Satoru Kobayashi (director)
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
film director
most famous for directing the first pink film, the type of softcore
pornographic films that became the most prolific film genre in Japan during the 1960s and 1970s. Japanese sources claim that Kobayashi directed over 400 pink films between 1960 and 1990, making him possibly the most prolific Japanese film director.
on August 1, 1930. His family owned a hot-spring resort hotel. As a teenager during World War II
, Kobayashi was involved in anti-war activities, resulting in his torture by the Japanese military police. In an interview with the Director's Guild, Kobayashi claimed that it was this first-hand experience with torture that gave him his interest and adeptness with the sado-masochistic genre of pink film in which he often worked.
Kobayashi left Nagano for Tokyo, where he studied theater. He became involved with butoh
, worked as a set designer, and wrote theatrical criticism while in university. In 1954 he joined Shintōhō
studios as an assistant director
. Here he worked under ero guro masters Teruo Ishii
and Hiroshi Shimizu
, as well as Kinuyo Tanaka
, Japan's first female director. Kobayashi's directorial debut was with the independently-produced (1959
). For Shintōhō Kobayashi made ten more films with such exploitable titles as Dangerous Temptation, Three Women Burglars and Phantom Detective: Terrifying Alien (all 1960).
declared bankruptcy in 1961, Kobayashi was forced to seek work elsewhere. After a year out of the director's chair, Kobayashi wrote and directed the independent sex-film Flesh Market (1962
). Shintōhō
's female pearl-diver films with actress Michiko Maeda
had become notorious in the 1950s as the first Japanese films with nude scenes. Flesh Market was the first Japanese film to show breasts on screen. The film was released on February 27, 1962, and shut down by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
the next day. It became the first post-World War II movie to be accused of obscenity. When the film was cleared for release the next year, seven scenes had been cut. Flesh Market was an independent and underground film, and played only in "Adult" theaters. Nevertheless, perhaps because of the controversy surrounding the release of the film, Flesh Market was a box-office success. Made for only 6-8 million yen, the film brought in over 100 million yen, a huge profit for an independent release. The success of this film started the pink film genre, which was to become one of the most vital genres of Japanese domestic cinema for the next 40 years. The star of the film, Tamaki Katori
, would go on to appear in over 600 pink films during the 1960s, earning the nickname "The Pink Princess." Today only 21 minutes of Flesh Market survive, preserved in the National Film Centre.
).
For Ōkura Eiga
(later OP Eiga), the new company of Mitsugu Ōkura, the former president of Shintōhō, Kobayashi filmed The Mysterious Pearl of the Ama, a revival of the Michiko Maeda
-era pearl-diver films.
Kobayashi made a major miscalculation by attempting to deal with a socially significant theme in (1966
). According to advertising, the film purported to be "The first film dealing with the modern illness!" Typical of early pink films, the camera-work in Impotence makes careful use of camera angles and props to imply more than is shown. However, as the Weissers point out in their Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films, the subject of impotence was a poor choice for a pink film. After this box-office failure, Kobayashi quickly moved back to more standard pink film subject-matter.
(1967
) had Kobayashi back in more familiar and successful territory. A story of romance between the girls and guests at a hot spring resort, the film's freshness and freedom was in welcome contrast to Impotents heavy-handed moodiness. The star of the film, actress Yasuko Matsui, was Kobayashi's wife. She starred in or appeared in many of Kobayashi's films of the 1960s. The popularity of this film inspired the studio– Mutsukuni Eiga– to make a quick sequel. However this second film departed from the original's story, lacked director Kobayashi and Yasuko Matsui, and was not well-received.
Kobayashi directed Matsui again, with two other prominent pink film actresses of the time, in (1967). This action-filled sex film had the trio disguising themselves as men to rob a bank. Kobayashi became a director for Nikkatsu's Roman Porno series in the 1970s and Ms. Matsui followed him to the studio. Though, by this time, she was considered too old to be a leading character in these films, Matsui was often given prominent supporting roles.
in her film debut in I Lost Control of Myself Like This (1971). From 1972 until 1983 he made pink films for the Shochiku
subsidiary, Tōkatsu. L'ambition dans le miroir (1972), his first film for the studio, was one of Kobayashi's largest productions. Other titles Kobayashi made for Tōkatsu include Pervert's Pitfall and The High School Girl Who Likes to Be Watched (both 1976), Peeping Assault (1977) and Looking from Below (1981).
