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101-712: The dojo has been under the leadership of Tanaka-Sensei since he founded it in 1968. Therefore, to understand SFTD's style, one must first understand "Tanaka style". Tanaka was born, raised, and educated in Japan. Not long after he graduated from Chiba University of Commerce (in 1964), Tanaka came to the United States for the first time (in 1967). While in San Francisco, Tanaka attended the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco Japantown . He

202-407: A "very nice person who worked well with actors". Marquand did note that Lucas kept a conspicuous presence on set, joking, "It is rather like trying to direct King Lear – with Shakespeare in the next room!" The screenplay was written by Lawrence Kasdan and Lucas (with uncredited contributions by David Peoples and Marquand), based on Lucas's story. Kasdan claims he told Lucas that Return of

303-459: A 'true Jedi should never seek revenge' and returned to his original title. By that time thousands of "Revenge" teaser posters (with artwork by Drew Struzan ) had been printed and distributed. Lucasfilm stopped the shipping of the posters and sold the remaining stock of 6,800 posters to Star Wars fan club members for $ 9.50. In 2005, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith , released as part of

404-474: A commercial theater. Lucas and his employees could not hear many of the sound effects they had mixed. To make matters worse, the background noise in the theater muffled the majority of the film's sound, which played through the theater's normal commercial sound system. Many theaters at the time had poor room acoustics with mono sound. Lucas would solve the problem by creating a new cinema audio company, THX , and ensuring that all theaters playing his movies would use

505-720: A counterattack by the Ewoks allows the Rebels to infiltrate the shield generator. Meanwhile, Lando Calrissian and Admiral Ackbar lead the Rebel assault on the Death Star, finding its shield still active and the Imperial fleet waiting for them. The Emperor reveals to Luke that the Death Star is fully operational and orders the firing of its massive laser, which destroys a Rebel starship. He invites Luke to give in to his anger and embrace

606-541: A day in Death Valley . The other was a special Steadicam unit shooting forest backgrounds from June 15 to June 17, 1982, for the speeder chase near the middle of the film. Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown personally filmed these shots at less than one frame per second . By walking at about 5 mph (8 km/h) and projecting the footage at 24 frame/s, the motion seen in the film appeared as if it were moving at around 120 mph (190 km/h). Vader's funeral

707-575: A different song in Jabba's throne room, the modification of the sarlacc to include a beak, the replacement of music at the closing scene, and a montage of different alien worlds celebrating the fall of the Empire. The runtime of the 1997 Special Edition of the film and all subsequent releases is approximately five minutes longer than the original theatrical version. The film was re-released theatrically by 20th Century Studios on April 28, 2023, to commemorate

808-517: A feast for the eyes and a delight for the fancy. It's a little amazing how Lucas and his associates keep topping themselves." Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also gave the film four stars out of four and wrote, "From the moment that the familiar Star Wars introductory words begin to crawl up the screen, Return of the Jedi is a childlike delight. It's the best video game around. And for

909-424: A new person or group, and will not turn down a potential student because of that person's gender, ethnicity or past. However, students must be willing to put in the effort to follow through in all of the above principles. Tanaka is reported to never stop pushing students so that they are always improving, because taiko is not about the end goal of mastering the art form (the art form is constantly evolving, so this goal

1010-541: A primitive race of small creatures) defeating an armed ground force comprising the Empire's "best troops". Lucas has defended the scenario, saying that the Ewoks' purpose was to distract the Imperial troops and they did not really win. His inspiration for the Ewoks' victory came from the Vietnam War , where the Viet Cong prevailed against the technologically superior United States . The novelization of Return of

1111-460: A record for a nationwide release on an inflation-adjusted basis for 36 years until it was surpassed by Avengers: Endgame in 2019. It finished first at the box office for six of its first seven weeks of release, only coming in second once behind Superman III in its fourth weekend. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 80 million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run. When it

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1212-510: A sequel to The Empire Strikes Back was swiftly put into production. As with the previous film, Lucas personally financed Return of the Jedi . Lucas also chose not to direct the film himself, and started searching for a director. Irvin Kershner , who previously directed The Empire Strikes Back , declined to direct after spending two years working on the previous film, choosing to direct Never Say Never Again . Although Lucas's first choice

1313-620: A statue memorializing comfort women in 2017. The statue is currently erected on public property in San Francisco's Chinatown . Japantown Bowl was founded in 1976 amidst urban renewal in the Fillmore District, San Francisco in the 1970s. When the building was put up for sale, Supervisor Mabel Teng suggested that the city buy the building if negotiations between private investors failed. The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) offered to buy

1414-478: A take-out/delivery-only model. The JCCCNC have organized socially distanced outdoor seating and ordering areas in the Peace Plaza. However, some businesses have still remained closed for the duration of the pandemic and have reported losses of 50%. The area is home to Japanese cuisine restaurants, supermarkets, indoor shopping malls, hotels, banks, and other shops, including one of the few U.S. branches of

