Teruo Ishii 1924 - 2005

Director Teruo Ishii, age 81, lost his battle against lung cancer in his birthtown of Tokyo last friday. While here in the West he was known mostly for his graphic and violent jidai-geki (period dramas), he was a versatile director who made no less than 88 movies during his lifetime, nine of which he directed during his first year with the Shintoho studio.

As I mentioned, most westerners who know about Ishii know only that he made a series of very graphic torture films, all set in the Tokugawa-era (1600 - 1868). You might have at least heard about films like "Tokugawa History of Women Punishment", "Tokugawa Tattoo History: Torture Hell" or "The Joy of Torture". He was, however, much more versatile than this. His first film was a boxing drama, followed by a series of superhero films (the "Super Giant" series, a total of six films). He also directed martial arts films, erotic, film noir and science fiction - wherever Japanese cinema went, there was Ishii, making another film.

But sadly, not anymore. While his impact has been limited in the West, we would most likely not have directors like Takashi Miike and Shinya Tsukamoto had it not been for the influence that Ishii had on the world of Japanese filmmaking. If for no other reason, for that we should treat Ishii and his work with the respect they deserve.

Domo arigato gozaimasu and sayonara, Ishii-san. You will be missed.