Skip to content
1981
Volume 7, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 2051-7084
  • E-ISSN: 2051-7092

Abstract

In terms of zombie film output, Japan’s is perhaps the second largest in the world after the United States and above the United Kingdom. Yet only a relatively small number of these films have received academic attention. Having sourced and verified an exhaustive catalogue of over 160 feature-length Japanese zombie films produced between 1959 and 2018, and through recent field work in Japan, including personal interviews with local film, media and folklore scholars and professionals, this article constructs a clearer overview of this uncharted corpus. It presents some of the most predominant cultural specificities of Japanese zombie films and their compelling narrative and stylistic heterogeneity. Previous assertions confined these films to a ‘cult’ sub-genre, restricting the Japanese monsters they feature to mere western imports; however, this article demonstrates that Japanese cinematic zombies defy simple categorization and repeatedly challenge some of the key posits at the centre of zombie studies, especially regarding their defining characteristics. The Japanese folklore and literary tradition in particular provides a new lens through which these popular fictional ‘Others’ can be (re-)examined, uncovering new significance and offering new insights into both Japanese and western cultures.

© 2021 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/eapc_00042_1
2021-04-01
2026-04-13

Metrics

Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Abe, Noriyuki, (阿部 記之). ( 2017), Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler): Book of the Atlantic, Japan:: A-1 Pictures, Aniplex, Square Enix Company;.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Abrams, Simon. ( 2019;), ‘ One Cut of the Dead. ’, RogerEbert.com, 13 September, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/one-cut-of-the-dead-movie-review-2019. Accessed 9 November 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Ackermann, Hans-W, and Gauthier, Jeanine. ( 1991;), ‘ The ways and nature of the zombi. ’, Journal of American Folklore, 104:414, pp. 466–94.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Adams, Mark. ( 2011;), ‘ The woodsman and the rain. ’, Screen International (Screen Daily), 2 November, https://www.screendaily.com/the-woodsman-and-the-rain/5034022.article. Accessed 7 November 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Aguilar, Carlos. ( 2019;), ‘ Review: Shinichiro Ueda’s One Cut of the Dead is the year’s funniest horror-comedy. ’, Los Angeles Times, 12 September, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-09-12/one-cut-of-the-dead-review-japanese-horror-comedy. Accessed 9 November 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Balmain, Colette. ( 2008), Introduction to Japanese Horror Film, Edinburgh:: Edinburgh University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Bingham, Adam. ( 2015), Contemporary Japanese Cinema Since Hana-bi, Edinburgh:: Edinburgh University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Bishop, Kyle. ( 2009;), ‘ Dead man still walking: Explaining the zombie renaissance. ’, Journal of Popular Film and Television, 37:1, pp. 16–25.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Boon, Kevin A.. ( 2007;), ‘ Ontological anxiety made flesh: The zombie in literature, film and culture. ’, in Niall Scott. (ed.), Monsters and the Monstrous: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil, Amsterdam:: Rodopi;, pp. 33–43.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Boon, Kevin A.. ( 2011;), ‘ The zombie as other: Mortality and the monstrous in the post-nuclear age. ’, in Sarah Juliet Lauro, and Deborah Christie. (eds), Better Off Dead: The Evolution of the zombie as Post-Human, New York:: Fordham University Press;, pp. 50–60.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Cahn, Edward L.. ( 1955), Creature with the Atom Brain, USA:: Clover Productions;.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Cairns, John. ( 2011), Sērāfuku mokushiroku (Schoolgirl Apocalypse), Japan:: Lantis KK;.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Capcom ( 1996), Biohazard (Resident Evil), Japan:: Capcom;.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Carrozza, Jules L,, Johnson, Ted, and Nordestgaard, Kristian. ( 2017;), ‘ About the film. ’, Prophecies of Nostradamus, https://crypt.mosura.dk/nostradamus/. Accessed 26 August 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Dendle, Peter. ( 2001), The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Jefferson, IA:: McFarland;.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Dendle, Peter. ( 2007;), ‘ The zombie as barometer of cultural anxiety. ’, in Niall Scott. (ed.), Monsters and the Monstrous: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil, Amsterdam:: Rodopi;, pp. 45–57.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Dendle, Peter. ( 2012), The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia: 2000–2010, Vol. 2, Jefferson, IA:: McFarland;.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Eguchi, Hiroshi. (江口浩) ( 2018), in-person interview, National Film Archive of Japan;, Tokyo:, 17 November.
