LITMIR.BIZ

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski wish to express their deep gratitude to the family of Ishiro Honda for helping to make this book possible. To Kimi Honda, for inviting us into her home and sharing many stories of her husband’s life and work; to Ryuji Honda, for entrusting us with his father’s story, for navigating many legal and logistical hurdles, and for facilitating research, interviews, and information gathering; to Yuuko Honda-Yun, our partner, who spent countless hours supporting this project by performing translation, conducting research, engaging in discussion, and providing an invaluable perspective, ideas, insights, and friendship.

      Special thanks to Shinsuke Nakajima, our research associate in Japan, whose contributions are immeasurable; to Kenji Sahara, who arranged interviews with his fellow actors; to Mariko Godziszewski for translating many Japanese texts; to Stuart Galbraith IV for assistance with research and critiquing the manuscript; to Mark Schilling for reading and critiquing the manuscript; and to Parker Smathers, Suzanna Tamminen, Marla Zubel, Peter Fong, Elizabeth Forsaith, and the staff of Wesleyan University Press.

      Two of Honda’s longtime assistant directors granted lengthy interviews and offered unique insights. The late Koji Kajita generously met with us numerous times and answered many follow-up questions. Seiji Tani was likewise extremely generous. The contributions of both men are greatly appreciated.

      Special thanks also go to Toho Co. Ltd., Kurosawa Production Co., and Honda Film Inc. for their cooperation and assistance.

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      The authors also wish to thank many individuals and organizations that provided assistance and support:

      • The interviewees, who also included (in alphabetical order) Yasuyuki Inoue, Shusuke Kaneko, Hiroshi Koizumi, Takashi Koizumi, Akira Kubo, Masahiko Kumada, Hisao Kurosawa, Linda Miller, Kumi Mizuno, Haruo Nakajima, Minoru Nakano, Teruyoshi Nakano, Yosuke Natsuki, Teruyo Nogami, Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akira Takarada, Masaaki Tezuka, and Yoshio Tsuchiya.

      • For providing access to their interviews with Ishiro Honda, film director and producer Yoshimitsu Banno, journalist James Bailey, and writer David Milner.

      • The staffs of Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Pictures, University of Southern California Cinematic Arts Library, University of Wyoming American Heritage Center, California State University Northridge Oviatt Library, Nihon University Department of Cinema, UCLA Film and Television Archive, Los Angeles Public Library, County of Los Angeles Public Library Asian Pacific Resource Center, Rialto Pictures, American Cinematheque, Japan National Film Classification and Rating Committee, Sikelia Productions, and Storm King Productions.

      • Friends, family, and colleagues, including Takako Honda, Naoto Kurose (Honda Film Inc.), Bruce Goldstein, Dennis Bartok, Michael Friend, Chris Desjardins, Jeffrey Mantor, David Shepard, Raymond Yun, Hinata Honda-Yun, Sergei Hasenecz, Norman England, Oki Miyano, Jenise Treuting, Gary Teetzel, Erik Homenick, Glenn Erickson, Richard Pusateri, Keith Aiken, Bob Johnson, Nicholas Driscoll, Stephen Bowie, Bill Shaffer, Stig Bjorkman, Edward Holland and Monster Attack Team, Akemi Tosto, Joal Ryan, and Stefano Kim Ryan-Ryfle.