Teruo Ishii
Encyclopedia
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 ("erotic-grotesque") subgenre of pinku eiga
such as Shogun's Joys of Torture
(1968
). He also directed the 1965
film, Abashiri Prison
, which helped to make Ken Takakura
a major star in Japan. Referred to in Japan as "The King of Cult", Ishii had a much more prolific and eclectic career than was generally known in the West during his lifetime.
's Asakusa
neighborhood in 1924, Ishii developed a love of cinema early. His parents would often take him to see foreign films, particularly French movies. Ishii worked at Toho
Studios as an assistant director beginning in 1942. His film career was interrupted when he was sent to Manchuria
during World War II
to take aerial photographs
for bombing runs.
studios. Ishii would later recall his time with Shintoho as, "without doubt the most joyful period of my professional life." While at Shintoho he worked as assistant director to Mikio Naruse
, whom he considered his mentor for the rest of his career. He also worked for director Hiroshi Shimizu
and studied script writing with Shinichi Sekizawa
, best known in the West for his entries in the Godzilla series. Ishii's directorial debut was in 1957
with the boxing film, King of the Ring: The World of Glory (Ring no Oja: Eiko no Sekai).
He was next assigned to direct six installments in the children's science-fiction series, Super Giant
. This nine-episode series was later re-packaged into four films for U.S. syndicated television as Starman. From 1958
to 1961
Ishii directed four films in the film-noir Line (Chitai) series. For the last of these films, Sexy Line (Sexy Chitai) (1961), Ishii took his cameras to the streets of Asakusa
and Ginza
, in order to film real life on location. The film has been called, "sharp, witty and contagious," and "a lively portrait of the Tokyo underworld, populated by hookers, johns, crooks and cops and shot in cinéma-verité style."
, forcing Ishii to seek employment at another studio. He moved to Toei Company
where he directed Flower and Storm and Gang (Hana to Arashi to Gang) (1961), starring Ken Takakura
. His 1965
Abashiri Bangaichi
with Takakura would solidify that actor's stardom and give Ishii his biggest success of the 1960s. Ishii would go on to direct 10 of the 18 films in this series.
In 1968, Ishii initiated two popular, long-running series for Toei. In the first entry in the Hot Springs Geisha series (1968–1972), Ishii successfully replaced his usual "darkly sardonic cinematic style in favor of this light and frivolous 'mainstream' comedy about geisha masseuses operating inside a hotsprings resort." Ishii left this series to other directors. The Joys of Torture series (1968–1973), however, suited Ishii's taste. Beginning with Shogun's Joys of Torture
(1968
), Ishii directed all eight entries in the series, which examined the history of torture in Japan. A fan of the work of horror and suspense author Edogawa Rampo
since childhood, Ishii adapted many of his horror stories into his films of this period, including Horrors of Malformed Men
. The term ero-guro ("erotic-grotesque"), used to describe Rampo's writings, was also applied to Ishii's style in these films, and the term is still used to describe the most extreme of the S&M films in Japan. Of these, the Weissers comment, "The Ishii Torture movies are still the best-made, rivaled only by certain Koji Wakamatsu
productions (especially Torture Chronicles: 100 Years (1975
)), a few from Masaru Konuma
{i.e., Wife to be Sacrificed
and Flower and Snake
(both 1974
)) and Go Ijuin's Captured For Sex 2 (1986
)."
Ishii worked in several of Toei's popular genres during the 1970s, including a Pinky violent film with Reiko Ike
, Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture
(1973
), and one of Sonny Chiba
's Street Fighter films in the mid-1970s, The Street Fighter’s Last Revenge (Gyakushu! Satsujin Ken). Ishii made two contributions to the biker genre with Detonation! Violent Riders (1975
) and Detonation! Violent Games (1976
). After 1979
Ishii stopped making theatrical films and worked mainly for television during the 1980s.
film The Hit Man: Blood Smells Like Roses. In 1993
he made a film of Yoshiharu Tsuge
's manga, Master of the Gensenkan Inn (Gensenkan Shujin), and in 1998
he filmed Tsuge's avant-garde manga, Wind-Up Type (Nejishiki). In 1999
he remade director Nobuo Nakagawa
's famous film Hell (Jigoku; 1960), using the trial of Aum
sect leader Shoko Asahara
as an inspiration. Ishii's last film, The Blind Beast Vs The Dwarf (2001
) was another based on the work of Edogawa Rampo.
