 1998, in Asian Cult Cinema, #22, 1st Quarter, 1999. p. 19-28. (Roman Porno Actresses)|date=2006-03-10|publisher=Kawade Shobo Shinsha, Publishers|location=Tokyo|language=Japanese|isbn=4-309-48156-6|pages=152–158|chapter= ("Kate Asabuki"}}
Further reading
- "The 25 Sexiest Women of 2001: #22 Kate Asabuki" (2001). in Celebrity Sleuth magazine, Vol. 14, #3, pg. 12-15.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0996396/publicity