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was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 200 feature films. Dropping out of
Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...
, he worked as a
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...
before entering the film industry in 1956. After years of work, Sugawara finally established himself as a famous actor at the age of 39, with the lead role of Shozo Hirono in the ''Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' series (1973–1976) of yakuza films. He quickly found additional success starring as the
truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; an HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...
Momojiro Hoshi in the comedic '' Torakku Yarō'' series (1975–1979). In 1980, Sugawara won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a detective in the satirical '' Taiyō o Nusunda Otoko'' (1979).


Life and career

Sugawara was born in
Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...
,
Miyagi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akit ...
. His father was a newspaper reporter. His parents divorced when he was four, and he moved to
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
to live with his father and stepmother. As part of a wartime policy to evacuate children from major cities, he was moved back to Sendai during fourth grade. As an adult he entered
Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...
's law program, but was dropped in his second year for failing to pay and began work as a model. He had minor roles in the Shiki Theatre Company. His first film role was in the 1956
Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
film ''Aishu no Machi ni Kiri ga Furu''. Sugawara appeared in Teruo Ishii's 1958 ''White Line'' after being scouted by the
Shintoho was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big six film studios (which also included Daiei, Nikkatsu, Shochiku, Toei Company, and Toho) during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Toho company ...
studio. At Shintoho he gained starring roles despite being a newcomer. However, when Shintoho filed for bankruptcy in 1961, Sugawara moved to the
Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...
studio where he was cast in
Masahiro Shinoda was a Japanese film director, whose career spanned over four decades and covered a wide range of genres and styles. He was one of the central figures of the Japanese New Wave during the 1960s and 1970s. He directed films for Shochiku Studio fro ...
's ''Shamisen and Motorcycle'', but was fired from the role for coming to set late after a night drinking. He gave a notable performance in
Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and ...
's ''Legend of a Duel to the Death'' (1963), but it did not fare well at the box office. Disenchanted with the low pay, and what he felt were unsuitable roles, he left and went to Toei in 1967 after being recommended by Noboru Ando. He had a part in Ishii's 1967 ''Abashiri Bangaichi: Fubuki no Toso'', one of many films in the director's '' Abashiri Prison'' series. Sugawara's first starring role at Toei was in ''Gendai Yakuza: Yotamono no Okite'' in 1969. It launched a series, with the last installment, 1972's '' Street Mobster'' by
Kinji Fukasaku was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking", Fukasaku worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty Yakuza film, yakuza films, typified by the Battles With ...
, being the most successful. He achieved major success in 1973 at the age of 40, when he starred in Fukasaku's five-part yakuza epic '' Battles Without Honor and Humanity''. Based on a real-life yakuza conflict in
Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...
, the series was very successful, and popularized a new type of yakuza film called the '' Jitsuroku eiga'', and the role of Shozo Hirono still remains his most well known. Sugawara also starred in Fukasaku's '' Cops vs. Thugs'' in 1975. Also in 1975, he starred in the comedy '' Torakku Yarō: Go-Iken Muyō'' as love-seeking
truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; an HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...
Momojiro Hoshi, which launched a successful ten-installment series. Sugawara won the 1980 Japan Academy Prize for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a detective in Kazuhiko Hasegawa's 1979 satirical film '' Taiyō o Nusunda Otoko''. His son Kaoru died in a railroad crossing accident in October 2001 at the age of 31. In 2007, Sugawara was diagnosed and treated with
radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...
for
bladder cancer Bladder cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in the bladder. These cells can grow to form a tumor, which eventually spreads, damaging the bladder and other organs. Most people with bladder cancer are diagnosed after noticing blood in thei ...
. On February 23, 2012, Sugawara announced his retirement from acting. He came to the decision after the Great East Japan earthquake and being hospitalized in the winter of 2011, although he said he might consider future roles. Late in life, he took up farming in Yamanashi Prefecture. On November 13, 2014, Sugawara was checked into a Tokyo hospital after having a routine checkup. He died in the hospital from liver failure caused by liver cancer on November 28 at 3:00am, aged 81. A funeral for family was held on November 30 at Dazaifu Tenmangū, and his death was publicly announced by Toei on December 1.