Largely unknown outside Japan during much of his career, late in life, Ishii's work was discovered and gained admirers in the West. Ishii attended festivals devoted to his films given at the Far East Film Festival in Udine and at the Étrange Festival in France. In his later years, Ishii often spoke of a dream project, a gangster epic with Ken Takakura to be called Once Upon a Time in Japan. Ishii died August 12, 2005 before that project ever became a reality. Directing in a wide range of genres throughout his career, including martial arts, science fiction, horror, erotica, and film noir, Ishii's 83 films are a microcosm of popular cinematic trends in Japan during the second half of the twentieth century.
Super Giant
is a fictional Japanese superhero featured in a successful series of serial-like tokusatsu short feature films produced by Shintoho Company, Ltd....
series, and for his films in the Ero guro ("erotic-grotesque") subgenre of 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...
such as Shogun's Joys of Torture
Shogun's Joys of Torture
is a 1968 Japanese film in the Ero guro sub-genre of Toei's style of Pink film. Directed by Teruo Ishii, the film is considered a precursor to Toei's ventures into the "Pinky violent" style in the early 1970s.-Availability:...
(1968
1968 in film
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
). He also directed the 1965
1965 in film
The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
film, Abashiri Prison
Abashiri Prison (film)
aka A Man from Abashiri Prison is a 1965 Japanese film directed by Teruo Ishii and starring Ken Takakura. It is the first entry in the Abashiri Bangaichi / Abashiri Prison series. Highly successful, it was the first hit in the yakuza film genre...
, which helped to make Ken Takakura
Ken Takakura
, born , is a Japanese actor best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brings to his roles.Takakura gained his streetwise swagger and tough-guy persona watching yakuza turf battles over the lucrative black market and racketeering in postwar Fukuoka...
a major star in Japan. Referred to in Japan as "The King of Cult", Ishii had a much more prolific and eclectic career than was generally known in the West during his lifetime.
Early life
Born in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
's Asakusa
Asakusa
is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...
neighborhood in 1924, Ishii developed a love of cinema early. His parents would often take him to see foreign films, particularly French movies. Ishii worked at Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
Studios as an assistant director beginning in 1942. His film career was interrupted when he was sent to Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
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...
to take aerial photographs
Aerial photography
Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
for bombing runs.
Shintoho
In March, 1947 Ishii joined the newly-founded ShintohoShintoho
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. Ishii would later recall his time with Shintoho as, "without doubt the most joyful period of my professional life." While at Shintoho he worked as assistant director to Mikio Naruse
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...
, whom he considered his mentor for the rest of his career. He also worked for director 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...
and studied script writing with Shinichi Sekizawa
Shinichi Sekizawa
was a Japanese screenwriter. His very first screenplay was for the Shintoho Studios film Fearful Attack of the Flying Saucers, which is now considered to be lost. He went on to script several films by Ishirō Honda, including several classic Godzilla films...
, best known in the West for his entries in the Godzilla series. Ishii's directorial debut was in 1957
1957 in film
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
with the boxing film, King of the Ring: The World of Glory (Ring no Oja: Eiko no Sekai).
He was next assigned to direct six installments in the children's science-fiction series, Super Giant
Super Giant
is a fictional Japanese superhero featured in a successful series of serial-like tokusatsu short feature films produced by Shintoho Company, Ltd....
. This nine-episode series was later re-packaged into four films for U.S. syndicated television as Starman. From 1958
1958 in film
The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946....
to 1961
1961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
Ishii directed four films in the film-noir Line (Chitai) series. For the last of these films, Sexy Line (Sexy Chitai) (1961), Ishii took his cameras to the streets of Asakusa
Asakusa
is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...
and Ginza
Ginza
is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi.It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is recognized as one of the most...