  19. Ehrlich, David. ( 2018;), ‘ One Cut of the Dead review: The best zombie comedy since Shaun of the Dead – Fantasia 2018. ’, IndieWire, 3 August, https://www.indiewire.com/2018/08/one-cut-of-the-dead-review-zombie-comedy-fantasia-fest-1201990760/. Accessed 9 November 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Forster, Marc. ( 2013), World War Z, USA:: Skydance Productions, Hemisphere Media Capital, GK Films, Plan B Entertainment and 2DUX;.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Froehlich, Bill. ( 1987), Return to Horror High, USA:: Balcor Film Investors;.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Fulci, Lucio. ( 1979), Zombi 2, Italy:: Variety Film;.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Gardner, Kelly. ( 2015;), ‘ Braaiinnsss! Zombie technology, play and sound. ’, in Justin D. Edwards. (ed.), Technologies of the Gothic in Literature and Culture: Technogothics, New York:: Routledge;, pp. 71–83.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Gardner, Kelly. ( 2020;), ‘ “Zombie folklore to existential protagonists” and “The sentient zombie”. ’, in Clive Bloom. (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Gothic, London:: Palgrave Macmillan;, pp. 505–38.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Gordon, Stuart. ( 1985), Re-Animator, USA:: Re-Animator Productions;.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Guynes-Vishniac, Sean. ( 2018;), ‘ The zombie and its metaphors. ’, American Quarterly, 70:4, pp. 903–12.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Halperin, Victor. ( 1932), White Zombie, USA:: Halperin Productions;.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Hirao, Takayuki, (伊藤潤二). ( 2004), Gyo, Japan:: Ufotable, Inc;.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Honda, Ishirō, (本多猪四郎). ( 1959), Uchū daisensō (Battle in Outer Space), Japan:: Toho;.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Honda, Ishirō, (本多猪四郎). ( 1963), Matango, Japan:: Toho;.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Hooper, Tobe. ( 1985), Lifeforce, USA and UK:: Cannon Films;.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Iida, Jōji, (飯田譲治). ( 2003), Dragon Head, Japan:: Toho;.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Ito, Yoshikazu, (伊東美和). ( 2018), in-person interview, Tokyo, Japan:, 17 November.
  34. Kamiya, Makoto, (神谷 誠). ( 2008), Biohazard (Resident Evil): Degeneration, Japan:: Digital Frontier;.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Kamiya, Makoto, (神谷 誠). ( 2012), Biohazard (Resident Evil): Damnation, Japan:: Digital Frontier;.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Kay, Glenn. ( 2012), Zombie Movies – The Ultimate Guide, , 2nd ed.., Chicago:: Chicago Review Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Kee, Chera. ( 2017), Not Your Average Zombie: Rehumanizing the Undead from Voodoo to Zombie Walks, Austin:: University of Texas Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Kitamura, Ryuhei, (北村 龍平). ( 2000), Versus, Japan:: Napalm Films, Wevco Production, KSS and Suplex;.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Komatsu, Hiroshi. ( 1997;), ‘ Japan: Before the Great Kanto Earthquake. ’, in Geoffrey Nowell-Smith. (ed.), The Oxford History of World Cinema, Oxford:: Oxford University Press;, pp. 177–82.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Komatsu, Kazuiko, (小松和彦). ( 2018), in-person interview, Kyoto, Japan:, 19 December.
  41. Komizu, Kazuo, (小水 一男). ( 1991), Battle Girl: Tokyo Crisis War (aka The Living Dead in Tokyo Bay), Japan:: Moby Dick;.