Filmography


Films

*''Aishu no Machi ni Kiri ga Furu'' (1956) *''Shirosen Himitsu Chitai'' (1958) - Goto, Sudo's Henchman *''Joōbachi no Ikari'' (1958) - Jōji *''Mofubuki no Shito'' (1959) - Kinya *''Ama no Bakemono Yashiki'' (1959) - Detective Nonomiya *''Kurutta Yokubō'' (1959) *''Kyūjūkyū-honme no Kimusume'' (1959) - Abe Masayuki *''Onna Dorei-sen'' (1960) - Sugawa *''Bakudan wo Daku Onna Kaitō'' (1960) - Asakura - Railroad Security Officer *''Taiheiyō Sensō: Nazo no Senkan Mutsu'' (1960) - Naval officer *''Kuroi Chibusa'' (1960) - Hiroshi Taniguchi *''Mejū'' (1960) - Sugiyama *''Otoko no Sekai da'' (1960) *''Bōryoku Gonin Musume'' (1960) - Kazuhiko Nanjō *''Fūryū Kokkei-tan: Sennin Buraku'' (1961) *''Shamisen to Ootobai'' (1961) *'' A Legend or Was It?'' (1963) - Gōichi Takamori *''Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o'' (1963) - Miwa *''Iroboke Yokuboke Monogatari'' (1963) *''Kō ni Kieta Aitsu'' (1963) *''Kawachi no Kaze Yōri-abare Daikō'' (1963) * '' The Scent of Incense'' (1964) - Sugiura *''Kodoku'' (1964) *''Nippon Paradise'' (1964) *''Yoru no Henrin'' (1964) - Tamura *''Kuchikukan Yukikaze'' (1964) *''Chi to Okite'' (1965) *''Blood and Rules'' (1965) *''Highway no Ohsama'' (1965) *''Zokū Seiun Yakuza - Ikarî no Otoko'' (1965) *''Seiun Yakuza'' (1965) *''Kao o Kase'' (1966) *''Honoo to Okite'' (1966) - Ōtsu *''Otokonokao wa Rirekisho'' (1966) *''Sora Ippai no Namida'' (1966) - Sakaki *''Kinokawa'' (1966) - School principal *''Ahendaichi Jigokubutai Totsugekseyo'' (1966) *''Shinka 101: Koroshi no Yojinbo'' (1966) *''Otoko no Kon'' (1966) *''Dōsu-dokyō no Hanamichi'' (1966) *''Abashiri Bangaichi: Fubuki no Toso'' (1967) - Mamushi *''Utage'' (1967) - Lieutenant Kuruihara *''Zenka Mono'' (1968) *''Gorotsuki'' (1968) *''Hibotan Bakuto: Isshuku Ippan'' (1968) - Shiraishi *''Bakuto Retsuden'' (1968) - Masakichi *''Kyōdai Jingi Gyakuen no Sakazuki'' (1968) *''Kaibyō Nori no Numa'' (1968) - Ukon Shibayama *''Heitai Gokudo'' (1968) *''Gokudo'' (1968) - Sasaki Toshiya *''Gokuaku Bōzu'' (1968) - Ryotatsu *''Furyō Banchō: Inoshika Ochō'' (1969) *''Tabi ni Deta Gokudo'' (1969) *'' Gendai Yakuza: Yotamono Jingi'' (1969) - Goro *'' Yakuza Law'' (1969) *'' Japan Organized Crime Boss'' (1969) *''Kantō Tekiya Ikka'' (1969) *'' Soshiki Bōryoku Kyodaisakazuki'' (1969) *''Nihon Boryoku-dan: Kumicho'' (1969) - Kazama *''Gorotsuki Butai'' (1969) *''Gokuaku Bōzu: Nenbutsu Hitokiri Tabi'' (1969) *''Gendai Yakuza: Yotamono no Okite'' (1969) *''Furyo Bancho Okuri Ookami'' (1969) *''Chōeki san Kyōdai'' (1969) *'' Bloodstained Clan Honor'' (1970) *''Kantō Tekiya Ikka: Goromen Jingi'' (1970) *''Hibotan Bakuto: Oryū Sanjō'' (1970) - Tsunejioro *''Furyō Banchō: Ikkaku Senkin'' (1970) *''Kantō Tekiya Ikka: Tennōji no Kettō'' (1970) *''Nippon Dabi Katsukyu'' (1970) *''Saigo no Tokkōtai'' (1970) *''Gokuaku Bozu Hitokiri Kazoe Uta'' (1970) - Ryutatsu *''Hitokiri Kannon-uta'' (1970) - Blind Priest Ryotatsu *''Gendai Yakuza: Shinjuku no Yotamono'' (1970) - Big Brother Katsumata *''Shin Kyōdai Jingi'' (1970) *''Sengo Hiwa, Hoseki Ryakudatsu'' (1970) *''Nihon Jokyo-den: Tekka Geisha'' (1970) - Yukichi *''Gokudo Kyojo Tabi'' (1970) - Izumi Tatsuya *''Gokuaku Bozu Nenbutsu Sandangiri'' (1970) *''Gendai Ninkyō Kyōdai-bun'' (1970) *''Furyo Bancho Kuchi Kara Demakase'' (1970) *''Bâkuto Jingi: Sâkazukî'' (1970) *''Kantō Tekiya Ikka: Goromen Himatsuri'' (1971) *''Gokuaku Bozu - Nomu Utsu kau'' (1971) *''Kigeki Toruko-buro Osho-sen'' (1971) *''Kantō Kyōdai Jingi Ninkyō'' (1971) - Takazaki Taichiro *''Nippon Jokyō-den: Gekitō Himeyuri-misaki'' (1971) *''Gendai Yakuza: Chizakura san Kyodai'' (1971) *''Onna Toseinin: Ota no Mushimasu'' (1971) *''Mamushi no Kyōdai: Orei Mairi'' (1971) *''Gendai Yakuza: Sakazuki Kaeshimasu'' (1971) *''Furyo Bancho Yarazu Buttakuri'' (1971) *''Chōeki Tarō: Mamushi no Kyōdai'' (1971) *''Akū Oyabūn tai Daigashî'' (1971) *''Hibotan Bakuto: Jingi Tooshimasu'' (1972) *''Mamushi no Kyōdai: Chōeki Jūsankai'' (1972) *''Junko Intai Kinen Eiga: Kantō Hizakura Ikka'' (1972) - Yuijiro *'' Street Mobster'' (1972) - Isamu Okita *''Gokudo Makari Touru'' (1972) - Ishido Tsuneo *''Mamushi no Kyōdai: Shōgai Kyōkatsu Jūhappan'' (1972) *''Kogarashi Monjirō: Kakawari Gozansen'' (1972) - Monjirō Kogarashi *'' Outlaw Killers: Three Mad Dog Brothers'' (1972) *''Hijirimen