1515-577: A time when ILM rejected about 30,000 metres (100,000 ft) of film when the film perforations failed image registration and steadiness tests. John Williams composed the film's musical score and performed it with the London Symphony Orchestra . Orchestration credits also include Thomas Newman . The initial release of the film's soundtrack was on the RSO Records label in the United States. Sony Classical Records acquired

1616-496: A trapdoor to be eaten by a rancor . After Luke kills the beast, Jabba decrees that he, Han, and Chewbacca will be fed to a Sarlacc , a deadly ground-dwelling creature. Luke retrieves his new lightsaber from R2-D2 , and the group of friends battle Jabba's thugs aboard his sail barge. During the chaos, Boba Fett falls into the Sarlacc's pit and Leia strangles Jabba to death with her chains. The group escapes as Jabba's sail barge

1717-506: A truly amazing array of creatures, old and new, plus the familiar space hardware." Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film "is fully satisfying, it gives honest value to all the hopes of its believers. With this last of the central Star Wars cycle, there is the sense of the closing of a circle, of leaving behind real friends. It is accomplished with a weight and a new maturity that seem entirely fitting, yet

1818-418: Is a sequel to The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It is the third installment in the original Star Wars trilogy and the sixth chronological film in the " Skywalker Saga ". It is directed by Richard Marquand based on a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who was also the executive producer. The film follows the ongoing struggle between the malevolent Galactic Empire and

1919-575: Is destroyed. As the others rendezvous with the Rebel Alliance, Luke returns to Dagobah to complete his Jedi training with Yoda , who is dying when he arrives. Before Yoda dies, he confirms that Darth Vader is Luke's father, the former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and that there is another Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi 's Force spirit tells Luke that Leia is his twin sister, and that he must face Vader again to finish his training and defeat

2020-514: Is his sister, and that Vader is their father. Luke surrenders to Imperial troops and is brought before Vader, but fails to convince him to reject the dark side of the Force. Luke is brought to the Emperor, who intends to turn him to the dark side. He also reveals that Luke's friends on Endor and the Rebel fleet are heading into a trap. On the forest moon, Han's team is captured by Imperial forces, but

2121-583: Is not practical anyway); instead, taiko is about the journey. These ideals are not unique to San Francisco Taiko Dojo, but Tanaka follows and impresses them upon his students more than many others, such that new players or groups are often introduced to them and made aware of their power because of Tanaka or SFTD, whether directly (maybe through a workshop with Tanaka or one of his past students) or indirectly (possibly after being moved by one of SFTD's performances). SFTD plays original songs ("Tsunami", "Sokobayashi", and "California Wind") composed by Tanaka. However,

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2222-977: The Oakland Coliseum . In 1994, SFTD performed at New York's Carnegie Hall . In 1995, SFTD performed at both the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art opening in Haifa, Israel , and the Hiroshima 50th Anniversary Commemoration in Japan. In 1998, SFTD performed at Visa International's Nagano Winter Olympics celebration and at the Japanese Immigration to Cuba Centennial Celebration in Havana, Cuba. The Rising Stars youth classes began at San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1992 with children as young as 6 or 7 years old, and after joining, many of its members continued to receive instruction from Tanaka through

2323-489: The Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition . Along with the two other films in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi was rereleased on March 14, 1997 (moved up one week from its original announced release date of March 7 due to the box office success of The Empire Strikes Back the month prior), with a number of changes and additions , including the insertion of several alien band members and

2424-565: The United States . The main thoroughfare is Post Street, between Fillmore Street (to the west) and Laguna Street (to the east). The Japantown neighborhood is generally considered to be bordered on the north by Bush or Pine Street, and on the south by Geary Boulevard . Its focal point is the Japan Center , which opened in 1968, and is the site of three Japanese-oriented shopping centers. The San Francisco Peace Pagoda , also at

2525-617: The Battle of Endor. On April 7, 2015, Walt Disney Studios , 20th Century Fox, and Lucasfilm jointly announced the digital releases of the six released Star Wars films. Return of the Jedi was released through the iTunes Store , Amazon Video , Vudu , Google Play , and Disney Movies Anywhere on April 10, 2015. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment reissued Return of the Jedi on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download on September 22, 2019. Additionally, all six films were available for 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos streaming on Disney+ upon

2626-423: The Death Star shaft; the latter change drew sharp negative criticism. Several deleted scenes from the film were included as special features, including a completed scene in which Vader communicates with Luke via the Force as Luke assembles his new lightsaber before infiltrating Jabba's palace, a sandstorm sequence following the sarlacc pit rescue, and a scene featuring Moff Jerjerrod and Death Star officers during

