was a Japanese stage and film actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1933 and 1984. In addition to regular appearances in the films of

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

, he worked for directors such as

Mikio Naruse was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967. Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook. He made primarily Shoshimin-eiga, shōshimin-eiga ("common people drama") films with f ...

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese filmmaker. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. The most pr ...

Heinosuke Gosho was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who directed Japan's first successful sound film, '' The Neighbor's Wife and Mine'', in 1931. His films are mostly associated with the shōshimin-eiga (lit. "common people drama") genre. Among his ...

and others.

Early life and career

Fujiwara was born on 15 January 1905 in

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 ...

, Japan. Fujiwara had initially focused on music before he became known as a comic actor After performing in Asakusa operas, a popular form of opera during the

Taishō era The was a period in the history of Japan dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group ...

until its decline after the

Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

, he joined

Ken'ichi Enomoto was a popular Japanese singing comedian, mostly known by his stage name Enoken (エノケン). A major innovator during his heyday, Enoken's stage shows, radio appearances, and film roles were a major influence within Tokyo theatre before Worl ...

's New Casino Folies. Enomoto's troupe performed satirical stage shows in an era often associated with the term or "Erotic Grotesque Nonsense" era. Fujiwara gave his film debut in the 1933 film ''Ongaku kigeki – Horoyui jinsei'' (lit. "Musical comedy – Intoxicated life"), the first production of the P.C.L. studios (later

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. ...

). Most of Fujiwara's later films were Toho productions. He married actress

Sadako Sawamura was a Japanese stage and film actress who appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1976. Biography Sawamura was born Sadako Katō in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. After dropping out of Japan Women's University, she was active in left-w ...

in 1936 (divorced in 1946). In the late 1930s, Fujiwara found himself in trouble with the nationalist government. The authorities were pushing for artists and high profile individuals to change their names to the traditional spelling, and he was under official censure to do so. Despite this, he kept his name.

Post-war career

Fujiwara's shomin persona always was that of a real-life person. Generally he played the role of an ordinary subject-citizen: petty, conservative, mediocre, far from being handsome or rich. Over time he made this his specialty. He made his first appearance in an Akira Kurosawa film in the 1952 ''

Ikiru is a 1952 Japanese tragedy film directed by Akira Kurosawa from a screenplay co-written with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni. The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo bureaucrat (played by Takashi Shimura) and his final quest ...

'', playing the role of Senkichi, and became a long-time member of Kurosawa's company of actors until his death. Other films with Kurosawa include ''

Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai action film directed by Akira Kurosawa from a screenplay co-written with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni. Taking place in 1586 in the Sengoku period of Japanese history, it follows the story of a villag ...

'', ''

The Lower Depths ''The Lower Depths'' (, literally: ''At the bottom'') is a play by Russian dramatist Maxim Gorky written in 1902 and produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18, 1902, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski. It became his first ma ...

'', ''

The Hidden Fortress is a 1958 Japanese ''epic jidaigeki'' adventure film directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It tells the story of two peasants who agree to escort a man and a woman across enemy lines in return for gold without knowi ...

'' and ''

Yojimbo is a 1961 Japanese samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa, who also co-wrote the screenplay and was one of the producers. The film stars Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Kamat ...

''. In addition to Kurosawa, Fujiwara regularly appeared in the films of Mikio Naruse, with whom he had worked since the mid-1930s in films like ''

Wife! Be Like a Rose! ''Wife! Be Like a Rose!'' (), also titled ''Kimiko'', is a 1935 Japanese comedy drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on the shinpa play ''Futari tsuma'' (二人妻, lit. ''Two Wives'') by Minoru Nakano and one of Naruse's earliest so ...

'', and had roles in Heinosuke Gosho's '' An Inn at Osaka'' and Yasujirō Ozu's ''

Tokyo Twilight is a 1957 Japanese drama film by Yasujirō Ozu. It is the story of two sisters (played by Ineko Arima and Ozu regular Setsuko Hara) who are reunited with a mother who left them as children. The film is considered amongst Ozu's darkest postwar fi ...

''. He also started appearing on TV in the 1950s, including the series ''Ayu no uta''. In 1981, Fujiwara received the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...

, 4th Class. His final film role was in

Juzo Itami , born , was a Japanese actor, screenwriter and film director. He directed eleven films (one short and ten features), all of which he wrote himself. He is the namesake of the Juzo Itami Award, founded in 2009 to honor his legacy. Early life ...

's '' The Funeral''. He died in 1985 at the age of 80.

Legacy

The peasant duo in Kurosawa's ''The Hidden Fortress'', played by

Minoru Chiaki was a Japanese actor who appeared in eleven of Akira Kurosawa's films, including ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''Throne of Blood'', and ''The Hidden Fortress''. He was also one of Kon Ichikawa's favorite actors. He attended, but did not grad ...

and Fujiwara, has repeatedly been cited as inspiration for the robot characters C-3PO and R2-D2 in ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

''.

