A 74-year-old Japanese Porn Star

INTERVIEW AND PORTRAIT BY TOMO KOSUGA
TRANSLATED BY LENA OISHI

How long into his life can a man keep fucking? Here in Japan, there is one brave grandpa who is using his own body to answer that question. His name is Shigeo Tokuda and he is a 74-year-old porn performer. He often stars in movies staged in old-age homes—like, as in “gramps fucks his hot little nurse”—which frankly we have no clue who would want to watch, save for the morbid chuckles factor.

Regardless, we headed over to meet this geriatric pussy master and ask him questions about his ancient cock.

Vice: Please tell us how long you’ve been working as a porn star and how many films you’ve been in.

Shigeo Tokuda:I’ve been doing this for 14 and a half years, and I’ve been in around 250 films so far. That said, there’s only been a handful, maybe 10 percent, where I’ve starred one-on-one with an actress. Usually I’m in a supporting role. But all of them are adult films. I’ve never acted in any other genre.

What sort of roles do you play?

I’m over 70 years old, so I don’t necessarily have sex in all of my films. I often don’t do anything sexual myself at all, like for example if I’m playing an authority figure like a father forcing his child to have sex with some other guy. Lately I’m also starring as the main actor in a porn series set in a senior-care home. The girl that I’m costarring with might play my son’s wife, a daughter of a relative that I happen to be looking after, or a helper at one of the care homes. I shoot about one episode of this series per month. The other day I played a ceramic artist. He was very strange, totally obsessed with women. He’s a professional craftsman, but all he thinks about is girls.

And how often do you shoot?

Some months I go without a single shoot, and other times I have as many as nine. It’s pretty erratic, as the production companies usually come to me when they have a project, rather than vice versa.

What started you off in the industry?

About 20 years ago, I wanted to buy a porn film that specialized in kissing. It was full of kissing scenes. What drew me to it even more, though, was the fact that it was structured like a real TV series, with a story and everything. Back then, I couldn’t face buying something like that in a huge video store, so I actually went directly to the production company that distributes the software and bought it there. As I began to frequent the place, I eventually became friends with a director there. One day he asked me to star in a film because the demand for “old-people porn” was increasing. I had never dreamed of actually being in one myself, though, so I initially refused. But as I got to know the director more, I gradually began to understand his ideas and intentions. After two or three years, I said yes. That’s how my career started.

Are there many elderly actors in this industry?

When I began working as an actor, there was one other man who was around 12 years older than myself. We often starred alongside each other. I’ve never met any other performer apart from him who is in his senior years. In that sense, I believe that I am a rare breed in the industry, and I guess there is value in that.

Does your family know about your job?

I have told my family that I work as an extra in videos and on TV, and I occasionally get called in for adult movies. Neither my wife nor my daughter pursues the subject any further. So I guess my family thinks that the fact that I am healthy and am continuing to work is a good thing in itself.

Didn’t you get into trouble with your family when you first brought up the subject?

No, not really. It’s great that I can continue to work at my age, and I think that both my wife and I agree that our relationship will last longer if we keep a certain distance, seeing as we have different interests and hobbies and so on.

Have any of your family members seen your films?

No. They’re all porn, so I highly doubt that they’ll ever come across any. And there’s no way I’m going to show them myself, that would just be digging my own grave.

Are the actresses that star alongside you usually younger or older?

I’m guessing that from the production companies’ perspective, it looks better and is more commercially salable if they couple an elderly person with someone very young. So most of them are young actresses. But frankly, I don’t have much in common with the girls in their teens and 20s, and I am more relaxed and can find more to talk about with people in their 30s and 40s. I prefer the sexual charm of mature, middle-aged women, so I’m especially enthusiastic when I shoot with those kinds of actresses. Such occasions are rare in reality, though, which I find quite sad.

Is there anything in particular that you do in order to get your penis ready to go on cue during shoots?

Personally, a big factor is whether or not the age, appearance, and physical attributes of the actress suit my taste. In other words, it basically comes down to what kind of girls turn me on, so my performance is often affected by my costar. Depending on who they are, I’ll instinctually think, “Yes, this one’s going to be good” or “I might have a little trouble today.”

Do you penetrate for real on set?

In general, all penetration shots are real and unsheathed. Just before they cut to the next shot, we wear condoms. Of course, the genitals are blurred out in the entire sequence so theoretically you shouldn’t be able to tell if we’re already wearing one or not, but actually the rubberiness and texture of the condom shows through the blur, which is why we penetrate unprotected first. I guess in this sense they’re trying to make it look as realistic as possible.