Bakuto'' (1972) *''Yakuza to Kōsō: Jitsuroku Andō-gumi'' (1972) *''Kogarashi Monjirō'' (1972) - Monjirō *''Furyo Gai'' (1972) *''Bakuchi-uchi Gaiden'' (1972) *'' Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' (1973) - Shozo Hirono *''Mamushi no Kyōdai: Musho Gurashi Yonen-han'' (1973) *'' Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima'' (1973) - Shozo Hirono *''Yakuza tai G-men'' (1973) - Lee Chung Shun, Narcotics Group Boss *''Mamushi no Kyōdai: Kyōkatsu San-oku-en'' (1973) *''Tokyo-Seoul-Bangkok'' (1973) *'' Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War'' (1973) - Shozo Hirono *''Yokosuka Navy Prison'' (1973) *''Yamaguchi-gumi San-daime'' (1973) - Big Boss Hachiro *''Kâigun o Shu ga Kêimushyō'' (1973) *'' Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics'' (1974) - Shozo Hirono *''Gakusei Yakuza'' (1974) *''Violent Streets'' (1974) - Tatsu *''Lubang Tō no Kiseki: Rikugun Nakano Gakkō'' (1974) *'' Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode'' (1974) - Shozo Hirono *''Gokudo VS Mamushi'' (1974) *''Andō-gumi Gaiden: Hitokiri Shatei'' (1974) *'' New Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' (1974) - Miyoshi Makio *''Mamushi no Kyōdai: Futari Awasete Sanjuppan'' (1974) - Masataro of Mamushi's *''Jitsuroku Hishyakaku Ōkami Domo no Jingi'' (1974) - Ishikuro Hikoichi *''Â Kessen Kōkūtai'' (1974) *''Mamushi to Aodaishō'' (1975) - Goromasa *''Dai Dâtsu Gokū'' (1975) *''Daidatsugoku'' (1975) - Kunizo Kuniiwa *'' Cops vs. Thugs'' (1975) - Detective Kuno *''Torakku Yarō: Goiken Muyō'' (1975) - Momojirō Hoshi - Ichibanboshi *''Kobe Kokusai Gang'' (1975) - Kenzo Otaki *'' New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Boss's Head'' (1975) - Shuji Kuroda *''Torakku Yarō: Bakusō Ichibanboshi'' (1975) *'' New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Last Days of the Boss'' (1976) - Shuichi Nozaki *''Torakku Yarō: Bōkyō Ichibanboshi'' (1976) *''Baka Masa Hora Masa Toppa Masa'' (1976) - Bakamasa *''Torakku Yarō: Tenka Gomen'' (1976) *''Yamaguchi-gumi Gaiden: Kyushu Shinko-sakusen'' (1977) - Yozakura *''Yakuza Senso: Nihon no Don'' (1977) - Eizo Iwami *''Nihon no Jingi'' (1977) *''Torakku Yarō: Dokyō Ichibanboshi'' (1977) *''Bokusâ'' (1977) - Hayato, ex-boxer *''Nippon no Don: Yabohen'' (1977) - Shinsuke Tembo *''Torakku Yarō: Otoko Ippiki Momojirō'' (1977) *''Shinjuku Yoidore Banchi: Hitokiri Tetsu'' (1977) *''Inubue'' (1978) - Shiro Akitsu *''Torakku Yarō: Totsugeki Ichiban Hoshi'' (1978) - Hoshi Momojiro *''Dynamite Dondon'' (1978) - Kasuke *''Nihon no Don: Kanketsuhen'' (1978) - Akira Kawanishi *''Yokohama Ankokugai Mashingan no Ryu'' (1978) - Ryuta Yabuki *''Torakku Yarō: Ichiban Hoshi Kita e Kaeru'' (1978) - Hoshi Momojiro *''Sochō no Kubi'' (1979) - Hachiyo Shunji *''Ogon no Inu'' (1979) - Lorry driver *''Torakku Yarō: Neppū 5000 Kiro'' (1979) - Hoshi Momojiro *'' Taiyō o Nusunda Otoko'' (1979) - Inspector Yamashita *''Dabide no Hoshi: Bishōjo-gari'' (1979) - Momojirō Hoshi *''Torakku Yarō: Furusato Tokkyūbin'' (1979) - Hoshi Momojiro *''Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga'' (1980) - Shozo Hirono *'' The Gate of Youth'' (1981) - Shigezo Ibuki *''Honō no Gotoku'' (1981) - Senkichi Kotetsu *''Yūkai Hōdō'' (1982) - Pilot *''Seiha'' (1982) - Koji Kawakami *''Shura no Mure'' (1984) *'' The Burmese Harp'' (1985) - Platoon Commander *''Rokumeikan'' (1986) - Count Kageyama *''Eiga Joyū'' (1987) - Kenji Mizoguchi *''Kuroi Doresu no Onna'' (1987) - Shoji *''Za Samurai'' (1987) - Samurai *''Tsuru'' (1988) - Rich man *'' Yawara!'' (1989) - Kojiro Inokuma *''My Phoenix'' (1989) *'' Yellow Fangs'' (1990) - Kasuke *'' Tekken'' (1990) - Seiji Nakamoto *''Distant Justice'' (1992) - Rio Yuki *''The Man Who Shot the Don'' (1994) *''Kizu Darake no Tenshi'' (1997) - Joji Kurai *'' Dora-heita'' (2000) - Nadanamiya Hachirobe, aka Daikashi no Nadahachi *''Watashi no Grandpa'' (2003) - Godai Kenzo *''
The Great Yokai War is a 2005 Japanese fantasy film directed by Takashi Miike, produced by Kadokawa Pictures and distributed by Shochiku. The film stars Ryūnosuke Kamiki, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Chiaki Kuriyama, and Mai Takahashi. The film focuses lar ...
'' (2005) - Shuntaro Ino *''The Battery'' (2007) - Yozo Ioka *''Chikyū de Tatta Futari'' (2008)


