Masaru Konuma

was a Japanese film director known for his Roman Porno films for Nikkatsu during the 1970s.

Life and career

Early life Masaru Konuma was born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, on December 30, 1937. Konuma retained no memories of his father who was a teacher. Drafted into the army after the outbreak of World War II in 1941, Konuma's father became ill with tuberculosis within a year of the start of his military service, and returned home where he died.

After the war, Konuma's mother remarried, and Konuma, then 15, was sent away to live in Tokyo. Konuma recalled, "In those days, there was no TV. I had no idea about Tokyo. It was as distant to me as Africa or Alaska is to kids today. I didn't want to go. I cried."

As a way of dealing with his loneliness and homesickness at this time, Konuma began going to the cinema. Soon after graduation, in 1961, Konuma went to work at Nikkatsu Studios, about the same time as producer Yuki and directors Kōyū Ohara and Noboru Tanaka. The quartet were known by their individual characters as, "Diligent Yuki, slovenly Ohara, faithful Tanaka, reckless Konuma." Konuma started as a "fifth" assistant director, which meant he was in charge of the clipboard. He endured this low position at the studio in the hope that eventually he would become a director. In his early career, he was the assistant director on such films as Nikkatsu's venture into the kaiju genre, Daikyojū Gappa (1967), which was released in the U.S. as Monster from a Prehistoric Planet. Seijun Suzuki was one of the few directors who impressed Konuma during these early years at Nikkatsu.

Roman Porno During the later 1960s, Nikkatsu began losing its audience to TV, and its film production dropped. At this time, assistant directors moved on to TV or non-film work. In order to find a new audience, Nikkatsu president Takashi Itamochi made the decision to put the company's high production values and professional talent entirely into the "pink-film" (softcore pornographic) industry, which had until then been made by independent and low-budget filmmakers like Kōji Wakamatsu. Many of Nikkatsu's staff either did not return to the studio or left, not wanting to make sex films. Konuma had no such reservations, however, later saying, "The pleasure of becoming a director was greater than anything else at that moment... I was just happy to be making movies."

Konuma's first assignment as director was Call of the Pistil in 1971. Two of his most popular films-- Flower and Snake and Wife to Be Sacrificed—were made for Nikkatsu in 1974, both with Naomi Tani. Though it was Konuma who brought Oniroku Dan's work to the mainstream through Flower and Snake, the author was reportedly never happy with Konuma's interpretation of his work or the SM genre. The success of Flower and Snake inspired a Flower and Snake series which ran through the 1970s and returned in the mid-1980s.

In Konuma's nunsploitation film Cloistered Nun: Runa's Confession (1976), half-Japanese pop singer Runa Takamura made her Roman Porno debut. For Lady Karuizawa (1982), Konuma worked with the mainstream 1960s star, Miwa Takada in her first starring role in over a decade. The film was a variation on Lady Chatterley's Lover, with some added political intrigue. Corrida of Sex and Love a.k.a. In The Realm Of Sex (1977) was Nikkatsu's attempt to capitalize on the notoriety surrounding the domestic release of Ōshima's In the Realm of the Senses (1976).

Commenting on his association with the S/M subgenre of Nikkatsu's Roman Pornos, Konuma said, "In general, the roman porn audience wants to see something they can't experience in everyday life. These people get excited about seeing acts which they may - or may not want to do to their wives or mates. Things they would never be able to really do without ending up in jail or divorce. For example, I was often assigned to make movies with rape scenes. I am not a person who could possibly perform rape. I want to see a lady's happy face while having sex... Movies are fantasies. Sometimes they might be ugly, but they're still fantasies. I was the dreamweaver."

In 2000, director Hideo Nakata, who had served his apprenticeship at Nikkatsu under Konuma, made a documentary on his mentor entitled Sadistic and Masochistic. In 2001 Konuma was given an award at the Yokohama Film Festival for his career and his film Nagisa.

