is a
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of 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 entertainment company well known for its
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
and
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
productions. It is Japan's oldest major
movie studioA movie studio is, in the established sense of the term, a company that distributes films. Literally, however, the term denotes a controlled environment for the making of a motion picture. This environment may be interior , exterior , or both...
. The name
Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of
Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".
The company has made, and continues to make films in numerous genres. However, for most of the 1970s and 1980s, they strictly produced what they termed roman porn (short for
romanceAs a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about the marvelous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight errant,...
) films in order to make ends meet (see History section).
is a
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of 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 entertainment company well known for its
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
and
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
productions. It is Japan's oldest major
movie studioA movie studio is, in the established sense of the term, a company that distributes films. Literally, however, the term denotes a controlled environment for the making of a motion picture. This environment may be interior , exterior , or both...
. The name
Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of
Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".
The company has made, and continues to make films in numerous genres. However, for most of the 1970s and 1980s, they strictly produced what they termed roman porn (short for
romanceAs a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about the marvelous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight errant,...
) films in order to make ends meet (see History section). Unlike "
pinku eiga", Nikkatsu's films were produced with relatively high budgets and production values, as well as featuring mainstream actresses, many of whom also starred in network television and nationally released film dramas.
Ownership
- 1912 Nippon Katsudō Shashin K.K. was established by the merger of four film companies.
- 1993 applied for Corporate Reorganization Act.
- 1996 acquired by a Japanese leisure company Namco
, is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. The company is most famous for creating Pac-Man, the best-selling arcade game in history...
.
- 2005 sold to Index Holdings
is the holding company of the Japanese enterprise Index Group of Companies. It was founded on September 1, 1995, as a mobile content service provider and has expanded into one of Japan's most successful companies, with acquisitions into several communications and entertainment ventures, including...
, a Japanese holding company which has interests in media contents industries.
History
Nikkatsu was founded in
1912The year 1912 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Mack Sennett, who had previously worked as an actor and comedy director with D. W. Griffith, formed a new company with New York City entrepreneur Adam Kessel called Keystone Studios...
when several production companies and theater chains
consolidatedConsolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers or acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. The financial accounting term of consolidation refers to the aggregated financial statements of a group company as...
under a
trustIn common law legal systems, a trust is an arrangement whereby property is managed by one person for the benefit of another. A trust is created by a settlor , who entrusts some or all of his property to people of his choice...
. The company enjoyed its share of success. It employed such notable
film directorA film director, or filmmaker is a person who directs the making or production of a film. Some also consider a film producer to be a filmmaker....
s as
Shozo MakinoShōzō Makino was a Japanese film director, film producer and businessman who is regarded as the pioneering director of Japanese film.Makino was born in Kyoto on September 22, 1878...
and his son
Masahiro Makinowas a Japanese film director of more than 230 films. His father was director Shōzō Makino and the recent pseudonym of film director Masahiko Tsugawa, Makino Masahiko, is a tribute to Masahiro.- Filmography :directed:...
. Most notably,
Akira Kurosawawas a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. In a career that spanned 50 years, Kurosawa directed 30 films. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in film history...
began his career there in the 1930s as an
assistant directorAn assistant director is a person who helps the filmmaker in the making of a movie or television show. The duties of an AD include setting the shooting schedule, tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking the arrival...
.
In the course of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the government ordered the 10 film companies that had formed by
1941The year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
consolidate into two.
Daieiis a Japanese movie studio.-History:Founded in 1942 as , the studio went bankrupt in 1971. In 1974 it was bought by Tokuma Shoten; and in 2002 was sold to Kadokawa Shoten and renamed Kadokawa Daiei Motion Picture Co. Ltd., later Kadokawa Pictures. In March 2004, Kadokawa Pictures acquired a 44%...
founder Masaichi Nagata, a former Nikkatsu employee, counter-proposed that 4 companies be formed and the suggestion was approved. Nikkatsu, set to merge with the two weakest companies, Shinko and Daito, were verbally displeased. The committee formed to establish the value of each company retaliated by purposefully undervaluing Nikkatsu which lead to Shinko becoming the dominate head of productions. The reformed Nikkatsu continued to prosper but all film production ceased.
The postwar film industry expanded rapidly and, in
1951The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
, Nikkatsu president Kyusaku Hori began construction of a new production studio. The company began making movies again in
1954The year 1954 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda. The two were married in 1927.* A reproduction of "America's First Movie Studio", Thomas Edison's Black Maria, is constructed...
. Many assistant directors from other studios, including
Shohei Imamurawas a Japanese film director. Imamura was the first Japanese director to win two Palme d'Or awards.His eldest son Daisuke Tengan is also a script writer and film director, and worked on the screenplays to Imamura's filmsThe Eel , Dr...
and
Seijun Suzuki, born Seitaro Suzuki on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are renowned by film enthusiasts worldwide for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility...
from
Shochikuis a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita , and more recently Yoji Yamada...
, moved to Nikkatsu with the promise of advancement to full director status within one or two years.
The company made a few
samuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
films and
historical dramasis a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama", and the period is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier — Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period — and the early...
but by
1960The year 1960 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
had decided to devote its resources to the production of urban youth dramas,
comedyComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. Also, films in this style typically have a happy ending . One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies...
