Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 184: Playing a Monkey Must Be Able to Play with a Stick
After finishing the filming, Gu Ming returned to the office and specially called Manatsu Ryu.

"Have you ever tried stick juggling?"

"Brush...stick?!"

Of course Manatsu Ryu doesn't know how to do that, as karate doesn't involve using sticks.

"It's okay. You have the basic skills. I'll teach you how to use it, and you'll be able to learn it quickly. You don't need to show it in a particularly exquisite way, as long as it's roughly the same. The key is that you need to learn it."

The Japanese version of Journey to the West has been criticized for one thing for many years.

Masaaki Sakai looks like Ryu Manatsu!
Actually, they are not very similar, but it is easy to make a mistake from some angles.

The actors had already been cast and couldn't be changed, but Sakai Masaaki wasn't a martial arts actor and wasn't very proficient in action, so a body double was needed. For this role, Gu Ming planned to let Manatsu Ryuu take on the role.

The stick was soon in hand. Gu Ming picked it up and gestured with it. Zhen Xialong watched intently from the side. Seeing Gu Ming playing with the stick, Zhen Xialong couldn't help scratching his head.

That's it? I can do it too!

Gu Ming glanced at him and started to speed up.

The stick flew like the wind, filling the room with light, and the stick spun like a fan. He stuck the stick into the ground, used his body to gain momentum, and kicked it into the sky.

This is called the Great Saint Stick. Although it's not a theatrical technique, it's one of the basic skills of stick wielding. Anyone who can't even do this has no right to claim to be a stick wielder.

Gu Ming's performance was not very good, but he had learned this trick.

After a round of stick dance, Gu Ming looked at Zhen Xialong, but saw that Zhen Xialong had his mouth open, speechless.

"what happened?"

"Brother Gugu, you're making it too difficult for me! I might not be able to learn it at all!"

Gu Ming comforted him: "Don't worry, you don't have to be very good at it, just having the form is enough. You don't even need to be very fast."

There aren't many actors with real talent in the Japanese version of Journey to the West. Sakai Masaaki also has a scene where he wields a stick himself, and he just looks cool enough.

Holding the stick in his hand made his hands itchy, so Gu Ming put it on his shoulder, pushed the stick left and right, and imitated the monkey's posture.

Liu Xiao Ling Tong also performed this move when he was learning martial arts.

Ah, that's how Sun Wukong walked...

Manatsu Ryuichi grinned: "I can do that!"

Gu Ming slowed down and demonstrated a set of movements in detail.

If possible, Gu Ming would certainly like to participate more deeply in the script writing. Unfortunately, this big drama with an investment of 40 million yen per episode had already been booked. When Gu Ming heard about it, even the actors had been almost selected, and he had no right to interfere with the script.

Therefore, Gu Ming hopes to at least make the action look better, so that when people watch it later, they won’t have the impression: Oh, so this is Sun Wukong?
That would be so annoying.

Leaving Zhen Xialong to practice stick fighting on his own, Gu Ming ran out to get some information.

What Yasuaki Kurata learned from Hong Kong is very threatening, and Shinichi Chiba has been famous in Japan for a long time.

Even though Gu Ming felt that his action design was definitely better than theirs, for something like this, having a good design alone was useless.

In particular, the Japanese version of Journey to the West contains a lot of Japanese traditions, and the movements are more inclined towards Japanese martial arts moves. Gu Ming is not sure what the effect will be if he uses this Chinese stick-wielding technique.

"I really need to use my connections. Who do I know? Oh, and I'd better find someone to learn some Japanese martial arts techniques from!"

Japanese people can also use sticks, such as Donatello, the stick turtle in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

It uses the Japanese stick method.

Strictly speaking, the four Ninja Turtles all use Japanese martial arts, so they are called 'Ninja' Turtles, which makes sense.

If there is a chance in the future, Gu Ming certainly hopes to change the name of the Ninja Turtles, but now, it is more important to focus on this matter.