2727-405: The Emperor down a shaft to his demise. Vader is fatally wounded and asks Luke to remove his mask in a moment of reconciliation before he dies. After the Rebel strike team destroys the shield generator, Lando leads fighter ships into the Death Star's core. While the Rebel fleet destroys the Imperial command ship, Lando and X-wing pilot Wedge destroy the Death Star's main reactor and escape before

2828-423: The Empire. The Alliance learns that the Empire has been constructing a second Death Star under the supervision of the Emperor . The station is protected by an energy shield on the forest moon of Endor . To destroy its generator, Han leads a strike team which includes Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca. Once on the moon, the team gains the trust of a tribe of Ewoks after an initial conflict. Later, Luke tells Leia that she

2929-462: The Hutt on Tatooine . They were sent as a goodwill gift by Luke Skywalker , who hopes to negotiate with Jabba for Han's release. Disguised as a bounty hunter , Princess Leia infiltrates the palace under the pretense of having captured Chewbacca . She releases Han from the carbonite but is caught by Jabba and enslaved. Luke arrives to bargain for the release of his friends, but Jabba drops him through

3030-514: The Hutt, speaking only in grunts. Marvel Comics published a comic book adaptation of the film by writer Archie Goodwin and artists Al Williamson , Carlos Garzon, Tom Palmer , and Ron Frenz . The adaptation appeared in Marvel Super Special #27 and as a four-issue limited series . It was later reprinted in a mass market paperback, as well as collections of Marvel's self-titled Star Wars series . Marvel Super Special #27

3131-491: The Japan Center, is a five-tiered concrete stupa designed by Japanese architect Yoshiro Taniguchi and presented to San Francisco by the people of Osaka , Japan. Up until 1906, San Francisco had been the main U.S. port of entry for Asian immigration and had the largest ethnic Japanese concentration of any city in the United States. Prior to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , San Francisco had two Japantowns, one on

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3232-642: The Japanese Government and Japanese companies. However, many former residents did not return to the neighborhood after World War II and instead settled in other parts of the city, or out to the suburbs altogether. Depopulation of Japantown by ethnic Japanese was further instigated by the city's redevelopment plans initiated by M. Justin Herman in the Western Addition in the 1960s through the 1980s. With little community input, existing housing

3333-429: The Jedi "by far the dimmest adventure of the lot" and stated, "The joys of watching space battles as envisioned by wizards in studios and laboratories are not inexhaustible." Pauline Kael of The New Yorker stated, "Some of the trick effects might seem miraculous if the imagery had any lustre, but Return of the Jedi is an impersonal and rather junky piece of moviemaking." Christopher John reviewed The Return of

3434-566: The Jedi in Ares magazine #15 and commented that " Star Wars may not be dead, but Return of the Jedi is a failure, and is a cheap and tarnished crown for the series which shook the world of film when it started out . . . a long time ago, in that galaxy far, far away." Colin Greenland reviewed Return of the Jedi for Imagine magazine, and stated that "You would think a series like Star Wars , fuelled by public adoration, coasting along on

3535-441: The Jedi remains an entertaining sci-fi adventure and a fitting end to the classic trilogy." At Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100 based on 24 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". In his review of the 1997 Special Edition re-release , the film critic James Kendrick called Return of the Jedi the weakest of the three original films, saying it depended "too much on

3636-451: The Jedi was "a weak title". Kazanjian said the same, and the title was changed to Revenge of the Jedi one or two days later. The screenplay itself was not finished until rather late in pre-production , well after a production schedule and budget had been created by Kazanjian and Marquand had been hired, which was unusual for a film. Instead, the production team relied on Lucas's story and rough draft in order to commence work with

3737-400: The Jedi was written by James Kahn and was released on May 12, 1983, thirteen days before the film's release. A three-hour radio drama adaptation of the film was written by Brian Daley with additional material contributed by John Whitman and was produced for and broadcast on National Public Radio in 1996 (over a decade after the radio adaptations of the first two Star Wars films). It

3838-594: The Lost Ark had made him an even bigger star. Kazanjian said that Han was frozen in carbonite in Empire because the filmmakers were unsure whether the character would return. He also claimed that Lucas did not expect Ford to return, and that Han was initially not in the script. However, Kazanjian—who also produced Raiders of the Lost Ark— convinced Ford to return. Ford felt that Han should die through self-sacrifice in

3939-701: The Nihonmachi Street Fair, held one weekend in the month of August. The Cherry Blossom Festival takes place over the course of two weekends. During the first weekend, the Northern California Cherry Blossom Queen Program takes place at the Kabuki Theatre, where women of Japanese/Japanese-American descent are chosen to represent, learn about, and serve their community. During the Sunday parade,