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Kudō, Kankurō, (宮藤 官九郎). ( 2005), Mayonaka no Yaji-san Kita-san (Yaji and Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims), Japan:: Asmik Ace;.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Kudō, Kankurō, (宮藤官九郎). ( 2010), Cinema Kabuki Oedo Living Dead, Japan:: Shochiku;.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Kuipers, Richard. ( 2018;), ‘ Shinichiro Ueda’s marvelously inventive horror-comedy breathes new life into the zombie genre. ’, Variety, 5 May, https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/one-cut-of-the-dead-review-1202800409/. Accessed 09 November 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Kumagai, Yūki, (熊谷祐紀). ( 2018), Tokyo Living Dead Idol, Japan:: Pony Canyon;.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Kurosawa, Kiyoshi, (黒沢 清). ( 1996), Door III, Japan:: Aya Pro;.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Kuwazuru, Yūki, (桑水流勇気). ( 2015), Yamamoto Eri ‘fukugen kanōsei zero’ to kasu (Yamamoto Eri Becomes Recoverability Zero), Japan:: Harakiri Films;.
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Landis, John. ( 1984), Thriller, USA:: MJJ Productions;.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Lauro, Sarah Juliet. ( 2017;), ‘ Listening to the zombie. ’, Listening, 52:3, Fall, pp. 136–43.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Lauro, Sarah Juliet, and Christie, Deborah. (eds) ( 2011), Better Off Dead: The Evolution of the zombie as Post-Human, New York:: Fordham University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Makihara, Ryōtarō. (牧原 亮太郎) ( 2015), Shisha no teikoku (The Empire of Corpses), Japan:: Wit Studio;.
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Masuda, Toshio, (舛田 利雄). ( 1974), Nosutoradamusu no daiyogen (Prophecies of Nostradamus), Japan:: Toho;.
     [Google Scholar]
  53. Matsumura, Hitoshi, (松村仁史). ( 2009), Kaii denshō onigara-mura (The Oni-Gara), Japan:: Forward;.
     [Google Scholar]
  54. Matsuyama, Hitoshi, (松山仁). ( 2018), in-person interview, Tokyo, Japan:, 16 December.
  55. MPPAJ (Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc) ( 1985;), ‘ Box office leaders: Movies with box office gross returns exceeding 1 billion Yen – 1985. ’, Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc, http://www.eiren.org/toukei/1985.html. Accessed 13 May 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  56. MPPAJ (Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc.) ( 2003;), ‘ Box office leaders: Movies with box office gross returns exceeding 1 billion yen – 2003. ’, Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc, http://www.eiren.org/toukei/img/eiren_kosyu/data_2003.pdf. Accessed 9 March 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  57. MPPAJ (Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc.) ( 2018;), ‘ Box office leaders: Movies with box office gross returns exceeding 1 billion Yen – 2018. ’, Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc, http://www.eiren.org/boxoffice_e/2018.html. Accessed 24 February 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  58. Muroga, Atsushi, (室賀厚). ( 1999), Junk, Japan:: Japan Home Video;.
     [Google Scholar]
  59. Murphy, Kayleigh. ( 2015a;), ‘ (Un)dead Japan: A genre analysis of the Japanese zombie film. ’, Ph.D. Thesis, Brisbane:: Queensland University of Technology;.
     [Google Scholar]
  60. Murphy, Kayleigh. ( 2015b;), ‘ Sake, sex and gore: The Japanese zombie film and cult cinema. ’, Asian Cinema, 26:2, pp. 193–203.
     [Google Scholar]
  61. Murphy, Kayleigh, and Ryan, Mark David. ( 2016;), ‘ Undead Yakuza: The Japanese zombie movie, cultural resonance and generic conventions. ’, in Barbara Brodman, and James E. Doan. (eds), The Supernatural Revamped: From Timeworn Legends to Twenty-first-century Chic, Lanham, MD:: Rowman and Littlefield;, pp. 191–206.
     [Google Scholar]
  62. Nakagawa, Nobuo, (中川信夫). ( 1959), Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan (The Ghost of Yotsuya), Japan:: Shintoho;.
