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32-402: Akiko is the heir to a yakuza clan. Hitoshi, who has been kicked out of the rival Hono Clan after attempting to seduce Akiko, kidnaps her at the behest of Hanamura. Hanamura has formed a new gang and intends to use Akiko as a hostage to take over her clan's territory. During the torture and abuse sessions which follow, Akiko comes to enjoy the treatment and forsakes her gangland empire. Rope Hell

64-405: A kimono ; she needs to have long jet-black hair; she must have a certain amount of body fat, so that the bondage rope makes a clear impression on her skin; and she has to be graceful under torture, with strong facial expressions." Dan said that Naomi Tani fit all these conditions, and that he used her as the model for several of the women in his novels. Commenting on Tani's sudden retirement at

96-738: A Lady (1977), and had teamed her with her on-screen tormentor in Rope Hell , Hirokazu Inoue in Fairy in a Cage (also 1977). Both of these films had also based on Dan's writings. Allmovie judges Rope Hell to be an inferior film compared to Fairy in a Cage . In their Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films , the Weissers also write that Rope Hell is not up to the quality of Ohara and Tani's previous work together, but comment positively on Ohara's visuals. The Weissers judge Oniroku Dan's story to be more objectionable than some of his others, with

128-491: A close professional association with actress Naomi Tani throughout her career. He died on May 6, 2011. Oniroku Dan was born Yukihiko Kuroiwa ( 黒岩 幸彦 , Kuroiwa Yukihiko ) in Shiga Prefecture on April 16, 1931. His father, Nobuyuki Kuroiwa, had once aimed to be a screenwriter. His mother, Yukie Katori, was a former movie actress and a former student of the novelist who used the pen name Sanjugo Naoki . This

160-410: A heavy toll on the film industry and in order to remain profitable Nikkatsu turned to the production of Roman Porno , which focus on sex , violence , S&M and romance . Hori resigned over the change in focus, and many stars and directors left the company. A few, including the film directors Yasuharu Hasebe , Keiichi Ozawa , Shōgorō Nishimura , and Koreyoshi Kurahara , stayed. It also witnessed

192-487: A large public. Moreover, he influenced many subsequent writers who took up the theme of sadomasochism later, such as Murakami Ryu, for example. Thus, although Dan Oniroku's works are generally not considered a high-brow literature but a soft pornography, his influence on certain works of Japanese popular fiction and film industry is considerable. Moreover, Dan not only contributed to the Japanese pink film industry but also to

224-405: A lovely young teacher in her early twenties. More than anything in the world, I wanted to tie her up." Growing up during World War II, Dan learned English from American POWs. In the 1950s, he worked as a translator for English-language television programs, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents . In the 1960s, Dan taught English at a junior high school. While teaching he began writing scripts under

256-457: A new production studio. A graduate of Tokyo Keizai University , Hori had joined the company in 1951 after quitting his initial employment as the manager of Sanno Hotel (now rebuilt as Sanno Park Tower ). Under Hori, Nikkatsu is considered to have had its "Golden Age". The company began making movies again in 1954 . Many assistant directors from other studios, including Shōhei Imamura and Seijun Suzuki from Shochiku , moved to Nikkatsu with

288-427: A popular film, released in 1974, this novel inspired a series of nine books, and a new series of Nikkatsu Roman porno films released between 1985 and 1987. In 1974, after years of negotiations, Nikkatsu finally succeeded in recruiting Tani for their Roman porno series by agreeing to her request that her first film be based on Dan's Flower and Snake . Dan and Tani had objected to departures from Dan's story made in

320-462: A very Japanese fashion. The Oniroku Dan way." Konuma says that Dan described three purposes of S/M: "for punishment, for confinement and for a sense of shame," and that "Oniroku Dan dislikes S&M as punishment... his novels and screenplays are centered around the 'humiliation' concept." Dan confirmed Konuma's view by observing, "My book editors often confuse S/M with cruelty and they want me to write some 'punishment tale' for them. This type of story

352-571: Is out of my realm. It just gives me the creeps. Rather, my concept of S/M is 'distorted sexual desire' or extreme disorientation. It's a male fantasy derived from love... from seeing a beauty suffer through the sense of shame. Therefore, my style contains a romantic, aesthetic, and sometimes decadent fragrance." Konuma says of Dan's female characters, "In his novels, he's searching for the beauty of women. He creates an ideal woman and proceeds to sell an S/M 'fantasy' to his readers." According to Naomi Tani, Dan's perfect film actress must "look good in