4040-537: The San Francisco Taiko Dojo. However, that initial training with Oguchi-Sensei is not the only influence contributing to the style of San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Tanaka has also trained with Master Susumu Kowase of the more modern Sukeroku Taiko in Tokyo (known for being the first "professional" taiko group, and the group that first played taiko on slant stands), as well as Grand Master Shosaku Ikeda, of

4141-508: The Sony digital re-mastering, which minimally improved the sound heard only on high-end stereos, this 2004 release is essentially the same as the 1997 RCA Victor release. Return of the Jedi was released on May 25, 1983. It was originally slated to open on May 27, but was subsequently changed to coincide with the date of the 1977 release of the original Star Wars film. With a massive worldwide marketing campaign, illustrator Tim Reamer created

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4242-682: The United States, to be relocated from the Pacific coast and interned . By 1943 many large sections of the neighborhood remained vacant due to the forced internment. The void was quickly filled by thousands of African Americans who had left the South to find wartime industrial jobs in California as part of the Great Migration . Following the war, some Japanese Americans returned, followed by new Japanese immigrants as well as investment from

4343-551: The United States. However, the trees were hacked down over the course of three days by vandals in January 2021. In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States , malls in San Francisco were ordered to remain temporarily closed whenever cases got high within the whole city followed by Los Angeles and San Diego . This, in effect, has forced restaurants in the neighborhood, many of whom reside in Japan Center , to turn to

4444-867: The United States. The South Park district businesses suffered following the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924 . By 1940, the Western Addition Japantown area (referred to as Nihonjin-machi) was one of the largest such enclaves of Japanese outside Japan, as it took an appearance similar to the Ginza district in Tokyo . The ethnic Japanese population numbered over 5,000, and there were more than 200 Japanese-owned businesses. In February 1942, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 , which forced all Japanese of birth or descent, including Japanese-American citizens of

4545-560: The Western Addition neighborhood (and specifically in Japantown) due to re-zoning. Most of these houses were constructed with local Redwood lumber. 37°47′06″N 122°25′47″W  /  37.7851°N 122.4298°W  / 37.7851; -122.4298 Return of the Jedi Return of the Jedi (also known as Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ) is a 1983 American epic space opera film that

4646-425: The apprentice of Grand Master Daihachi Oguchi (the man who combined traditional Japanese drum rhythms with a jazz influence to create the first ensemble taiko group, Osuwa Daiko ). Tanaka became the first of Oguchi's apprentices from outside of the family, and after working hard to learn the principles of the art form, he returned to San Francisco to play in the 1968 Cherry Blossom Festival. Later that year, he opened

4747-417: The art department. When it came time to formally write a shooting script , Lucas, Kasdan, Marquand and Kazanjian spent two weeks in conference discussing ideas; Kasdan used tape transcripts of these meetings to then construct the script. The question of whether Ford would return for the final film arose during pre-production. Unlike Hamill and Fisher, Ford had not contracted to do two sequels, and Raiders of

4848-526: The building but was rejected. It was the largest of the three remaining bowling alleys in San Francisco when it closed in September 2000. The lot has since been converted into mixed-use housing units. A pair of cherry blossom trees were planted by the JCCCNC outside of the center in 1994 to commemorate a visit by Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko of Japan during their 2-week tour of

4949-443: The dark side of the Force. Luke attacks him, but Vader intervenes and the two engage in a lightsaber duel. Vader senses that Luke has a sister and threatens to turn her to the dark side if Luke will not join him. Enraged, Luke attacks Vader and severs his prosthetic hand. The Emperor orders Luke to kill his father, but Luke refuses. In response, the Emperor tortures Luke with Force lightning . Unwilling to let his son die, Vader throws

5050-435: The defeat of the Emperor, the film was originally intended to end with Obi-Wan and Yoda returning to life from their spectral existence in the Force, along with Anakin Skywalker, thanks to Yoda being able to prevent him from becoming one with the Force. They would then join the rest of the characters in their celebration on Endor. Alan Webb was originally cast as the Emperor, but dropped out due to illness. Lindsay Anderson

5151-464: The drums, but feel and be moved by them as well. While playing taiko, a player is expected to show the following four characteristics: shin/kokoro (spirit: self-control and playing from the heart), gi/waza (action: musicianship, skill, and technique), tai/karada (body: physical strength and endurance), and rei(etiquette: respect, courtesy and unity). In staying true to these principles and passing them on to others, Tanaka embraces any chance to work with

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5252-422: The entire company found it necessary to remain running 20 hours a day on six-day weeks in order to meet their goals by April 1, 1983. Of about 900 special effects shots, all VistaVision optical effects remained in-house, since ILM was the only company capable of using the format, while about 400 4-perf opticals were subcontracted to outside effects houses. Progress on the opticals was severely delayed for

5353-401: The film before Marquand signed on as director. The production team relied on Lucas's storyboards during pre-production. While writing the shooting script, Lucas, Kasdan, Marquand, and producer Howard Kazanjian spent two weeks in conference discussing ideas to construct it. Kazanjian's schedule pushed shooting to begin a few weeks early to allow Industrial Light & Magic more time to work on