Partial filmography

Title CastRelease date Call of the PistilKashin No Izanai Keiko MakiHajime Mitamura 1971-12-18 Love Hunter: Hot SkinKoi no karyudo: atsui hada Mari TanakaKen Yoshizawa 1972-03-29 Headlights In The Rain Mari TanakaShusaku Muto 1972-05-17 Secret WifeKakushizuma Yuko KatagiriKiyoshi Yoshida 1972-07-19 Three Wives: Wild NightsTsuma San-nin: Kyoran No Yoru Akemi NijoHidemi HaraMari Tanaka 1972-10-28 Afternoon Affair: Kyoto Holy TapestryHirusagari no joji Koto-mandara Yuri YamashinaMorio Kazama 1973-04-04 Erotic Journey: Love Affair In Hong KongShikijo Ryoko: Hong Kong Bojo Setsuko OgawaYuko KatagiriJunko Miyashita 1973-08-04 Female Teacher: Sweet LifeOnna Kyoshi: Amai Seikatsu Ayako IchikawaAoi NakajimaNozomi Yasuda 1973-12-05 White WhoreKashin No Takamari Yuri YamashinaMisa AoyamaToru Ohe 1974-03-02 Lost Love: Oil HellLost Love: Abura Jigoku Akari UchidaTetsuo TomikawaKazuko Tajima 1974-05-04 Flower and SnakeHana to hebi Naomi TaniYasuhiko IshizuNagatoshi Sakamoto 1974-06-22 Wife to Be SacrificedIkenie fujin Naomi TaniNagatoshi SakamotoTerumi Azuma 1974-10-26 Lesbian World: EcstasyLesbian No Sekai: Koukotsu Mihoko ArikawaMaki KawamuraNaomi Oka 1975-02-19 Female Teacher: Boy HuntOnna Kyoshi: Shonen-gari Maya HiromiAkira TakahashiKiyoyasu Adachi 1975-06-04 Great Edo: Secret Story Of A Female Doctor In TroubleOedo: Maruhi Onna Isha Arashi Yuko KatagiriMoeko EzawaJunko Miyashita 1975-10-18 Cloistered Nun: Runa's ConfessionShudojo Runa no kokuhaku Luna TakamuraAoi NakajimaKumi Taguchi 1976-01-08 Wet Vase a.k.a. Wet Tattooed VaginaNureta tsubo Naomi TaniHirokazu InoueHiroko Fuji 1976-03-19 Getting Raped a.k.a. RapedOkasareru Junko MiyashitaMaki MizunoAkira Hanagami 1976-07-31 Tattooed Flower VaseKashin no irezumi: ureta tsubo Naomi Tani 1976-09-25 Erotic Diary of an Office Ladyaka Office Lady Lusty Journal: "Ah, There's Something Inside Me!"OL kanno nikki: Ah! Watashi no naka de Asami OgawaMorihira MurakuniKatsuo Yamada 1977-02-22 In The Realm Of SexSeito ai no corrida Asami OgawaNatsuko YashiroNaomi Tani 1977-04-23 Yumeno Kyusaku no shoujo jigoku a.k.a. Kasei no onna Asami Ogawa 1977-08-20 Kifujin shibari tsubo Naomi Tani 1977-12-10 Wandering Lovers: DizzinessSasurai no koibito: memai Toshiyuki KitamiKei OgawaAkira Takahashi 1978-03-04 Friday BedroomKinyo-bi no shinshitsu Reiko KayamaYuki NohiraHiroshi Unayama 1978-04-29 Sometimes... Like A ProstituteToki niha Shoufu no youni Rei NakanishiEri KanumaErina Miyai 1978-09-23 College Girls On FridayIzumi Daihachi no joshidaisei no kinyobi Minako MizushimaYumi FukazawaMegu Kawashima 1979-03-31 Mr Dilemma Man (Dilemman): Lunatic For LustMr- Dilemman: shikijo-garu Akira EmotoYukiko TachibanaYuka Asagiri 1979-10-06 Image Of A Bound GirlDan Oniroku shoujo shibari ezu Kumiko HayanoHide EzumiYuko Asuka 1980-03-01 Uptown Lady: Days Of ErosYamanote fujin: seiai no hibi Izumi ShimaRyuichi NagashimaYoichiro Sanada 1980-05-31 Wife's Sexual Fantasy: Before Husband's EyesTsumatachi no seitaiken: otto no me no maede ima Yuki KazamatsuriHiroshi UnayamaRika Takahara 1980-10-22 Woman Who Exposes HerselfMisetagaru onna Maiko KazamaIzumi Shima 1981-01-09 Woman Who Is UsedAsobareru onna Maiko KazamaAsami Ogawa 1981-06-12 Fallen Angel GangAkujo gundan Yuki KazamatsuriJun IzumiEiko Yanami 1981-10-23 Slave ContractDorei keiyakushu Nami MatsukawaAsami OgawaJun Hongo 1982-01-22 Lady KaruizawaKaruizawa fujin Miwa TakadaTakayuki GodaiYumi Yoshikawa 1982-08-06 Rope and BreastsNawa to chibusa Nami MatsukawaIzumi Shima 1983-01-07 Kiriko Shimizu 1983-01-07 Female Prisoner: CageJoshuu ori Mina AsamiNami Matsukawa 1983-09-16 Madam Scandal - Final Scandal: Madam Likes It HardFinal scandal: okusama wa okatai no ga osuki Midori SatsukiKaori OkamotoTakashi ShikauchiKate Asabuki 1983-12-23 Stewardess scandal: kemono no youni dakishimete Tomoko Ai 1984-03-16 Mariko Nishina 1984-12-08 Woman In The Box: Virgin SacrificeHako no naka no onna: shojo ikenie Reiko AoiSaeko KizukiKojiro Kusanagi 1985-09-07 Inkou Kaori Asou 1986-07-26 Bed-In Miki YanagiRie Kitahara 1986-12-20 Rinbu Kaori Asou 1988-01-09 Woman In The Box 2 a.k.a. Captured For Sex 4Hako no naka no onna II Ryouta NakanishiShihori NagasakaMiyuki Kawamura 1988-02-27 1991-04-01 1992-12-01 1992-12-19 1993-10-22 1994-02-25 XX: Beautiful HunterXX: Utsukushiki karyuudo 1994-08-12 1994-10-21 1995-02-24 Kairakusatsujin: onna sousakan 1996-06-07 1996-09-06 1998-11-27 1999-08-27 Nagisa 2000-06-10 2003-03-15