, in order to film real life on location. The film has been called, "sharp, witty and contagious," and "a lively portrait of the Tokyo underworld, populated by hookers, johns, crooks and cops and shot in cinéma-verité style."
Toei
Shintoho declared bankruptcy in 19611961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
, forcing Ishii to seek employment at another studio. He moved to Toei Company
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
where he directed Flower and Storm and Gang (Hana to Arashi to Gang) (1961), starring Ken Takakura
Ken Takakura
, born , is a Japanese actor best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brings to his roles.Takakura gained his streetwise swagger and tough-guy persona watching yakuza turf battles over the lucrative black market and racketeering in postwar Fukuoka...
. His 1965
1965 in film
The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
Abashiri Bangaichi
Abashiri Prison (film)
aka A Man from Abashiri Prison is a 1965 Japanese film directed by Teruo Ishii and starring Ken Takakura. It is the first entry in the Abashiri Bangaichi / Abashiri Prison series. Highly successful, it was the first hit in the yakuza film genre...
with Takakura would solidify that actor's stardom and give Ishii his biggest success of the 1960s. Ishii would go on to direct 10 of the 18 films in this series.
In 1968, Ishii initiated two popular, long-running series for Toei. In the first entry in the Hot Springs Geisha series (1968–1972), Ishii successfully replaced his usual "darkly sardonic cinematic style in favor of this light and frivolous 'mainstream' comedy about geisha masseuses operating inside a hotsprings resort." Ishii left this series to other directors. The Joys of Torture series (1968–1973), however, suited Ishii's taste. Beginning with Shogun's Joys of Torture
Shogun's Joys of Torture
is a 1968 Japanese film in the Ero guro sub-genre of Toei's style of Pink film. Directed by Teruo Ishii, the film is considered a precursor to Toei's ventures into the "Pinky violent" style in the early 1970s.-Availability:...
(1968
1968 in film
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
), Ishii directed all eight entries in the series, which examined the history of torture in Japan. A fan of the work of horror and suspense author 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...
since childhood, Ishii adapted many of his horror stories into his films of this period, including Horrors of Malformed Men
Horrors of Malformed Men
is a 1969 Japanese film in the Ero guro sub-genre of Toei's style of Pink film. Directed by Teruo Ishii, the film is considered a precursor to Toei's ventures into the "Pinky violent" style in the early 1970s.-Critical appraisal:...
. The term ero-guro ("erotic-grotesque"), used to describe Rampo's writings, was also applied to Ishii's style in these films, and the term is still used to describe the most extreme of the S&M films in Japan. Of these, the Weissers comment, "The Ishii Torture movies are still the best-made, rivaled only by certain Koji Wakamatsu
Koji Wakamatsu
is a Japanese film director who directed such pinku eiga films as and . He also produced Nagisa Ōshima's controversial film In the Realm of the Senses...
productions (especially Torture Chronicles: 100 Years (1975
1975 in film
The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
)), a few from 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...
{i.e., Wife to be Sacrificed
Wife to Be Sacrificed
is a Japanese soft-core pornographic S/M film starring Naomi Tani and directed by Masaru Konuma. The film was produced by Nikkatsu studios as part of their Roman Porno series.- Background :...
and Flower and Snake
Flower and Snake
aka Flowers and Serpents is a Japanese soft-core S/M film starring Naomi Tani, directed by Masaru Konuma and produced by Nikkatsu. Based on a novel by Oniroku Dan , Japan's best-known author of S&M fiction, Flower and Snake was the first of Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno films to deal with an S&M theme...
(both 1974
1974 in film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
)) and Go Ijuin's Captured For Sex 2 (1986
1986 in film
-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
)."
Ishii worked in several of Toei's popular genres during the 1970s, including a Pinky violent film with Reiko Ike
Reiko Ike
, is a Japanese actress, singer, and entertainer. She is best known for her roles in the genre of action/erotic movies known as pink films. Ike also released an album of songs in 1971, Kôkotsu No Sekai...
, Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture
Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture
,is a 1973 Japanese film in Toei's Pinky violent genre of Pink film. Directed by prolific genre-director, Teruo Ishii the film was a sequel to director Norifumi Suzuki's Sex & Fury made earlier the same year.-Availability:...
