Since joining the Shinkokugeki Theater Company in 1958, actor Ken Ogata was active in a wide range of fields, including early and developing TV dramas, movies, and documentaries, until his death in 2008. This year marks the 13th anniversary of his death, and the exhibition "Actor Ken Ogata and His Era" is being held to look down on the transition of postwar Japanese popular culture through his many belongings. We spoke with his eldest son, Kanta Ogata, at the Yokohama Museum of History, where the exhibition is being held.
We have also been given free gifts such as tickets, so please take the time to read on!
He left behind a great many things, including scripts, posters, props, and calligraphy.
My father is someone who just can't throw things away (laughs). He would keep even a pencil that had become small, so I thought "That house has a lot of stuff" since I was a child (laughs). When we rebuilt the house about 30 years ago, we got rid of a lot of stuff, but we still have a lot of different things. You could say that this exhibition makes use of my father's character.
What prompted you to hold an exhibition?
It all started when the daughter of playwright Hideji Hojo, author of "Osho," introduced me to Professor Hiroomi Baba of Tokai University. I heard that Mr. Hojo also left behind a huge amount of material, and that Professor Baba had properly organized it, so I decided to consult him about my father's belongings.
Professor Baba is someone who specializes in the so-called "municipality history" of modern Japanese history.
That's right. He focused on the fact that he spent most of his life in Tsurumi and organized the materials from the perspective of "an actor with ties to Kanagawa." I think it was a time-consuming and labor-intensive task, but in the end, we were able to present an exhibition that overlooked the flow of popular culture from the postwar period to the Showa and Heisei eras, rather than a retrospective of my father alone. I am truly grateful to Professor Baba for making the exhibition enjoyable for the younger generation who don't know my father.
Now most of the belongings have been sorted out.
No, it's still only about two-thirds of the total (laughs). There are still cardboard boxes piled up in the attic that have not yet been opened. They are filled with letters and photos, so if I sort them out, I might be able to get a sense of the times through the connections and friendships between people. This will no doubt be a difficult task, so I'll be patient (laughs).
Did you write the title of the exhibition, etc.?
That's right. I started calligraphy by chance about five years ago, and it was so much fun. Since the start of the Reiwa era, I've been working under a pen name. I'm happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate with my father in this way.
Did your father influence you to take up calligraphy?
What do you think? My father wrote in a completely self-taught way, and I didn't have a teacher either. I sometimes use my father's calligraphy as a model, but I had no interest in it when he was alive...or rather, I didn't like calligraphy.
I think it was when I was in the third grade of elementary school. I was doing my calligraphy homework when my father came home and asked me, "What character do you like?" I answered "wind" on a whim and he told me to write it, but no matter how many times I wrote it, he would just say, "No, that's not it," or "One more time," and I was so frustrated that I broke down in tears. Looking back, my father was busy and sometimes came home early, so maybe he was trying to communicate with me, but I was only in the third grade of elementary school at the time. That incident left me traumatized and I hated calligraphy, and I never thought about writing again until a few years ago.
Now I enjoy calligraphy, so perhaps my father was guiding me in some way.
We also spoke with Professor Baba Hiroomi of Tokai University, who supervised this special exhibition.
Ever since his debut at Shinkokugeki, Ogata Ken has always remained a top star throughout the turbulent period spanning the postwar period and the 21st century. Why was he able to remain active until the end? Sorting through his belongings from this perspective, we realize that looking back on his life, which went from being a stage actor at major theaters to the dawn of television dramas and movies, is like tracing the trajectory of postwar popular culture and looking down on the transition of media. As television dramas reached their peak, he expanded his field of activity to documentaries and also appeared on small theater stages. This may be a sign that he was always true to his own interests.
At the same time, I am also drawn to his true nature as a citizen of Yokohama, where he lives in Tsurumi, Yokohama, and frequents local restaurants with his family.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on popular culture, including the theater, and now calls for a fundamental transformation of traditional ways of doing things. We hope that this exhibition will serve as an opportunity to explore new directions in this field and provide encouragement to those who "perform" and "view" it.
"Actor Ken Ogata and his era"
[Dates] Saturday, October 3rd - Sunday, December 6th
[Opening hours] 9:00-16:30 (ticket sales until 16:00)
[Venue] Yokohama Museum of History
[Closed] Mondays (except November 23rd ), November 24th
[Admission fee] Adults: 500 yen / High school and university students: 300 yen / Elementary and junior high school students, Yokohama city residents 65 and over: 100 yen
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
Applications for this giveaway have now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied.
[Gift application details]
We will give away tickets to the exhibition "Actor Ken Ogata and His Era," currently being held at the Yokohama City Museum of History (until Sunday, December 6, 2020), as well as original merchandise from the exhibition. Please choose one and apply.
[A] Ticket for 5 groups (10 people)
[B] Ken Ogata postcard set for 5 people
[C] Original staff T-shirt, size S, for 1 person
[D] Original staff T-shirt, size M, for 1 person
[E] Original staff T-shirt L size for 1 person
[F] Original staff T-shirt XL size for 1 person
【Application method】
If you are interested, please choose one option from the application form below and submit your application. We look forward to receiving your application.
[Application Deadline]
Until 23:59 on Friday, November 6th
[Lottery and Winner Announcement]
The announcement of the winners will be replaced by the delivery of tickets, merchandise, etc. (These will be sent by the Kanagawa Prefectural Cultural Affairs Division.)
*If we are unable to deliver the tickets, merchandise, etc. to the winner due to an unknown relocation address, etc., the prize will be invalidated.
*Personal information provided will not be used for any purpose other than the lottery.
