The Nikkatsu Company (日活株式会社, Nikkatsu kabushikigaisha^?) is Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company". Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... A movie studio is a controlled environment for the making of a film. ...

Though the company has made films in numerous genres, they are best known for their softcore pornography; indeed, for most of the 1980s, they strictly produced what they termed "roman porn" (short for "romance") films. Unlike the pinku eiga, Nikkatsu's films were produced with relatively high budgets and production values, as well as featuring mainstream actresses, many of whom also starred in network television and nationally released film dramas. Pornography (from Greek πορνογραφια pornographia — literally writing about or drawings of harlots) is the representation of the human body or human sexual behaviour with the goal of sexual arousal, similar to, but (according to some) distinct from, erotica. ... As a literary genre, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic prose and verse narrative current in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. ... Pink film ) is a style of Japanese softcore pornographic films. ...

Ownership

• 1912 Nippon Katsudō Shashin K.K. was established by the merger of four film companies.
• 1993 applied for Corporate Reorganization Act.
• 1996 acquired by a Japanese leisure company Namco.
• 2005 sold to Index Holdings ^[1], a Japanese holding company which has interests in media contents industries.

1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Namco Ltd ) is a amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for video games development. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

Nikkatsu was founded in 1912 when several production companies and theater chains consolidated under a trust. The company enjoyed it's share of success. It employed such notable film directors as Shozo Makino and his son Masahiro Makino. Most notably, Akira Kurosawa began his career there in the 1930s as an assistant director. 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Consolidation is the act of merging many things into one. ... This law-related article does not cite its references or sources. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Akira Kurosawa , 23 March 1910—6 September 1998) was a prominent Japanese film director, film producer, and screenwriter. ... An assistant director (AD) is a person who helps the film director in the making of a movie. ...

In the course of World War II the government ordered the 10 film companies that had formed by 1941 consolidate into two. Daiei founder Masaichi Nagata, a former Nikkatsu employee, counter-proposed that 4 companies be formed and the suggestion was approved. Nikkitsu, set to merge with the two weakest companies, Shinko and Daito, were verbally displeased. The committee formed to establish the value of each company retaliated by purposefully undervaluing Nikkatsu which lead to Shinko becoming the dominate head of productions. The reformed Nikkatsu continued to prosper but all film production ceased. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Kadokawa Pictures, Inc. ...

The postwar film industry expanded rapidly and, in 1951, Nikkatsu president Kyusaku Hori began construction of a new production studio. The company began making movies again in 1954. Many assistant directors from other studios, including Shohei Imamura and Seijun Suzuki from Shochiku, moved to Nikkatsu with the promise of advancement to full director status within one or two years. Shohei Imamura (今村 昌平 Imamura Shōhei) (born 15 September 1926 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese film director. ... Seijun Suzuki (鈴木 清順 Suzuki Seijun, born 24 May 1923 in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese film director. ... Shochiku Co. ...

The company made a few samurai films and historical dramas but by 1960 had decided to devote it's resources to the production of urban youth dramas, comedy, action and gangster films. From the late 1950s to 1971 they were renowned for their big budget yakuza action movies designed for the youth market. They employed such stars as Yujiro Ishihara, Akira Kobayashi, Joe Shishido, Tetsuya Watari, Ruriko Asaoka, Chieko Matsubara and, later, Meiko Kaji and Tatsuya Fuji. Director Shohei Imamura began his career there and between 1958 and 1966 made for them such films as Pigs and Battleships (1961), The Insect Woman (1962) and The Pornographers (1966). Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... Jidaigeki (時代劇) is a genre of film and television in Japan. ... Airplane! is considered by some critics to be one of the funniest movies of all time. ... Action films, or movies, are a film genre, where action sequences, such as fighting, stunts, car chases or explosions, take precedence over elements like characterization or complex plotting. ... The Yakuza are a popular subject in films Yakuza are a popular subject in Japanese cinema. ... This article is about organized crime. ... Yujiro Ishihara (石原裕次郎; Ishihara YÅ«jirō, December 28, 1934–July 17, 1987) was a Japanese actor and singer. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Joe Shishido , born December 6, 1933 in Osaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese actor most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film roles and his artificially enlarged cheeks. ... Ruriko Asaoka (浅丘ルリ子; Asaoka Ruriko), born 2 July 1940 in Xinjing, Manchukuo (now Changchun, Jilin, China), is an actress. ... Meiko Kaji on the Lady Snowblood DVD cover Meiko Kaji (Japanese: 梶芽衣子, Kaji Meiko) (born 24 March 1947 in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese singer and actress. ... Shohei Imamura (今村 昌平 Imamura Shōhei) (born 15 September 1926 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese film director. ... Pigs and Battleships ) is a 1961 Japanese film by director Shohei Imamura. ... Spoiler warning: The Insect Woman is a 1963 film directed by Shōhei Imamura. ... The Pornographers is a 1966 film directed by Shohei Imamura. ...

By 1971 the increased popularity of television had taken a heavy toll on the film industry and in order to remain profitable Nikkatsu turned to the production of roman porn and pink films, which focus on sex, violence, S&M and romance. Many stars and directors left the company but a few stayed, including the film directors Yasuharu Hasebe, Keiichi Ozawa, Shugoro Nishimura, and Koreyoshi Kurahara. It also witnessed the emergance of such new directors as Tatsumi Kumashiro, Masaru Konuma and Chusei Sone. Pink film ) is a style of Japanese softcore pornographic films. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Flogging demonstration at Folsom Street Fair 2004. ... As a literary genre, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic prose and verse narrative current in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. ... Yasuharu Hasebe (長谷部安春 - Hasebe Yasuharu) (b. ... Tatsumi Kumashiro (神代辰巳 - Kumashiro Tatsumi) (April 24, 1927 - February 24, 1995) was a Japanese film director best known known for his critically acclaimed award-winning Roman Porno films, such as Ichijo Sayuri: Wet Desire (Ichijo Sayuri: Nureta yokujo) (1972) and The Woman with Red Hair (Akai kami no onna ) (1979). ... Masaru Konuma (1937-), Japanese film director Masaru Konuma (小沼勝 - Konuma Masaru) is a Japanese director most famous for his Roman Porno films for Nikkatsu during the 1970s. ...

Sources

• Chris D. (2005). Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1-84511-086-2. ; p. 228-9

Chris D. (Desjardins) - (born 1950) - punk poet, rock critic, singer, writer, filmmaker. ...

External links

• (Japanese) The official Nikkatsu website