(1973
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
), and one of 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,...
's Street Fighter films in the mid-1970s, The Street Fighter’s Last Revenge (Gyakushu! Satsujin Ken). Ishii made two contributions to the biker genre with Detonation! Violent Riders (1975
1975 in film
The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
) and Detonation! Violent Games (1976
1976 in film
The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
). After 1979
1979 in film
The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
Ishii stopped making theatrical films and worked mainly for television during the 1980s.
Later career
Ishii returned to Toei in 1991 with the V-cinemaV-Cinema
Japanese is the direct-to-video industry that appeared in Japan in the 1980s. The term is a trademark of Toei Company but is widely used in the West to describe any Japanese direct-to-video release. In Japan the term used is...
film The Hit Man: Blood Smells Like Roses. In 1993
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
he made a film of Yoshiharu Tsuge
Yoshiharu Tsuge
is a Japanese manga artist and essayist. He was active in comics between 1954 and 1987. The content of his works range from tales of ordinary life to dream-like surrealism, and often show his interest in traveling about Japan...
's manga, Master of the Gensenkan Inn (Gensenkan Shujin), and in 1998
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
he filmed Tsuge's avant-garde manga, Wind-Up Type (Nejishiki). In 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...
he remade director 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 famous film Hell (Jigoku; 1960), using the trial of Aum
Aum
Om or Aum Om or Aum Om or Aum (also , written in Devanāgari as and as , in Sanskrit known as (lit. "to sound out loudly"), ', or ' (also as ') (lit. "Auṃ form/syllable"), is a sacred/mystical syllable in the Dharmic or Indian religions, i.e...
sect leader Shoko Asahara
Shoko Asahara
, born on March 2, 1955, is a founder of the controversial Japanese new religious group Aum Shinrikyo. He was convicted of masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway and several other crimes, for which he was sentenced to death...
as an inspiration. Ishii's last film, The Blind Beast Vs The Dwarf (2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
) was another based on the work of Edogawa Rampo.
Largely unknown outside Japan during much of his career, late in life, Ishii's work was discovered and gained admirers in the West. Ishii attended festivals devoted to his films given at the Far East Film Festival in Udine and at the Étrange Festival in France. In his later years, Ishii often spoke of a dream project, a gangster epic with Ken Takakura to be called Once Upon a Time in Japan. Ishii died August 12, 2005 before that project ever became a reality. Directing in a wide range of genres throughout his career, including martial arts, science fiction, horror, erotica, and film noir, Ishii's 83 films are a microcosm of popular cinematic trends in Japan during the second half of the twentieth century.