Kobayashi kept up with changes in the Japanese adult entertainment field. During the "Big Bust Boom", in the wake of Kimiko Matsuzaka
's February 1989 debut, Kobayashi directed several films in that genre. He directed early big-bust AV performer Natsuko Kayama's (1990
) for Excess, Nikkatsu's post-Roman Porno line of theatrical softcore pornography. Kobayashi also directed prominent post-Kimiko Matsuzaka era big-bust performer Shinobu Hosokawa in two films,
(1996
) and (1997
). He produced and directed prominent AV idol
Nao Saejima
in her theatrical release, (1995
).
When Kobayashi's mentor, Teruo Ishii, planned his 1999
remake of Nobuo Nakagawa
's Jigoku
(1960
), Kobayashi served as producer. Together with Ishii, Kobayashi was able to persuade Michiko Maeda
, who had been banned from Japanese cinema 42 years before, to make her come-back appearance in the film. In 2000, Kobayashi formed his own production company, and continued directing films until the year of his death. Kobayashi died of bladder cancer
on November 15, 2001.
Besides having a major impact on Japanese domestic cinema by introducing the pink film genre, the number of Kobayashi's feature films– over 400– makes him possibly the most prolific film director in Japan's cinematic history. The 2001 Pink Grand Prix
– the leading award ceremony for the pink film– gave Kobayashi a posthumous Special Award for his career.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
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:...
most famous for directing the first pink film, the type of softcore
Softcore
Softcore pornography is a form of filmic or photographic pornography or erotica that is less sexually explicit than hardcore pornography. It is intended to tickle and arouse men and women. Softcore pornography depicts nude and semi-nude performers engaging in casual social nudity or non-graphic...
pornographic films that became the most prolific film genre in Japan during the 1960s and 1970s. Japanese sources claim that Kobayashi directed over 400 pink films between 1960 and 1990, making him possibly the most prolific Japanese film director.
Early life
Satoru Kobayashi was born in Nagano PrefectureNagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
on August 1, 1930. His family owned a hot-spring resort hotel. As a teenager during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Kobayashi was involved in anti-war activities, resulting in his torture by the Japanese military police. In an interview with the Director's Guild, Kobayashi claimed that it was this first-hand experience with torture that gave him his interest and adeptness with the sado-masochistic genre of pink film in which he often worked.
Kobayashi left Nagano for Tokyo, where he studied theater. He became involved with butoh
Butoh
is the collective name for a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement inspired by the movement. It typically involves playful and grotesque imagery, taboo topics, extreme or absurd environments, and is traditionally performed in white body makeup...
, worked as a set designer, and wrote theatrical criticism while in university. In 1954 he joined Shintōhō
Shintoho
was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big-6 film studios during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Tōhō Company...
studios as an assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
. Here he worked under ero guro masters 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...
and Hiroshi Shimizu
Hiroshi Shimizu (director)
was a Japanese film director, known for his silent films with detailed depictions of Japanese society.-Career:Shimizu was born in Shizuoka and attended Hokkaidō University but left before graduating. He joined the Shochiku studio in Tokyo in 1921 and made his directorial debut in 1924, at the age...
, as well as Kinuyo Tanaka
Kinuyo Tanaka
was a Japanese actress and director.Tanaka was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. She became a leading actress at an early age, appearing in Yasujirō Ozu's I Graduated, But... in 1929...
, Japan's first female director. Kobayashi's directorial debut was with the independently-produced (1959
1959 in film
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
). For Shintōhō Kobayashi made ten more films with such exploitable titles as Dangerous Temptation, Three Women Burglars and Phantom Detective: Terrifying Alien (all 1960).
Flesh Market
When ShintōhōShintoho
was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big-6 film studios during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Tōhō Company...
declared bankruptcy in 1961, Kobayashi was forced to seek work elsewhere. After a year out of the director's chair, Kobayashi wrote and directed the independent sex-film Flesh Market (1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
). Shintōhō
Shintoho
was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big-6 film studios during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Tōhō Company...
