Kazuo Sagawa

Kazuo Sagawa (佐川和夫, Sagawa Kazuo) is a Japanese director, known for directing many Ultraman Series episodes as a special effects director during the Showa and Heisei era.

Career[]

During his time studying at Nihon University College of Art, Sagawa frequently visited Toho film sets. After graduating, he gained valuable experience working in Toho’s Special Technology Division and joined Tsuburaya Productions upon its establishment in 1963.^[1]

In 1966, he participated in the production of Ultra Q as a assistant cinematographer and was later promoted to cinematographer for Ultraman. Subsequently, he made his debut as a special effects director in Return of Ultraman and contributed to several Tsuburaya works. After 1977, he transitioned to freelancing, focusing primarily on projects handled by the Tokusatsu Research Institute.^[2]

In 1993, Sagawa returned to Tsuburaya Productions through his work on Gridman the Hyper Agent. Starting in 1997, he resumed his role as a special effects director for the Ultraman series until his retirement in 2002.

In the 21st century, Sagawa occasionally appeared in interviews for books related to tokusatsu and the Ultraman series.

Works[]

Ultra Q (1966) - Assistant cinematographer
Ultraman (1966-1967) - Special effects cinematographer
Kaiju Booska (1966-1967) - Cinematographer
Ultraseven (1967-1968) - Special effects cinematographer
Mighty Jack (1968) - Special effects director, 5 episodes
- Episode 4 "Be Eternal, My Homeland!!"
- Episode 5 "Scalpel and Lipstick"
- Episode 7 "Don't Look at the Moon!"
- Episode 10 "Detonation Order"
- Episode 12 "Fear in the Big City"
Fight! Mighty Jack (1968) - Special effects director, 5 episodes
- Episode 2 "Blow up Mini-Mini Island!"
- Episode 3 "Fly to the Devil's Sea!!"
- Episode 7 "Come If You Dare!!"
- Episode 12 "Take Back the Mighty!! (Part 1)"
- Episode 13 "Take Back the Mighty!! (Part 2)"
- Episode 16 "Protect the Visitors"
- Episode 17 "They Ran Away, Go and Catch Them!!"
- Episode 18 "Defeat the Hydrogen Bomb Dinosaur!!"
- Episode 21 "Rip Off the Ghost's Mask"
- Episode 22 "Raise a White Flag at Tokyo Tower"
- Episode 25 "Fly to the Sky of Hope! (Part 1)"
- Episode 26 "Fly to the Sky of Hope! (Part 2)"
Operation: Mystery (1969) - Special effects director, 3 episodes
- Episode 20 "Murderous Circuit"
- Episode 22 "Endless Rampage"
- Episode 26 "The Snow Woman"
Ultraman, Ultraseven: Great Violent Monster Fight (1969) - Director
Chibira-kun (1970) - Cinematographer
Return of Ultraman (1971-1972) - Special effects director, 3 episodes
- Episode 13 "Terror of the Tsunami Monsters, Tokyo's Big Pinch!"
- Episode 14 "Terror of the Two Giant Monsters, Tokyo in a Giant Tornado"
- Episode 18 "Ultraseven Arrives!"
- Episode 19 "The Giant Invisible Monster That Came from Space"
- Episode 28 "Ultra Special Operation"
- Episode 29 "Jiro-Kun Rides a Monster"
- Episode 34 "The Life That Can't Be Forgiven"
- Episode 35 "Cruel! Light Monster Pris-Ma"
- Episode 36 "Kick the Night Away"
- Episode 41 "The Revenge of Alien Baltan Jr."
- Episode 42 "The Monster That Stands on Mt. Fuji"
- Episode 45 "Assassinate Hideki Go!"
- Episode 46 "This One Blow Filled with Anger"
Mirrorman (1972) - Special effects director, 1 episode
- Episode 32 "Watery Death"
Ultraman Ace (1972-1973) - Special effects director, 18 episodes
- Episode 1 "Shine! The Five Ultra Brothers"
- Episode 2 "Surpass the Giant Terrible-Monster!"
- Episode 3 "Go Up in Flames! Terrible-Monster Hell"
- Episode 4 "A 300-Million-Year-Old Terrible-Monster Appears!"
- Episode 7 "Monster vs. Terrible-Monster vs. Alien"
- Episode 8 "Life of the Sun Is the Life of Ace"
- Episode 11 "Terrible-Monster Is Ten Women?"
- Episode 12 "The Red Flower of a Vicious Cactus"
- Episode 13 "Death Penalty! 5 Ultra Brothers"
- Episode 14 "5 Stars Scattered in the Galaxy"
- Episode 19 "The Mystery of the Haunted Kappa Mansion"
- Episode 20 "Stars of Youth Is the Stars of Two"
- Episode 28 "Goodbye Yuko, Sister of the Moon"
- Episode 29 "The 6th Ultra Brother"
- Episode 32 "With Hopes in the Star of Ultra"
- Episode 33 "Shoot That Airship!"
- Episode 44 "Setsubun Scary Story! Sparkling Beans"
- Episode 45 "A Desperate Situation! Save Ace!"
Fireman (1973) - Special effects director, 17 episodes
- Episode 1 "Birth of Fireman"
- Episode 2 "The Weapon Is Science: S･A･F"
- Episode 3 "The Mysterious Spaceship"
- Episode 4 "Destroy the Invaders"
- Episode 5 "The Boy who Fell into the Jurassic Era"
- Episode 6 "The Secret of Planet Gomerus"
- Episode 8 "The Micro Monster's Fear"
- Episode 9 "A Challenge from the Deep Sea"
- Episode 17 "Fireman Disappeared into the Magma"
- Episode 18 "He Did It! Fire Dash"
