#masao inoue

[roskirambles]

Honorable mention: A page of madness (Kurutta Ippeiji, 1926)

The rain. It hardly seems to stop for the people at the Assylum. A woman dancing to no music, stares directed to no one. And the janitor, whose wife is among the patients probably by his own hand, is told by his daughter that she is to be bethroted. But in a world that used to think all forms of mental ailment were contagious and inherited, this news may ruin these plans. As this failed caretaker grapples with his relationships, how to conceal this fact for his daughter's sake and the troublesome inmates, he starts losing his own grip between what's reality and what's dream.

Directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa and written by Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata(as well as Minoru Inuzuka and Banko Sawada), this film stands out not only because of it’s very survival from an era where most films have been lost to time, but for how forward thinking, bold and unsettling it is.

Unlike western movies from the silent era, Japanese pictures of the time didn't use intertitles to convey dialogue but instead had a narrator or benshi (弁士) to narrate along as to explain the events. The end result is that we have an entire channel of communication completely absent, but in this case we also see a film that has a more refined visual language than many of its westerm contemporaries, and can actually be understood farily well just through the imagery.

Well, mostly. As a movie that explores madness clearly borrowing a page from The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, the imagery in display leaves a lot of questions with its dreamlike quality. To make matters worse, there's some parts of the print missing which makes some parts of the story harder to follow than they ought.

Even with all of those observations, however, what the film evokes is nothing short of masterful. A chiaroscuro dream that feels like a portrait of a broken family nucleus, guilt, and of course, madness.

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed - The Art of the Benshi: Program IV

When I previously wrote about benshi—the live narrators that would contextualize (and, on occasion, totally reinterpret) the silent images onscreen in the nascent days of film exhibition in Japan—in my review of Masayuki Suo’s Talking the Pictures, I never imagined that I would eventually have the opportunity to actually see one perform in person; after all, the advent of the talkie essentially rendered the profession irrelevant and obsolete. There are, however, a dedicated few working tirelessly to preserve the increasingly rare art, several of whom recently showcased their talents at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

The selection of movies screened for the demonstration was as eclectic as it was remarkable: The Dull Sword, an animated short (featuring both hand-drawn frames and paper cutouts reminiscent of Lotte Reiniger’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed) about a bloodthirsty samurai constantly thwarted and humiliated by hubris; The Oath of the Sword, a newly rediscovered romantic melodrama starring a predominantly Asian-American cast; and The Vindictive Snake, a moody tale of ghostly vengeance (which owes an obvious thematic debt to Yotsuya Kaidan) set in the ramshackle sugar plantations of Hawaii and the seedy brothels of Okinawa. Surprisingly, amidst these obscure treasures, the true gem of the program was a widely available Hollywood classic: Charlie Chaplin’s The Immigrant; Kumiko Omori’s energetic delivery—replete with cartoonish voice acting and charmingly silly sound effects (a squeaky toy, for example, was utilized to approximate the noise of hiccups)—enriched and elevated the familiar plot and gags, adding a fresh layer to the comedic tone. Not to disrespect or underestimate the skills of her fellow benshi, of course; Ichiro Kataoka and Hideyuki Yamashiro each displayed his own distinctive style and flavor. Indeed, the trio’s cooperative rendition of Masao Inoue’s 1916 adaptation of Not Blood Relations (or what little remains of it, anyway; like far too many productions of that era, it currently exists only in fragmentary form) was an impressive feat of theatrical collaboration.

Purchasing the ticket for The Art of the Benshi (a $20 expense that feels pretty darn substantial in the aftermath of the SAG and WGA strikes) was an extremely spontaneous decision on my part—one that I second-guessed during every excruciating moment of my forty-minute-long subway ride to the venue. Fortunately, I needn’t have fretted; the most memorable cinematic experience of 2024 was well worth the relatively paltry price of admission.

[marikoyoshida]

Lady's Gong vol. 54 (レディースゴング54) - 2000.09.13

[gayest-persona-character]

Round 1!

Rules

Vote for who you think is more queer/gay (doesn't matter if you think they're bi, pan, gay, lesbian, etc. Who's the most not straight!)

I will allow propaganda in the form of asks or notes (tags and comments)

Be nice and respectful. Not everyone has the same headcanons.

Remember, this is mostly just for fun! We have a few submitted characters for this exact purpose, so don't take things too seriously. (It doesn't matter what the results are, most persona characters will be queer-coded in my heart)

The list of polls is as follows:

Labrys vs. Daisuke Todoroki

Principal Kobayakawa vs. Yukiko Amagi

Mayumi Yamano vs. Suguru Kamoshida

Bebe vs. Sho Minazuki

Isako Toriumi (Maya) vs. Ann Takamaki

Ichiryusai Madarame vs. Ichiko Ohya

Chihiro Fushimi vs. Ai Ebihara

Philemon vs.Shibusawa

Kou Ichijo vs. Fuuka Yamagishi

Munehisa Iwai vs. Miyabi Hanakouji

President Tanaka vs. Akihiko Sanada

Ryuji Sakamoto vs. Taro Namatame

Kanami Mashita vs. Haru Okumura

Nozomi Suemitsu vs. Angel and Julian

Ryotaro Dojima vs. Rio Iwasaki

Sadayo Kawakami vs. Maya Amano

Nagi vs. Saori Hasegawa

Cashier from Peace Diner vs. Junpei Iori

Chizuru Ishigami vs. Minoru Inoue

Chihaya Mifune vs. Mamoru Hayase

Misuzu Hiiragi vs. Lala Escargot

Setsuko Sonomura vs. Junko Kurosu

Eri Minami vs. Tae Takemi

Zen vs. Kenji Tomochika

Eriko Kirishima vs. Takeharu Kirijo

Mika vs. Metis

Junya Kaneshiro vs. Takuto Maruki

Moel Gas Station Attendant vs. Hanako Ohtani

Maya Okamura vs. Igor

Sayoko Uehara vs. Makoto Yuki

Lesbian Student from P3 vs. Mami Shibata

Shunsuke Fujii vs. Saki Konishi

Tatsuya Suou vs. Akinari Kashihara

Miho Ogishima vs. Kinshiro Morooka

Hisano Kuroda vs. Ayane Matsunaga

Kanji Tatsumi vs. Makoto Nijiima

Marie vs. Tatsuya Sudou

SIU Director vs. Reiji Kido

Baofu vs. Takahisa Kandori

Yuuki Mishima vs. Tamaki Uchida

Zenkichi Hasegawa vs. Yosuke Hanamura

Mitsuo Kubo vs. Aigis

Kei Nanjo vs. Margaret

Masao Inaba vs. Noriko Katayama

Yukino Mayuzumi vs. Saeko Takami

Tadashi Satomi vs. Chidori Yoshino

Yumi Ozawa vs. Gay Demons P2

Kasumi Yoshizawa vs. Yuka Ayase

Hidetoshi Odagiri vs. Mutatsu

Shinjiro Aragaki vs. Kazushi Miyamoto

Localized version of Naoya vs. Ren Amamiya

Coach Hiraguchi vs. Chie Satonaka

Shuji Ikutsuki vs. Shiho Suzui

Futaba Sakura vs. Naoto Shirogane

Jin Shirato vs. Hifumi Togo

Keisuke Hiraga vs. Eikichi Mishina

Maki Sonomura vs. Toranosuke Yoshida

Rise Kujikawa vs. Elizabeth

Goro Akechi vs. Yuko Nishiwaki

Noriko Kashiwagi vs. Ulala Serizawa

Yuko Himeno vs. Anna Yoshizaka

Hikari vs. Joker (IS)

Mitsuru Kirijo vs. Hidehiko Uesugi

Masayoshi Shido vs. Youichi Makimura

[stickers-on-a-laptop]

wait has inoue ever like written more than two generations actually

kiva: SORT OF. i think this is the closest that i have seen? because maya, wataru, masao.

kabuto: we skip a generation because what are parents for the tendous, and kagami has daddy issues

jetman: we....saw ryuu's....family....once? i think? and....kaori has...parents. pretty sure. no one else that i remember

donbros: remember that time in donbros where it's canon that only haruka has any blood relatives apparently

changerion: i don't think we saw a speck of family

agito: this is only two generations

huh this might explain a few things there at least

gotta say the genetics part of this is really making me vibrate shit like we know it affects parents/kids and siblings but like apparently only within 2 generations? we haven't seen any grandparents. and no cousins. i assume it would get half siblings? what kind of blood related nonsense could you START with this??? genetic but only within two generations and direct bloodlines.

[dersiebentekontinent]

[jasvvy]

[keepingthespiritalive]

NOAH results for June 19, 2018

Pro-Wrestling NOAH “Navig. with Emerald Spirits 2018”, 6/19/2018 [Tue] 18:30 @ Aizu Wakamatsu City Bunka Center in Fukushima 302 Spectators (crowded)

(1) Cody Hall vs. Junta Miyawaki ◆Winner: Hall (4:50) following a Sitdown Side Chokeslam.

(2) Atsushi Kotoge, Hajime Ohara & Hitoshi Kumano vs. Maybach Taniguchi, Tadasuke & Masao Inoue ◆Winner: Kotoge (12:50) with the Kakumei Manto (Revolutionary…

[reelinplace]

[takagishingo]

noah made a separate special poster for the budokan show that features everyone who was there the last time they were at budokan. ogawa got front spot bc he’s the most senior 😭

[mengs-mullet]

[flickeralley]

#BornOnThisDay in 1881, Japanese silent film actor Masao Inoue, star of A PAGE OF MADNESS (1926), now available on MOD Blu-ray: http://bit.ly/2rk8Hdo.

Take our brief MOD survey for 10% off this title through July 2nd: https://goo.gl/forms/u7ytMVMcsx58HXkd2

[cptrs]

[stargazer-kea]

The Sea and Poison - 海と毒薬 - Umi to Dokuyaku (1986)

Directed by Kei Kumai

[dersiebentekontinent]

[shinsengumi-archives]

Living descendants of the Shinsengumi

From left to right: Hijikata Megumi (土方愛), Miyagawa Kiyoshi (宮川清志), Miyagawa Seizo (宮川清蔵), Matsudaira Yasuhisa (松平保久), Ano Noriko (阿野典子), Inoue Masao (井上雅雄) (Photo: Kawai Hidenao)

Descendants of Kondo Isami’s family

with eldest daughter and her husband (source)

On March 18, 2017, the descendants of the Shinsengumi gathered at Takahata Fudoson in Hino, Tokyo. Miyagawa Kiyoshi, the 12th generation descendant of the elder brother of Kondo Isami (Miyagawa Otogoro), tells his story.

“The Miyagawa family was originally a farming family, but they were very keen on kenjutsu (swordsmanship), and I took part in kendo in elementary, junior high, and high school. I was weak, though. (laugh)”

He is currently an office worker in sales. In the future, he would like to take over from his father, Seizo, 78, and spread the Tennen Rishin-ryu style, of which  Kondo Isami was the headmaster. Although he does not publicly state at the company that he is from Kondo Isami's birth family. "I’m still a young man, but I would like to show leadership like my ancestor," says Kiyoshi.

TIL: the Miyagawa family crest (kamon) looks like this:

Descendants of Hijikata Toshizo’s family

Hijikata Toshizo, the "Demon Vice-Commander", was the right-hand man of Kondo Isami. Hijikata Megumi, 45, is the sixth generation descendant of his older brother Kiroku. After graduating from the Department of Hispanic Studies at Sophia University, she began working as the director of a museum in 2012 in the area where Hijikata lived from the age of 12 to 29.

“Until 1990, I lived in the old house with a large black pillar where Hijikata practiced sumo.”

Megumi, who inherited Hijikata's good legs, had completed a full marathon called "Oniashi" in 4 hours. She is the mother of two boys and a girl.

Descendants of Okita Souji’s family

There were also descendants of the birth family of Okita Souji, a genius swordsman and captain of the Shinsengumi's first squad. Okita Souji was a bachelor all his life, but his sister took over the family name. The seventh generation descendant is Ano Noriko.

She says, "My grandparents once told me, 'Okita cut down a lot of people, and you mustn't talk about him outside too much.'"

For this reason, she has not participated in public forums for the last 20 years.

“I’m now a full-time employee of a day service company. It's a job that requires being able to relate to people.”

In contrast to his swordsmanship, Okita's personality was reportedly gentle.

Descendants of Inoue Genzaburo’s family

Inoue Genzaburo was a famous supporting player who supported the activities of the Shinsengumi as a founding member, and became the captain of the Shinsengumi’s sixth squad. Inoue Masao, 62, is the fifth generation descendant of Genzaburo's older brother, Shogoro.

“My great-grandfather Taisuke also joined the Shinsengumi at the age of 11. He tried to bring back the head of Genzaburo, who was killed in battle in Kyoto, but gave up because it was too heavy.”

He found its location from old maps and other sources, and visited it nine years ago. He also made his major debut as a lyricist under the name "Inoue Genta”. He has released enka (traditional Japanese ballad) with the theme of bushido (the way of the samurai).

He runs the Tennen Rishin-ryu Inoue Genzaburo Dojo

Descendants of Matsudaira Katamori

Joining us today as a guest was Matsudaira Yasuhisa, 62, a descendant of the Aizu Matsudaira family and Matsudaira Katamori. He is currently an executive producer of a program at the NHK production company.

Descendants of Nagakura Shinpachi

Sugimura Juro (杉村重郎) (Photo: Matsumoto Yuki)

Although he was not present on the day of the event, there’s also a descendant of Shinsengumi second squad captain Nagakura Shinpachi who is working in the video industry. He is Sugimura Juro, 63, an anime producer.

“I was in my first year of high school. I found a piece of cloth in the coal yard at home, and it was the vest of Nagakura Shinpachi. It was in the newspaper, but my father took the credit for it, saying, 'Nagakura Shinpachi's grandson’ found it. (laugh)”

Nagakura was a member of the advance team in the Ikedaya Incident. He lived until 1915, and left behind his memoirs, "Shinsengumi Tenmatsuki", and also erected a memorial of Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo.

Mr. Sugimura is Nagakura's great-grandson and is currently a director at an anime production company, SIGNAL.MD.

“After graduating from photography school, I wanted to become a news photographer, but then I got into the world of animation photography. I shot Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi, Urusei Yatsura, Touch, etc., and I think my last film as a cinematographer was Kiki's Delivery Service. After that, I became a producer and was in charge of the Kochikame and Yu☆Gi☆Oh series. Two years ago, I helped establish my current company. My dream is to make this company big and major.”

He has been dedicated to the field of anime production for 38 years. Mr. Sugimura lives up to Nagakura's nickname, "Gamushin" (meaning "Daredevil Shinpachi").

(Weekly FLASH, April 11, 2017)