Filmography
| Film title | Company | Genre | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| リングの王者 栄光の世界 Ring no Oja: Eiko no Sekai |
Shintoho 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... |
1957-04-10 | |
| The Steelman from Outer Space, Super Giant 1 Super Giant is a fictional Japanese superhero featured in a successful series of serial-like tokusatsu short feature films produced by Shintoho Company, Ltd.... 鋼鉄の巨人 |
Shintoho | 1957-07-30 | |
| Super Giant 2 続鋼鉄の巨人 |
Shintoho | 1957-08-13 | |
| Invaders From the Planets, Super Giant 3 鋼鉄の巨人 怪星人の魔城 Super Giants Kaiseijin no Majo |
Shintoho | 1957-10-01 | |
| The Earth in Danger, Super Giant 4 鋼鉄の巨人 地球滅亡寸前 Super Giants Chikyu Metsubo Sunzen |
Shintoho | 1957-10-08 | |
| Nude Actress Murder Case: Five Criminals Nude Actress Murder Case: Five Criminals is a 1957 Japanese black-and-white film directed by Teruo Ishii at Shintōhō, during the time he was filming the Super Giant series.-Cast:* Ken Utsui: Kōji Nishimura* Yōko Mihara: Betty Momozono* Utako Mitsuya: 水町かほる* Reiko Kita: 浜野千鳥* Shigeru Amachi: 天野... 肉体女優殺し 五人の犯罪者 Nikutai joyū koroshi: Go-nin no hanzaisha |
Shintoho | 1957-11-10 | |
| Spaceship of Human Destruction, Super Giant 5 スーパー・ジャイアンツ 人工衛星と人類の破滅 Super Giants Jinko Eisen to Jinrui no Hametsu |
Shintoho | 1957-12-28 | |
| Destruction of the Space Fleet, Super Giants 6 スーパー・ジャイアンツ 宇宙艇と人工衛星の激突 Super Giants Uchutei to Jinko Eisen no Kekitotsu |
Shintoho | 1958-01-03 | |
| 天城心中 天国に結ぶ恋 Amagi Shinju Tengoku ni Musubu Koi |
Shintoho | 1958-01-26 | |
| 女体棧橋 Jotai Senbashi |
Shintoho | 1958-04-12 | |
| White Line 白線秘密地帯 Shirosen Himitsu Chitai |
Shintoho | 1958-09-21 | |
| 女王蜂の怒り Jobachi no Ikari |
Shintoho | 1958-12-28 | |
| 戦場のなでしこ Senjo no Nadeshiko |
Shintoho | 1959-02-25 | |
| 猛吹雪の死闘 Mofubuki no Shito |
Shintoho | 1959-04-29 | |
| 日本ロマンス旅行 Nippon Romance Ryoko: Sapporo Han |
Shintoho | 1959-04-29 | |
| Black Line 黒線地帯 Kurosen Chitai |
Shintoho | 1960-01-13 | |
| 女体渦巻島 Nyotai Uzumaki Shima |
Shintoho | 1960-02-27 | |
| Yellow Line 黄線地帯 イエローライン Osen Chitai |
Shintoho | 1960-04-29 | |
| 女王蜂と大学の龍 Jobachi to Daigaku no Ryū |
Shintoho | 1960-09-01 | |
| Sexy Line セクシー地帯 Sexy Chitai |
Shintoho | 1961-01-09 | |
| 恋愛ズバリ講座 第三話 Ren'ai Zubari Koza |
Shintoho | 1961-01-21 | |
| Flower and Storm and Gang, Gang 1 花と嵐とギャング Hana to Arashi to Gang |
Toei Toei Company is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a... |
1961-06-23 | |
| 霧と影 Kiri to Kage |
Toei | 1961-08-26 | |
| 黄色い風土 Kiiroi Fudo |
Toei | 1961-09-23 | |
| Gang 2 恋と太陽とギャング Koi to Taiyo to Gang |
Toei | 1962-03-21 | |
| The G-men of the Pacific 太平洋のGメン Taiheiyo no G-men |
Toei | 1962-04-22 | |
| Boss of the Underworld: Gang of 11, Gang 5 暗黒街の顔役 十一人のギャング Ankokugai no Kaoyaku: Juichinin no Gang |
Toei | 1963-01-15 | |
| Gang 6 ギャング対Gメン 集団金庫破り Gang tai G-men: Shudan Kinko Yaburi |
Toei | 1963-02-23 | |
| Kill the Boss 親分を倒せ Oyabun wo Taose |
Toei | 1963-06-22 | |
| 昭和侠客伝 Showa Kyokakuden |
Toei | 1963-10-05 | |
| Gang 9, Tokyo Gang versus Hong Kong Gang 東京ギャング対香港ギャング Tokyo Gang tai Hong Kong Gang |