5454-497: The film's 40th anniversary. The original theatrical version of Return of the Jedi was released on VHS and Laserdisc several times between 1986 and 1995, followed by releases of the Special Edition in the same formats between 1997 and 2000. Some of these releases contained featurettes; some were individual releases of just this film, while others were boxed sets of all three original films. On September 21, 2004,

5555-488: The film's effects in post-production. Filming took place in England, California, and Arizona from January to May 1982  ( 1982-05 ) . The film was released in theaters on May 25, 1983. It grossed $ 374 million worldwide during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1983 . The film was well received by critics, with strong praise going to the performances of the actors, John Williams's score,

5656-465: The finished film where the heroes get caught in a sandstorm as they leave Tatooine. (This was the only major sequence cut from the film during editing.) For the rancor, Lucas wanted to use a stunt performer in a suit in the style of the Toho Godzilla films. The production team made several attempts, but were unable to create an adequate result. Lucas eventually relented and decided to film

5757-702: The first Japan-US Taiko Festival included Grand Master Daihachi Oguchi and Osuwa Daiko. In 1984, SFTD performed at the MLB All-Star Game Celebration in San Francisco. In 1985, Seiichi Tanaka performed at the Tsukuba World Expo in Japan, and SFTD held its first self-produced concert outside Japantown at the Palace of Fine Arts . In 1990, SFTD performed at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Celebration at

5858-528: The freedom fighters of the Rebel Alliance . As the Rebels attempt to destroy the Empire's second Death Star , Luke Skywalker tries to bring his father, Darth Vader , back from the dark side of the Force . The film stars Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Billy Dee Williams , Anthony Daniels , David Prowse , Kenny Baker , Peter Mayhew , and Frank Oz . Steven Spielberg , David Lynch , and David Cronenberg were considered to direct

5959-585: The group has also been featured on the soundtracks of the movies below. Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo have been featured in four motion pictures: Apocalypse Now ( Francis Ford Coppola , 1978), Return of the Jedi ( George Lucas , 1982), The Right Stuff ( Philip Kaufman , 1983), and Rising Sun (Philip Kaufman, 1993). The group was also the subject of a KQED special in March 2005. Tanaka and SFTD have had many other collaborations and performances with artists outside of Taiko, as well. These include

6060-448: The group's repertoire also includes songs from, or strongly influenced by, other groups, partially because, as mentioned above, Tanaka studied and became a skilled player of these styles and was therefore granted permission to play them outside Japan. Other pieces performed by SFTD perform include: Retired piece "Space Noto" (a variation of Gojinjo Daiko of Noto Peninsula ). San Francisco Taiko Dojo has released 5 albums: Music from

6161-461: The highest single day gross. It would hold the record for having the highest pre- Memorial Day Wednesday gross until 1996 when Mission: Impossible surpassed it. The film made $ 23 million from 1,002 theaters in its opening weekend and grossed a record $ 45.3 million in its opening week. It set a new domestic opening weekend record, surpassing the $ 14 million opening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Its $ 22,973 per theatre average would stand as

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6262-561: The hyperdrive of its own hyperboles, would get inexorably worse. It is not. It is getting better." In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 1997, for the 20th anniversary of the release of Star Wars (re-titled Episode IV: A New Hope ), Lucas released

6363-415: The image for the movie poster and other advertising. At the time of its release, the film was advertised on posters and merchandise as simply Star Wars: Return of the Jedi , despite its on-screen "Episode VI" distinction. The film was re-released in 1985. The original teaser trailer for the film carried the name Revenge of the Jedi . In December 1982, Lucas decided that "Revenge" was not appropriate as

6464-562: The large Kinokuniya bookstore chain. Most of these businesses are located in the commercial Japan Center of the neighborhood, in a large shopping mall built in the 1960s as part of urban renewal efforts and is run by Japanese retailer Kintetsu . There is also a number of Korean restaurants here, and also a grocery store, spa, beauty shop, and a household goods store on nearby Fillmore Street. San Francisco's Japantown celebrates two major festivals every year: The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (held for two weekends every April), and

6565-568: The more traditional Gojinjo Daiko (which has been recognized as an Indigenous National Treasure). Tanaka has also trained in hogaku (traditional music of Kabuki dance and Noh drama) under Grand Master Sasazo Kineya, in yokobue (bamboo flute) under Master Kiyohiko Fukuhara, and in martial arts (including Shorinji Kenpo , Nihon-den Kenpo and Tsurugi ) under Grand Master Tadao Okuyuma. All of these elements come together to give San Francisco Taiko Dojo that distinct "Tanaka style", which that allows audience members of an SFTD performance to not only hear

