TOKYO (TR) – Tsunehisa Saito, the chairman of the legenday Asakusa Rokku-za strip theater, died last week. He was 72, reports Sports Nippon (Feb. 21).
At 3:58 a.m. on February 20, Saito died at a hospital in Bunkyo Ward as a result of hepatocellular carcinoma, which is a common form of liver cancer.
After the Rokku-za’s founding by Saito’s mother, Chieko, in 1947, the theater became a fixture in the historic Asakusa area.
The 145-seat venue became known for featuring performances by current and former adult video actresses, including Maria Ozawa and Minako Komukai.
However, the theater began encountering difficulties about a decade ago, in part due to a slump in business following the “Lehman Shock” financial crisis of 2008.
In 2014, Saito Kanko, the management company for the theater, filed for bankruptcy with debts totalling 238 million yen.
By that time, Chieko had retired from management. The chairmanship was then passed to Tsunehisa. Chieko died in 2017.
A funeral for Tsunehisa will be held at Ueno Park at 6:00 p.m. on the Tuesday. A memorial will take place the following day.