's female pearl-diver films with actress Michiko Maeda
Michiko Maeda
is a Japanese film and television actress. After becoming known as the first Japanese actress to appear in a nude scene in a mainstream film, Maeda was banned from the Japanese cinema after an incident in which she refused to obey a director, and did not return to the Japanese screen until 42 years...
had become notorious in the 1950s as the first Japanese films with nude scenes. Flesh Market was the first Japanese film to show breasts on screen. The film was released on February 27, 1962, and shut down by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department serves as the police force for the entire Tokyo metropolis. Founded in 1874, it is headed by a superintendent general, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission and approved by the prime minister.The Metropolitan Police, with a staff of more...
the next day. It became the first post-World War II movie to be accused of obscenity. When the film was cleared for release the next year, seven scenes had been cut. Flesh Market was an independent and underground film, and played only in "Adult" theaters. Nevertheless, perhaps because of the controversy surrounding the release of the film, Flesh Market was a box-office success. Made for only 6-8 million yen, the film brought in over 100 million yen, a huge profit for an independent release. The success of this film started the pink film genre, which was to become one of the most vital genres of Japanese domestic cinema for the next 40 years. The star of the film, Tamaki Katori
Tamaki Katori
is a Japanese actress best known for her appearances in pink film during the 1960s and early 1970s. Katori was the star of Flesh Market , the first of these softcore pornographic films made in Japan...
, would go on to appear in over 600 pink films during the 1960s, earning the nickname "The Pink Princess." Today only 21 minutes of Flesh Market survive, preserved in the National Film Centre.
Middle career
Flesh Market was only the beginning of Satoru Kobayashi's career in pink films. Between 1960 and 1990, he made over 400 such films. His interest in horror also expressed itself in such supernatural thrillers as (1962)– also starring Tamaki Katori– and (19631963 in film
The 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....
).
For Ōkura Eiga
OP Eiga
, also known as is the largest and one of the oldest independent Japanese studios which produce and distribute pink films. Along with Shintōhō, Kantō, Million Film, and Kōji Wakamatsu's production studio, Ōkura was one of the most influential studios on the pink film genre...
(later OP Eiga), the new company of Mitsugu Ōkura, the former president of Shintōhō, Kobayashi filmed The Mysterious Pearl of the Ama, a revival of the Michiko Maeda
Michiko Maeda
is a Japanese film and television actress. After becoming known as the first Japanese actress to appear in a nude scene in a mainstream film, Maeda was banned from the Japanese cinema after an incident in which she refused to obey a director, and did not return to the Japanese screen until 42 years...
-era pearl-diver films.
Kobayashi made a major miscalculation by attempting to deal with a socially significant theme in (1966
1966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
). According to advertising, the film purported to be "The first film dealing with the modern illness!" Typical of early pink films, the camera-work in Impotence makes careful use of camera angles and props to imply more than is shown. However, as the Weissers point out in their Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films, the subject of impotence was a poor choice for a pink film. After this box-office failure, Kobayashi quickly moved back to more standard pink film subject-matter.
(1967
1967 in film
The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
) had Kobayashi back in more familiar and successful territory. A story of romance between the girls and guests at a hot spring resort, the film's freshness and freedom was in welcome contrast to Impotents heavy-handed moodiness. The star of the film, actress Yasuko Matsui, was Kobayashi's wife. She starred in or appeared in many of Kobayashi's films of the 1960s. The popularity of this film inspired the studio– Mutsukuni Eiga– to make a quick sequel. However this second film departed from the original's story, lacked director Kobayashi and Yasuko Matsui, and was not well-received.
Kobayashi directed Matsui again, with two other prominent pink film actresses of the time, in (1967). This action-filled sex film had the trio disguising themselves as men to rob a bank. Kobayashi became a director for Nikkatsu's Roman Porno series in the 1970s and Ms. Matsui followed him to the studio. Though, by this time, she was considered too old to be a leading character in these films, Matsui was often given prominent supporting roles.