Anime

*'' Spirited Away'' (2001) - Kamajî *''
The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" () is an 1844 original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in ''New Fairy Tales. First Volume#New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection, New Fairy Tales. First Vo ...
'' (2005–2006) *'' Tales from Earthsea'' (2006) - Ged/Sparrowhawk *'' Wolf Children'' (2012) - Nirasaki (final film role)


Television

*''Shishi no Jidai'' (1980) - Hiranuma Senji *''Musashibō Benkei'' (1986) -
Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...
*'' Takeda Shingen'' (1988) - Itagaki Nobukata *'' Furuhata Ninzaburō'' (1994) - Otojiro Kogure *''Tokugawa Yoshinobu'' (1998) - Tokugawa Nariaki *''Toshiie and Matsu'' (2002) - Maeda Toshimasa


Video games

*'' Dissidia: Final Fantasy'' (2008) - Cid / Narrator *'' Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy'' (2011) - Cid / Narrator


Dubbing

*'' Samurai Jack'' - Aku


See also

* * * *


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sugawara, Bunta 1933 births 2014 deaths 20th-century Japanese male actors 21st-century Japanese male actors Actors from Miyagi Prefecture Deaths from liver cancer in Japan Japanese male film actors People from Sendai Taiga drama lead actors Waseda University alumni