Veteran movie director Yamada Yoji (74) has said that he won’t be making any more samurai movies. After spending the best part of a career directing comedies at the helm of the record-breaking “Otoko wa Tsurai Yo” series, he took a radical change of direction with 2002’s “Tasogare Seibei” (The Twilight Samurai). He followed up that huge success with two further period dramas, with the third part of his “trilogy” based on novels by Fujisawa Shuhei, “Bushi no Ichibun”, due for release in December. Yamada made his announcement this week at a PR event for the movie with former Takarazuka actress Dan Rei (photo, 35), who makes her big screen debut in the film alongside SMAP star Kimura Takuya (33). Yamada described her as a “breathtakingly beautiful acress”. She retired from the all-female Takarazuka theater troupe in January 2005.
• Some old news from singer/songwriter Hiramatsu Airi (42), who revealed this week that she and producer Shimizu Nobuyuki (46) divorced in August of last year. They married in 1994 and had a daughter two years later.
• Happier news for actor Uchino Masaaki (37) and actress Ichiro Maki (41), who revealed this week that they got married at the end of July. Ichiro, like Dan Rei a former top Takarazuka star, is expecting a baby within the year. The couple met in 2000 when they co-starred in the stage musical “Elizabeth”. Ichiro is currently taking a break from work, while Uchino is set to appear in next year’s taiga historical drama series on NHK.
• Talento Seto Catherine (29) also announced this week that she is married. Her 26-year old husband is a Japanese company employee, whose work means that he’s based in Edmonton, Canada. Seto didn’t reveal how long they have been married, only that they first met eight years ago.