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1-50 of 125
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Setsuko Hara became one of Japan's best-loved stars over her 30-year film career. Her signature character type, variations on a daughter devoted to her parents and home, inspired the nickname that stayed with her until retirement: the Eternal Virgin. To some extent, reality mirrored her roles in these films. In a society that considers marriage and parenting almost obligatory, she remained single and childless, something of a controversy in Japan in the 1950s. Fortunately she was popular enough to avoid criticism, but the 1950s were still a hard decade. She was plagued by ill health, missing out on several top roles as a result, and she witnessed the death of her camera-man brother in a freak train accident on set.
In 1963, shortly after the death of her mentor, director Yasujirô Ozu, she suddenly walked away from the film industry. At age 43, and at the height of her popularity, she bluntly refused to perform again, angering her fans, the industry, and the press. She implied acting had never been a pleasure and that she had only pursued a career in order to provide for her large family; this explanation is seen as the cause of her popularity backlash. She moved to a small house in picturesque Kamakura where she remained, living alone (though apparently sociable with friends), and refusing all roles offered.
She is undoubtedly known mostly for her work with Yasujiro Ozu, making six films with the great director, including the so-called Noriko trilogy, of which Tokyo Story (1953) is probably the best-known. She also worked with Akira Kurosawa, Mikio Naruse, Hiroshi Inagaki, and many others.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Hiroyuki Watanabe was born on 9 December 1955 in Mito, Japan. He was an actor and producer, known for Everly (2014) and In Full Bloom (2019). He was married to Hideko Hara. He died on 3 May 2022 in Kanagawa, Japan.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Transportation Department
Ken Ogata was born on 20 July 1937 in Tokyo, Japan. He was an actor, known for Vengeance Is Mine (1979), Edo Porn (1981) and The Ballad of Narayama (1983). He died on 5 October 2008 in Tsurumi, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Akemi Negishi might never have become an actress but for Josef von Sternberg. The legendary director was in Japan looking for a woman to play the seductress who leads a bunch of soldiers astray in his upcoming (and as it turned out, last) movie _Anatahan (1954)_. But Sternberg spotted Negishi one night, dancing on the cabaret stage, and chose her at once. This was the first in a long string of exotic roles, most unusual for the average Japanese actress, but which became her trademark, in films as various as _Kingukongu tai Gojira (1962)_ and Dodes'ka-den (1970). She was a favorite actress of both Akira Kurosawa and Ishirô Honda, both directors seeing beyond the kind of role in which she was usually typecast, and thereby encouraging her to some of the best work any Japanese actress did in the 1950s and 1960s. Her most memorable roles are probably for Kurosawa, in The Lower Depths (1957) and Dodes'ka-den (1970); but she is probably best known outside Japan for playing the woman who leads the dance of tribute to Kong in _Kingukongu tai Gojira (1962)_. Negishi was an unusual presence in Japanese film at that time, since her presence was so aggressively, obviously sensual. This militated against her becoming a major star in the conservative Japanese atmosphere of the time, but she was fortunate to be able to do excellent character work throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Following her arresting cameo as the beautiful lone housewife in Dodes'ka-den (1970), it appears that Negishi retired.- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
Shinji Sômai was born on 13 January 1948 in Morioka, Iwate, Japan. He was a director and assistant director, known for Typhoon Club (1985), Ah haru (1998) and Moving (1993). He died on 9 September 2001 in Isehara, Kanagawa, Japan.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kôzaburô Yoshimura was born on 9 September 1911 in Hiroshima, Japan. He was a director and writer, known for Anjô-ke no butôkai (1947), A Night to Remember (1962) and Clothes of Deception (1951). He died on 7 November 2000 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.- Hideo Takamatsu was born on 24 October 1929 in Nagaoka-gun, Kochi, Japan. He was an actor, known for The Last Emperor (1987), Kyojin Ôkuma Shigenobu (1963) and Shogun (1980). He died on 26 February 2007 in Kanagawa, Japan.