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384-515: The S&;M publications, as he established another S&M magazine, SM King in 1972 (active till 1974). In the early 1990s, having by then written over two hundred S/M novels, Dan ceased writing and embarked on an ultimately unsuccessful business venture. After a break of nearly ten years, he returned to writing, publishing his autobiography, The Flower Must Be Crimson: The World of Oniroku Dan . Soon after he came out of retirement, his popularity

416-546: The emergence of such new directors as Tatsumi Kumashiro , Masaru Konuma and Chūsei Sone . Between 1974 and 1986, Nikkatsu promoted a number of their leading Roman Porno actresses of the popular BDSM niche under the epithet "SM Queen" ( SMの女王 , SM no joō ) . They include Naomi Tani (1974–1979), Junko Mabuki (1980–1981), Izumi Shima (1982–1983), Nami Matsukawa (1983), Miki Takakura (1983–1985), and Ran Masaki (1985-1986). The advent of home video brought an end to active production at Nikkatsu. Bed Partner (1988)

448-457: The film's script by director Masaru Konuma and script-writer Yozo Tanaka. The film, Flower and Snake , became a major hit for the studio and is credited both with starting the highly successful S/M genre of Nikkatsu's Roman porno films, and with establishing Naomi Tani as the third of Nikkatsu's Roman Porno Queens and the first "S/M Queen." Still offended by the changes in his story for Flower and Snake , Dan refused to participate in

480-440: The follow-up to that film, Wife to be Sacrificed . In interviews, Dan claimed that this second film, which proved even more successful than Flower and Snake , was based on a story he had written, but that he had insisted his name be removed from the credits. Director Masaru Konuma, however, says that it was an original story by Yozo Tanaka. Nevertheless, Dan and Nikkatsu were able to settle their differences, and Dan later gave

512-536: The height of her popularity in 1979, Dan said, "I went into shock. It was the end of the Golden Duo. I almost decided to quit writing." In summing up Dan's work, Bornoff comments, "Dan has the knack of making sadism respectable." Commenting on the growing cult popularity of his Nikkatsu Roman porno films in the United States, Dan acknowledged the differing ways of cultural and artistic expression between

544-422: The height of the popularity of Japan's 1960s daikaiju (giant monster) genre, Nikkatsu only produced one Godzilla -type monster movie, 1967's Daikyoju Gappa ( Giant Beast Gappa ), released internationally as Gappa: The Triphibian Monster and Monster from a Prehistoric Planet , a film generally regarded as a remake of the 1961 British film Gorgo . By 1971 the increased popularity of television had taken

576-702: The message that a woman will choose submission and reject self-expression if given the choice, to be clearer than in his other scripts. Rope Hell was released theatrically in Japan on June 24, 1978. It was released to home video in VHS format in Japan on February 6, 1998. Oniroku Dan Oniroku Dan ( 団 鬼六 , Dan Oniroku , 16 April 1931 – 6 May 2011) was a Japanese author who has been called, "the most celebrated writer of popular SM novels in Japan." Many of his stories have been filmed, most notably by Nikkatsu studio in their Roman Porno series. Dan had

608-412: The name Nippon Katsudō Shashin. .The company enjoyed its share of success. It employed such notable film directors as Shozo Makino and his son Masahiro Makino . During World War II, the government ordered the ten film companies that had formed by 1941 to consolidate into two. Masaichi Nagata , founder of Daiei Film and a former Nikkatsu employee, counter-proposed that three companies be formed and

640-736: The production of urban youth dramas, comedy , action and gangster films. From the late 1950s to the start of the 1970s, they were renowned for their "borderless action" ( mukokuseki akushun ) movies, designed for the youth market, whose directors included Suzuki, Toshio Masuda , and Takashi Nomura . The studio also employed such stars as Yujiro Ishihara , Akira Kobayashi , Joe Shishido , Tetsuya Watari , Ruriko Asaoka , Chieko Matsubara and, later, Meiko Kaji and Tatsuya Fuji . Director Shōhei Imamura began his career there and between 1958 and 1966 made for them such notable films as Pigs and Battleships ( 1961 ), The Insect Woman ( 1963 ) and The Pornographers ( 1966 ). Strangely during

672-438: The promise of advancement to full director status within one or two years. Suzuki made dozens of films for Nikkatsu from 1956 onwards, developing an increasingly inventive visual style, but was controversially fired following the release of his 40th, Branded to Kill (1967), which Hori deemed "incomprehensible". The company made a few samurai films and historical dramas but by 1960 had decided to devote its resources to

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704-538: The pseudonym "Matsugoro Kuroiwa" for Pink films produced by small independent studios. It was during this early stage of his career that Dan's long professional relationship with actress Naomi Tani began. In 1956 Dan won an honorable mention for "Death in Naniwa," which he submitted under the name Matsujiro Kuroiwa (黒岩松次郎) in the All Rookie Cup sponsored by Bungeishunju's "Ooru Yomimono" Magazine. In 1957 he

