Masaru Konuma


Masaru Konuma is 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 retains 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 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 recalls, "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. He majored in film studies in the Art Department of Nihon University. 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, 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" 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 introduced the SM style to Roman Porno films as well as inspiring a Flower and Snake series which ran through the 1970s and returned in the mid-1980s.
In Konuma's nunsploitation film , half-Japanese pop singer Runa Takamura made her Roman Porno debut. For Lady Karuizawa, 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 was Nikkatsu's attempt to capitalize on the notoriety surrounding the domestic release of Ōshima's In the Realm of the Senses.
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

TitleCastRelease date
Call of the Pistil
Kashin No Izanai
Keiko Maki
Hajime Mitamura
1971-12-18
Love Hunter: Hot Skin
Koi no karyudo: atsui hada
Mari Tanaka
Ken Yoshizawa
1972-03-29
Headlights In The Rain
Mari Tanaka
Shusaku Muto
1972-05-17
Secret Wife
Kakushizuma
Yuko Katagiri
Kiyoshi Yoshida
1972-07-19
Three Wives: Wild Nights
Tsuma San-nin: Kyoran No Yoru
Akemi Nijo
Hidemi Hara
Mari Tanaka
1972-10-28
Afternoon Affair: Kyoto Holy Tapestry
Hirusagari no joji Koto-mandara
Yuri Yamashina
Morio Kazama
1973-04-04
Erotic Journey: Love Affair In Hong Kong
Shikijo Ryoko: Hong Kong Bojo
Setsuko Ogawa
Yuko Katagiri
Junko Miyashita
1973-08-04
Female Teacher: Sweet Life
Onna Kyoshi: Amai Seikatsu
Ayako Ichikawa
Aoi Nakajima
Nozomi Yasuda
1973-12-05
White Whore
Kashin No Takamari
Yuri Yamashina
Misa Aoyama
Toru Ohe
1974-03-02
Lost Love: Oil Hell
Lost Love: Abura Jigoku
Akari Uchida
Tetsuo Tomikawa
Kazuko Tajima
1974-05-04
Flower and Snake
Hana to hebi
Naomi Tani
Yasuhiko Ishizu
Nagatoshi Sakamoto
1974-06-22
Wife to Be Sacrificed
Ikenie fujin
Naomi Tani
Nagatoshi Sakamoto
Terumi Azuma
1974-10-26
Lesbian World: Ecstasy
Lesbian No Sekai: Koukotsu
Mihoko Arikawa
Maki Kawamura
Naomi Oka
1975-02-19
Female Teacher: Boy Hunt
Onna Kyoshi: Shonen-gari
Maya Hiromi
Akira Takahashi
Kiyoyasu Adachi
1975-06-04
Great Edo: Secret Story Of A Female Doctor In Trouble
Oedo: Maruhi Onna Isha Arashi
Yuko Katagiri
Moeko Ezawa
Junko Miyashita
1975-10-18
'
Shudojo Runa no kokuhaku
Luna Takamura
Aoi Nakajima
Kumi Taguchi
1976-01-08
Wet Vase a.k.a. Wet Tattooed Vagina
Nureta tsubo
Naomi Tani
Hirokazu Inoue
Hiroko Fuji
1976-03-19
Getting Raped a.k.a. Raped
Okasareru
Junko Miyashita
Maki Mizuno
Akira Hanagami
1976-07-31
Tattooed Flower Vase
Kashin no irezumi: ureta tsubo
Naomi Tani1976-09-25
Erotic Diary of an Office Lady
aka Office Lady Lusty Journal: "Ah, There's Something Inside Me!"
OL kanno nikki: Ah! Watashi no naka de
Asami Ogawa
Morihira Murakuni
Katsuo Yamada
1977-02-22
In The Realm Of Sex
Seito ai no corrida
Asami Ogawa
Natsuko Yashiro
Naomi Tani
1977-04-23

Yumeno Kyusaku no shoujo jigoku a.k.a. Kasei no onna
Asami Ogawa1977-08-20

Kifujin shibari tsubo
Naomi Tani1977-12-10
Wandering Lovers: Dizziness
Sasurai no koibito: memai
Toshiyuki Kitami
Kei Ogawa
Akira Takahashi
1978-03-04
Friday Bedroom
Kinyo-bi no shinshitsu
Reiko Kayama
Yuki Nohira
Hiroshi Unayama
1978-04-29
Sometimes... Like A Prostitute
Toki niha Shoufu no youni
Rei Nakanishi
Eri Kanuma
Erina Miyai
1978-09-23
College Girls On Friday
Izumi Daihachi no joshidaisei no kinyobi
Minako Mizushima
Yumi Fukazawa
Megu Kawashima
1979-03-31
Mr Dilemma Man : Lunatic For Lust
Mr- Dilemman: shikijo-garu
Akira Emoto
Yukiko Tachibana
Yuka Asagiri
1979-10-06
Image Of A Bound Girl
Dan Oniroku shoujo shibari ezu
Kumiko Hayano
Hide Ezumi
Yuko Asuka
1980-03-01
Uptown Lady: Days Of Eros
Yamanote fujin: seiai no hibi
Izumi Shima
Ryuichi Nagashima
Yoichiro Sanada
1980-05-31
Wife's Sexual Fantasy: Before Husband's Eyes
Tsumatachi no seitaiken: otto no me no maede ima
Yuki Kazamatsuri
Hiroshi Unayama
Rika Takahara
1980-10-22
Woman Who Exposes Herself
Misetagaru onna
Maiko Kazama
Izumi Shima
1981-01-09
Woman Who Is Used
Asobareru onna
Maiko Kazama
Asami Ogawa
1981-06-12
Fallen Angel Gang
Akujo gundan
Yuki Kazamatsuri
Jun Izumi
Eiko Yanami
1981-10-23
Slave Contract
Dorei keiyakushu
Nami Matsukawa
Asami Ogawa
Jun Hongo
1982-01-22
Lady Karuizawa
Karuizawa fujin
Miwa Takada
Takayuki Godai
Yumi Yoshikawa
1982-08-06
Rope and Breasts
Nawa to chibusa
Nami Matsukawa
Izumi Shima
1983-01-07
Kiriko Shimizu1983-01-07
'
Joshuu ori
Mina Asami
Nami Matsukawa
1983-09-16
Madam Scandal - Final Scandal: Madam Likes It Hard
Final scandal: okusama wa okatai no ga osuki
Midori Satsuki
Kaori Okamoto
Takashi Shikauchi
Kate Asabuki
1983-12-23

Stewardess scandal: kemono no youni dakishimete
Tomoko Ai1984-03-16
Mariko Nishina1984-12-08
Woman In The Box: Virgin Sacrifice
Hako no naka no onna: shojo ikenie
Reiko Aoi
Saeko Kizuki
Kojiro Kusanagi
1985-09-07

Inkou
Kaori Asou1986-07-26
Bed-In
Miki Yanagi
Rie Kitahara
1986-12-20

Rinbu
Kaori Asou1988-01-09
Woman In The Box 2 a.k.a. Captured For Sex 4
Hako no naka no onna II
Ryouta Nakanishi
Shihori Nagasaka
Miyuki Kawamura
1988-02-27
1991-04-01
1992-12-01
1992-12-19
1993-10-22
1994-02-25

XX: 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