- Isao Natsuyagi was born on 25 December 1939 in Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan. He was an actor, known for I Want To (1979), Emperor (2012) and The Land of Hope (2012). He died on 11 May 2013 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Director
- Writer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Yasuharu Hasebe was born on 4 April 1932 in Japan. He was a director and writer, known for The Naked Seven (1972), Sukeban Deka: Dirty Mary (1974) and A Gangster's Morals (1970). He was married to Takako Hasebe. He died on 14 June 2009 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
- Director
Yoshimitsu Banno studied at Toho under such directors as Hiromichi Horikawa, Mikio Naruse, Kengo Furusawa and Seiji Maruyama. By 1970 Toho was ready to promote him to full director, and the resulting project, Birth of the Japanese Islands (1970) played at Osaka's Expo 70, attracting record-breaking crowds. Gojira series producer Tomoyuki Tanaka signed him up to help revitalize the series. The result was the famous (or infamous) Gojira vs. Hedora (1971), a passionately avant-garde film which so horrified producer Tanaka that Banno's directorial privileges at Toho were temporarily suspended. He managed to restore his reputation by rewriting and directing second unit for Nosutodoramusu no Daiyogen (1974). He was approached to write and/or direct Gojira movies twice more in the 1970s, but his ideas continued to be too radical for the studio. Eventually he resigned as a director and became an executive in charge of project development, which in recent years has included the highly ambitious JAPAX Project, a 70mm. process meant to compete with the Imax process.- Actress
Miki Odagiri is known primarily for her important and timeless role as the upbeat office girl in Akira Kurosawa's classic Ikiru opposite Takashi Shimura, whose character is dying of cancer, and Miki, as Toyo Odagiri, inspires him to live... just by being herself: bubbly, spontaneous, and optimistic. Her character is also filled with blunt sarcasm that was extremely rare in movies of the early-1950's. Perhaps Miki and Takashi's most memorable scene is when she's telling him the nicknames she created for their fellow workmates... including his! Sadly, beyond Ikiru, finding the handful of other Japanese movies she appeared in, especially on DVD or Blu Ray, is extremely difficult. But she left an impression in what's considered not only one of the legendary Kurosawa's greatest achievements, but one of the best movies ever made, worldwide.- Kôjirô Hongô was born on 15 February 1938 in Okayama, Japan. He was an actor, known for Buddha (1961), Satan's Sword (1960) and Nippon meishôbu monogatari (1964). He died on 14 February 2013 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Kunie Tanaka was born on 23 November 1932 in Gifu, Japan. He was an actor, known for Sanjuro (1962), Live Your Own Way (1968) and Nogare no machi (1983). He died on 24 March 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Tamio Kawaji was born on 21 July 1938 in Zushi, Kanagawa, Japan. He was an actor, known for Chi-n-pi-ra (1984), Gappa the Triphibian Monster (1967) and The Warped Ones (1960). He died on 10 February 2018 in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Kôji Mitsui was born on 6 March 1910 in Yokohama, Japan. He was an actor, known for The Lower Depths (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958) and High and Low (1963). He was married to Fusako Maki. He died on 20 July 1979 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Writer
Atsushi Sakurai was born on 7 March 1966 in Gunma, Japan. He was an actor and writer, known for The Last Supper (2005), Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) and Trinity Blood (2005). He died on 19 October 2023 in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.- Yasunari Kawabata was born on 11 June 1899 in Osaka, Japan. He was a writer and actor, known for A Page of Madness (1926), Izu no odoriko (1967) and Izu no odoriko (1974). He was married to Hideko Keizo. He died on 16 April 1972 in Zushi, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Shinsuke Ogawa was born on 25 June 1935 in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan. He was a director and editor, known for Narita: The Peasants of the Second Fortress (1971), Magino Village: A Tale (1987) and A Japanese Village (1982). He died on 7 February 1992 in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Akio Tanaka was born in 1926. He was an actor, known for Tampopo (1985), Jigoku no saiten (1963) and Pale Flower (1964). He died on 19 January 2003 in Zushi, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Nijiko Kiyokawa was born on 24 November 1912 in Matsudo, Chiba, Japan. She was an actress, known for Pom Poko (1994), Shiosai (1964) and The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956). She died on 24 May 2002 in Takatsu, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Shion Nakamaru was born on 22 July 1983 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. She was an actress, known for Ultraman Nexus (2004), Kamen Rider W (2009) and Ultraseven X (2007). She died on 11 July 2022 in Kanagawa, Japan.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Takao Saitô was born on 5 March 1929 in Kyoto, Japan. He was a cinematographer and actor, known for Ran (1985), Dreams (1990) and Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980). He died on 6 December 2014 in Zama, Kanagawa, Japan.- Bin Amatsu was born on 16 February 1921 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. He was an actor, known for Onmitsu kenshi (1962), Crimson Bat, the Blind Swordswoman (1969) and Sanjûrokunin no jôkyaku (1957). He died on 24 July 1979 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Actor