Selected filmography

* ''Ongaku Kigeki – Horoyui Jinsei'' (1933) * ''

'' (1935, directed by Mikio Naruse) * '' The Girl in the Rumor'' (1935, directed by Mikio Naruse) * ''

Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro is a 1938 Japanese drama film by Mikio Naruse. The film about a duo of traditional music performers is based on a short story (and later shinpa play) by Matsutarō Kawaguchi. Plot Tsuruhachi and Tsurujirō, who've known each other since their ...

'' (1938, directed by Mikio Naruse) * '' Chocolate and Soldiers'' (1938, directed by Takeshi Satō) * '' Travelling Actors'' (1940, directed by Mikio Naruse) * ''

Horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

'' (1941, directed by

Kajirō Yamamoto was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor who was known for his war films and comedies and as the mentor of Akira Kurosawa. The combined list of his efforts as a director for documentaries, silent, and sound films includes over 90 ...

) * '' Hideko the Bus Conductor'' (1941, directed by Mikio Naruse) * ''Blue Mountains'' (1949, directed by

Tadashi Imai was a Japanese film director known for social realist filmmaking informed by a left-wing perspective. His most noted films include '' An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (1953) and '' Bushido, Samurai Saga'' (1963). Life Although leaning towards left-win ...

) * ''

Conduct Report on Professor Ishinaka is a 1950 Japanese comedy film directed by Mikio Naruse. It consists of three self-contained episodes, based on stories by Yōjirō Ishizaka. Plot ;Episode 1 "A Story of Buried Gasoline" Professor Ishinaka is a novelist living in a village in ...

'' (1950, directed by Mikio Naruse) * '' The Munekata Sisters'' (1950, directed by Yasujirō Ozu) * '' Nangoku no hada'' (1952, directed by

Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 46 feature films in a career spanning five decades. He is acknowledged as the most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki and one of the founders of modern disaster film, wit ...

) * ''

'' (1952, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * '' Husband and Wife'' (1953, directed by Mikio Naruse) * '' The Invisible Avenger'' (1954, directed by

Motoyoshi Oda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed over 50 films in his career. An English major who graduated from Waseda University in 1935, Motoyoshi Oda was accepted into the directors' program at Tokyo's P.C.L. (Photo Chemical Laboratories, a film com ...

) * ''

The Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai action film directed by Akira Kurosawa from a screenplay co-written with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni. Taking place in 1586 in the Sengoku period of Japanese history, it follows the story of a village of d ...

'' (1954, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * '' An Inn at Osaka'' (1954, directed by Heinosuke Gosho) * ''

Dobu 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-butylamphetamine (DOBU) is a lesser-known serotonin receptor agonist and serotonergic psychedelic of the amphetamine and DOx families. Effects DOBU was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin. In his book '' PiHKAL (Phenethylam ...

'' (1954, directed by

Kaneto Shindō was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include '' Children of Hiroshima'', '' The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', '' Kuroneko'' a ...

) * ''

I Live in Fear is a 1955 Japanese drama film directed by Akira Kurosawa, produced by Sōjirō Motoki, and co-written by Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni. The film is about an elderly Japanese factory owner so terrified of the prospect of a nuclea ...

'' (1955, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * ''

The Lone Journey , also known as ''The Road'', is a 1955 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. Production design was by Takeo Kita and Makoto Sono and sound recording was by Choshichiro Mikami. The lighting technician An electrical li ...

'' (1955, directed by

Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker who worked on over 100 films in a career spanning over five decades. He is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed filmmakers in the history of Japanese cinema, having directed several ''jidaigeki'' epics s ...

) * ''

Romantic Daughters is a 1956 color Japanese film directed by Toshio Sugie was a Japanese film director. He directed films from the 1940s to the 1960s. Career Sugie was born in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture (currently Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City). Afte ...

'' (1956, directed by

Toshio Sugie was a Japanese film director. He directed films from the 1940s to the 1960s. Career Sugie was born in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture (currently Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City). After graduating from the Waseda University, Sugie joined P.C ...

) * ''

'' (1957, directed by Yasujirō Ozu) * ''

'' (1957, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * ''

Stakeout Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such a ...

'' (1958, dir.

Yoshitarō Nomura was a prolific Japanese film director, film producer, and screenwriter. His first accredited film, , was released in 1952; his last, , in 1985. He received several awards during his career, including the Japanese Academy Award for "Best Direc ...

) * ''

'' (1958, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * '' Life of an Expert Swordsman'' (1959, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki) * '' The Sun's Burial'' (1960, directed by

Nagisa Oshima is a Japanese name, Japanese given name used by either sex and is occasionally used as a surname. Written forms Nagisa can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *渚, "beach, strand" *汀, "water's edge/shore" *凪砂, "lu ...

) * ''

The Bad Sleep Well is a 1960 Japanese neo-noir crime mystery film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It was the first film to be produced under Kurosawa's own independent production company. It was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival. The film stars ...

'' (1960, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * '' The Approach of Autumn'' (1960, directed by Mikio Naruse) * ''

'' (1961, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * ''

Sanjuro is a 1962 Cinema of Japan, Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film directed, co-written and edited by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune. It is a sequel to Kurosawa's 1961 ''Yojimbo''. