Though I had a vague clue that Takeshi Kitano’s Yakuza classic Sonatine (1993) was influenced by Kinji Fukasaku’s Bakuto Gaijin Butai, aka, Sympathy for the Underdog (1971), I was rather astonished when I came across the fact that John Woo’s visceral gangster epic A Better Tomorrow (1986) was […]
Actor Bunta Sugawara has died. Sugawara is probably best known for his work in Kinji Fukasaku’s The Yakuza Papers/Battles Without Honor And Humanity film series. Sugawara also appeared in Norifumi Suzuki’s Trucker Yaro series, Spirited Away (2001), Tales From Earthsea (2006), Wolf Children (2012) and Kon Ichikawa’s Actress […]
Actor Ken Takakura has died. Takakura starred in films such as Brutal Tales of Chivalry (1965); Red Peony Gambler (1968); Miyamoto Musashi: Duel at Ichijoji (1955) and Miyamoto Musashi: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956); as well as in co-productions like The Yakuza (1974); The Bullet Train (1975); Black […]
Japan Review interviews Natsuo Kirino, an author best known for her dark crime novels: “I don’t think I exclusively tell stories of women criminals. However, being a woman in this society is mainly an anonymous existence. I don’t think the fact that the environment is such that women […]
Filmmaker Noribumi Suzuki has died. Suzuki was probably best known for School of the Holy Beast (1974), Sex and Fury (1973) and his Torakku Yarõ / Truck Yaro / Trucker Guys films starring Bunta Sugawara. Here Suzuki talks about working with actresses Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto, who […]
“Bury Me In A Shallow Grave: When The Yakuza Come Calling,” a free . pdf chapter from Jake Adelstein’s book, Tokyo Vice.
Find t-shirts, mugs, totes and more at our new Guttermart location at Teepublic!
Look as fancy as you can in Disreputable, the signature nailpolish designed for us by My Pretty Zombie Cosmetics.