736-593: The studio exclusive rights to his novels, many of which were filmed with Naomi Tani. Dan's association with Nikkatsu continued for more than ten years, even after Tani's retirement from the screen. Though the films were sometimes criticized for their predictability, the formulaic structure he developed for most of his film scripts became the model for Nikkatsu's successful and long-lived S/M Roman porno series. Flower and Snake and other Dan's works published in various S&M magazines, such as Kitan Club , Fuzoku Club , Uramado , and Abu Hunter , were made available to

768-525: The suggestion was approved. Nikkatsu, set to merge with the two weakest companies, Shinkō Kinema and Daito , were verbally displeased. The committee formed to establish the value of each company retaliated by purposefully undervaluing Nikkatsu, which led to Shinkō becoming the dominant head of production. The reformed Nikkatsu continued to prosper as an exhibition company but ceased all film production. The postwar film industry expanded rapidly and, in 1951 , Nikkatsu president Kyusaku Hori began construction of

800-585: The two countries, and said: "I understand some aspects of the pink film are not acceptable in America. But ultimately, if the American people recognize the special quality [of] Oniroku Dan's world through his sex films - then I am more than happy." Nikkatsu Nikkatsu Corporation ( 日活株式会社 , Nikkatsu Kabushiki-gaisha ) is a Japanese film studio located in Bunkyō . The name Nikkatsu amalgamates

832-399: The words Nippon Katsudō Shashin , literally "Japan Motion Pictures". Shareholders are Nippon Television Holdings (35%) and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (28.4%). Nikkatsu is Japan's oldest major movie studio, having been founded on September 10, 1912, when several production companies and theater chains, Yoshizawa Shōten , Yokota Shōkai , Fukuhōdō and M. Pathe , consolidated under

864-412: Was awarded the runner-up prize for "Oyakodon," which he submitted in the 11th All Rookie Cup sponsored by Bungeishunju's "Ooru Yomimono" Magazine. However, Oniroku Dan's S&M novel Flower and Snake , is the work that made him famous. This novel was first serialized in the S&M magazine Kitan Club under another pseudonym Kyotaro Hanamaki (花巻京太郎) that Dan used during his early career. In addition to

896-552: Was based on Oniroku Dan 's novel Yakuza Angel ( やくざ天使 , Yakuza tenshi ) . Like much of Oniroku Dan 's works, Rope Hell uses the theme of a character who is changed through S&M sessions. At the same time that he was creating such dark torture-fests as Rope Hell , Kōyū Ohara was also directing the bright and upbeat Pink Tush Girl films, which were popular with women as well as men. Ohara had previously worked with Naomi Tani in Fascination: Portrait of

928-903: Was her second marriage. In 1944 Dan's father was appointed to work in Osaka and the whole family moved to Kansai region. There Dan attended Kwansei Gakuin Middle School, Kwansei Gakuin High School, and graduated from the Department of Law of Kwansei Gakuin University. Dan moved to Tokyo soon after graduation in 1955. Dan's interest in films was nurtured early in life because his parents owned a movie theater. Dan also claimed to have discovered his interest in S/M very early in life: "I even liked this kind of thing in kindergarten. I remember we had

960-429: Was married, with children, and Nicholas Bornoff describes him as a "man with a genuine aura of rather tweedy, comfortable professorship." Dan developed his own variation on S&M , but when asked if he ever acted on his S&M and bondage fantasies with his wife, Dan replied, "No way! She would beat my ass." Director Masaru Konuma calls his own early S/M films "European-type S/M," and says, "Later S/M developed in

992-576: Was such that he was involved in eight serialized magazine novels and the writing of another book. Four of Dan's stories, originally published in Japanese in 1997, were published in English in 2010 by Vertical, Inc. The collection of these stories is titled Season of Infidelity ; the collection’s last story, Bewitching Bloom , is a telling of Dan’s relationship with Naomi Tani, and also includes notes about three subsequent Nikkatsu "Queens"; Junko Mabuki , Izumi Shima , and Miki Takakura . Oniroku Dan

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1024-446: Was the last release in the venerable 17-year Roman Porno series. Nikkatsu declared bankruptcy in 1993. In 2005, the company was sold to Index Holdings and in 2010, a revived Nikkatsu studio announced new production of Sushi Typhoon , a movie series made in partnership with a U.S. distributor. The Sushi Typhoon arm of Nikkatsu creates low-budget horror, science fiction, and fantasy films aimed at an international audience. By 2011,

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