Toei | 1964-01-01 | |
| ならず者 Narazu-mono |
Toei | 1964-04-05 | |
| 御金蔵破り Gokinzo yaburi |
Toei | 1964-08-13 | |
| いれずみ突撃隊 Irezumi Totsugekitai |
Toei | 1964-10-21 | |
| 顔役 Kaoyaku |
Toei | 1965-01-03 | |
| Abashiri Prison Abashiri Prison (film) aka A Man from Abashiri Prison is a 1965 Japanese film directed by Teruo Ishii and starring Ken Takakura. It is the first entry in the Abashiri Bangaichi / Abashiri Prison series. Highly successful, it was the first hit in the yakuza film genre... 網走番外地 Abashiri Bangaichi |
Toei | 1965-04-18 | |
| 続網走番外地 Zoku Abashiri Bangaichi |
Toei | 1965-07-10 | |
| 網走番外地 望郷篇 Abashiri Bangaichi: Bokyohen |
Toei | 1965-10-31 | |
| 網走番外地 北海篇 Abashiri Bangaichi: Hokkai-hen |
Toei | 1965-12-31 | |
| 日本ゼロ地帯 夜を狙え Nippon Zero Chitai: Yoru wo Nerae |
Toei | 1966-03-05 | |
| Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Wind 網走番外地 荒野の対決 Abashiri Bangaichi: Koya no Taiketsu |
Toei | 1966-04-23 | |
| Big Villain Plan 大悪党作戦 Daiakuto Sakusen |
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... |
1966-07-09 | |
| 網走番外地 南国の対決 Abashiri Bangaichi: Nangoku no Taiketsu |
Toei | 1966-08-13 | |
| 神火101 殺しの用心棒 Shinka 101: Koroshi no Yojimbo |
Shochiku | 1966-12-23 | |
| 網走番外地 大雪原の対決 Abashiri Bangaichi: Dai-setsugen no Taiketsu |
Toei | 1966-12-30 | |
| 網走番外地 決斗零下30度 Abashiri Bangaichi: Ketto Reika 30-do |
Toei | 1967-04-20 | |
| 決着 Otoshimae |
Toei | 1967-05-20 | |
| Abashiri Prison: Challenge for Glory 網走番外地 悪への挑戦 Abashiri Bangaichi: Aku Eno Chosen |
Toei | 1967-08-12 | |
| Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Storm 網走番外地 吹雪の斗争 Abashiri Bangaichi: Fubuki no Toso |
Toei | 1967-12-23 | |
| 続決着 Zoku Otoshimae |
Toei | 1968-03-30 | |
| 徳川女系図 Tokugawa Onna Keizu |
Toei | 1968-05-01 | |
| 温泉あんま芸者 Onsen Anma Geisha |
Toei | 1968-06-28 | |
| Shogun's Joys of Torture Shogun's Joys of Torture is a 1968 Japanese film in the Ero guro sub-genre of Toei's style of Pink film. Directed by Teruo Ishii, the film is considered a precursor to Toei's ventures into the "Pinky violent" style in the early 1970s.-Availability:... 徳川女刑罰史 Tokugawa Onna Keibatsushi |
Toei | 1968-09-28 | |
| Orgies of Edo 残酷異常虐待物語 元禄女系図 Zankoku Ijo Gyakutai Monogatari Genroku Jokeizu |
Toei | 1969-01-09 | |
| 異常性愛記録 ハレンチ Ijo Seai Kiroku Harenchi |
Toei | 1969-02-21 | |
| The Friendly Killer 昇り竜鉄火肌 Noboriryu Tekkahada |
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:... |
1969-03-29 | |
| Inferno of Torture / Hell's Tattooers 徳川いれずみ師 責め地獄 Tokugawa Irezumishi Seme Jigoku |
Toei | 1969-05-02 | |
| A History of Yakuza Punishment: Lynch! やくざ刑罰史 私刑 Yakuza Keibatsushi: Lynch! |
Toei | 1969-06-27 | |
| Love and Crime 明治大正昭和 猟奇女犯罪史 Meiji Taisho Showa Ryoki Onna Hanzaishi |
Toei | 1969-08-27 | |
| Horrors of Malformed Men Horrors of Malformed Men is a 1969 Japanese film in the Ero guro sub-genre of Toei's style of Pink film. Directed by Teruo Ishii, the film is considered a precursor to Toei's ventures into the "Pinky violent" style in the early 1970s.-Critical appraisal:... 江戸川乱歩全集 恐怖奇形人間 Edogawa Rampo Zenshu Kyofu Kikei Ningen |
Toei | 1969-10-31 | |
