Kon Ichikawa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kon Ichikawa
Born	Giichi Ichikawa 20 November 1915 Ise, Mie, Empire of Japan
Died	13 February 2008(2008-02-13) (aged 92) Tokyo, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter
Years active	1936–2008

Kon Ichikawa (市川 崑, Ichikawa Kon, 20 November 1915 – 13 February 2008) was a famous Japanese film director and writer. He made many different kinds of movies. These included serious anti-war films like The Burmese Harp (1956). He also directed the exciting documentary Tokyo Olympiad (1965). This film won two important awards called BAFTA Film Awards. Another famous movie was An Actor's Revenge (1963), a drama set in the 1800s. His film Odd Obsession (1959) won a special award at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.

Kon Ichikawa's Early Life and Dreams

Kon Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan. His birth name was Giichi Ichikawa. When he was four, his father passed away. The family's kimono shop then went out of business. Because of this, Kon went to live with his sister.

An uncle gave him the name "Kon." He thought the Japanese characters for Kon meant good luck. As a child, Kon loved to draw. He really wanted to become an artist. He also loved watching movies, especially "chambara" or samurai films.

Becoming an Animator and Filmmaker

When Kon was a teenager, he was amazed by Walt Disney's "Silly Symphonies" cartoons. This made him decide he wanted to be an animator. He went to a technical school in Osaka. After graduating in 1933, he found a job. He worked in the animation part of a local film studio called J.O Studio.

Years later, Kon Ichikawa said that he still felt like a "cartoonist." He believed that Walt Disney and Chaplin (especially his film The Gold Rush) were the biggest influences on his own movies.

When J.O Studio closed its animation department, Kon moved to the main film section. He worked as an assistant director. In the early 1940s, J.O Studio joined with other companies. They formed the Toho Film Company. Kon then moved to Tokyo.

His first film was a short puppet play called A Girl at Dojo Temple (1946). This film was taken away by the U.S. authorities who were in charge of Japan at the time. They said it was too "feudal," meaning it was too old-fashioned. This film was thought to be lost for many years. Now, it is kept safe at the Cinémathèque Française.

Meeting Natto Wada

While working at Toho, Kon Ichikawa met Natto Wada. She was a translator for the company. They decided to get married after Kon finished his first film as a director. Natto Wada's original name was Yumiko Mogi. She was born on September 13, 1920, in Himeji.

Natto had studied English literature at Tokyo Woman's Christian University. She married Kon Ichikawa on April 10, 1948. She passed away on February 18, 1983.

Kon Ichikawa's Famous Films (1950–1965)

After Kon Ichikawa married Natto Wada, they started working together. This period, from 1950 to 1965, is often called Kon Ichikawa's "Natto Wada period." During these years, he made many of his most respected films. Natto Wada wrote 34 screenplays during this time. Most of these were based on books.

One of his most famous films from this time was Tokyo Olympiad (1965). This documentary earned him the Olympic Diploma of Merit. It also won the BAFTA United Nations Award.

Kon Ichikawa became well-known in Western countries during the 1950s and 1960s. He made two important anti-war films: The Burmese Harp and Fires on the Plain. He also directed An Actor's Revenge (1963). This was a visually stunning film about a kabuki actor.

He also turned many famous books into movies. These included The Key (Kagi) by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. Another was The Heart (Kokoro) by Natsume Sōseki. He also made I Am a Cat (Wagahai wa neko de aru). This film is about a teacher's cat that makes fun of the people around him.

His film The Key was released in the United States as Odd Obsession. It won a special Jury Prize at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.

Later Career and Legacy

After Tokyo Olympiad in 1965, Natto Wada stopped writing screenplays. This led to a big change in Kon Ichikawa's films. He said she felt that new films didn't have "heart" anymore.

His last film was Inugamis in 2006. This was a new version of his own 1976 film, The Inugami Family. It was shown at the 29th Moscow International Film Festival.

In 2006, a documentary about Kon Ichikawa was made. It was called The Kon Ichikawa Story. Kon Ichikawa passed away from pneumonia on February 13, 2008, in a Tokyo hospital. He was 92 years old.

His final appearance was in the film The Magic Hour. This movie was dedicated to his memory. In the film, Kon Ichikawa played a movie director.

His Impact on Cinema

Kon Ichikawa's films often have a serious or dark mood. But they also show moments of human kindness and hope. He was known for his great technical skills and his ability to show things realistically. He made movies in many different styles.

Many critics consider him one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers. They often put him in the same group as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Yasujirō Ozu.

In 2015, a small museum opened in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is called the Kon Ichikawa Memorial Room. It displays items from his personal collection and honors both him and his wife, Natto Wada.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Kon Ichikawa para niños