By KUNIHIKO IMAI/ Staff Writer
February 2, 2020 at 07:00 JST
Shozo Uehara, the Japanese screenwriter behind the popular "Ultraman" series, stayed true to his Okinawan roots right up until his death from liver cancer on Jan. 2 at age 82.
Although the live-action Ultra superhero TV series was targeted at children, the underlying themes of poetic justice that delved deep into the human psyche spoke volumes about Uehara's innermost feelings as a native of what was once the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Uehara sat down for an interview with The Asahi Shimbun on Dec. 25, eight days before his death. The screenwriter bared his soul for about 90 minutes, sipping black tea and nibbling toast in his favorite cafe near Tokyo.
"Roughly 60 years have passed since I begin to live in the vicinity of Tokyo, but I still feel like a foreigner," he said.
Uehara was born in Okinawa Prefecture in 1937. In spring 1955, while en route to Tokyo to attend college, he was asked to show his passport to customs officers in Kagoshima Prefecture, his first point of entry to the main Japanese islands.
"At that moment, it dawned on me that I am not really Japanese," Uehara said. "Okinawa Prefecture reverted to Japanese rule in 1972, but I have always regarded myself as 'Ryukyuan.'"
The southernmost prefecture was the independent Ryukyu Kingdom up until the 1870s. It was placed under U.S. rule after World War II.
Uehara served as chief screenwriter for "The Return of Ultraman" (1971-1972). He cited episode 33 of the TV show, titled "Kaijutsukai to Shonen" (The monster handler and the boy), as a story that acutely portrays his awareness of his roots.
The story centers around an orphaned boy who lives with a space alien in a deserted house in the outskirts of a town. The townspeople, driven by fear and paranoia, attack the house and kill the alien. It is said to be the most controversial episode in the Ultra series.
"After seeing the preview, a senior member of the broadcaster went ballistic and demanded the episode be shelved. But the producer managed to talk him out of it, and it aired in the end," Uehara said. "But I got demoted from chief screenwriter."
In the episode, a giant monster emerges from a seal after the alien's death to wage a revenge attack against the townspeople. Hideki Go, a young man who transforms into Ultraman, is urged by everybody to go after the monster, but the superhero doesn't enter the fray immediately. Instead, his heart is filled with anguish, and he snaps, "Don't be selfish."
"That line made the story what it was," Uehara said. "I still think I did a great job."
During the interview, Uehara repeatedly expressed his anger at the central government's intransigence in forging ahead with construction of a new U.S. military base off the coast of Henoko in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, despite deep-rooted opposition among residents there. "Don't be selfish" might have been a cry from Uehara's heart. This was a man who was Ryukyuan to his core and felt caught between the powerful forces of Japan and the United States.
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A scene from episode 33 of "The Return of Ultraman," titled "Kaijutsukai to Shonen," which was written by Shozo Uehara and is touted as the most controversial episode in the Ultra series (Provided by Tsuburaya Productions Co.)
