The Japanese actor Hiroshi Fujioka (藤岡弘、) celebrates his 80th birthday today, born on February 19th, 1946. He rose to stardom as the original Kamen Rider hero, Takeshi Hongo. In 1984, he made history as the first Japanese actor to join the Screen Actors Guild of America.

Daisuke Katō (加東大介) in Yojimbo (用心棒). Born on this day in 1911.

The celebrated Japanese character actor Daisuke Katō (加東大介) was born 115 years ago, on February 18th, 1911. His naturally bright attitude and sincerity made him a favorite of many. Katō passed away on July 31st, 1975, leaving behind an incredible career in film. youtube.com/shorts/CSvqW...

The Japanese actress Sachiko Chiba (千葉早智子) was born 115 years ago, on Feb. 16th, 1911. She made her film debut in 1933 and had a short but prominent career at P.C.L., especially receiving praise for her works with Mikio Naruse. She passed away on Oct. 22nd, 1993.

The Japanese director Kōji Shima (島耕二) was born 125 years ago, on Feb 16th, 1901. He began as an actor at Nikkatsu in 1925, turning to directing in 1939. He worked in a wide range of genres over his career. He passed away Sept. 10th, 1986.

You can watch the 2016 documentary "Ken San" on the Internet Archive here: archive.org/details/ken-...

The legendary Japanese actor Ken Takakura (高倉健) was born 95 years ago, on February 16th, 1931. youtube.com/shorts/Fj_lD...

The Thick-Walled Room / 壁あつき部屋 (1956), directed by Masaki Kobayashi (小林正樹).

Masaki Kobayashi (小林正樹 ), one of Japan's greatest filmmakers, was born 110 years ago, on February 14th, 1916. His films were socially and politically conscious, shaped by his study of philosophy and the horrors of war. youtube.com/shorts/A7Peo...

The Japanese film director Tatsuo Sakai (酒井辰雄) was born 110 years ago, on February 13th, 1916. He joined the film industry in 1939 and began apprenticing under and living with Kenji Mizoguchi as an assistant director in 1940.

Don't ask about Palestine at the Berlinale! Here's my question to the jury about selective solidarity of the film festival with the people of Iran and Ukraine vs. Palestinians. Wim Wenders (jury president) actually said: "We have to stay out of politics" #Berlinale2026

The Inheritance / からみ合い (1962), directed by Masaki Kobayashi (小林正樹) boxd.it/4Z88

Location / ロケーション (1984) boxd.it/g7lw

UK/US: A lost gem of '70s Japanese cinema, AESTHETICS OF A BULLET shows a lowly street-vendor becoming mixed up in yakuza rivalry and getting way over his head. Released on Blu-ray for the first time, featuring appreciations by filmmakers Robert Schwentke and Kazuyoshi Kumakiri

heyzine.com/flip-book/11... Issue 2 of Asian Cinema Shine is out!! Massive thank you to everyone who contributed such great articles/reviews ♥

The Japanese actor and calligrapher Hirotarō Honda (本田博太郎) celebrates his 75th birthday today, born on February 8th, 1951. After years of odd jobs while working his way up into theater acting, he made his film debut in 1977.

The Japanese producer Kei Ijichi (伊地智啓) was born 90 years ago, on February 8th, 1936. He originally joined Nikkatsu as an assistant director in 1960, but transitioned to producer in 1971. He joined the newly formed Kitty Films in 1978 and oversaw the production of films such as...

Nenji was a huge fan of Ken Takakura (高倉健) in his teens. He and Ken became close friends, with Ken taking him under his wing in acting and even serving as guarantor for his house and wedding. Anyways...here is Ken beating up Nenji.

The Japanese actor Nenji Kobayashi (小林稔侍) celebrates his 85th birthday today, born on February 7th, 1941. Despite being almost exclusively a background and supporting actor throughout his career, he has expressed his deep love of acting and appreciation for all his roles. youtube.com/shorts/gAQDK...

The Japanese actor Jun Hamamura (浜村純) was born 120 years ago, on February 7th, 1906. He was considered one of Japan's best supporting actors. He appeared in over 300 films from 1949 until his death on June 21st, 1995.

today, February 7, is the anniversary of the death of Ogawa Shinsuke, who passed away in 1992 at the age of 55

The pioneering Japanese actress Takako Irie (入江たか子) was born 115 years ago, on February 7th, 1911. She was the most popular actress at Nikkatsu in the late 20s-30s and, in 1932, became the first woman to establish an independent studio in Japan. youtube.com/shorts/rKsTM...

Oh no, friends and family on Facebook are posting AI caricatures of themselves as part of some trend. 🤦 Disappointing, but I guess it was inevitable...

Reading about Nenji Kobayashi for tomorrow (spoilers), and this has to be the sweetest man I've read about yet. His relationship with Ken Takakura (also very sweet) seems so beautiful, and every quote from him reads like 'I'm just happy to be here!' boxd.it/3A63

The Japanese actress, singer, and all-around cultural icon Kyōko Koizumi (小泉今日子) celebrates her 60th birthday today, born on February 4th, 1966.

The Japanese Screenwriter Niisan Takahashi (高橋二三) was born 100 years ago, on February 3rd, 1926. Niisan entered the film industry around 1955 and is primarily known as the writer for the first run of Gamera films.