- Producer
Masaaki Tsukada was born on 16 December 1938 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. He was an actor and producer, known for Fullmetal Alchemist (2003), Bleach: Shattered Blade (2006) and Kamen Rider (1971). He was married to Masako Nozawa. He died on 27 January 2014 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.- Taketoshi Naitô was born on 16 June 1926 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972), Kyojin Ôkuma Shigenobu (1963) and The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961). He died on 21 August 2012 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Director
- Art Department
- Animation Department
Noboru Ishiguro was born on 24 August 1938 in Tokyo, Japan. He was a director, known for Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984), Hoshi Neko Fullhouse (1989) and Heavy (1990). He died on 20 March 2012 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Hisao Maki was born on 16 June 1940 in Tokyo, Japan. He was a writer and actor, known for Family (2001), Lone Tiger (1996) and Joe vs. Joe (2003). He died on 2 January 2012 in Kanagawa, Japan.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Hiroyuki Okita was born on 7 January 1963 in Kanagawa, Japan. He was an actor, known for Lily C.A.T. (1987), Gamera 2: Attack of the Legion (1995) and Ultraman: Tiga (1996). He died on 27 March 1999 in Kanagawa, Japan.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hideo Ôba was born on 28 February 1910 in Tokyo, Japan. He was a director and writer, known for Snow Country (1965), Yokoborigawa (1966) and Aru rakujitsu (1959). He died on 10 March 1997 in Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Writer
- Actor
- Animation Department
Motoo Abiko is one half of one of the most prolific comic writing team of Fujiko Fujio whose volume of works are probably only rivaled by the famous American comic writing team of (Stan) Lee, and (Jack) Kirby. He met his future comic drawing partner Hiroshi Fujimoto when he was in fifth grade at an elementary school in his native Toyama. They started to draw comic together (although only as a hobby at the time) which continued for over the next 40 years.
In 1952 they made their comic debut with a comic titled "Tenshi no Tamachan" and two years later they've moved to Tokyo to pursue their professional career. They were mentored briefly by the late Osamu Tezuka (of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion fame) after coming to Tokyo like so many young comic artist of the time. Later they recalled seeing a stack of papers few feet high at Tezuka's house which were rejects of his comic pages. Tezuka's standards was so high that even under close inspection they couldn't tell what was wrong with the material. They helped Tezuka pen the last pages of Kimba the White Lion during that period.
In 1956 they formed Shin Manga-To with Fujio Akatsuka, and Ishinomori Shotaro (of Kamen Rider, Kikaida, and Cyborg 009 fame). There were a close knit group of comic writer friends back then who had similar backgrounds of leaving their birth place and coming to Tokyo to start their careers. In the late '50s and early '60s Abiko with Fujimoto mostly penned action adventure comics oriented towards pre-teen boys such as the "Big One", "Silver Cross", and "Umi no Ooji". In 1964 they co-authored "Obake no Q-taro" which later became an animated cartoon series which saw wide spread syndication all over the world including North America, and Hong Kong. They continued their prolific career in the '60s and the '70s by penning other cartoons which saw animated syndication such as Paa Man, Kaibutsu-Kun, and Doraemon. One of their works, Ninja Hattori-kun, became a TV series acted by real live actors.
Later in the 70s Fujiko Fujio started writing comics for adults, often depicting the surreal side of society as fiction which included the return of Obake no Q-Taro to the family of now grown up ex-friend Sho-chan. Q-Taro in this episode finds that reality of society robbed the youthful dreams of his ex-friends and returns to his spiritual world disappointed. They also penned a semi-autobiographical comic of their life and career at that time with Fujimoto being depicted as the somewhat naive main character.
In 1987 Abiko dissolved the partnership with Fujimoto, and for the first time in over 40 years, they decided to pursue their own careers with Fujimoto taking the pen name Fujiko F Fujio, and Abiko taking the pen name Fujiko Fujio (A). While Fujimoto passed away in 1996, Abiko is still active in writing adult-oriented cartoons.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Nobuko Yoshiya was born on 12 January 1896 in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. She was a writer, known for Riso no otto (1933), Hana-tsumi nikki (1939) and Otome series: Sono ichi - Hana monogatari: Fukujusô (1935). She died on 11 July 1973 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan.- Isamu Nagato was born on 1 January 1932 in Kurashiki, Japan. He was an actor, known for Three Outlaw Samurai (1964), Crimson Bat, the Blind Swordswoman (1969) and The Great Turnabout (1967). He died on 4 June 2013 in Kanagawa, Japan.
