Ed Sakamoto's Classic Now Available

Ed Sakamoto's "Obake Neko"

"Obake Neko" (“Ghost Cat” in Japanese) is a tale of love, lust, murder, and revenge set in Hawaii in 1925. Written by Ed Sakamoto, it is brought to life by director Denny Hironaga and his wife & producer, Karen Kuioka Hironaga. A Japanese woman, who has befriended a black cat, is beaten to death by her unfaithful husband. Witnessing what happened, the cat transforms into a ghostly human-cat that seeks revenge on both the husband and his mistress.

About The Cast

Produced by Hiro Films and filmed in the hills of Koa Ridge in Mililani, "Obake Neko" stars Amy Nishihara Tamaribuchi as the innocent and ill-fated Kazue, Eric Nemoto as the violently abusive Tamotsu, Nani Morita Dart as the seductive Shizue, Janice Terukina Morimoto as the empathetic friend Aiko, Shiro Kawai as the dim-witted sidekick Hitoshi, Eric Mita as the "skebe" Murata, and the "Obake," also played by Amy Nishihara Tamaribuchi.

The "Obake Neko" trailer. Filmed & edited by Denny Hironaga. (Hiro Films)

About Ed Sakamoto

Considered by many to be Hawaii’s most beloved playwright, Edward “Ed” Sakamoto (1940-2015) was born in Hawaii, earned his B.A. in English from the Unversity of Hawaii at Manoa (1962), and later moved to Los Angeles, where he worked for many decades as a journalist, while at the same time honing his writing craft to become a very prolific playwright. Sakamoto’s plays include “Aloha Las Vegas,” about a Hawaii widower considering a move to the mainland, and “Our Hearts Were Touched With Fire,” a play about the all Nisei 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. Sakamoto’s plays have been frequently produced at Kumu Kahua Theatre in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he is revered as a legend.

"Obake Neko" Now In Distribution

Hiro Films has partnered with Yellow Brick Studio (YBS) to distribute "Obake Neko." It is now available on Amazon, the Roku public streaming channel, All Hawaii TV (web page has instructions on finding the channel on Roku), and the YBS online movie platform, Serenergy.