Kitano Takeshi publications (E+J)

[Ono Seiko and Aaron Gerow]

With the release of _Hana-Bi_ last month, a number of special magazine 
issues (essentially book-length publications) on Kitano Takeshi have 
appeared in the last few weeks in Japan. Here's an introduction to a few 
of the main ones.

_Eureka_ rinji zokan
『ユリイカ』臨時増刊
Vol. 30-3, No. 400
February 1998
Title: "Kitano Takeshi soshite/arui wa Bito Takeshi"
「北野武そして／あるいはビートたけし」
ISBN 4791700279, 1200 yen
Seidosha (青土社）

Focuses not only his directorial career, but also on his status as a 
comedian and the culture of Asakusa manzai. Includes more critical 
articles (such as mine) than the other special issues.

Articles include:
An interview with Kitano by Yamane Sadao
Aaron Gerow: "'Nihonjin Kitano Takeshi': _Hana-Bi_ to nashonaru shinema 
no keisei"
Nakamura Hideyuki: "Gaisho no e / zoyo no monogatari"
A roundtable talk with Kitano-gumi people run by Shinozaki Makoto
An interview with Beat Kiyoshi
Horike Yoshitsugu: "Bito Takeshi to wa dare ka"
Abe Kasho: "Utsuo no nagatabi"
Okazaki Takeshi: "Bito Takeshi den"
Nibutani Takashi: "'Warai' to 'boryoku'"
Suga Hidemi: "Shosetsu o kakanai shosetsuka"
A complete annotated TV-ography of all his TV appearances
An annotated bibliography of writings by and about Takeshi
An annotated filmography (acting and directing)

_Kinema junpo_ zokan
『キネマ旬報』増刊
No. 1247 (February 3, 1998)
Title: Filmmakers 2--Kitano Takeshi
フィルムメーカーズ２　北野武
Editor in charge: Yodogawa Nagaharu
責任編集　淀川長治

Begins with an interview of Takeshi by Yodogawa and general auteurist 
analyses by Ueno Koshi and Tony Rayns.  The next section features essays 
on each of his films by such critics as Sasaki Atsushi, Oba Masaaki, 
Takahashi Yoji, and Miyazawa Akio.  Other sections consider his work 
apart from directing (acting (Ishihara Ikuko) and TV (Todoroki Yukiko), 
or his work on the set (through interviews with his colleagues such as 
Mori Masayuki, Hisaishi Jo, Osugi Ren, Terajima Susumu, etc.).  There's 
also a Kitano Eiga Daijiten, a bibliography and filmography.

_Shincho 45 Bessatsu_
『伸張４５別冊』
Title: Komanechi! Bito Takeshi zenkiroku
「コマネチ！ビートたけし全記録」
February 1998
Chief editor: Kitano Takeshi

Clearly the most "popular" of the three publications, it features many 
essays by Takeshi; interviews between him and Matsumoto Hitoshi (of 
Downtown fame), Imamura Shohei, and Yakult catcher Furuta Atsuya; lots of 
photos and paintings; an essay by Takeshi's daughter (who appears at the 
end of _Hana-Bi_); and other articles by colleages like Beat Kiyoshi and 
members of the Gundan.  Analytical essays include ones by Yoshikawa Shio 
(on his stage comedy days); Nakano Midori (on his TV work); and Fukuda 
Kazuya (on his writings).  A nenpyo and a film/bibliography is in the back.

This is a little off the subject, but:

Kitano has also been giving interviews right and left in a lot of 
magazines.  A few have been quite good, such as the one with Shinazaki 
Makoto in _Studio Voice_, but in a couple Takeshi has begun to take his 
designation as the standard bearer of the new Japanese cinema as an 
occasion to spout some of the rightist, nationalist rhetoric he often 
slips into.  One example is his interview in the Feb. 4 _Sapio_, a 
right-wing popular magazine which did a special feature called 
"Aikokushin wa tabu de wa nai" ("Patriotism Is Not Taboo").  Not only is 
Takeshi featured on the cover standing in front of the guns of a 
battleship, his declaration that democracy is alien to Japan shares pages 
with Kobayashi Yoshinori's manga "exposing" the fact that the Nanjing 
Massacre is a hoax.  (Imagine, say, Clint Eastwood sharing pages with an 
article declaring the Holocaust a hoax and you can understand how 
politically problematic Takeshi can sometimes be (as well as how messed 
up the political climate is here)).  

While Takeshi is brilliant as a director, his prominence as a 
neo-rightist is, I think, a legitimate issue when studying his films and 
his status as a personality.  My article in _Eureka_ broaches the issue 
of nationalism in his films, but it's only the tip of the iceberg.

Aaron Gerow
YNU