6666-431: The movie has lost none of its sense of fun; it bursts with new inventiveness." Gary Arnold of The Washington Post said, " Return of the Jedi, a feat of mass enchantment, puts the happy finishing touches on George Lucas's Star Wars saga. It was worth the wait, and the work is now an imposing landmark in contemporary popular culture—a three-part, 6¼-hour science-fiction epic of unabashed heroic proclivities." The film

6767-565: The new system. Meanwhile, special effects work at ILM quickly stretched the company to its operational limits. While the R&;D work and experience gained from the previous two films in the trilogy allowed for increased efficiency, this was offset by the desire to have the closing film raise the bar set by each of these films. A compounding factor was the intention of several departments of ILM to either take on other film work or decrease staff during slow cycles. Instead, as soon as production began,

6868-594: The only drummer in the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival. In 1975, Seiichi Tanaka was requested for a command performance by Emperor Hirohito in San Francisco, and San Francisco Taiko Dojo went on its first international taiko tour, to Mexico . In 1976, SFTD toured in France , Switzerland , Austria , and Japan . In 1978, SFTD held its first self-produced concert to celebrate San Francisco Taiko Dojo's 10th anniversary. In 1981,

6969-551: The original Star Wars trilogy was released in a boxset on DVD with digital restoration and additional alterations made by Lucas. In this version of Return of the Jedi , Sebastian Shaw 's portrayal of Anakin's spirit is replaced by Hayden Christensen , who portrayed Anakin in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith . All three films of the trilogy were released individually on Limited Edition DVDs on September 12, 2006, with

7070-729: The original Temptations in 1971; jazz drummer Art Blakey in 1975; Bobby McFerrin , Linda Ronstadt and the San Francisco Ballet in the first AID and Comfort Benefit (1987); Max Roach , Tito Puente , Mario Bauza , and Babatunde Olatunji at the first annual Sacred Drum concert in 1990; Dave Brubeck to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace with Japan in 2001; and Omulu Capoeira in Dancing Thunder (1995). Other important performances include: In 1968, Seiichi Tanaka made his debut appearance as

7171-404: The original unaltered versions included as bonus features. These were collected in a box set on November 4, 2008. A Blu-ray Disc version of the six-film Star Wars saga was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in September 2011, which incorporated more small changes to Return of the Jedi , including making the Ewoks blink and having Vader yell "No!" as he throws the Emperor down

7272-681: The outskirts of Chinatown , the other in the South of Market area. After 1906, Japanese immigrants began moving to San Francisco's Western Addition, which then became San Francisco's main Japantown, with a smaller one in the South Park area. The South Park area was located between the docks used by Japanese shipping companies and the Southern Pacific Railroad Station, and primarily served travelers between Japan and

7373-419: The prequel trilogy, alluded to the dismissed title Revenge of the Jedi . Return of the Jedi grossed $ 314.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $ 166 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $ 480 million, against a production budget of about $ 32.5 million. Return of the Jedi collected a total of $ 6.2 million on its opening day, beating out Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to have

7474-495: The previous film. The inclusion led Lucas to insert a scene in which Yoda confirms that Darth Vader is Luke's father because, after a discussion with a children's psychologist, he did not want younger moviegoers to dismiss Vader's claim as a lie. Many ideas from the original script were left out or changed. For instance, the Ewoks were going to be Wookiees and the Millennium Falcon was going to land on Endor. Following

7575-568: The professional moviegoers, it is particularly enjoyable to watch every facet of filmmaking at its best." James Harwood of Variety called the film "a visual treat throughout," but thought that "Hamill is not enough of a dramatic actor to carry the plot load here" and Harrison Ford "is present more in body than in spirit this time, given little to do but react to special effects. And it can't be said that either Carrie Fisher or Billy Dee Williams rise to previous efforts. But Lucas and director Richard Marquand have overwhelmed these performer flaws with

7676-501: The program for over 10 years. They have performed in Japan as well as across the United States, and they are reported to be "one of the finest Taiko youth groups in the country, and the most disciplined and traditionally trained Taiko youth group in the world". Having been around for over 40 years, San Francisco Taiko Dojo has had a large impact on the taiko community. Two of the main mechanisms by which this occurs are 1. many of SFTD's former students have started their own taiko groups over

7777-628: The queen and princesses are presented on a float. The San Francisco Police Department Northern Station serves Japantown. The area is within the San Francisco Unified School District . Rosa Parks Elementary School is located near Japantown. It houses the Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program (JBBP). In the winter of 2005 Rosa Parks had 245 students, which filled less than half of the school. That winter, SFUSD proposed closing