The Japanese kabuki performer and film actor Kan’emon Nakamura III (中村翫右衛門) was born 125 years ago, on February 2nd, 1901. youtube.com/shorts/LIQdw...

I still heavily use Twitter because of stuff like this, a clipping from around the time of the formation of the Director's Company, with pictures of each founder posted by @ludned (aka Mokukoshi Film Archive Tribute). The Japanese user base on Twitter is still huge.

January might be over, but #Japanuary lives on for me as I still have 8 films left to watch! I did manage to watch 23 fantastic films for Japanuary in January, though. boxd.it/QLvzO

"The Man Who Stole the Sun" is an incredible film, both fun and compelling. I'll have to watch "The Youth Killer" sooner rather than later. He played a key role in the establishment of the Director's Company and even took out personal loans in an attempt to keep it afloat before it's bankruptcy.

Hasegawa Kazuhiko, director of 2 epic films, 太陽を盗んだ男 The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979) and 青春の殺人者 The Youth Killer (1976) has passed away on January 31 mainichi.jp/articles/202...

Denjirō Ōkōchi 大河内 傳次郎 as Tange Sazen 丹下 左膳 #filmsky #actor #japanese #cinema #大河内傳次郎 #TangeSazen #丹下左膳

The Japanese director Toshikazu Kōno (河野寿一) was born 105 years ago, on Jan. 30th, 1921. Kōno entered the studio system in 1943, eventually moving to Toei Kyoto studio in 1947, where he was promoted to director in 1953 after apprenticing under Sadatsugu Matsuda.

The Japanese science fiction novelist Sakyō Komatsu (小松左京) was born 95 years ago, on January 28th, 1931. He was one of the genre's "Three Great Masters," and wrote the wildly popular "Japan Sinks," which has seen numerous film and TV adaptations. youtube.com/shorts/H8cxr...

Japanese singer Hiroko Mita (三田寛子) turns 60 years old today, born on Jan. 27th, 1966. She made her acting debut in 1981 in a TBS drama and made her debut as a singer in March 1982. These days she spends her time supporting her husband and 3 son's activities as Kabuki actors.

The Japanese film director Higashi Yoichi died on January 21, 2026, at the age of 91. Emerging from documentary film, he made award winning fiction films such as Third Base (1978), The River with no Bridge (1992) and Village of Dreams (1996).

Japanese singer Hiroko Mita (三田寛子) turns 60 years old today, born on Jan. 27th, 1966. She made her acting debut in 1981 in a TBS drama and made her debut as a singer in March 1982. These days she spends her time supporting her husband and 3 son's activities as Kabuki actors.

The Japanese actress Yōko Nogiwa (野際陽子) was born 90 years ago, on January 24th, 1936. She became well known through the hit TV show "Key Hunter" and had a prolific career in television. She acted until her death on June 13th, 2017. youtube.com/shorts/Tl2JJ...

水の中の八月 August in the Water (Ishii Gakuryū, 1995) scroll down for the English version: www.sonatine.it/2026/01/24/a...

Rintarō (りんたろう) turns 85 years old today, born on January 22nd, 1941! #OTD His career in animation began in 1958 at Toei Animation, working on some of their first feature films, and he made his directorial debut at Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Productions in 1963 on "Astro Boy." youtu.be/YNU-eCPuCME

The Japanese actress Yoshiko Kuga (久我美子) was born 95 years ago, on January 21st, 1931. She entered the film world in 1947, joining Toho Studios as a first-generation Toho New Face and quietly retired around 2000, closing a five‑decade career. youtube.com/shorts/Aq32X...

Masaichi Nagata (永田雅一) was born 120 years ago, on January 21st, 1906. youtube.com/shorts/TZHAB...

Masaichi Nagata (永田雅一) was born 120 years ago, on January 21st, 1906. youtube.com/shorts/TZHAB...

Masaichi Nagata is such an interesting figure in Japanese cinema and in general. It's kind of no wonder he was so successful (and had many failures and shortcomings); it seems the man had his fingers in basically every pie you can imagine at one point or another.

The Japanese actor Toshiaki Nishizawa (西沢利明) was born 90 years ago, on January 20th, 1936. He began as a stage actor in the early 1960s and quickly transitioned to film and, primarily, TV acting. Toshiaki worked up until his death on April 11th, 2013.

A bit of catch-up on #Japanuary. For film #13, I watched Nobuhiko Obayashi's "The Rocking Horsemen." Obayashi's ability to make you fall in love with something you previously didn't care about, or didn't know about, is unmatched. boxd.it/cGkfSB

Hiroshi Mizutani (水谷浩) was born 120 years ago, on January 17th, 1906. He was one of Kenji Mizoguchi's primary art directors and production designers, but also worked with Hiroshi Shimizu, Yasujirō Ozu, and many others from 1929 until his untimely death on May 16th, 1971.

few thoughts on the documentary: asian-docs.com/2026/01/17/t...

Criterion just announced that they are finally releasing the Kinuyo Tanaka-directed films (that they've had the rights to for years)...and it's an Eclipse set with a singular special feature. 😒 I'm...feeling more than a bit disappointed about this, I can't lie. www.criterion.com/boxsets/8685...

Film #12 of #Japanuary, I watched "My Sons," dir. Yōji Yamada. Rentaro Mikuni is one of the best to ever do it. Old Man Rentaro Mikuni is even better. boxd.it/cFfkGV