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Sadao Yamane

やまね さだお

Yamane Sadao

Pen Names: Kikuchi Asajiro（Pen name used in early criticism and in manga-criticism publications）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1939-10-15 （Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
Died
2023-02-20 （Yokohama, Japan） age 83
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
film critic, manga critic, translator, editor, university professor
Active Years
1964-2023
Affiliations
Nihon Dokusho Shimbun (Japan Reading Newspaper), Cinema 69 (editor/publisher), Kinema Junpo (contributor), Tokai University (special-appointed professor)
Influenced
Shigehiko Hasumi,

Education

Osaka University of Foreign Studies
French Department
Country: Japan

Awards

Mainichi Publishing Culture Award (Planning category)
2024
Work: Collection of Japanese Film Criticism
Category: 企画部門
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Encyclopedia of Japanese Films

2021 reference/encyclopedia

A large-scale encyclopedia of Japanese cinema compiled and edited over 22 years, covering approximately 1,300 directors and 19,500 films.

Japanese cinemafilm historyarchives

Following Films: A Journey Visiting Film Collectors

2023 non-fiction/research

A nonfiction account of visits to film collectors across Japan, documenting film discoveries and preservation efforts.

film discoverypreservationoral history

120 Takes on Toei Yakuza Films

2021 criticism/film guide

A critical survey of approximately 120 Toei yakuza films.

yakuza cinemagenre studyentertainment films

The Trajectory of Action Films

1984 film criticism

A study that interprets films from the viewpoint of 'action' and re-evaluates the value of entertainment cinema.

actionentertainment cinemagenre criticism

Film: Mechanisms of Pleasure

1988 film theory

An analysis of the mechanisms of film and their relation to audience pleasure.

film theoryaudience studiesmedia theory

When Film Is Stripped Bare

1988 criticism

An essay collection offering multifaceted criticism of films and questioning the essence of cinematic expression.

criticismtheory of expressionJapanese cinema

Masahiro Makino: Film as Festival

2008 oral history/edited volume

An oral-history-based edited volume focusing on Masahiro Makino, recording his activities and aspects of Japanese film history.

oral historyfilm historydirector studies

Bibliography

  • Images of Okita Sōji
  • Film Hunting
  • Osamu Tezuka and Yoshiharu Tsuge: The Starting Point of Modern Manga
  • The Trajectory of Action Films
  • When Film Is Stripped Bare
  • Film: Mechanisms of Pleasure
  • Into the World of Japanese Cinema
  • Japanese Film Criticism 1986-1989
  • Yuzo Masumura: Eros as Will
  • Japanese Cinema in the World
  • Faces of Cinema
  • Journey to Contemporary Film 1994-2000
  • Masahiro Makino: Film as Festival
  • Collected Japanese Film Criticism 2000-2010
  • Collected Japanese Film Criticism 1976-1989
  • Collected Japanese Film Criticism 1990-1999
  • 120 Takes on Toei Yakuza Films
  • Following Films: A Journey Visiting Film Collectors
  • Collected Japanese Film Criticism 2011-2022

Translations by Author

  • Euthanasia: How to Think About Death
  • The Rose of Stavisky
  • The Decision of Dr. Frigo

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Re-evaluative approach to entertainment cinemaEmphasis on 'action' (katsugeki) as a metric in criticismEmpirical methods combining archival research and oral-history interviews
Recurring Motifs
action cinemareassessment of entertainment valuefilm discovery and preservationdirector-focused analysis

Health

  • stomach cancer
    治療中 - 2023-02-20
    He died of stomach cancer on 2023-02-20, ending decades of writing and editorial work; his film-collector research influenced preservation efforts.

Legacy

He re-evaluated Japanese cinema through the lens of entertainment and 'action' films, contributing to rediscovery and preservation of many directors and works. Through decades of criticism, collector research, and a 22-year compilation of a comprehensive film encyclopedia, he left an important legacy in Japanese film studies and archiving.

Trivia

  • The pen name 'Kikuchi Asajiro' was derived from a character in the film Meiji Gyakukuden: Sandaime Shunamei (role by Koji Tsuruta).
  • He edited and published the Encyclopedia of Japanese Films after 22 years of work (1999–2021).
  • From 1986 he regularly wrote Japanese film reviews for Kinema Junpo until his death.
  • He died of stomach cancer at his home in Yokohama on 2023-02-20 at age 83.
  • In 2024 the collected volume 'Collected Japanese Film Criticism' received the 78th Mainichi Publishing Culture Award (Planning category).