7878-762: The rancor as a high-speed puppet. In April, the crew moved to Arizona's Yuma Desert for two weeks of Tatooine exteriors. Production then moved to the redwood forests of northern California. Forested private land near Smith River and at the Chetham Grove section of Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park were used for the forests of Endor. The crew spent two weeks shooting the Endor forest exteriors, and then concluded at ILM in San Rafael , California, for about ten days of bluescreen shots. One of two "skeletal" post-production units shooting background matte plates spent

7979-408: The rights to the classic trilogy scores in 2004 after gaining the rights to release the second trilogy soundtracks ( The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones ). In the same year, Sony Classical re-pressed the 1997 RCA Victor release of Return of the Jedi along with the other two films in the trilogy. The set was released with the new artwork mirroring the first DVD release of the film. Despite

8080-624: The school and merging it with another elementary school. Parents protested in favor of keeping the school open. SFUSD moved the Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program into Rosa Parks. As of November 2006, almost half of the students in the regular Rosa Parks program are African-American and one-third of the students in the JBBP program are Japanese. Between 1960 until 1980, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency purchased many Victorian properties, and relocated them within

8181-448: The service's launch on November 12, 2019. This version of the film was released by Disney on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray box set on March 31, 2020. According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 83% of critics have given the film a positive review with an average rating of 7.30/10, based on 103 reviews from critics. The site's critics consensus reads: "Though failing to reach the cinematic heights of its predecessors, Return of

8282-456: The shoot. Working on a budget of $ 32.5 million, Lucas was determined to avoid going over budget as had happened with Empire . Kazanjian estimated that using ILM (owned wholly by Lucasfilm) for special effects saved the production approximately $ 18 million. However, the fact that Lucasfilm was a non-union company made acquiring shooting locations more difficult and more expensive, even though Star Wars and Empire had been big hits. The project

8383-416: The slick commercialism" of the franchise but that it was still "a magnificent experience in its own right". James Berardinelli described it as the least enjoyable and least innovative film of the trilogy. He opined that the Special Edition was not saved by the alterations, but that it was nevertheless a "must-see" for fans as the conclusion of the trilogy. Fans are divided on the likelihood of Ewoks (being

8484-491: The special effects and the action sequences. Several re-releases and revisions to the film have followed over the decades, which have brought its total gross to $ 482 million. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2021. A year after Han Solo 's capture and imprisonment in carbonite, C-3PO and R2-D2 enter the palace of the crime lord Jabba

8585-1208: The station explodes. Luke cremates Vader's body on Endor before reuniting with his friends. As the Rebels celebrate their victory, Luke notices the Force spirits of Obi-Wan , Yoda, and Anakin standing nearby. The cast also includes Michael Pennington as Moff Jerjerrod , Kenneth Colley as Admiral Piett , Michael Carter as Bib Fortuna (voiced by Erik Bauersfeld , who was uncredited), Denis Lawson as Wedge , Tim Rose as Admiral Ackbar (also voiced by Bauersfeld, again uncredited), Dermot Crowley as General Madine, Caroline Blakiston as Mon Mothma , Warwick Davis as Wicket , Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett , Femi Taylor as Oola, Annie Arbogast as Sy Snootles, Claire Davenport as Fat Dancer, Jack Purvis as Teebo, Mike Edmonds as Logray, Jane Busby as Chief Chirpa, Malcom Dixon and Mike Cottrell as Ewok Warriors, and Nicki Reade as Nicki. Additional Imperial officers are portrayed by Adam Bareham (Stardestroyer Controller #1), Jonathan Oliver (Stardestroyer Controller #2), Pip Miller (Stardestroyer Captain #1), and Tom Mannion (Stardestroyer Captain #2). Following discussions between Star Wars creator George Lucas and producer Howard Kazanjian ,

8686-488: The teachings and philosophy of Seiichi Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Japantown, San Francisco Japantown ( Japanese : 日本町 , Hepburn : Nihonmachi ) , also known historically as Japanese Town , is a neighborhood in the Western Addition district of San Francisco , California . Japantown comprises about six city blocks and is considered one of the largest and oldest ethnic enclaves in

8787-399: The third film. Kasdan agreed, and said it should occur near the beginning of the third act , to make the audience wonder whether the other protagonists will survive. Gary Kurtz , who produced Star Wars and Empire but was replaced by Kazanjian for Jedi , said that Han died in an early version of the script. Kurtz has suggested that one reason Lucas may have rejected the idea of Han dying

8888-420: The years, taking what they learned from the dojo with them, and 2. Tanaka has influenced many other taiko groups through workshops. Below are some former students who have started their own groups: Below are some taiko groups that have had workshops with Tanaka: This influence has even reached back to Japan. In 1993, Unosuke Miyamoto ("drum maker to the Emperor") founded Nihon Taiko Dojo in Tokyo based on

8989-524: Was Steven Spielberg , their separate feuds with the Director's Guild led to him being banned from directing the film. Lucas approached David Lynch , who had recently been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for The Elephant Man in 1980, to helm Return of the Jedi. Lynch declined, saying that he had "next door to zero interest", believing Lucas should direct it since Star Wars