No rubber? Won’t you catch STDs that way?

I’m not sure if I can say this for every single person, but most actors and actresses are regularly tested. On some shoots you even have to show proof that you’re clean. It may only be a formality, but I get the impression that most sets are sensitive to these issues. Personally, I’ve never caught any diseases through sex.


Video stills from Tit-lover Old Man Kameichi and His Horny Pranks (Glory Quest)

Do you ever use Viagra during shoots?

I have tried it before when a director offered me some. I only had half or a quarter of one though, as I had to consider my age. And even that was six years ago. It was indeed effective, but in my case I completely lost interest mentally. I could keep it up for a long time, though, so even if I wasn’t into it, I had a great erection. So I can say that I have experienced the effect of the drug, although again, I would say that the effects totally depend on who I’m costarring with.

What’s your favorite position?

I like having the girl on top and letting them take the initiative. I actually don’t like taking the lead myself, which might be surprising since it’s the complete opposite to the roles I play.

What motivates you to keep starring in porn even at your old age?

I mentioned before that I like films that are set up like TV dramas. This is partly because I’ve always had the desire to turn into all sorts of different people. So personally, I don’t get off just having sex with somebody. I continue working in this industry not because I like starring in adult films, but because I am given the opportunity to act in various roles. The appeal for me is in the fact that I can play different people, not that I can boast about my acting skills. Consequently, most of the films that I’m in have a proper plot and narrative.

What’s the most important thing that you keep in mind when working in this industry?

I think the most important thing is to stay healthy. There are times when I have to walk around with a light summer kimono in the freezing winter or wear many layers in the summer heat. The seasonal setting of a shoot might be completely different from the actual season, so I find that it’s very important to take care of my health on a daily basis. I’ve always liked outdoor activities as well, so in that sense I think I’m more physically fit than other people my age. Also, this might be because of my days of mountain-climbing, but I can adapt very easily to different climates. I don’t sweat all that much in the summer and don’t feel very cold in winter—I walk around barefoot. I’m not sure if my body learned to adapt or if I’m just not very susceptible to these things. Maybe it’s an innate ability I have. Another thing that I keep in mind on set is to always communicate with the staff and other actors because in the end it’s all about people socializing and connecting.

Do you have any interesting stories about experiences that you had on set?

About five years ago, I was in this TV-drama-like porn film called Japan During the Greater East Asian War. I was the head of the municipal community, telling everyone in the neighborhood to evacuate because we were being bombed. Then I find this sick girl who has been left behind, so I carry her over my shoulder to a shelter where we have sex. This was a very memorable shoot because I’m familiar with what it was like during the war and I was given the opportunity to reenact that.

What are your views on the sex climate in Japan?

I first learned about sex in the postwar period, when we didn’t have anything. Everybody was so focused on living, studying, graduating, and working that neither my classmates nor myself were all that interested in sex. So for my generation, it’s all about getting back those lost dreams of our youth. Society is more open about porn now, which I guess is a good thing. But personally, I think that sex should be regarded as something more austere. I mean, it’s the physical communion of two people. I know it sounds rich from somebody doing the work I do, but I sincerely believe that. I would like to make a deeper human-to-human connection with the people that I sleep with.

Do you have any ambitions in terms of working in porn in the future?

I turned 74 this August, and obviously it’s difficult for me to continue working in this field for decades to come. I would perhaps like to produce my own film one day, though, something that might stand as a memorial piece of work in my career. It will be based on my own sexual preferences, so I don’t think it will be very popular commercially. Everybody has their own sexual tastes, and I would like to express my personal preferences in my own film, even though maybe only a handful of people will appreciate it.

What exactly do you have in mind?

I don’t have the details laid out yet. But it will be based on my idea that with videos, everybody relies on the movements within the picture to give meaning. But I don’t necessarily think that the creator’s intentions are always expressed adequately through movement. That said, it would be boring for the audience if they were made to watch a still image where the people in the videos never moved. So there needs to be some movement for the video to say something to the audience. In my case, though, I get more out of seeing still images, rather like photography, but in a video format. My dream is to create emotionally moving still-video porn. But this is only a personal project and I don’t necessarily need an audience. I’ll make it so that I can watch it myself and I’ll be satisfied. I still need to figure out the details, so it probably won’t happen for another couple of years.

You’re going to continue starring in porn until you die, right?

Sure. Right now I don’t have any illnesses, so I guess I’ll keep watching my health and at least try to go on until I’m 80 [laughs].

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