After thinking for a long time, Gu Ming decided to call his elder brother Kimura first.

Given Masahiko Kimura's status in the Japanese martial arts world, he probably knows something about the samurai stick master.

Gu Ming went to meet him just now because he had time there. ...

……

In the Takeuchi Santong-ryu dojo, the two sat opposite each other.

"There are only three types of stick techniques popular in Japan today."

"One is the self-defense technique used by monks in the past when walking with a staff, which is now used as a staff technique."

"One is the ancient Okinawan martial arts."

"There is another one, the Shaolin stick technique."

Gu Ming stopped talking: "What does it have to do with Shaolin?"

"It's literally the Shaolin Temple's staff techniques," Kimura Masahiko said. "Today, there's a boxing master called 'Sōdōshin'. He learned the Shaolin Temple's boxing and staff techniques and brought them back to Japan. Therefore, there's a Shaolin staff technique among Japanese martial arts schools."

Zong Daochen was a Japanese monk and the founder of the Japanese Shaolin Kung Fu Federation. Before the war in the 1930s, he had acted as a spy in the name of a monk, gathering intelligence in North China. He was eventually caught and severely beaten by the monks of Shaolin Temple. However, this also allowed Zong Daochen to learn some unorthodox Shaolin Kung Fu.

Later, Shaolin Temple fell into decline after experiencing war. In the 1980s, Zong Daochen came back to sponsor the restoration of Shaolin Temple and donated a sum of money.

According to Zong Daochen's autobiography, the Shaolin Temple's martial arts had been basically lost at that time, but he brought the Shaolin Temple's martial arts back to the Shaolin Temple.

No one knows whether it is true or not, but the prosperity of Shaolin Temple is indeed closely related to this person. During the filming of the movie Shaolin Temple, Zong Daochen provided assistance and funded the repair of various collapsed buildings in Shaolin Temple.

In short, he is a person with a very high reputation in Japan, but unknown in the country.

In the end, the domestic characterization of him was neither to publicize nor to belittle him. If you searched for relevant information, you could find it, but if you didn't check, you wouldn't be able to find the relationship between this person and Shaolin Temple.

It's probably because this person did work as a spy, but what he did was indeed helpful, so they simply downplayed it.

Kimura Masahiko said, "I have some connections with Sotoshi. If you're interested, I can introduce you to him."

Gu Ming thought about it and shook his head.

Forget about meeting Zong Daochen. This person has both good and bad reputations. Gu Ming can't figure out his situation for a while, and Gu Ming doesn't need him to teach him Shaolin stick techniques.

As for the Ryukyu stick technique, Gu Ming was a little interested.

Kimura Masahiko said: "Okinawa stick method was originally learned by Okinawa people from Hu Jian of Zhou State. After some improvements, it was called Okinawa stick method. Coincidentally, I happened to learn Okinawa stick method."

Gu Ming scratched his head secretly.

What do you mean by learning from Hu Jian?

Hu Jian, that was probably a stick technique learned from Southern Shaolin!
"Oh my god, why do the Japanese steal everything?"

Gu Ming muttered a few words, looked at Kimura Masahiko, and bowed.

"I hope Mr. Kimura will not be stingy with his advice."

Masahiko Kimura didn't move, as if he was thinking.

Gu Ming continued, "If I can get the role of the killing chariot in this production, I'll at least be able to arrange some action actors and stunt doubles. Judoka actors won't be a problem either. Fuji Shusuke-kun has become familiar with me recently, so I can at least introduce him to a role that uses judo."

Masahiko Kimura still didn't move.

Gu Ming rolled up his sleeves.

This unlucky old man doesn't know what's good for him!

"Mr. Kimura, the successor of Nara martial arts, Akira Furuya, is here to learn from you!"

Masahiko Kimura's hands trembled, and he finally spoke.

"No need to ask for advice! Look, this is the Okinawa stick method!"

(End of this chapter)