     [Google Scholar]
  63. Nakamura, Teppei, (中村哲平). ( 2014), ZEDD, Japan:: Amuse Soft Entertainment;.
     [Google Scholar]
  64. Nelson, Lindsay. ( 2019;), ‘ Embracing abjection, reclaiming agency: New possibilities for the zombie and the social recluse in NEET of the living dead. ’, Studies in the Humanities, Special Thematic Volume: Global East Asian Cinema: Abjection and Agency, 44/45:2017&2018, March, pp. 1–19.
     [Google Scholar]
  65. NFAJ (National Film Archive of Japan) ( 2018), A Selection of Contemporary American Films from NFAJ Collection, https://www.nfaj.go.jp/exhibition/america201810/#ex-25959. Accessed 6 May 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  66. Nichibunken (International Research Center for Japanese Studies) ( 2002;), ‘ Database search page. ’, Kaī-Yōkai Denshō Database, http://www.nichibun.ac.jp/YoukaiDB/search.html. Accessed 2 July 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  67. O’Bannon, Dan. ( 1985), Return of the Living Dead, USA:: Hemdale, Cinema ‘84;.
     [Google Scholar]
  68. Obayashi, Nobuhiko, (大林 宣彦). ( 1981), Nerawareta gakuen (School in the Crosshairs), Japan:: Kadokawa;.
     [Google Scholar]
  69. Ochiai, Masayuki, (落合正幸). ( 2004), Kansen (Infection), Japan:: Geneon Entertainment, Nikkatsu, Oz Co. and Tokyo Broadcasting System;.
     [Google Scholar]
  70. Okamoto, Takeshi, (岡本健). ( 2017), Zombie Studies, Kyoto:: Jimbun Shoin;.
     [Google Scholar]
  71. Okamoto, Takeshi, (岡本健). ( 2018), in-person interviews, Kyoto, Japan:, 23 May and 22 September .
  72. Okita, Shuichi, (沖田修一). ( 2011), Kitsutsuki to ame (The Woodsman and the Rain), Japan:: ‘Kitsutsuki to ame’ Production Committee;.
     [Google Scholar]
  73. Oshii, Mamoru, (押井 守). ( 1992), Talking Head, Japan:: Bandai Visual Company, General Entertainment Co. Ltd;.
     [Google Scholar]
  74. Reed, Charley. ( 2016;), ‘ Resident Evil’s Rhetoric: The communication of corruption in survival horror video games. ’, Games and Culture, 11:6, pp. 625–43.
     [Google Scholar]
  75. Richardson, Michael. ( 2010), Otherness in Hollywood Cinema, New York:: Continuum International Publishing;.
     [Google Scholar]
  76. Romero, George A.. ( 1968), Night of the Living Dead, USA:: Image Ten;.
     [Google Scholar]
  77. Romero, George A.. ( 1978), Dawn of the Dead, USA:: Laurel Group;.
     [Google Scholar]
  78. Russell, Jamie. ( 2014), Book of the Dead – The Complete History of Zombie Cinema, , 2nd ed.., London:: Titan Books;.
     [Google Scholar]
  79. Rutherford, Jennifer. ( 2013), Zombies, Abingdon:: Routledge;.
     [Google Scholar]
  80. Sasaki, Hirihisa, (佐々木浩久). ( 2001), Jitsuroku gaiden zonbi gokudō (Yakuza Zombie), Japan:: Super Vision;.
     [Google Scholar]
  81. Sato, Hajime, (佐藤肇). ( 1966), Kaiteida Isensō (Terror Beneath the Sea), Japan:: Toei;, USA:: Lamb Film;.
     [Google Scholar]
  82. Sato, Hajime, (佐藤肇). ( 1968), Kyūketsuki Gokemidoro (lit. ‘Vampire Gokemidoro’) (Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell), Japan:: Shochiku;.