,
actionAction movies are a film genre wherein the story is largely told through physical action as opposed to dialogue. The action typically involves individual efforts on the part of the hero. While action has long been an element of films, the "Action film" as a genre of its own began to develop in the...
and
gangsterYakuza eiga, or yakuza films, is a popular film genre in Japanese cinema which focuses on the lives and dealings of yakuza, also referred to as the Japanese Mafia.-Ninkyo eiga:...
films. From the late 1950s to
1971The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
they were renowned for their big budget
yakuza, also known as and violence groups, are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan.-Etymology:The term Yakuza comes from a Japanese game, Oicho-Kabu . The worst hand in the game is a set of eight, nine and three...
action movies designed for the youth market. They employed such stars as
Yujiro Ishiharawas a Japanese actor and singer born in Kobe. His elder brother, Shintaro Ishihara, is an author, politician, and the current Governor of Tokyo. Yujiro debuted in 1956 in "Season of the Sun," based on a novel written by his brother...
,
Akira Kobayashiis a Japanese actor. His nickname is .- Actor :He successfully became an actor in the Nikkatsu Corporation. He attended Meiji University but left before graduating. Kobayashi made his debut in 1959 in the film Nangoku Tosa o Ato ni Shite . He also starred in the TV series "Wataridori" and "Senpūji"...
,
Joe Shishidois a Japanese actor most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones. He has appeared in some 300 films but is best known in the West for his performance in the cult film Branded to Kill...
,
Tetsuya Watariis a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. He made his screen debut in 1964, in Kosugi Isao's .He is now the president of Ishihara Promotion.He has a younger brother, Tsunehiko Watase, who is also an actor.-Filmography:-External links:* *...
,
Ruriko Asaokaborn 2 July 1940 in Xinjing, Manchukuo , is a Japanese actress.- Filmography :* * * Alone on the Pacific aka Alone Across the Pacific...
, Chieko Matsubara and, later,
Meiko Kajiis a Japanese actress and Enka singer.-Life and career:Meiko Kaji first began work in the film industry under the name Masako Ota at Nikkatsu studio in 1965. Beginning in 1970, with little success but extensive experience in the movie business, under the name Meiko Kaji, she was cast in more or...
and
Tatsuya FujiTatsuya Fuji is a Japanese film actor. He has appeared in 50 films since 1964.-Selected filmography:* In the Realm of the Senses * Empire of Passion * Bright Future * The Man In White...
. Director
Shohei Imamurawas a Japanese film director. Imamura was the first Japanese director to win two Palme d'Or awards.His eldest son Daisuke Tengan is also a script writer and film director, and worked on the screenplays to Imamura's filmsThe Eel , Dr...
began his career there and between 1958 and 1966 made for them such films as
Pigs and Battleshipsis a 1961 Japanese film by director Shohei Imamura.- Plot :The film depicts the mutually exploitive relationship that exists between the U.S. military and the lower elements of Japanese society at Yokosuka....
(
1961The year 1961 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
source: http://www.boxofficereport.com/database/1961.shtml- Awards :Academy Awards:*Bridge to the Sun...
),
The Insect Womanis a 1963 film directed by Japanese director Shōhei Imamura.Imamura's film is about a woman, Tome, born to a lower class family in Japan in 1918. The film is a metaphor for life in Japan through the middle twentieth century, including World War II. The title refers to an insect, repeating its...
(
1963The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
) and
The PornographersThe Pornographers is a 1966 Japanese film directed by Shohei Imamura and based on a novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka. Its original Japanese title is Erogotoshitachi yori Jinruigaku nyumon , which means 'An Introduction to Anthropology through The Pornographers'. It tells the story of porn...
(
1966The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Walt Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died on December 15,1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
).
By 1971 the increased popularity of television had taken a heavy toll on the film industry and in order to remain profitable Nikkatsu turned to the production of roman porn and pink films, which focus on
sexIn biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
,
violenceViolence is the expression of physical or verbal force against self or other, compelling action against one's will on pain of being hurt. Variant uses of the term refer to the destruction of non-living objects . Worldwide, violence is used as a tool of manipulation and also is an area of concern...
,
S&MSadism is pleasure in the infliction of pain or humiliation upon another person, while masochism refers to gratification from receiving the same. These practices are often related and are collectively known as sadomasochism as well as S&M or SM...
and
romanceAs a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about the marvelous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight errant,...
. Many stars and directors left the company but a few stayed, including the film directors
Yasuharu Hasebewas a Japanese film director best known known for his movies in the "Violent pink" subgenre of the Pink film, such as Assault! Jack the Ripper , Rape! , Rape! 13th Hour and Raping!...
, Keiichi Ozawa, Shogoro Nishimura, and
Koreyoshi Kuraharawas a Japanese screenwriter and director. He is perhaps best known for directing Antarctica , which won several awards...
. It also witnessed the emergence of such new directors as
Tatsumi Kumashirowas a Japanese film director best known known for his critically acclaimed, award-winning Roman Porno films, such as Ichijo's Wet Lust and The Woman with Red Hair...
,
Masaru Konumais 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...
and
Chusei Soneis a Japanese film director known primarily for his stylish and popular Roman Porno films for Nikkatsu, particularly the first two installments of the Angel Guts series. Despite a somewhat uneven career, many mainstream critics consider Sone the best of Nikkatsu's Roman Porno directors.-Life and...
.
Today, Nikkatsu is now in a position to make films in various different genres, no longer relying only on adult films.