Shinya Tsukamoto
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese film director
and actor
with a considerable cult following both domestically and abroad.
camera. He made a number of films, ranging
from 10-minute shorts to 2-hour features, until his first year at college when he temporarily lost interest in making movies. Tsukamoto then
started up a theatre group, which soon included Kei Fujiwara
, Nobu Kanaoka, and Tomorowo Taguchi
, all of whom would continue to work with
Tsukamoto up through the filming of Tetsuo: The Iron Man.
One of their theatre productions at this time was Denchu Kozo no boken. At the end of the production, Tsukamoto did not want to waste all the effort they had put into building the set, so he decided to shoot a film version.
Tsukamoto's early films, Futsu saizu no kaijin (A Phantom of Regular Size) and Denchu Kozo no boken (The Adventures Of Electric Rod Boy) made in 1986/87, were short subject science fiction
films shot on colour 8 mm film
. His black & white 16 mm feature Tetsuo: The Iron Man
, made in 1988. Tsukamoto has stated he has a love-hate relationship with Tokyo, and in the end the characters of this film set out to destroy it. Tetsuo is considered the definitive example of Japanese cyberpunk
.
Tsukamoto's next film, Hiruko the Goblin, was a more conventional horror film
, about demons being unleashed from the gates of hell. He then created a follow-up to Tetsuo: The Iron Man, named Tetsuo II: Body Hammer
, which revisited many of the same ideas as the first movie but with a bigger budget and shot in color on 35 mm film. As a result, the film is often interpreted more as a companion piece than as a straightforward sequel. In Body Hammer, a salaryman
's son is kidnapped by a group of thugs, who then force the man's nascent rage to make him mutate into a gigantic human weapon. Tokyo Fist
(1995) again dealt with the idea of rage as a transformative force (similar to David Cronenberg
's The Brood
). Here, a meek insurance salesman discovers that an old friend of his, now a semi-professional boxer
, may be having an affair with his fiancée. The salesman then enters into a rigorous and self-destructive boxing training program to get even.
In Bullet Ballet
(1998), a man (played by Tsukamoto) discovers that his longtime girlfriend committed suicide with a gun, and becomes obsessed with getting a gun just like that one. His single minded behavior causes him to run afoul of a gang of thugs, especially when he shows interest in the young girl who is one of their compatriots. Gemini (1999) was an adaptation of an Edogawa Rampo
story, in which a country doctor with pretensions of superiority has his life torn apart when another man who appears to be his exact duplicate enters his life. Things are complicated further by the twin taking control of his wife, an amnesiac with a criminal background. A Snake of June
(2002) once again found Tsukamoto employing the formula of two men in competition for one woman, as a young lady is blackmailed into perverse sexual behavior against her husband's will—until her husband finds that he enjoys the blackmail more than the blackmailer does.
Vital
(2004) again features a love triangle, this time consisting of two women and one man. The story concerns a young man whose girlfriend is killed in a car crash whilst being driven by him. He is a medical student and is given her body to dissect in class (whether by coincidence or intentionally is not clear).
Tsukamoto also acted in and directed the short film Haze in 2005.
In 2006, Tsukamoto directed the horror thriller Nightmare Detective
(Akumu Tantei). The film centres around a vagrant with the supernatural ability to enter the dreams of others and a police officer who pleads with him to help her solve a series of bizarre murders committed by a serial killer with a similar ability, played by Tsukamoto himself.
It's worth noting that Tsukamoto acts in nearly all of his films, with the exception of those that he worked on as a 'director for hire' (namely Hiruko the Goblin and Gemini). Tsukamoto has appeared in many other directors' films as well, such as Takashi Miike
's Dead or Alive 2: Birds
(2000), and Ichi the Killer
(2001), as well as Teruo Ishii
's Blind Beast Vs the Dwarf (2002). He was the lead actor in Takashi Shimizu
's Marebito
(2004), and appeared more recently in Welcome to the Quiet Room
(2007). He is also a successful voiceover artist for TV advertising in Japan. He also provided the Japanese voice of Vamp in the 2008 PlayStation 3
game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
(a character previously voiced by Ryōtarō Okiayu
in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
).
References:
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 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:...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
with a considerable cult following both domestically and abroad.
Biography
Tsukamoto started making movies at the age of 14, when his father gave him a Super 8Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
camera. He made a number of films, ranging
from 10-minute shorts to 2-hour features, until his first year at college when he temporarily lost interest in making movies. Tsukamoto then
started up a theatre group, which soon included Kei Fujiwara
Kei Fujiwara
is a Japanese actress, cinematographer, editor, writer and film director. Her first role was in the American film, The Neptune Factor, but she is perhaps best known for starring in the Japanese cult film, Tetsuo: The Iron Man...
, Nobu Kanaoka, and Tomorowo Taguchi
Tomorowo Taguchi
is a Japanese actor.After leaving Dokkyo University without graduating, he started to earn his living as an illustrator, writer and pornographic cartoonist. He joined a theatre called Hakken no Kai in 1978 and he made a screen debut in Zokubutsu Zukan in 1982...
, all of whom would continue to work with
Tsukamoto up through the filming of Tetsuo: The Iron Man.
One of their theatre productions at this time was Denchu Kozo no boken. At the end of the production, Tsukamoto did not want to waste all the effort they had put into building the set, so he decided to shoot a film version.
Tsukamoto's early films, Futsu saizu no kaijin (A Phantom of Regular Size) and Denchu Kozo no boken (The Adventures Of Electric Rod Boy) made in 1986/87, were short subject science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
films shot on colour 8 mm film
8 mm film
8 mm film is a motion picture film format in which the filmstrip is eight millimeters wide. It exists in two main versions: the original standard 8mm film, also known as regular 8 mm or Double 8 mm, and Super 8...
. His black & white 16 mm feature Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a 1989 Japanese cyberpunk film by cult-film director Shinya Tsukamoto produced by Japan Home Video. This, his third film, is an extremely graphic but also strikingly-filmed fantasy shot in the same low-budget, underground-production style as his first two films...
, made in 1988. Tsukamoto has stated he has a love-hate relationship with Tokyo, and in the end the characters of this film set out to destroy it. Tetsuo is considered the definitive example of Japanese cyberpunk
Japanese cyberpunk
Japanese Cyberpunk is a genre of underground film produced in Japan starting in the late 1980s. The genre is not very closely related to Cyberpunk as understood in the west — the focus is industrial and incomprehensible, not high-tech and scientific...
.
Tsukamoto's next film, Hiruko the Goblin, was a more conventional horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, about demons being unleashed from the gates of hell. He then created a follow-up to Tetsuo: The Iron Man, named Tetsuo II: Body Hammer
Tetsuo II: Body Hammer
Tetsuo II: Body Hammer is a 1992 Japanese science fiction/horror film directed byShinya Tsukamoto. It is a bigger-budget reworking of the same director's 1989 movie Tetsuo: The Iron Man, utilizing similar themes and ideas to the earlier film Tetsuo II: Body Hammer is a 1992 Japanese science...
, which revisited many of the same ideas as the first movie but with a bigger budget and shot in color on 35 mm film. As a result, the film is often interpreted more as a companion piece than as a straightforward sequel. In Body Hammer, a salaryman
Salaryman
refers to someone whose income is salary based; particularly those working for corporations. Its frequent use by Japanese corporations, and its prevalence in Japanese manga and anime has gradually led to its acceptance in English-speaking countries as a noun for a Japanese white-collar...
's son is kidnapped by a group of thugs, who then force the man's nascent rage to make him mutate into a gigantic human weapon. Tokyo Fist
Tokyo Fist
Tokyo Fist is a Japanese drama/horror film. It was written and directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, who also stars in the film along with his brother Kôji Tsukamoto and Kahori Fujii...
(1995) again dealt with the idea of rage as a transformative force (similar to David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg
David Paul Cronenberg, OC, FRSC is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the...
's The Brood
The Brood
The Brood is a 1979 Canadian horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg, starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar and Art Hindle.The film depicts a series of murders committed by what seems at first to be a group of children...
). Here, a meek insurance salesman discovers that an old friend of his, now a semi-professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, may be having an affair with his fiancée. The salesman then enters into a rigorous and self-destructive boxing training program to get even.
In Bullet Ballet
Bullet Ballet
Bullet Ballet is a Japanese film directed by and starring Shinya Tsukamoto, and co-starring Hisashi Igawa, Sujin Kim, Kirina Mano, Takahiro Murase, Tatsuya Nakamura and Kyoka Suzuki....
(1998), a man (played by Tsukamoto) discovers that his longtime girlfriend committed suicide with a gun, and becomes obsessed with getting a gun just like that one. His single minded behavior causes him to run afoul of a gang of thugs, especially when he shows interest in the young girl who is one of their compatriots. Gemini (1999) was an adaptation of an Edogawa Rampo
Edogawa Rampo
, better known by the pseudonym , was a Japanese author and critic who played a major role in the development of Japanese mystery fiction. Many of his novels involve the detective hero Kogorō Akechi, who in later books was the leader of a group of boy detectives known as the .Rampo was an admirer...
story, in which a country doctor with pretensions of superiority has his life torn apart when another man who appears to be his exact duplicate enters his life. Things are complicated further by the twin taking control of his wife, an amnesiac with a criminal background. A Snake of June
A Snake of June
A Snake of June is a Japanese movie directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. His seventh film, it is notable for its striking monochrome blue cinematography tinted in post production...
(2002) once again found Tsukamoto employing the formula of two men in competition for one woman, as a young lady is blackmailed into perverse sexual behavior against her husband's will—until her husband finds that he enjoys the blackmail more than the blackmailer does.
Vital
Vital (film)
Vital is a Japanese film made in 2004. It was directed by Shinya Tsukamoto and stars Tadanobu Asano as Hiroshi Takagi, a man whose girlfriend dies and who loses his memory in a car accident....
(2004) again features a love triangle, this time consisting of two women and one man. The story concerns a young man whose girlfriend is killed in a car crash whilst being driven by him. He is a medical student and is given her body to dissect in class (whether by coincidence or intentionally is not clear).
Tsukamoto also acted in and directed the short film Haze in 2005.
In 2006, Tsukamoto directed the horror thriller Nightmare Detective
Nightmare Detective
is a 2007 Japanese horror film directed by Shinya Tsukamoto and released by Movie-Eye Entertainment Inc, starring Ryuhei Matsuda and hitomi. Masanobu Ando and Ren Osugi play supporting roles, and Tsukamoto himself plays the unnamed villain. The film is shot entirely within Adachi, Tokyo.Nightmare...
(Akumu Tantei). The film centres around a vagrant with the supernatural ability to enter the dreams of others and a police officer who pleads with him to help her solve a series of bizarre murders committed by a serial killer with a similar ability, played by Tsukamoto himself.
It's worth noting that Tsukamoto acts in nearly all of his films, with the exception of those that he worked on as a 'director for hire' (namely Hiruko the Goblin and Gemini). Tsukamoto has appeared in many other directors' films as well, such as Takashi Miike
Takashi Miike
is a highly prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker. He has directed over seventy theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. In the years 2001 and 2002 alone, Miike is credited with directing fifteen productions...
's Dead or Alive 2: Birds
Dead or Alive 2: Birds
Dead or Alive 2: Birds is a Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike. Dead or Alive 2: Birds is unrelated to Dead or Alive or Dead or Alive: Final except that all three films have Show Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi in them, and they are all directed by Takashi Miike.-Plot:Two contract killers cross...
(2000), and Ichi the Killer
Ichi the Killer
is a 2001 Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike, based on Hideo Yamamoto's manga series of the same name.- Plot : While alone with a prostitute, crime lord Anjo is brutally murdered...
(2001), as well as Teruo Ishii
Teruo Ishii
was a Japanese film director best known in the West for his early films in the Super Giant series, and for his films in the Ero guro subgenre of pinku eiga such as Shogun's Joys of Torture . He also directed the 1965 film, Abashiri Prison, which helped to make Ken Takakura a major star in Japan...
's Blind Beast Vs the Dwarf (2002). He was the lead actor in Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu
Takashi Shimizu is a Japanese film director, best known for the Ju-on series of horror films.-Filmography:...
's Marebito
Marebito
is a 2004 Japanese horror film directed by Takashi Shimizu.-Plot:The film is about a man named Masuoka, played by Shinya Tsukamoto, who carries a camera everywhere he goes. He becomes obsessed with the idea of fear when he sees a frightened man shove a knife in his eye to commit suicide...
(2004), and appeared more recently in Welcome to the Quiet Room
Welcome to the Quiet Room
Welcome to the Quiet Room is a Japanese movie released in 2007 in Japan, directed by Suzuki Matsuo. It is set in a psychiatric hospital. The movie stars Yuki Uchida in the main role, and features two famous movie and anime directors in secondary roles: Hideaki Anno and Shinya Tsukamoto.-Cast:*...
(2007). He is also a successful voiceover artist for TV advertising in Japan. He also provided the Japanese voice of Vamp in the 2008 PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
is a video game developed by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 3 console. The game was directed by Hideo Kojima and made its worldwide release on June 12, 2008, ten years after the release of Metal Gear Solid and twenty years after the North American release of Metal Gear.Guns of the Patriots...
(a character previously voiced by Ryōtarō Okiayu
Ryotaro Okiayu
is a Japanese voice actor, who was born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, and raised in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture. He has been active since 1989, and is currently affiliated with Aoni Production....
in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
is a stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001....
).
Filmography as director
| Year | English title | Japanese title | Romaji | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Genshi-san | 原始さん | Genshi-san | Early Super-8 short (10 min). |
| 1975 | Story of a Giant Cockroach | 巨大ゴキブリ物語 | Kyodai Gokiburi Monogatari | Super-8 (50 min). |
| 1975 | Wings | 翼 | Tsubasa | Super-8 (25 min). |
| 1976 | Cloudy | 曇天 | Donten | B&W Super-8 (60 min). |
| 1977 | 地獄町小便小僧にて飛んだよ | Jigoku Machi Shouben Kozou ni te Tobenda yo | Super-8 (120 min). | |
| 1978 | New Wings | 新・翼 | Shin: Tsubasa | Super-8 (40 min). |
| 1979 | 蓮の花飛べ | Hasu no Hana Tobe | Super-8 (90 min). | |
| 1986 | The Phantom of Regular Size | 普通サイズの怪人 | Futsu Saizu no Kaijin | Super-8 (18 min). |
| 1987 | The Adventures Of Electric Rod Boy | 電柱小僧の冒険 | Denchu Kozou no Boken | Super-8 (47 min). |
| 1989 | Tetsuo: The Iron Man Tetsuo: The Iron Man Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a 1989 Japanese cyberpunk film by cult-film director Shinya Tsukamoto produced by Japan Home Video. This, his third film, is an extremely graphic but also strikingly-filmed fantasy shot in the same low-budget, underground-production style as his first two films... |
鉄男 ＴＥＴＳＵＯ | Tetsuo | 16mm B&W (67 min) |
| 1991 | Hiruko The Goblin Hiruko the Goblin Hiruko the Goblin is a 1991 horror film directed by Shinya Tsukamoto and starring Kenji Sawada.-Cast:* Kenji Sawada - Hieda Reijirou* Masaki Kudou - Masao Yabe* Hideo Murota - Watanabe* Naoto Takenaka - Takashi Yabe* Megumi Ueno - Tsukishima Reiko... |
ヒルコ 妖怪ハンター | Hiruko Youkai Hanta | 35mm (89 min) |
| 1992 | Tetsuo II: Body Hammer Tetsuo II: Body Hammer Tetsuo II: Body Hammer is a 1992 Japanese science fiction/horror film directed byShinya Tsukamoto. It is a bigger-budget reworking of the same director's 1989 movie Tetsuo: The Iron Man, utilizing similar themes and ideas to the earlier film Tetsuo II: Body Hammer is a 1992 Japanese science... |
鉄男 II ＢＯＤＹ ＨＡＭＭＥＲ | Tetsuo II: Body Hammer | 35mm (83 min) |
| 1995 | Tokyo Fist Tokyo Fist Tokyo Fist is a Japanese drama/horror film. It was written and directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, who also stars in the film along with his brother Kôji Tsukamoto and Kahori Fujii... |
ＴＯＫＹＯ ＦＩＳＴ | Tokyo Fist | 16mm (87 min) |
| 1998 | Bullet Ballet Bullet Ballet Bullet Ballet is a Japanese film directed by and starring Shinya Tsukamoto, and co-starring Hisashi Igawa, Sujin Kim, Kirina Mano, Takahiro Murase, Tatsuya Nakamura and Kyoka Suzuki.... |
BULLET BALLET バレット・バレエ | Bullet Ballet | 16mm B&W (87 min) |
| 1999 | Gemini | 双生児-GEMINI- | Sôseiji | 35mm (83 min) |
| 2002 | A Snake of June A Snake of June A Snake of June is a Japanese movie directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. His seventh film, it is notable for its striking monochrome blue cinematography tinted in post production... |
六月の蛇 | Rokugatsu no Hebi | 16mm (77 min) |
| 2004 | Vital Vital (film) Vital is a Japanese film made in 2004. It was directed by Shinya Tsukamoto and stars Tadanobu Asano as Hiroshi Takagi, a man whose girlfriend dies and who loses his memory in a car accident.... |
ヴィタール | Vital | 35mm (86 min) |
| 2005 | Haze | ＨＡＺＥ | Haze | DV (49 min) |
| 2005 | Female Fîmeiru is a 2005 release consisting of five short films by different directors, each based on a short story by a female author.-Momo :Based on a story by Himeno Kaoruko, and directed by Shinohara Tetsuo. Stars Kyoko Hasegawa, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi and Eri Nomura.... |
female フィーメイル | Fîmeiru | Segment: Tamamushi. |
| 2006 | Nightmare Detective Nightmare Detective is a 2007 Japanese horror film directed by Shinya Tsukamoto and released by Movie-Eye Entertainment Inc, starring Ryuhei Matsuda and hitomi. Masanobu Ando and Ren Osugi play supporting roles, and Tsukamoto himself plays the unnamed villain. The film is shot entirely within Adachi, Tokyo.Nightmare... |
悪夢探偵 | Akumu Tantei | |
| 2008 | Nightmare Detective 2 Nightmare Detective 2 is a 2008 Japanese horror film and sequel, directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, to the 2007 film Nightmare Detective, starring Ryuhei Matsuda as Kyoichi Kaganuma.-Plot:... |
悪夢探偵2 | Akumu Tantei 2 | |
| 2010 | Tetsuo: The Bullet Man Tetsuo: The Bullet Man Tetsuo: The Bullet Man is the third film in Shinya Tsukamoto's cyberpunk film series, and the first to be filmed in English.-Plot:Anthony is a man with an American father and a deceased Japanese mother living and working in Tokyo. One day his son is run over and killed by Yatsu, this film's version... |
鉄男 THE BULLET MAN | Tetsuo: The Bullet Man |
Awards
- Adventures of Electric Rod Boy - PIA Film Fest (Japan) - Grand Prize
- Tetsuo: The Iron Man - Fantafestival (Italy) - Grand Prize
- Tetsuo - Sweden Fantastic Film Festival - Audience Award Best Feature
- Hiruko - Fantasporto - Best Film
- Tetsuo II - Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film - Silver Raven
- Tetsuo II - Fantasporto - International Fantasy Film Special Jury Award
- Tetsuo II - 3rd Yubari International Fantastic Film FestivalYubari International Fantastic Film FestivalThe , also sometimes called YIFFF, is held in a resort-like environment in the small town of Yūbari on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaidō. From 1990 to 1999, the festival was known as the Yubari International Fantastic Adventure Film Festival.-History:...
(1992) - Tokyo Fist - Sundance (Tokyo) - Grand Prize
- Bullet Ballet - Sweden Fantastic Film Festival - Jury Grand Prize
- Gemini - Neuchatel International Fantasy Film Festival - Best International Film
- A Snake of June - Venice Film Festival - Kinematrix Film Award Feature Films
- A Snake of June - Venice Film Festival - San Marco Special Jury Award
- Vital - Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film - Silver Raven
- Vital - Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival - New Visions Award
- Vital - Fantasporto - Orient Express Section Special Jury Award
References:
External links
- Shinya Tsukamoto director profile at subtitledonline.com