| 殺し屋人別帳 Koroshiya ninbetsucho |
Toei | 1970-01-31 | |
| 監獄人別帳 Kangoku ninbetsucho |
Toei | 1970-04-10 | |
| The Blind Woman's Curse / The Haunted Life of a Dragon: Tattooed Lass / Tattooed Swordswoman 怪談昇り竜 Kaidan Nobori Ryū |
Nikkatsu | 1970-06-20 | |
| 緋ぢりめん博徒 Hijirimen Bakuto |
Toei | 1972-11-21 | |
| ポルノ時代劇 忘八武士道 Porno Jidaigeki: Bohachi Bushido |
Toei | 1973-02-03 | |
| Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture ,is a 1973 Japanese film in Toei's Pinky violent genre of Pink film. Directed by prolific genre-director, Teruo Ishii the film was a sequel to director Norifumi Suzuki's Sex & Fury made earlier the same year.-Availability:... やさぐれ姐御伝 総括リンチ Yasagure Anago Den: Sokatsu Lynch |
Toei | 1973-06-07 | |
| 現代任侠史 Gendai Ninkyo-shi |
Toei | 1973-10-27 | |
| Direct Hit! Hell Fist, Executioner 直撃! 地獄拳 Chokugeki! Jigokuhen |
Toei | 1974-08-10 | |
| The Karate Inferno 直撃地獄拳 大逆転 Chokugeki Jigokuhen: Dai Gyakuten |
Toei | 1974-12-28 | |
| 大脱獄 Daidatsugoku |
Toei | 1975-04-05 | |
| 爆発! 暴走族 Bakuhatsu! Bosozoku |
Toei | 1975-09-20 | |
| 実録三億円事件 時効成立 Jitsuroku 3 Okuen Jiken: Jiko Seiritsu |
Toei | 1975-11-22 | |
| 爆発! 暴走遊戯 Bakuhatsu! Boso Yugi |
Toei | 1976-01-15 | |
| キンキンのルンペン大将 Kinkin no Lumpen Taisho |
Toei | 1976-04-24 | |
| 暴走の季節 Boso no Kisetsu |
Toei | 1976-07-01 | |
| 惑星ロボ ダンガードA対昆虫ロボット軍団 Wakusei Robot Dangard A tai Konchu Robot Gundan |
Toei | 1977-07-17 | |
| 暴力戦士 Boryoku Senshi |
Toei | 1979-10-06 | |
| The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses ザ・ヒットマン 血はバラの匂い The Hitman: Chi wa Bara no Nioi |
Toei Video | 1991-06-14 | |
| ゲンセンカン主人 Tsuge Yoshiharu World: Gensenkan Shujin Tsuge Yoshiharu World: Gensenkan Shujin is a 1993 Japanese film directed by Teruo Ishii.-Reception:It was chosen as the 6th Best Film at the 15th Yokohama Film Festival. Kaoru Mizuki also won the Award for Best Supporting Actress.... |
Kinoshita Eiga | 1993-07-24 | |
| Vagabond Plain 無頼平野 Burai Heiya |
Wides Publishing M.M.I. |
1995-05-29 | |
| Screwed / Wind-Up Type ねじ式 Nejishiki |
Teruo Ishii Productions | 1998-07-18 | |
| Japanese Hell / Hell 地獄 Jigoku |
Teruo Ishii Productions | 1999-11-20 | |
| Blind Beast vs. Dwarf Blind Beast vs. Dwarf aka Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf is a 2001 film by Japanese director Teruo Ishii. It is the last film he directed.Mieko Tanaka, who was elected to the Diet in the 2009 Japanese general election, appears in Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf in a role that includes a nude scene... / Blind Beast versus Issue Boshi 盲獣vs一寸法師 Môjû tai Issunbôshi |
Teruo Ishii Productions | 2001-06-24 | |
Sources
- Tominaga, Shinichi. (2000). "Geishas, Motorcycle Gangs and Supergiants: The World of Teruo Ishii—A spirited discussion between Teruo Ishii and cult director Takao NakanoTakao Nakanois a Japanese film director, screenwriter and actor who has worked in pink film, adult videos , and in mainstream comedy, horror and fantasy films.-Life and career:Nakano was born in Osaka, Japan in 1962...
." (Interview conducted in Tokyo, February 2000) in Asian Cult Cinema, #28, July 2000, p. 48–62.