Tribute to Kihachi Okamoto
Director of “Sukedachiya Sukeroku" and "East Meets West"
Kihachi Okamoto, one of Sanada-san's favorite collaborators and prominent
Japanese movie director from the golden age of Japanese movies, died of
esophagus cancer at the age of 81 on February 20, 2005.
When Director Okamoto was shooting "Sukedachiya Sukeroku" in
2000, he was already very frail, suffering from pulmonary emphysema and
asthma, in addition to his speech disability since 1995. Right beside him
like a caring son to his father was Hiroyuki Sanada, the leading actor
who plays Sukeroku, young and cheerful vagabond who loves to help others'
revenge. Sanada-san was relaying Okamoto-san's direction to staff members,
held umbrella over Okamoto-san and helped him stand up from his chair.
Reporters testifies that the pair looked just like real father and son.
Sukedachiya Sukeroku premier picture
Sukedachiya Sukeroku DVD picture
Kihachi Okamoto Intervew at Sukedachiya Sukeroku site
Director Okamoto loved Hollywood's Western movies. "Sukedachiya Sukeroku"
was his unique interpretation of his beloved Western movie style into a
Japanese peroid drama, with his signature comical and quick-tempo conversation
and story-telling. He loved the Western so much that he dragged Sanada-san
out to the dessert of New Mexico to film "East Meets West" in
1995. The film is about a Japanese samurai at the end of Edo peiod, who
traveled to the U.S. Western area and became a cowboy. (Okamoto-san got
suffered from a blood clog in his brain at this time, and developed a speech
disability.)
Director Okamoto's best known film is "Japan's Longest Day"(1967),
which depicted the day the WWII ended. He was a soldier at WWII himself
and had experienced so much sorrow and agony at the war. Instead of making
movies with sorrow and agony, however, he chose to make them with light
humor and a touch of cynicism. Another well-known example of his war movie
is "Nikudan"(1968), and he also made other types of major movies
such as "Daiyukai"(1991) and "Daibosatsu Toge"(1966).
But in fact, his most favorite works that show off his humorous and quick-tempo
style are the likes of "Mr. Every-man's Elegant Life"(1963),
"Jazz Daimyo"(1986), and "Sukedachiya Sukeroku". "Jazz
Daimyo", for example" goes like this; a Daimyu (samurai clan
leader), also in late Edo peroid, meets four African-American Jazz musicians
who drifted away from their homeland around Civil War era and came to Japan.
Daimyo first put them into jail but was eventually impressed by their Jazz
music and started learning it himself, and a friendship develops among
them.
Jazz Daimyo trailer clip
Director Okamoto's motto in movie making was "Prepare with struggle,
flim with fun". His unique talent and warm personality attracted many
followers. During the hard times of Japanese movies, he was financially
struggled and was indebted so much to shoot his own movies, but he was
always known as "cool and stylish" movie guy. He has finished
writing a new script "Gento Tsuji-basha" and was planning to
start filming it last summer, starring Sanada-san, Tatsuya Nakadai (also
played Sukeroku's father in "Sukedachiya") and Ken Ogata. His
health condition did not allow it, however, and the movie was never realized.
"Sukedachiya" became his last piece of work.
***"Gento Tsujibasha" ("magic lantern stage coach): A novel
written by Futaro Yamada. At the beginning of Meiji era, there was a former
samurai from Aizu, Kanbei Higata, who was running a small stage coach business.
When his granddaughter Ohina called "Father!", her late father
who died in Seinan-no-eki (the rebel war by Takamori Saigo) appeared on
the stage coach as a ghost and helped them. A series of drama of many prominent
people in Meiji, such as Iwao Oyama, Tsuyo Mishima, Sanyutei Encho, Shoyo
Tsubouchi, Otojiro Kawakami, and statesmen from Liberty Party, happens
around this magic stage coach.***
<Related articles and info>
Nikkan Sports
Sports Nippon
IMDb Kihachi Okamoto
<See also>
Sukedachiya Sukeroku
East Meets West