9090-452: Was also featured on the May 23, 1983, Time magazine cover issue (where it was labeled "Star Wars III"), where the reviewer Gerald Clarke said that while it was not as exciting as the first Star Wars film, it was "better and more satisfying" than The Empire Strikes Back , now considered by many as the best of the original trilogy. Vincent Canby of The New York Times called Return of

9191-568: Was based on characters and situations created by George Lucas and on the screenplay by Kasdan and Lucas. Anthony Daniels reprised his role from the film as C-3PO, but Mark Hamill and Billy Dee Williams (who lent their voices to the previous radio adaptations) were replaced by newcomer Joshua Fardon and character actor Arye Gross , respectively. Bernard Behrens and Brock Peters reprised their roles as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, respectively. John Lithgow voiced Yoda, and veteran character actor Ed Begley, Jr. played Boba Fett. Ed Asner voiced Jabba

9292-410: Was filmed at Skywalker Ranch . Marquand and Anthony Daniels clashed somewhat, leading to the latter recording his ADR (dialogue overdubs) with Lucas instead. Carrie Fisher disliked working with Marquand, too; he often yelled at her, which caused her to burst into tears on one occasion, which ruined her makeup and required an hour-long redo. Lucasfilm encountered problems when it tested the film in

9393-411: Was given the working title Blue Harvest with a tagline of "Horror Beyond Imagination." This disguised what the production crew was really filming from fans and the press, and also prevented price gouging by service providers. The first stage of production started with 78 days at Elstree Studios in England, where the film occupied all nine stages. The shoot commenced with a scene later deleted from

9494-493: Was his creation. Lucas also offered David Cronenberg the chance to direct, but he declined the offer as he did not want to work on material written by others. Lamont Johnson , director of The Last American Hero (1973), was also considered. Lucas eventually chose Richard Marquand . Lucas operated the second camera on set a few times. Lucas has admitted to being on the set frequently because of Marquand's relative inexperience with special effects. Lucas praised Marquand as

9595-469: Was mistakenly released in April 1983, a month before the film itself, giving away spoilers to the film's plot. Hamill is a comic book fan and while he was in a comic book store, he discovered that the comic book was on sale there and alerted Lucasfilm. According to Carol Kalish who was Marvel's direct sales manager at the time, Marvel quickly recalled the book upon learning this mistake though it did not stop

9696-433: Was offered the role, but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. Ben Kingsley and David Suchet were also considered. Alan Rickman auditioned for the role of Moff Jerjerrod, but Michael Pennington was cast instead. Marquand initially wanted a famous actor such as Laurence Olivier or John Gielgud to play the unmasked Vader, but Lucas was concerned that such an actor would be distracting for audiences. Kenny Baker

9797-569: Was originally cast as Wicket the Ewok, but he fell ill with food poisoning on the day of the shoot. He was replaced by Warwick Davis, who had no film acting experience. Filming began on January 11, 1982, and lasted through May 20, 1982, a schedule six weeks shorter than Empire . Kazanjian's schedule pushed shooting as early as possible in order to give Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) as much time as possible to work on effects, and left some crew members dubious of their ability to be fully prepared for

9898-448: Was razed and transportation corridors were widened. In 1957, San Francisco entered into a sister city relationship with the city of Osaka, hence the nickname "Little Osaka". Osaka was San Francisco's oldest sister city. In commemoration of their 50th anniversary, one block of Buchanan Street in Japantown was renamed Osaka Way on September 8, 2007. However, Osaka ended the 60-year relationship in 2018 after then mayor Ed Lee accepted

9999-454: Was re-released in 1985, it made $ 11.2 million, which totaled its initial theatrical gross to $ 385.8 million worldwide. During its re-release in 1997, the film grossed $ 16.29 million in its opening weekend. When it was re-released in 2023, for its 40th anniversary, the film grossed $ 5.1 million to place #4 in the weekend box office. Film critic Roger Ebert gave Return of the Jedi four out of four stars, calling it "a complete entertainment,

10100-461: Was somewhat disappointed, however, because it was missing "noise"; the drumming that he was used to hearing at every important occasion in Japan did not exist in San Francisco. Tanaka decided that he would be the one to bring taiko to North America and "make noise just like a Japanese festival". Although he had received some basic taiko training in his home town, he had not received any of professional quality, so he returned to Japan and asked to become

10201-414: Was that it would not be good for merchandising. Kurtz also has claimed that an early script ended with the Rebel forces in tatters, Leia grappling with her new duties as queen, and Luke walking off alone "like Clint Eastwood in the spaghetti Westerns ". Yoda was originally not meant to appear in the film, but Marquand strongly felt that returning to Dagobah was essential to resolve the dilemma raised by

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