Ishihara Gojin’s weird Lion Maru
Pink Tentacle has a terrific series of images from profound illustrator Ishihara Gōjin, including these pages from a Kaiketsu Lion Maru ‘sonosheet’ book: Otherwise known as ‘Gekko Hayashi,’ Gojin’s paintings and illustrations range from kids superhero and sci-fi books to … Continued
No safer place to hide yer pennies.
Ninja could be found via myriad big-name properties in the 80’s, but it is the generic, no-brand ninja merch I love most from that era. This 15″ plastic kids’ bank is a personal fave. Intrigued by the TM placed beside … Continued
More Ringo!
New “Dead Ringo” images up on the FWAK! Blog! (See earlier posts here and here.)
Great excerpts from NINJA ATTACK!
If you’re like me and can’t wait for Matt Alt and Hiroko Yoda‘s Ninja Attack!, there are some excepts up on the English-language Japanese e-magazine Metropolis. Kodansha International’s Ninja Attack! True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws is due in … Continued
Sorry eBay’ers…
If you were one of the folks his past weekend trying to win either of these original press kit photos from the ninth entry in the Shinobi-no-Mono series, Mission Iron Castle, my apologies for being the source of your disappointment. I … Continued
Did you miss Sasuke Weekend?
In a nice bit of coinkidink, this past weekend Roy Ware of the awesome Black Sun posted some great imagery of an entirely different Sasuke, an animated film known in English-speaking markets as “Magic Boy.” Occurs to me, with a … Continued
Shoulda known it’d end up being SASUKE! (Part 2)
Discovering Sarutobi Sasuke Senjogadake no Himatsuri has been an eye-opener. The below caps will attest to how well-rounded the film is, hitting genre beats from both the super hero sorcerer spectacle-50s and the grim and grittier shinobi-spy 60s at the … Continued
Shoulda known it’d end up being SASUKE! (Part 1)
Four months ago or so I ran some vintage publicity stills from movies I couldn’t identify. Well, thanks to VN commenter Robert “ShinobiShaw” Kibodeaux we got some IDs soon after, and I’m finally getting around to putting up these caps … Continued
Tiki mugs? Planters? You be the judge…
From eBay to dirt malls, swap meets and yard sales coast to coast, you see these 5-8″ ceramic vessels sold as both “Tiki mugs” (from joints like Benihana) and “bamboo planters” quite a bit. Not sure which description is accurate? … Continued
Beauty and humanity in KAZE NO BUSHI
There may not be a more beautifully shot ninja film than the 1964 artistic gem Kaze no Bushi (aka “Warrior of the Wind”). The set-bound cinematography is great, the use of natural light in the lush exteriors approaches astounding, there … Continued