Schilling, Mark R. 1949-

PERSONAL:

Born August 7, 1949, in Zanesville, OH; son of Vernon (a department store manager) and Margaret (a homemaker) Schilling; married June 10, 1948; children: Ray, Lisa. Ethnicity: "American." Education: University of Michigan, B.A. Hobbies and other interests: Sumo wrestling, travel.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—3-12-23 Chuo-Cho, Higashi, Kurume-shi, Tokyo, Japan. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Japan Times, Tokyo, film reviewer, 1989—; Screen International, England, Japan correspondent, 1990-2005; Variety, Los Angeles, CA, Japan correspondent, 2005—.

MEMBER:

Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators, Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, Film PEN Club of Japan.

WRITINGS:

Jesse: Sumo Superstar, Japan Times (Tokyo, Japan), 1985.

(Translator) Masami Sato, The Shogun's Gold, Kodansha International (Tokyo, Japan), 1991.

Sumo: A Fan's Guide, Japan Times (Tokyo, Japan), 1994.

The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture, Weatherhill (New York, NY), 1997.

Tokyo after Dark, Japan Times (Tokyo, Japan), 1998.

Contemporary Japanese Film, Weatherhill (New York, NY), 1999.

The Yakuza Movie Book: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films, Stonebridge (Berkeley, CA), 2003.

No Borders, No Limits: The Cinema of Nikkatsu Action, FAB Press (Godalming, Surrey, England), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Author Mark R. Schilling has lived in Japan for many years; from his experiences he compiled a synopsis of modern Japanese culture titled The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture. Rather than focusing on the aspects of Japanese popular culture with which Americans are already familiar, such as Godzilla movies and Power Rangers cartoons, Schilling goes beyond this basic understanding to provide an overall survey of the culture of Japan since World War II. The book includes descriptions of Japanese media, books, music, entertainers, and cultural scandals that have contributed to the island nation's pop scene. Schilling includes over seventy entries covering events like music contests, discos, fads, and television quiz shows.

Schilling once told CA: "I am thinking of writing something non-Japan-related, possibly in the United States. After living abroad so long, the United States has become an exotic land to me—one I never tire of exploring!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

BookWatch, July, 1997, review of The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture, p. 4.

Reference and Research Book News, November, 1997, review of The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture, p. 33.