Mark Schilling Explained

Mark Schilling
Birth Place:	Zanesville, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation:	Film critic, journalist

Mark Schilling (born 1949)^[1] is an American film critic, journalist, translator, and author based in Tokyo, Japan. He has written for The Japan Times, Variety, and Screen International.

Biography

Schilling began working for The Japan Times in 1989.^[2]

He has been an occasional commentator for NHK's English broadcasts of sumo tournaments since they began in 1992.^{[3] [4]} He wrote Sumo: A Fan's Guide in 1994, and previously co-wrote Jesse: Sumo Superstar in 1985 about Takamiyama Daigorō.^[5] He has also reported on the sport for Variety.^[6]

Schilling's 1997 book, The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture, was described by D. James Romero of Los Angeles Times as "a history as well as a guidebook to one of the freshest influences in the American popular stream."^[7]

He was a script advisor for the 2003 Hollywood film The Last Samurai.^[2]

Schilling has also written books such as Contemporary Japanese Film,^[8] The Yakuza Movie Book: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films,^[9] and No Borders, No Limits: Nikkatsu Action Cinema.^[10]

He curated the "No Borders, No Limits: 1960s Nikkatsu Action Cinema" series for Japan Society in 2007.^[11]

Bibliography

Author

• Sumo: A Fan's Guide (1994)
• The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture (1997)
• Contemporary Japanese Film (2003)
• The Yakuza Movie Book: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films (2003)
• No Borders, No Limits: Nikkatsu Action Cinema (2007)
• Art, Cult and Commerce: Japanese Cinema Since 2000 (2020)

Translator

• Princess Mononoke: The Art and Making of Japan's Most Popular Film of All Time (1999)
• Kenzo Kitakata's Winter Sleep (2004)

External links

• Mark Schilling's Tokyo Ramen – Official website
• Mark Schilling at The Japan Times
• Mark Schilling at Variety

Notes and References

1. Book: Celeste. Heiter. To Japan with Love: A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur. ThingsAsian Press. San Francisco. 2009. 266.
2. Web site: Alyssa I.. Smith. Want to know Japanese cinema? Get to know Mark Schilling. The Japan Times. January 18, 2020.
3. Web site: 'Sumodo' documentary offers a rare inside look at the competitive world of sumo. The Japan Times. November 6, 2020.
4. Web site: Horrors of Malformed Men. DVD Talk. August 28, 2007. He also does great play-by-play sumo commentary for NHK, but that's another story..
5. Web site: Bulk, Violence and a Loincloth : Sumo's Culture Shock No Bar to Foreigners . Los Angeles Times. December 12, 1985.
6. Web site: NHK cancels Nagoya Grand Sumo coverage . Variety. July 7, 2010.
7. Web site: D. James. Romero. Western Influence: What Goes Around Comes Around. Los Angeles Times. November 13, 1997.
8. Web site: Jasper. Sharp. Midnight Eye book review: Contemporary Japanese Film. Midnight Eye. February 16, 2004.
9. Web site: Tom. Mes. Midnight Eye book review: The Yakuza Movie Book: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films. Midnight Eye. March 10, 2004.
10. Web site: Tom. Mes. Midnight Eye book review: No Borders, No Limits: Nikkatsu Action Cinema. Midnight Eye. January 18, 2008.
11. Web site: Mike. Hale. Film. The New York Times. September 23, 2007.