is a fictional

Japanese person The are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago."人類学上は，旧石器時代あるいは縄文時代以来，現在の北海道〜沖縄諸島（南西諸島）に住んだ集団を祖先にもつ人々。" () Jap ...

. He has appeared in novels and plays, kōdan, television and film ''

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning " period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—'' Portrait o ...

'' and other media. The earliest known appearance was in the work ''Ōkubo Musashi Abumi.'' Brimming with the

Japanese values Japanese values are cultural goals, beliefs and behaviors that are considered important in Japanese culture. Global perspective From a global perspective, Japanese culture scores higher on ''emancipative values'' (individual freedom and equalit ...

of '' giri'' and '' ninjō,'' the fishmonger Tasuke is the epitome of the '' Edokko,'' the son of

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

. A stock character in works set during the time of the third

Tokugawa shogun The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia' ...

Iemitsu (who ruled from 1623 to 1651), he collaborates with the veteran samurai Ōkubo Hikozaemon. Tasuke is so beloved that although fictional, he has a grave at a temple in

Minato, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is also called Minato City in English. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Akasaka, Azabu and Shiba wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. The modern Minato ward exhibits ...

Appearances

Isshin Tasuke has appeared in many works of fiction.

Kabuki

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought ...

, Tasuke is a character in ''Medashi Yanagi Midori no Matsumae'' (芽出柳翠緑松前).

Film

The dozen works with Tasuke's name in the title include the 1930

Chiezō Kataoka (March 30, 1903 – March 31, 1983) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. Career Born in 1903 in Gunma Prefecture (his real name was Masayoshi Ueki), he was raised in Tokyo. As a child he began ...

portrayal in the

Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literal ...

film ''Isshin Tasuke,'' directed by

Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker best remembered for the Academy Award-winning '' Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto'', which was released in 1954. Career Born in Tokyo as the son of a shinpa actor, Inagaki appeared on stage in his childhood before joining ...

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dy ...

wrote the screenplay for the 1945 ''Appare Isshin Taskue'' starring Kenichi Enomoto (directed by Kiyoshi Saeki for

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the produc ...

). Kabuki actor Kinnosuke Nakamura (Yorozuya) starred in five of a series of six movies for Toei ( Katsuo Nakamura portrayed the hero in the other).

Television

Three series and two specials have featured Tasuke in their titles. These aired on TBS (1969, 52 episodes starring Tarō Yamada), Fuji (1971, 25 episodes, starring Ryōtarō Sugi), Asahi (ANB) (1989, a New Year special starring Tōru Nakamura), Nippon Television (1990, a special with Morio Kazama), and NHK (1999, 24 episodes on Friday evening prime time) with

Naoto Ogata is a Japanese actor. Biography Naoto was born as the second son of Ken Ogata. He made his debut in the film ''Yūshun Oracion'' in 1988. Ogata landed a lead role in the 1992 Taiga drama ''Nobunaga King of Zipangu'', he played the role of Oda ...

as Tasuke.

Song

Isshin Tasuke is in the titles of three ''

enka is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than '' ryūkōka'' music, ...

''. Ichirō Toba sang ''Bungo no Isshin Tasuke''. Mitsuko Nakamura recorded ''Mitsuko no Isshin Tasuke''. Tarō Yamada (who starred in the television series) released ''Otoko! Isshin Tasuke.''

Appearances

Kabuki

Film

Television

Song

External links