More Geinokai Scandals

[ander025]

Dear Mark N., Mark W., and fellow Kinejapanners,
   An older scandal (from the mid-50s?) involved Misora Hibari's brother
being convicted of gang activity and she herself being banned from NHK by
association for something like ten years. This must have been particularly
bitter given the Shirley Temple-like innocence of her public image to that
point. She held a grudge and wouldn't perform there for many years after
the ban was lifted. I think there was also a bit of child-labor law court
action in her youth that came to naught. The accusation was that she was
being financially exploited in ways that violated Japanese child-labor
laws. Her zainichi Kankokujin background (which went generally unremarked
in the mass media) surely was related to this series of events.
   The politically-motivated studio firings of Oshima Nagisa and Suzuki
Seijun could be included in this category. They were certainly considered
controversial at the time.
   The first Zuno Keisatsu (Brain Police) album (around 1971) was banned
from public sale for a song with lyrics that said approximately, "Even the
Emperor must use toilet paper."
   Itami Juzo having his throat slashed by a member of a far-right group
pissed-off about one of his films would certainly make my list. I believe
there was also a related incident where the screen in a movie theater
showing the same film was slashed. 
   Surely Kitano Takeshi crashing his red scooter and smashing his head
open on a (supposedly haunted) road in Yotsuya while going home to his
family from his mistress's apartment would qualify as scandalous? There's
no question it permanently affected his post-accident stage presence. 
   Not knowing the supposed "legal or scholarly angle," however, I'm not
sure how helpful these suggestions are.
                                                     Mark Anderson


On 7 Jan 2004, Mark Nornes wrote:
> Recently I posted a little tidbit from Mark West, our law scholar here. 
> He is, as a matter of fact, working on a little project about scandals 
> in the geinokai (and swears he's got a scholarly angle on this stuff). 
> Here is his preliminary list of the top scandals of the last two 
> decades (and I added a couple).
> 
> Matsuda Seiko stealing Matchy, leading to Nakamori Akina's suicide 
> attempt, and then the subsequent divorce to marry that Jeff guy
> Amuro Namie dekichatta kekkon to nyoronyoro Sam
> Tashiro Masashi arrested for peeping tom stuff and then again for drugs
> Goro Inagaki arrested for running over police woman
> Katsu Shintaro arrested for drugs
> Itami Juzo suicide (?)
> 
> I don't know much about this kind of thing, but added:
> 
> Tora Tora Tora & Kurosawa nervous breakdown, then suicide attempt 
> (although this is a little earlier)
> Kadokawa Haruki's cocaine arrest
> Miyazawa Rie's Life
> 
> Can anyone add any juicy ones to his list? He would be eternally 
> grateful.
> 
> Markus
> 
>