Meiko Kaji's Regret

I have watched "Onimasa" twice just this month. In terms of my entire life, I have lost count of how many times I have viewed it. It is a work by the brilliant director Hideo Gosha, famous for the scene where Masako Natsume, previously known as a pure-hearted actress, snaps and declares, "Don't you dare underestimate me."

There is no doubt that the foundation of my taste in film was built on the works I watched with my father from childhood through my adolescence, but when it comes to "Onimasa," I could say that I am now more devoted to it than my father ever was. Director Hideo Gosha's skill in sublimating the passions of men and women into bloody beauty, and the drool-worthy, star-studded cast led by Tatsuya Nakadai and Shima Iwashita, are not the main point of this article, so I will set them aside. Last night, on a sleepless night, I learned a fact while scrolling through my phone that was quite interesting, so I would like to write about it.

First, it was actually actress Meiko Kaji who brought the project for "Onimasa" to Toei on her own initiative. And as a result, Kaji did not appear in the film in any role. This aspect is truly interesting, as it embodies the saying "truth is stranger than fiction." Producer Goro Kusakabe said that when the project was brought to him by Kaji, he felt intuitively that "this will work." Kaji, who was moved after reading the original novel at a bookstore, developed the project herself, envisioned Tomisaburo Wakayama for the role of Onimasa—which Nakadai eventually played—and even obtained Wakayama's informal consent before bringing it to Kusakabe. Of course, she envisioned herself for the lead role that Natsume eventually played.

It was Kusakabe who persuaded Toei president Okada, and there is no doubt that it was the producer's skill that brought the film's production to fruition; looking only at the results, the film was a huge success. However, at the time, Kaji was a freelance actress, and the feelings she expressed later in "All Yomimono," where she lambasted Kusakabe as a "despicable person who stole the project," were intense.

Also, initially, Director Gosha thought of Shinobu Otake for the lead role and passionately approached her many times, but was turned down. In the end, Natsume, who was affiliated with Bungakuza at the time, was selected, but there is an anecdote about this as well.

After the first day of shooting, Natsume approached Gosha and said, "There is something I have been hiding. I think there is no longer any fear of being dropped, so I will tell you. Actually, my Basedow's disease has worsened and I have to be hospitalized. Please let me rest for a month for surgery. I am sorry for deceiving you. I wanted to do this job no matter what." If they had known about her illness from the beginning, she would have been dropped from the role of "Matsue," but Natsume was so obsessed with this role that she dared to break the rules. (Source: wikipedia)

The more I look into it, the more anecdotes this work has, and what's more, they are all truly human dramas. It is nothing less than fitting for a work by Hideo Gosha, a director who depicted human passion.