Member DragonClaws Posted February 20, 2020 Member Share Posted February 20, 2020 (edited) Shintaro Katsu, Bruce Lee & The (1972) Tokyo Trip Early 1970's Tokyo. In 1972 Bruce Lee embarked on a solo trip to the Roppongi district of Tokyo. After refusing to start production on the Lo Wei directed Fist of Fury released in September of that year. Until his requested script revisions had been made. The reason for the trip?, was to seek out the offices of his 40 year old acting idol Shintaro Katsu. In the hopes of learning more about how he made movies. The former Japanese musican was now a highly succesful actor in his own right. Who had already become a veteran of the movie business, by the time he met the rising Hong Kong actor. - "Mr Katsu, I hold you in high esteem, cinematically and otherwise, - "I want to act with you, and I want to learn from you" - Bruce Lee - Page 339: Bruce Lee a Life Mattew Polly (Below) Bruce Lee in Zatoichi mode, during a 1972 Golden Harvest screen test. - "It's a famous episode among Bruce Lee fans. To go into more detail than the book itself, when Bruce came to the office, Katsu Shintaro asked Bruce to sit down, but Bruce stood upright with a look of respect, saying that he couldn't sit in front of the actor who played his favorite Zatoichi." Source: https://note-com.translate.goog/jett0416/n/n28a5a41dea8d?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc&_x_tr_hist=true It turns out the Mr Katsu was contractually bound to another film company. Forcing Katsu, to turn down Mr Lee's offer to appear in future co-production together. However, he recommended former Babseball player turned actor Ricky Hashimoto & ex Pro-Wrestler Jun Katsumura. Hashimoto later landed the role of Suzuki in Fist of Fury. With one of his right hand men played by Mr Katsumura. There appear to be know known pictures of the Katsu/Lee meeting?. Similar to how there are no images from Bruce Lee's meeting, with British actor George Lazenby. One of Lee's top screen rivals Jimmy Wang Yu. Had already managed to score role opposite Katusmura. In the 1971 Golden Harvest produced Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsmen. Filmed in Japan, due to Wang Yu's then on-going dispute with Shaw Brothers studios. This movie had two directors in the form of Kimiyoshi Yasuda (Sworn Brothers) & Hsu Tseng Hung (18-Shaolin Disciples). - "Shintaro Katsu was an outrageously individualistic actor who became a living legend playing a blind master swordsman, Zatoichi. "Katsu-shin", as he was affectionately known, was adored by millions, not only in Japan but all over South East Asia, where his dazzlingly original sword-fight sequences influenced kung fu epics of Hong Kong and Taiwan. He was the second son of a master of nagauta, "long song" accompanied by shamisen, often used as dance accompaniment in kabuki. He began by teaching nagauta and aged 17 performed it in kabuki. When with his father and older brother he joined the Azuma Kabuki tour of America, the shamisen players were relegated to steerage, while the actors all had first class cabins. That example of social discrimination rankled and made Shintaro determined to be an actor, too." Source- https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-sintaro-katsu-1248398.html - "Bruce Lee's group fight scenes matured in "Fist of Fury". He attacked several people in one round and slowed down by one or two." There is a pause for a second, and then the fight begins again. This rhythm and storyboarding are very similar to the "Zatoichi" movie series starring Shintaro Katsu in the 1960s. Source - https://www-mpweekly-com.translate.goog/culture/cu0001/明周文化-李小龍-李小龍之死而復生-13754?_x_tr_sl=zh-TW&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc - Shintaro Katsu occasionally worked as a producer—for example, for the American documentary Ali: The Man Behind the Myth (1975), which profiled the life of boxer Muhammad Ali. (Below) Muhammad Ali meets Sintaro Katsu on a movie set in March 1972. The very same year Mr Katsu met Bruce Lee in Tokyo. - Shintaro Katsu, in just one of his 25 lead roles as the famous blind Japanese sworsdmen, Zatochi. Edited September 7 by DragonClaws 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member CT KID Posted February 21, 2020 Member Share Posted February 21, 2020 Are there any known pictures of Bruce and Ali together? I guess not though or it would have been a very widely circulated one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Shaolivevil Posted February 21, 2020 Member Share Posted February 21, 2020 Wow, Muhammad Ali with Shintaro Katsu! That is so cool... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted February 23, 2020 Author Member Share Posted February 23, 2020 (edited) On 2/21/2020 at 10:20 PM, CT KID said: Are there any known pictures of Bruce and Ali together? I guess not though or it would have been a very widely circulated one. On 2/21/2020 at 11:58 PM, Shaolivevil said: Wow, Muhammad Ali with Shintaro Katsu! That is so cool... If there was a picture of all three together, I'm sure it would fetch a fair price. Even if there was one, there might be a lot of red tape we as fans just don't know about. There might be problems getting such an image out?. If a picture features two deceased stars owned by different Estates. Similar to how there might be more pictures of Bruce Lee with James Coburn & Steve McQueen and other actor/directo/producers from his Hollywood year's. That cant be released due to legal reasons?. Edited February 24, 2020 by DragonClaws 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member CT KID Posted February 23, 2020 Member Share Posted February 23, 2020 8 hours ago, DragonClaws said: If there was a picture of all three together, I'm sure it would fetch a fair price. Even if there was one, there might be a lot of red tape we as fans just don't know about. There might be problems getting such an image out?. If a picture features two deceased stars owned by different Estates. Similar to how there might be more pictures of Bruce Lee with James Coburn & Steve McQueen and other actor/directo/producers from his Hollywood year's. That cant be resleased due to legal reasons?. I've never read or heard anything about Bruce and Ali ever meeting although Bruce was an admirer of Ali's fighting style and studied his footwork intensely IIRC. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted February 24, 2020 Author Member Share Posted February 24, 2020 (edited) Here's another image of Muhammad Ali meeting Shintaro Katsu. I dont know the name of the movie Mr Katsu, was working on at the time?. Edited February 24, 2020 by DragonClaws 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted February 25, 2020 Member Share Posted February 25, 2020 @DragonClaws thanks for posting those articles. I had no idea that there was a connection between Bruce Lee and Zatoichi or Muhammad Ali and Shintaro Katsu. I wonder if Ali also met Shintaro's brother, Tomisaburo Wakayama, the actor who played Ogami Itto in Lone Wolf & Cub during that same trip in '72? Also, I can't see the second pic of Ali and Katsu you posted right above me or is it just me and my browser? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted February 25, 2020 Author Member Share Posted February 25, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, Yihetuan said: and Katsu you posted right above me or is it just me and my browser? I think it might be your browser, the image appears to work fine for others?. 7 hours ago, Yihetuan said: @DragonClaws thanks for posting those articles. I had no idea that there was a connection between Bruce Lee and Zatoichi or Muhammad Ali and Shintaro Katsu Here's a few more detials about regarding Ali's presence in Tokyo. Quote Muhammad Ali and Mac Foster fought each other in a fifteen-round boxing match in Tokyo on April 1, 1972.Ali won the fight on points through a unanimous decision Source- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali_vs._Mac_Foster Quote All Gets Japanese Doll. 24th Mar, 1972. Former World Heavyweight: champion Muhammad Ali, who is in Tokyo to fight Mac Foster in a 15-round bout on April 1st, receives a Japanese doll as a souvenir during a reception given the two boxers at a Tokyo hotel. The souvenir Japanese doll, was given during a press reception given for the two boxers at a Tokyo hotel. it is Ali's first visit to Japan, but Mac Foster who is an ex-U.S.Marine, was stationed in Japan in 1963-64. Ali Vows to knock him out ''in the first five rounds'. © Keystone Press Agency/Keystone USA/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News Source- https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-all-gets-japanese-doll-24th-mar-1972-former-world-heavyweight-champion-105052289.html Quote (Below) Mar. 24, 1972 - Doll For Ali's Foe: Mac Foster, who will flight Muhammad Ali in Tokyo on April 1, in a 15-round bout, is presented with a souvenir Japanese doll, during a press reception given for the two boxers at a Tokyo hotel. - Edited February 25, 2020 by DragonClaws 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted February 26, 2020 Member Share Posted February 26, 2020 @DragonClaws, yep it was my browser. I inadvertently messed with some settings that blocked images and privacy tracking. In Chrome I can see it fine. Those dolls are pretty neat. I think those are Hina dolls and they can get pretty pricey especially if made by famous local artisans, Here's a YT vid of some highlights from that fight in Tokyo between Ali and Mac Foster. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted February 27, 2020 Author Member Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) On 2/26/2020 at 2:43 AM, Yihetuan said: @DragonClaws, yep it was my browser. I inadvertently messed with some settings that blocked images and privacy tracking. In Chrome I can see it fine. There might be the full fight on there?, the Bruce Lee might have caught Ali fighting live in Asia. Had he got a ticket to this match, their two paths almost crossed here. Though I should imagine this event sold out pretty fast. Edited March 9, 2020 by DragonClaws 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted March 9, 2020 Author Member Share Posted March 9, 2020 (edited) Shintaro Katsu & Jimmy Wang Yu in a scene from Zatoichi & The One Armed Swordsman(1971). Prodcued by Katsu Film Co. Ltd, Wing Luen(Yonglian) Movie Film Company, Daiei Film Co, Ltd and distributed by Golden Harvest films. (Below) Taking a break from filming. Edited March 21, 2020 by DragonClaws 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Omni Dragon Posted March 9, 2020 Member Share Posted March 9, 2020 1 hour ago, DragonClaws said: (Below) Taking a break from filming. Looking at this still I'm imagining a buddy cop comedy version of Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman. Of course Zatoichi being the one who drives is a totally sensible idea. 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted May 21, 2020 Author Member Share Posted May 21, 2020 On 3/9/2020 at 8:00 PM, Silver and Gold Dragon said: Looking at this still I'm imagining a buddy cop comedy version of Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman. Of course Zatoichi being the one who drives is a totally sensible idea. I think you might be onto something there, I kinda see Jimmy Wang Yu's character as the one who does all the talking. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted June 3, 2020 Member Share Posted June 3, 2020 Well, he has the hands, Wang Yu has the eyes. Teamwork! Though given the amount of booze those two likely consumed... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted July 19, 2020 Author Member Share Posted July 19, 2020 Is it possible, Bruce Lee was influenced/inspired by the fact Shintaro Katsu owned his movie production company?. Or was he simply tired of working with director's such as Lo Wei?. Did he form Concord Pictures with Raymond Chow, after his 1972 visit to Tokyo?. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted July 21, 2020 Member Share Posted July 21, 2020 I think Bruce would have been inspired by Hollywood trends too. A lot of stars by that time were freelance. Mind you, so was Wang Yu... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted September 23, 2020 Author Member Share Posted September 23, 2020 On 7/21/2020 at 11:31 AM, Killer Meteor said: I think Bruce would have been inspired by Hollywood trends too. A lot of stars by that time were freelance. Mind you, so was Wang Yu... Agreed, Clint Eastwood had already established his own production company Malpaso back in 1967. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted October 14, 2020 Author Member Share Posted October 14, 2020 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted October 26, 2021 Author Member Share Posted October 26, 2021 Were the 1972 Golden Harvest costume photo shoots/screentests, done before or Bruce Lee's trip to Tokyo?. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted December 5, 2021 Author Member Share Posted December 5, 2021 What would a 1970's era Bruce Lee/Shintaro Katsu, Yakuza/Samurai themed movie, have been like?. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted March 21, 2022 Author Member Share Posted March 21, 2022 (edited) Quote Read a few interviews, one with the fellow who wrote Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan and the other with Han Ying Jie the Cathay and Golden Harvest fight coordinator. Their opinion was that Kung Fu movies were basically quickie films and that even Huang Fei Films from the 50's and 60's were lowbrow films. @NoKUNGFUforYU It appears Japanese actor/producer Shintaro Katsu shared the same opinion's. I said I'd get back to on this topic, here's a quote I couldnt find at the time you brought up this subject. Maybe this the reason why Katsu turned down appearing alongside Bruce Lee in a movie?. "Before the Japanese release of Enter the Dragon Raymond Chow approached Shintaro Katsu, wihtout success, to sercure the distrbution of Bruce Lees earlier films such as The Big Boss and Fist of Fury. Katsu's refusal revealved the low esteem in which Hong Kong movies were generally held by the Japanese filmmakers in the early 1970's and it was only with the release of Enter the Dragon in 1973, that Hong Kong movies began to enjoy some popularity in Japan" Source- Hong Kong Connections: Transnational Imagination in Action Cinema Shintaro Katsu and Tamao nakamura 1973 - Shintaro Katsu (left), Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director. Tamao nakamura (right), Japanese actress. (Photo by Koichi Saito/AFLO source- https://nipponnews.photoshelter.com/image/I0000xToOaISJwlM Edited March 21, 2022 by DragonClaws 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted March 31, 2022 Author Member Share Posted March 31, 2022 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted April 16, 2022 Author Member Share Posted April 16, 2022 - Shintaro Katsu co-starred with Wang Yu in "Fist of Fury ! Tangjin Sword" (Director Kimiyoshi Yasuda, 1971). It was because I did it. Katsu became close to Wang Yu, and through Golden Harvest , Wang Yu said , "The first one from the United States that came out in Hong Kong earned $ 1 million in box office revenue. I want to make the second one. So, please introduce the actor who played the role of a bad Japanese in the Meiji era. " - It was said that the length of stay in Hong Kong for shooting was about two weeks, and the guarantee was paid by Katsu Pro. He said he saw the movie for the first time when it was released in Japan after Bruce Lee died, saying, "It's popular in Hong Kong, but I didn't think I would do it in Japan." - In shooting, it took a full two days just to get around the climax. It was canned in the set from 1 pm to 11 pm, and I was only able to go out for an hour in the evening, at meal time. Source- https://ja-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/橋本力_(野球)?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted April 21, 2022 Author Member Share Posted April 21, 2022 Angela Mao-Ying & Shintaro Katsu. Source- https://m.facebook.com/pg/Angela-Mao-Ying-198869603467788/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2864782220209833 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted July 4, 2022 Author Member Share Posted July 4, 2022 (edited) "It was said that the length of stay in Hong Kong for shooting was about two weeks, and the guarantee was paid by Katsu Pro" source - https://ja-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/橋本力_(野球)?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Did Golden Harvest pay Shintaro Katsu Comapny for the use of some of their actors?. KYOTO, JAPAN - JUNE 30: Actor and film director Shintaro Katsu (R) is seen on the set during the 'Zatoichi' fliming on June 30, 1972 in Kyoto, Japan. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images). Edited September 5 by DragonClaws 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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