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Noriaki Yuasa

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Noriaki Yuasa
Noriaka Yuasa in 1967
Born(1933-09-28)28 September 1933
Tokyo, Japan
Died14 June 2004(2004-06-14) (aged 70)
Japan
OccupationFilm director
FatherHikaru Hoshi [ja]

Noriaki Yuasa (湯浅 憲明, Yuasa Noriaki) (28 September 1933 – 14 June 2004) was a Japanese director. Yuasa was the main director of the Japanese film series Gamera; he directed seven of the first eight films in the series while also providing special effects for one of them,[1] and became known as the "Father of Gamera" (Japanese: ガメラの父, Hepburn: Gamera no Chichi).[2] The series was created by Daiei Film Studios after the box office success of the Toho Godzilla series.[1] Yuasa's post-Daiei career for television dramas marks him as one of the best hitmakers among the domestic television industry during the 1970s.[3]

Biography

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Noriaki Yuasa was born 28 September 1933 in Tokyo, Japan.[1] Yuasa was the son of a stage actor and a director Hikaru Hoshi [ja].[note 1] Additionally, his family members include actors [note 2] and movie directors (Hikaru Hoshi and Koji Shima).[3] Yuasa began work at a young age as a child actor,[1] while some of his careers were cancelled due to the World War II.[3][5] Yuasa, who was brought up within a showbiz community, decided not to become an actor for his disfavor of relationship issues and scandals by filmmakers, actors, and actresses, including his own family members.[note 3] Harboring a dislike for such natures of the industry, Yuasa (in his assistant director era) once attempted to resign and wrote a letter to his father, and didn't direct romantic films throughout his career.[6]

Yuasa's childhood experiences to witness adults, including his own teachers, to manipulate children for war and political affairs influenced his direction to make Gamera as the faithful protector of children;[6] Yuasa appeared as a child actor in his uncle Koji Shima's war propaganda films where all domestic film studios including Daiei were forced to produce propaganda films by the order of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces, and Masaichi Nagata and Eiji Tsuburaya[note 4] were temporary purged after the World War II due to their involvements in producing propaganda films, that became the basis for the post-war tokusatsu genre in Japan.[3][7] Regarding war issues, he was vocally critical of the 1954 film Godzilla for its depictions of war aftermaths, which he deemed incorrect.[6]

After graduating university, he began to seek work on the production of films.[1] Yuasa joined Daiei Studios in 1955 and became director in 1964 with the musical comedy film If You're Happy, Clap Your Hands [ja], whose commercial failure eventually led to his appointment for Gamera the Giant Monster.[1][3] He also participated in the 1956 tokusatsu film Warning from Space by his uncle Koji Shima as an extra, where Yuasa in his youth appeared in Shima's drama Twelve hours before going to the war (出征前十二時間, Shusseimae Jūnijikan), and Yuasa later studied under Shima.[3][5]

Yuasa's next project was a film tentatively titled Giant Horde Beast Nezura which would involve real rats crawling over miniatures of cities.[1] The rats received for the film had fleas, which halted production on Nezura.[1] As the miniatures for the film were already built, Masaichi Nagata had to develop a giant monster to attack the city and had the idea for a giant flying turtle.[1] Yuasa, with his screenwriter Niisan Takahashi, developed the idea into the 1965 film Gamera the Giant Monster.[1]

Yuasa continued work directing films in the series except Gamera vs. Barugon, where he was only the special effects director. Yuasa's personal favorite of his Gamera films was Gamera vs. Viras.[1] Following the collapse of Daiei in 1971, he predominantly directed work for television, such as Electroid Zaborger, Iron King, and Ultraman-related productions; Princess Comet, Ultraman 80, and Anime-chan [ja] where Ultraman 80 instead influenced the production of the Heisei Gamera trilogy by Tokuma Shoten although Yuasa was critical of the trilogy.[1][9][3][10] His last full film was Gamera, Super Monster, which included extensive stock footage from the previous seven Gamera films.[1][9]

The success of the Gamera franchise temporary ameliorated the financial situation of Daiei Film, resulting in launching of subsequent tokusatsu productions most notably Daimajin and Yokai Monsters, and the Gamera franchise was practically the sole supporter of the company and its subcontractors until the actual bankruptcy in 1971;[3] at the bankruptcy, either Yuasa or other employees[4][11] allegedly destroyed suits and models of Gamera productions due to his (their) frustration(s) and distress. where the aforementioned Gamera, Super Monster exclusively relied on stock footages due to budgetary restrictions.[12]