- Episode 22 "They're Here! Transforming Aliens"
- Episode 23 "Kill Fireman!"
- Episode 24 "The Harmonica Crying in the Night"
- Episode 27 "The Space Leader that Manipulates Corpses"
- Episode 28 "The Boy Who Came from Planet Argon"
- Episode 29 "Don't Shoot! Even Though He's a Monster, He's Still My Friend"
- Episode 30 "Fireman Disappears into Space"
Horror Theater Unbalance (1973)
Jumborg Ace (1973) - Special effects director, 1 episode
- Episode 50 "Tokyo's Final Day" (with Yoshimura Yoshiyuki)
Ultraman Taro (1973) - Special effects director, 3 episodes
- Episode 1 "Mother of Ultra is Like the Sun"
- Episode 24 "This Is the Land of Ultra!"
- Episode 25 "Burn! The 6 Ultra Brothers!"
The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. The Monster Army (1974) - Special effects director
Army of the Apes (1974-1975) - Special effects director
The Last Dinosaur (1977) - Special effects director
Star Wolf (1978) - Special effects director
Ultraman 80 (1980-1981) - Special effects director, 17 episodes
- Episode 17 "Flight to the Eerie Monster Island Part 1"
- Episode 18 "Flight to the Eerie Monster Island Part 2"
- Episode 21 "Shine for Eternity! Space GMan 85"
- Episode 22 "When the Planets Make a Line, Something Will Happen"
- Episode 25 "Beautiful Challenger"
- Episode 26 "Shadow Warriors in the Time Tunnel"
- Episode 29 "Wrath of the Emperor"
- Episode 30 "Lost Friend in the Desert"
- Episode 33 "The Boy-Made Monster"
- Episode 34 "I Caught a Strange Fish"
- Episode 37 "Alien Baltan's Fearful Zoo Operation"
- Episode 38 "The Voice of the Father of Ultra Beats in the Sky"
- Episode 41 "Did You See the Zero Monster Bird"
- Episode 42 "The Kannon Is Strongest"
- Episode 46 "The Unforeseen Revival of Red King"
- Episode 47 "The Evil Glove. Be Careful What You Throw Out!"
- Episode 50 "Ah! The Giraffes and Elephants Turned to Ice!!"
Gridman the Hyper Agent (1993-1994) - Special effects director
Ultraman Tiga (1997) - Special effects director, 2 episodes
- Episode 47 "Goodbye to Darkness"
- Episode 48 "Fugitive from the Moon"
Ultraman Dyna (1997-1998) - Special effects director, 15 episodes
- Episode 3 "Awaken Asuka"
- Episode 4 "Battle! Underground City"
- Episode 9 "2000 Attacks"
- Episode 10 "Forbidden Picture on the Ground"
- Episode 17 "The Ghost Space Ship"
- Episode 18 "The Girls Who Call Upon the Darkness"
- Episode 23 "Dream Fortress"
- Episode 24 "Vampire of the Lake"
- Episode 27 "Monster Game"
- Episode 28 "Simian Forest"
- Episode 33 "Star of Peace"
- Episode 34 "The Time of Resolution"
- Episode 38 "Monster Drama"
- Episode 39 "The Light and Shadow of the Youthful"
- Episode 40 "The Tree of Jagira"
Ultraman Gaia (1998-1999) - Special effects director,^[3] 16 episodes
- Episode 1 "Seize the Light!"
- Episode 2 "A Hero Appears"
- Episode 7 "The Cleansing of the Earth"
- Episode 8 "The 4,600 Million Year-Old Ghosts"
- Episode 13 "The Night of the Marionettes"
- Episode 14 "The Challenge from the Anti-Space"
- Episode 21 "The Sea of a Mysterious Light"
- Episode 22 "The Stone Wing"
- Episode 27 "A New Battle ~Version-up Fight!~"
- Episode 28 "The Advent of the Heatwave"
- Episode 35 "Ransom for a Monster"
- Episode 36 "The Sky of Reunion"
- Episode 43 "The Silver Eyes of Izac"
- Episode 44 "The Attack of the Space Monsters"
- Episode 50 "The Cry of the Earth"
- Episode 51 "Earth is Ultraman's Star"
Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact (2001) - Special effects director
Ultraman Cosmos (2001-2002) - Special effects director, 22 episodes
- Episode 1 "Reunion With Light"
- Episode 2 "Chaos Header's Shadow"
- Episode 3 "Fly! Musashi"
- Episode 10 "The Bronze Devil"
- Episode 15 "Deep Sea Fight"
- Episode 16 "The Flying Whale"
- Episode 21 "The Battle with the TECCH Booster: Part 1"
- Episode 22 "The Battle with the TECCH Booster: Part 2"
- Episode 26 "The Power to Defeat Chaos"
- Episode 29 "Dreaming Courage"
- Episode 30 "Eclipse"
- Episode 39 "Light of Evil"
- Episode 40 "Giant of Evil"
- Episode 41 "The Green Fugitive"
- Episode 42 "Friend"
- Episode 51 "Enemy of Chaos"
- Episode 52 "Transformation Impossible!?"
- Episode 53 "Future Monster"
- Episode 54 "Human Transporter"
- Episode 63 "Chaos' Violent Attack"
- Episode 64 "Deathmatch on the Moon"
- Episode 65 "True Hero"

Works[]

The Unbalance Zone (1973)
King of Snake (1987)
Cyber Cop (1989)
Saga of the Phoenix (1990)
Erotic Ghost Story III (1992)

Gallery[]

References[]

[1] ttps://gigazine.net/news/20110225-kazuo-sagawa-interview/

[2] ttps://s-tokusatsu.jp/archive/oralhistory-ks2022/

[3] ttps://tamashiiweb.com/t_kokkaku/35/

[4] ttps://www.monomagazine.com/52046

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