- Jûkei Fujioka was born on 19 November 1933 in Japan. He was an actor, known for Yakuza Graveyard (1976), Yokosuka Navy Prison (1973) and The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass (1961). He died on 23 July 1991 in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Tetsuji Takechi was born on 10 December 1912 in Osaka, Japan. He was a director and writer. He was married to Hideko Kawaguchi. He died on 26 July 1988 in Kanagawa, Japan.- Yukiko Inoue was born on 5 June 1915 in Hyogo, Japan. She was an actress, known for Nani ga kanojo o hadaka ni shita ka (1931), Japanese Girls at the Harbor (1933) and The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979). She died on 19 November 2012 in Kanagawa, Japan.
- Producer
- Director
Tonkô Horikawa was a producer and director, known for Kishibe no arubamu (1977), Sennen no koi - Hikaru Genji monogatari (2001) and Jûni nenkan no uso: Chichi to mitsu no nagareru chi yo (1982). He was married to Rin Takagi. He died on 28 March 2020 in Yugawara, Kanagawa, Japan.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Haruyo Ichikawa was born on 9 February 1913 in Nagano, Japan. She was an actress, known for Wakai hito (1937), Z no senritsu (1948) and Karakuri opera (1936). She died on 18 November 2004 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan.- Tarô Ishida was born on 16 March 1944 in Kyoto, Japan. He was an actor, known for Akira (1988), Departures (2008) and Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979). He died on 21 September 2013 in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Shinya Hashimoto was born on 3 July 1965 in Toki, Gifu, Japan. He was an actor, known for Oh! My Zombie Mermaid (2004), Ultraman Gaia (1998) and Masûru hîto (2002). He died on 11 July 2005 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Susumu Takaku was born on 11 January 1933 in Fukushima, Japan. Susumu was a writer, known for The Golden Bat (1966), Chouriki Sentai Ohranger (1995) and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger (1994). Susumu was married to Kumiko. Susumu died on 22 July 2009 in Miyamae, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.- Goichi Yamada was born on 20 February 1933 in Setana, Hokkaido, Japan. He was an actor, known for The Street Fighter (1974), Jiken kisha: Kenjû kashimasu (1962) and Million Dollar Smash-and-Grab (1961). He died on 13 October 2012 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jerry Fujio was born on 26 June 1940 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor, known for The Great Turnabout (1967), Whirlwind Kid (1960) and Dokuritsu gurentai (1959). He was married to Tomoko Watanabe. He died on 14 August 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.- Kôtarô Shiga was born on 31 August 1948 in Hyogo, Japan. He was an actor, known for After Life (1998), Gintama Live Action the Movie (2017) and Ultraman Orb (2016). He died on 20 April 2020 in Kanagawa, Japan.
- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Joe Yamanaka was born on 21 September 1946 in Yokohama, Japan. He was an actor and composer, known for It's Easier Than Kissing (1989), Izo (2004) and Kaigenrei no yoru (1980). He was married to Satoko Yamanaka. He died on 7 August 2011 in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan.- Kazumasa Hirai was born on 13 May 1938 in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan. He was a writer, known for 8 Man (1992), Bega's Battle (1983) and Eightman (1991). He died on 17 January 2015 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Chieko Misaki was born on 20 February 1921 in Tokyo, Japan. She was an actress, known for Tora-san's Tropical Fever (1980), Tora-san's Dream of Spring (1979) and Tora-san's Forbidden Love (1984). She died on 13 February 2012 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Yoshiko Ôta was born on 25 April 1932 in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan. She was an actress, known for Super Electronic Bioman (1984), Doraemon (1979) and Doraemon (1973). She was married to Osamu Saka. She died on 29 October 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Yoshiaki Takahashi was born on 2 September 1972 in Tokyo, Japan. He was an actor, known for Oyobi de nai yatsu! (1987) and Uchi no ko ni kagitte... (1984). He died on 23 January 1989 in Kanagawa, Japan.
- Actor
- Writer
Takanobu Hozumi was born on 20 July 1931 in Shizuoka, Japan. He was an actor and writer, known for Koi no gashû (1961), Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny (2002) and Ultra Q (1965). He was married to Reiko and Michiko. He died on 19 October 2018 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.- Mamoru Shigemitsu was born on 29 July 1887 in Oita, Japan. He died on 26 January 1957 in Yugawara, Kanagawa, Japan.