He later worked on smaller V-Cinema videos such as Kosupure senshi kyūtī naito 2 teikoku-ya no gyakushū (transl. Cosplay Warrior Cutie ・ Night 2 Counterattack of Imperial Shop) where he had appeared as the character "Dr. Yuasa",[13] and also directed the acting of Gamera by Hurricane Ryu who has also written the 1994 comic Giant Monster Gamera.[14][15] Yuasa had also been nominated to direct Daimajin revival attempts as a television series, though this never happened.[16]

After the bankruptcy of Daiei Film, Yuasa devoted in productions of television dramas and advanced his career, and was eventually addressed as one of the best hitmakers of domestic television industries at that time.[3]

Yuasa died of a stroke in Japan on 14 June 2004.[17] Due to Yuasa's testament that he wants to "fade out" and to keep his death confidential, most of stakeholders of himself and Daiei Film were unaware of his condition and the death and knew the situation after an obituary was published.[3]

Legacy

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Kiyoshi Kawamura published a novel titled The Flute of Gomera in 1971 after the bankruptcy of Daiei Film, which featured Daiei Film's tokusatsu crews facing hardships regards Gamera and other productions; its protagonist was based on Yonesaburo Tsukiji while characters based on Yuasa (with his name based on Yuasa's father Hikaru Hoshi [ja]) and others also appeared.[3] The 2020 biopic Nezura 1964 also featured a character based on Yuasa.[18]

Select filmography

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Film

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TitleYearCredited asNotes Ref(s)
DirectorSpecial effects director
A Geisha's Diary [ja] 1961 Assistant director [19]
Okoto and Sasuke Assistant director [20]
The Temple of the Wild Geese 1962 Assistant director [19]
The Graceful Brute Assistant director [19]
Giant Horde Beast Nezura 1964 Editor [21]
If You're Happy, Clap Your Hands [ja] 1964 Yes [1]
Gamera the Giant Monster 1965 Yes [1]
Gamera vs. Barugon 1966 Yes [22]
Gamera vs. Gyaos 1967 Yes [1]
Gamera vs. Viras 1968 Yes [1]
The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch Yes [23]
Gamera vs. Guiron 1969 Yes [1]
Anata gonomi no Yes [13]
Fire for the Glory [ja] Yes [13]
The Falcon Fighters [ja] Yes [13]
Gamera vs. Jiger 1970 Yes [1]
Hadaka de dakko Yes [24]
I am 5 years old [ja] Yes [13]
Gamera vs. Zigra 1971 Yes [1]
Seijuku Yes [13]
Snow Country Elegy Yes [25]
Gamera, Super Monster 1980 Yes [13]
Anime-chan [ja] 1984 Yes [1]

Television

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V-Cinema

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  • Cosplay Warrior Cutie (1.0 and 1.3) (1995)[13]
  • Cosplay Warrior Cutie ・ Night 2 Counterattack of Imperial Shop (1996)[13]

Others

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Hikaru Hoshi later appeared in If You're Happy, Clap Your Hands [ja] and Gamera vs. Barugon. The former was his debut film as a director, and it appeared in the newspaper for because of the uniqueness to have an actor appearing in his son's film.[3][4]
  2. ↑ Hikaru Hoshi, two of his paternal uncles, paternal grandmother Hideko Azuma, an uncle Koji Shima, Shima's son Akihiko Katayama [ja], Shima's first wife Ryoko Otani [ja], Natsuko Katayama who was Shima's second wife and the foster mother of Akihiko Katayama, so on.
  3. ↑ Yuasa and his relatives had been bothered for many years due to Yuasa's paternal grandmother Hideko Azuma's widely known adulterous affairs. Yuasa's father Hikaru Hoshi was also involved in multiple love affairs, and Yuasa was treated as an illegitimate child for many years as his mother was minor when she gave birth to Noriaki. Yuasa didn't know his status until when he obtained a certified copy of family register to join Daiei Film. On the other hand, Hoshi, who underwent troubles through such relationships, concerned the possibility of his son to be involved in similar situations, and had strongly insisted Yuasa for multiple occasions to beware of friendships with actresses.[3][6]
  4. ↑ Tsuburaya (exiled from Toho), and Sadamasa Arikawa and Shuzaburo Araki [ja] (left the company after the Toho strikes) were attempting to join Daiei Film by working on Japan's first post-war science fiction tokusatsu films by Daiei, The Rainbow Man and The Invisible Man Appears in 1949, partially due to their early associations with Nagata. The three eventually returned to Toho and participated in Godzilla (1954) and other productions.[7][8]
  5. ↑ This influenced the production of Gamera vs. Viras.
  6. ↑ A promotion film for the Japan Crime Prevention Association [ja].

