Tag Archives: japan society

MAD, BAD . . . & DANGEROUS TO KNOW: THREE UNTAMED BEAUTIES OF JAPANESE CINEMA — THE AFFAIR

Mariko Okada shows off her discreet charm in Yoshishige Yoshida’s steamy tale THE AFFAIR (© Shochiku Co., Ltd.)

THE AFFAIR (JOEN) (FLAMES OF LOVE) (Yoshishige Yoshida, 1967)
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Thursday, April 15, 7:30
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org

“Mariko Okada: The Discreet Charm of the Adulteress,” the final section of the Japan Society’s three-part “Mad, Bad . . . & Dangerous to Know: Three Untamed Beauties” film series, begins on April 13 with a screening of Yoshishige Yoshida’s fifth collaboration with Okada and continues on April 14 with the fascinating erotic tale THE AFFAIR. In the latter, also known as FLAMES OF LOVE, Okada stars as Oriko, an unhappily married woman who wants a divorce from her cheating husband, Furuhata (Tadahiko Sugano). In a flashback, she shows her displeasure with her widowed mother (Yoshie Minami), who is carrying on a heated affair with young sculptor Mitsuhuru (Isao Kimura); in the current day, she seeks out the Noguchi-like artist to find out about his relationship with her now-dead mother but learns a lot more than she expected. Meanwhile, Furuhata’s sister, Yokio (Shigako Shimegi), tries to get the traditional, old-fashioned Oriko out of the house and partying with her three male friends, who smoke cigarettes, drink beer, and break out in sudden groovy dances at the spur of the moment. But when Oriko—who still wears kimonos and worries about what is considered proper in a society that is changing drastically all around her—spies on Yokio having hot, casual sex with a common worker (KILL!’s Etsushi Takahashi in his film debut), her own hidden sexuality is awakened. Yoshida, who trained at Shochiku under Nagisa Oshima (CREUL STORY OF YOUTH, IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES), incorporates Bergmanesque touches with a Nouvelle Vague sensibility and more than a hint of Teshigahara (WOMAN IN THE DUNES) in this strikingly visual, highly stylized tale, including sweeping, dreamlike flashbacks, gorgeous long shots, and a haunting theme of duality evident in his use of mirrors and windows, light and dark. “Mad, Bad . . . & Dangerous to Know” concludes on April 18 with Yoshida’s WOMAN OF THE LAKE (ONNA NO MIZUUMI) and Yasuzo Masumura’s highly charged TWO WIVES (TSUMA FUTARI), which has never before been screened outside of Japan.

j-CATION: TASTE JAPAN

Japan Society will host full day of amazing Japanese food and more

Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Saturday, April 10, suggested donation $5, 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
Some events require free tickets available beginning at 12:30
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org

Even though flights from New York to Tokyo have recently come down, it will still be a lot cheaper to get a taste of the Land of the Rising Sun on Saturday at the Japan Society, which is hosting the extremely exciting j-CATION from 1:00 pm to 1:00 am. The twelve-hour extravaganza, organized into Starters, Main Dishes, Sides, and Dessert, includes calligraphy and language classes, furoshiki and tea workshops, demonstrations from manga artist in residence Hiroki Otsuka, a foodie game show, a lecture by hot-dog-eating champion Takeru Kobayashi, a screening of Mitsuhiro Mihara’s food-related 2008 film FLAVOR OF HAPPINESS, live music by Me & Mars and Asobi Seksu, a cash bar, a virtual bento box battle, food vendors, and a late-night after-party with DJ Aki. If that isn’t enough, the outstanding exhibition “Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters,” a collection of gorgeous prints by nineteenth-century artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi, will be open until 9:00. For a suggested donation of a mere five bucks, you can feel like you’re in Japan, at least for one day.

MAD, BAD . . . & DANGEROUS TO KNOW

THE AFFAIR is one of the highlights of Japan Society film series (© Shochiku Co., Ltd.)

THREE UNTAMED BEAUTIES OF JAPANESE CINEMA
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
March 31 – April 18, $11
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org

The Japan Society’s latest Globus Film Series celebrates the work of three fearless actresses who turned Japanese cinema upside down and inside out during the 1960s and ’70s. The festival comprises thirteen genre-bending films divided into three sections: “Ayako Wakao: Passion Made Flesh,” “Meiko Kaji: A Mad, Bad Unholy Easter Weekend,” and “Mariko Okada: The Discreet Charm of the Adulteress.” Combining beauty and brains with physical strength and a burning sexuality, Wakao, Kaji, and Okada redefined the role of women in a changing society.

Men are devoured by Ayako Wakao’s spider tattoo in Masumura film (© Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.)

TATTOO (THE SPIDER TATTOO) (IREZUMI) (Yasuzo Masumura, 1966)
Wednesday, March 31, $15, 7:30
www.japansociety.org

Adapted from a short story by Junichirô Tanizaki, IREZUMI, the opening-night selection of the Japan Society’s “Mad, Bad . . . & Dangerous to Know” series, was one of the first Japanese exploitation films shot in color. Ayako Wakao stars as Otsuya, a pawnbroker’s daughter who aches to get away from her boring life. She convinces her father’s apprentice, the meek Shinsuke (Akio Hasegawa), to steal the shop’s money and run away with her, but the plan goes awry when she is sold into sexual slavery to Tokubei (Asao Uchida). Enraptured by her skin, Seikichi (Gaku Yamamoto) marks her for Tokubei by tattooing a huge spider across her back, promising it will bring her special power over men. Soon Otsuya is exacting bloody revenge with the help of the poor, misguided Shinsuke. Directed by Yasuzo Masumura, who also worked with Wakao on such films as MANJI and RED ANGEL (which screens April 1), IREZUMI is a dark, compelling tale that is not afraid to break out of genre conventions. The screening will be followed by the Dressed to Kill! party, where attendees are encouraged to come in costume as their favorite cinematic femme fatale.

Meiko Kaji isn’t about to let anyone get in the way of her revenge in Shunya Ito cult classic (© Toei Co., Ltd.)

FEMALE PRISONER #701: SCORPION (JOSHUU 701-GO: SASORI) (Shunya Ito, 1972)
Saturday, April 3, $11, 3:00
www.japansociety.org

A cult classic that spawned three sequels, Shunya Ito’s highly stylized SCORPION has everything a women-in-prison flick needs: sex, torture, rape, lesbianism, riots, sadistic male guards, shower scenes, gory violence, and lots and lots of unnecessary nudity. Set up by corrupt cop Sugimi (Isao Natsuyagi), to whom she gave her virginity, young and innocent Nami Matsushima (Meiko Kaji) is sent up the river, where she refuses to say anything about her case, leading to constant brutalization, including a harrowing hole-digging scene and some hog-tying. Afraid that she might eventually talk, Sugimi enlists another inmate, Katagiri (Rie Yokoyama), to kill her, but Matsu is not about to let anyone get in the way of her plan for revenge. Solid sexploitation all the way, SCORPION lays out much of the groundwork for Quentin Tartantino’s KILL BILL flicks; in fact, he even used the film’s theme song, “Urami-Bushi” (“Her Song of Vengeance”), which is sung by Kaji. Kaji went on to make several more FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION films with Ito and played Lady Snowblood in two movies directed by Toshiya Fujita, both of which are also part of the “Meiko Kaji: A Mad, Bad Unholy Easter Weekend” section of the Japan Society’s “Mad, Bad . . . & Dangerous to Know” film series.

SERIZAWA

Serizawa Keisuke, "Seabream," kimono, stencil-dyed tsumugi-weave silk, 1964 (Courtesy Tōhoku Fukushi University Serizawa Keisuke Art and Craft Museum)

SERIZAWA: MASTER OF JAPANESE TEXTILE DESIGN
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Through January 17 (closed Mondays)
Admission: $10 (free Fridays from 6:00 to 9:00)
212-832-1155
www.japansociety.org

The Japan Society has teamed up with the Tōhoku Fukushi University Serizawa Keisuke Art and Craft Museum to present the dazzling exhibit “Serizawa: Master of Japanese Textile Design.” Don’t let the rather mundane title fool you; this is a superb collection of some one hundred pieces by Serizawa Keisuke (1895-1984), including beautifully designed hanging scrolls, kimonos, screens, magazine and book covers, calendars, boxes, entrance curtains, and other useful objects. Named a Living National Treasure in Japan in 1956 — more closely translated from the Japanese as Holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property — Serizawa came out of Yanagi Muneyoshi’s mingei (people’s crafts) movement but developed a style all his own, redefining the process of stencil dyeing that came to be known as kataezome. “Dyeing with paper stencils is a demanding process, requiring the artist to make the best use of an intractable and restrictive medium,” writes Shakuko Hamada in the excellent exhibition catalog. “The results can look awkward and mannered, but Serizawa managed to overcome these technical constraints to produce a large body of work that is relaxed, spontaneous, and lively, its appealing warmth and cheerfulness making us want to have it around us and use it in our daily lives.”

Serizawa Keisuke, "Portrait of Hōnen Shōnin," hanging scroll, stencil-dyed silk, 1942 (Courtesy Tōhoku Fukushi University Serizawa Keisuke Art and Craft Museum)

Indeed, there are many pieces in this large body of work on display — the first such large-scale career museum retrospective of Serizawa ever held in the United States — that visitors will want to take home with them. A master of technique, he mixed Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cultural elements and patterns into his work. Serizawa’s impressive subject matter ranged from the amazingly detailed “Fallen Leaves” and “Papermaking Village in Ogawa” kimonos to the calm and soothing “Wazome egatari (The Illustrated Story of Japanese Dyeing),” from a series of colorful Chinese characters on norens (entrance curtains) to screens containing Japanese syllables, from “Abstract Designs” to “Portrait of the Bodhisattva Jizō.” Other favorites include fish, bamboo and plum blossoms, thatched huts, banana leaves, seashells, seasonal mandalas, waterfalls, markets, and twisted rope. “Serizawa” is more than just a collection of cool craft designs; it’s pure art that will embrace you.

Friday, January 8
and
Saturday, January 9 Contemporary Dance Showcase: Japan + East Asia, with Company Derashinera, KIKIKIKIKIKI’s OMEDETO, Masako Yasumoto’s SLAP, PAT SUCK, LDP’s NO COMMENT, and WCdance’s SMALL SONGS, $22, 7:30

THE DOUBLE EDGED SWORD: THE CHAMBARA FILMS OF SHINTARO KATSU & RAIZO ICHIKAWA

SAMURAI VENDETTA kicks off Monthly Classics series at Japan Society

SAMURAI VENDETTA (A CHRONICLE OF PALE CHERRY BLOSSOMS) (HAKUOKI) (Kazuo Mori, 1959)
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
December 11 – May 14
Tickets: $15 for opening night, $11 thereafter
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org

When local official Tange Tanzen (Raizo Ichikawa) comes upon a battle between two schools of sword fighting, including his own, he chooses not to get involved as rogue samurai Yasubei Nakayama (Shintaro Katsu) displays his discipline’s superiority by killing several members of Tange’s school. After Tange is expelled from his school for turning his back on his brothers, Yasubei is expelled from his as well as an act of honor and enmity. Soon the two ronin are helping each other while also falling in love with the same woman, Chiharu (Chitose Maki). But blood and betrayal await them as they set off on new paths that continue to cross. Inspired by the classic story of the 47 Ronin, SAMURAI VENDETTA is an entertaining period piece despite its overt cheesiness, especially the fight scenes shot on a bridge with a ridiculously fake sunset in the background. Although there’s not nearly enough sword play – there are long periods of sentimental melodrama – the finale in the snow is a doozy. The screening will be followed by a reception and book signing with Chris D., author of OUTLAW MASTERS OF JAPANESE FILM.

SAMURAI VENDETTA kicks off the Japan Society’s Monthly Classics series “The Double Edged Sword: The Chambara Films of Shintaro Katsu & Raizo Ichikawa,” which features a film by either of the stars once a month through May 2010. Among the upcoming selections, curated by Chris D., are three Zatoichi films, Kenji Misumi’s DESTINY’S SON (KIRU), Daisuke Ito’s SCAR YOSABURO (KIRARE YOSABURO), and Kazuo Ikehiro’s NEMURI KYOSHIRO AT BAY: THE SWORD OF SEDUCTION (NEMURI KYOSHIRO JOYO KEN). Chambara, which means sword fighting, got its name from the sounds made as swords slice through the air and clang against each other during battles. The films became popular in postwar Japan both as a look back at the nation’s history as well as a reaction to the industrial, financial, and social changes occurring following WWII. Two of the genres biggest stars were Katsu and Ichikawa, with Katsu serving as the brutish figure and Ichikawa more of the romantic lead. Both tragically died of cancer, Katsu at sixty-five, Ichikawa at only thirty-seven.

JEREMY WADE: THERE IS NO END TO MORE

Jeremy Wade presents multimedia production at Japan Society this weekend (illustration © Hiroki Otsuka)

Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
December 3-5, $20, 7:30
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org

Continuing its “Japan Transatlantic: Tokio-Berlin” performing arts series, the Japan Society will present the world premiere of the specially commissioned THERE IS NO END TO MORE by American choreographer Jeremy Wade this weekend. Wade, who won a Bessie Award for his 2006 DTW show, GLORY, combines text, animation, and manga video in this new multimedia production that cynically examines Japanese kawaii culture. Wade, who is currently based in Berlin, is the director and cowriter, with Marcos Rosales, of THERE IS NO END TO MORE, which will be performed by Jared Gradinger and features music by Brendan Dougherty, sets by architects Katja Mitte and Henning Ströh, and animation and video by Hiroki Otsuka.

AME TO AME (CANDY AND RAIN)

Yuko Kaseki and Shinichi Momo Iova-Koga experiment with butoh at the Japan Society

Japan Society
333 East 47th St. between First and Second Aves.
October 15-17, $18, 7:30
212-715-1258
http://www.japansociety.org

Emanating out of postwar Japan, butoh is a wide-ranging, still evolving dance form that is so hard to pin down that Yuko Kaseki, the Berlin-based Japanese dancer, choreographer, and teacher who is staging AME TO AME (CANDY AND RAIN) at the Japan Society with Shinichi Momo Iova-Koga of inkBoat, had great difficulty getting a performance visa to enter the United States for the production. Yoko Shioya, the artistic director of the Japan Society’s current season, “Japan Transatlantic: Tokio-Berlin,” writes in the show’s program, “At one point, the U.S. immigration office requested us to submit materials to prove two things: 1) that butoh is a culturally unique art form of Japan; and 2) that Yuko is a master of this art form…. The process awakened me to the fact that butoh is indeed a soil that encourages hybridity and cross-pollination in its artists.” We are all fortunate indeed that Yuko was granted that visa and that the “hybridity and cross-pollination” have been allowed to go on.

On a sparse set that contains a wooden stool, chair, and small table, Kaseki and Iova-Koga, dressed all in white but their faces not in the chalky makeup that is usually part of butoh, first walk around the stage very slowly and methodically. As they begin interacting, they are soon running around wildly to Sheila Antonia Bosco’s soundscapes and Marc Ates’s careful lighting (Ates, the cofounder of cokaseki with Kaseki, also serves as the show’s director and choreographed it with the two dancers), frolicking about in yet another display that strays from the expected butoh norms. But their sheer glee at breaking away is evident in Kaseki’s wide-eyed smile as they revel in their freedom, fight over seats, and somehow both fit on top of the table. But they pay the price for their enthusiasm when they once again slow things down to barely a crawl and the music stops completely, a silence that echoes through the theater as they display their bodies, including allowing the audience to study their every breath and the beating of their hearts resonating on their bare chests. Evoking both childlike wonder and romantic passion, AME TO AME offers a different kind of look at butoh. (For more butoh, the fourth biennial Cave New York Butoh Festival gets under way October 23; keep watching twi-ny for details.)