     [Google Scholar]
  83. Satō, Shinsuke, (佐藤 信介). ( 2016), I Am a Hero, Japan:: Toho;.
     [Google Scholar]
  84. Scheib, Ronnie. ( 2013;), ‘ Film review: “The Kirishima Thing”. ’, Variety, 22 July, https://variety.com/2013/film/global/the-kirishima-thing-review-1200566525. Accessed 9 June 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  85. Schilling, Mark. ( 2012;), ‘ Kitsutsuki to Ame’ (‘The Woodsman and the Rain. ’), The Japan Times, 10 February, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/02/10/films/film-reviews/kitsutsuki-to-ame-the-woodsman-and-the-rain. Accessed 7 November 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  86. Shimura, Jōji, (志村錠児,) and Tae-gun, Ahn, (안태근). ( 2004), Shin angyō onshi (Blade of the Phantom Master), Japan and South Korea:: Oriental Light and Magic and Character Plan;.
     [Google Scholar]
  87. Shiraishi, Kôji, (白石晃士). ( 2004), Kaiki! Shinin shōjo (Dead Girl Walking), Japan:: Pony Canyon;.
     [Google Scholar]
  88. Shochiku (Shochiku Co, Ltd) ( 2020;), ‘ Oedo living dead. ’, Cinema Kabuki, 8 May, https://www.shochiku.co.jp/cinemakabuki/lineup/27. Accessed 21 August 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  89. Sony Music Japan ( 2017;), ‘ Western music compilation “All the Oricon Chart No. 1 Songs of the 1980s” based on charts data. ’, 8 August, http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/CompilationInt/info/484806. Accessed 13 May 2020.
  90. Stoneman, Jack. ( 2018), personal e-mail, 5 May.
  91. Takeuchi, Tetsuro, (竹内鉄郎). ( 1999), Wild Zero, Japan:: Dragon Pictures;.
     [Google Scholar]
  92. Tanaka, Hiroyuki, (田中博行,) aka Sabu. ( 2013), Miss Zombie, Japan:: Amuse Soft Entertainment, Dub;.
     [Google Scholar]
  93. Third Window Films ( n.d.;), ‘ One Cut of the Dead. ’, http://thirdwindowfilms.com/films/one-cut-of-the-dead. Accessed 6 June 2019.
  94. Tomomatsu, Naoyuki, (友松 直之). ( 2001), Stacy, Japan:: Gaga Communications;.
     [Google Scholar]
  95. Tsujimoto, Takanori, (辻本貴則). ( 2017), Biohazard (Resident Evil): Vendetta, Japan:: Marza Animation Planet;.
     [Google Scholar]
  96. Ueda, Shinichirō, (上田慎一郎). ( 2017), Kamera o tomeru na! (lit. ‘Don’t stop the camera!’) (One Cut of the Dead), Japan:: Enbu Seminar;.
     [Google Scholar]
  97. Wing-Fai, Leung. ( 2012;), ‘ Importing genre, exporting cult: The Japanese zom-com. ’, Asian Cinema, 22:1, pp. 110–121.
     [Google Scholar]
  98. Wood, Ed. ( 1959), Plan 9 from Outer Space, USA:: Reynolds Pictures, Inc;.
     [Google Scholar]
  99. Yamaguchi, Yūdai, (山口雄大,) and Yamamoto, Junichi, (山本淳一). ( 2006), Meatball Machine, Japan:: King Records;.
     [Google Scholar]
  100. Yeon, Sang-ho, (연상호). ( 2016), Busanhaeng (Train to Busan), South Korea:: Next Entertainment World and RedPeter Film;.
     [Google Scholar]
  101. Yoshida, Daihachi, (吉田大八). ( 2012), Kirishima, bukatsu yamerutteyo (lit. Kirishima, stopping club activities) (The Kirishima Thing), Japan:: NTV;.
     [Google Scholar]
  102. Vétu, Guillaume. ( 2021;), ‘ Animist influence and immutable corporeality: Repositioning the significance of Japanese cinematic zombies. ’, East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, 7:1, pp. 115–134, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/eapc_00042_1
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/eapc_00042_1
Loading
Animist influence and immutable corporeality: Repositioning the significance of Japanese cinematic zombies
East Asian Journal of Popular Culture 7, 115 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1386/eapc_00042_1
/content/journals/10.1386/eapc_00042_1
/content/journals/10.1386/eapc_00042_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): animism; cinema; corporeality; Japan; One Cut of the Dead; popular culture; zombie studies; zombies

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test