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Fischer 2011, p. 657.
  2. ↑ "『大怪獣ガメラ』4Kデジタル修復版". MOVIE WALKER PRESS [ja] (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Shunichi, Karasawa [in Japanese] (14 April 2006). Gamera Genesis: Movie Director Noriaki Yuasa. Enterbrain. pp. 20, 24–31, 59, 63, 66, 71–73, 201, 209, 220, 223.
  4. 1 2 "Shout! Factory TV Presents Gamera Marathon + 26 Gamera Facts". SciFi Japan. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Steven Sloss, 2021, The Invincible Noriaki Yuasa, Arrow Films
  6. 1 2 3 4 David Milner, Yoshihiko Shibata (July 1996). "Noriaki Yuasa Interview". Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  7. 1 2 Ui, Hisayuki (1 January 1994). From Gamera to Daimajin: all of Daiei tokusatsu films. Kindai-Eigasha [ja]. p. 63.
  8. ↑ Kazuyuki Suzuki (1 March 2024). "日本映画輸出振興協会 怪獣映画製作に税金が使われた時代". Cercle. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  9. 1 2 Fischer 2011, p. 658.
  10. ↑ ASCII Media Works, 2014, Heisei Gamera Perfection, p.21-26, p.80, p.212, Kadokawa Shoten
  11. ↑ G. H. (Gman) (29 November 2015). "A Brief History of Gamera: Celebrating 50 Years of Spinning Turtles". Scified.com. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  12. ↑ OMEGA Flying Squadron, Yasuyoshi Tokuma [ja] (issuer), Noriaki Yuasa (adviser), Niisan Takahashi (adviser), Masao Yagi [ja] (adviser), 1995, Gamera is Strong!, pp.166-167, Tokuma Shoten
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "湯浅憲明". Allcinema [ja]. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Hurricane Ryu, 14 June 2020, 本日は昭和ガメラでおなじみ湯浅憲明監督の御命日。, Twiiter (X)
  15. ↑ "コスプレ戦士キューティー・ナイト version1.3 [DVD]" (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  16. ↑ Shuntaro, Ono [in Japanese] (28 December 2018). Geistesgeschichte of Gamera: From Showa to Heisei. Takanashi Shobou [ja]. pp. 207–208.
  17. ↑ Lentz III 2005, p. 391.
  18. ↑ "米山冬馬インタビュー". 映画『ネズラ1964』公式サイト (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  19. 1 2 3 Musashino Art University, 湯浅 憲明
  20. ↑ National Film Archive of Japan, お琴と佐助
  21. ↑ Hirayama, Toru (1998). Kamen Rider Master Retsuden. Fudosha. pp. 1953–1954.
  22. ↑ Galbraith IV 1996, p. 433.
  23. ↑ Galbraith IV 1996, pp. 360–361.
  24. ↑ "裸でだっこ". MOVIE WALKER PRESS [ja] (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  25. ↑ "Snow Country Elegy". Japanese Film Database [ja]. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Koji Saito, November 1985, Television Drama, "The world of Daiei television dramas part 2", Hoso Eiga Shuppan
  27. ↑ TBS Television, ママはライバル
  28. ↑ Ichiro Ogura [ja], 15 July 1995, みんな、いい人, Taiyo Kikaku (jp)
  29. ↑ Books Kinokuniya, 隠密剣士　突っ走れ Vol.2
  30. 1 2 Nihon Tarento Meikan, 30 December 1980, vol.1981, "Toshie Kobayashi", "Hideto Takeda", VIP Times Inc.
  31. 1 2 Himawari Theatre Group, 22 September 1981, 劇団ひまわり30周年史
  32. ↑ TBS Television, 幸福ゆき
  33. ↑ 【テレビ作品】昭和51年2月20日（金）
  34. ↑ TBS Television, 噂の刑事トミーとマツ
  35. ↑ "平成ガメラ3作品が最高画質の4Kデジタル修復で甦る『平成ガメラ4Kデジタル復元版 Blu-ray BOX』が発売". Amass. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  36. ↑ "幻の次回作　ガメラ対ガラシャープ". Allcinema [ja] (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  37. ↑ One Screen [in Japanese]. "Godzilla, King of the Monsters (原題)". Ciatr [ja]. Retrieved 6 January 2026.

Sources

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  • Fischer, Dennis (2011). Science Fiction Film Directors, 1895-1998. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786485055.
  • Galbraith IV, Stuart (1996). The Japanese Filmography: 1900 through 1994. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0032-3.
  • Lentz III, Harris M. (2005). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2004. Vol. 11. McFarland. ISBN 0786452099.
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