Later career
Kobayashi's output did not slow in later years. He directed Roman Porno Queen Junko MiyashitaJunko Miyashita
is a Japanese actress who had a long and varied career working both in pink film and mainstream cinema.- Career :Junko Miyashita was born in Tokyo on January 29, 1949. She was working as a waitress at a coffee shop when she was recruited to work in Pink films....
in her film debut in I Lost Control of Myself Like This (1971). From 1972 until 1983 he made pink films for the Shochiku
Shochiku
is a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...
subsidiary, Tōkatsu. L'ambition dans le miroir (1972), his first film for the studio, was one of Kobayashi's largest productions. Other titles Kobayashi made for Tōkatsu include Pervert's Pitfall and The High School Girl Who Likes to Be Watched (both 1976), Peeping Assault (1977) and Looking from Below (1981).
Kobayashi kept up with changes in the Japanese adult entertainment field. During the "Big Bust Boom", in the wake of Kimiko Matsuzaka
Kimiko Matsuzaka
is a Japanese AV idol who was prominent during the late-1980s and early-1990s noted for her large breasts. An authority on the AV industry points to Matsuzaka's career as the beginning of the "Big Bust Boom" in Japan.- AV Debut :...
's February 1989 debut, Kobayashi directed several films in that genre. He directed early big-bust AV performer Natsuko Kayama's (1990
1990 in film
The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
) for Excess, Nikkatsu's post-Roman Porno line of theatrical softcore pornography. Kobayashi also directed prominent post-Kimiko Matsuzaka era big-bust performer Shinobu Hosokawa in two films,
(1996
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
) and (1997
1997 in film
-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
). He produced and directed prominent AV idol
AV Idol
An AV idol is a Japanese idol who works in the pornographic business, often both as an actress as well as a model as the video performances have a wide range, from just the idol strolling around their house doing chores in bikinis to hardcore porn...
Nao Saejima
Nao Saejima
is a Japanese AV idol and model of the 1980s and 1990s who also starred in photobooks, V-Cinema, and feature films, including Nikkatsu's Roman Porno series.-AV career:...
in her theatrical release, (1995
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
).
When Kobayashi's mentor, Teruo Ishii, planned his 1999
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
remake of Nobuo Nakagawa
Nobuo Nakagawa
was a Japanese film director, most famous for the stylized, folk tale-influenced horror films he made in the 1950s and 1960s.-Career:Born in Kyoto, Nakagawa was early on influenced by proletarian literature and wrote amateur film reviews to the Kinema Junpō film magazine. He joined Makino Film...
's Jigoku
Jigoku (film)
is a 1960 Japanese horror film, directed by Nobuo Nakagawa and starring Utako Mitsuya and Shigeru Amachi. Jigoku was re-made in 1970 by Tatsumi Kumashiro, and later re-made again under the title of Japanese Hell by Teruo Ishii in 1999....
(1960
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-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...
), Kobayashi served as producer. Together with Ishii, Kobayashi was able to persuade Michiko Maeda
Michiko Maeda
is a Japanese film and television actress. After becoming known as the first Japanese actress to appear in a nude scene in a mainstream film, Maeda was banned from the Japanese cinema after an incident in which she refused to obey a director, and did not return to the Japanese screen until 42 years...
, who had been banned from Japanese cinema 42 years before, to make her come-back appearance in the film. In 2000, Kobayashi formed his own production company, and continued directing films until the year of his death. Kobayashi died of bladder cancer
Bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which abnormal cells multiply without control in the bladder. The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine; it is located in the pelvis...
on November 15, 2001.
Besides having a major impact on Japanese domestic cinema by introducing the pink film genre, the number of Kobayashi's feature films– over 400– makes him possibly the most prolific film director in Japan's cinematic history. The 2001 Pink Grand Prix
Pink Grand Prix
The or is an annual Japanese film award ceremony which recognizes excellence in the pink film. Known as the "Academy Awards of the Pink Film", the ceremony attracts a diverse audience of industry personnel, film scholars and the general public....
– the leading award ceremony for the pink film– gave Kobayashi a posthumous Special Award for his career.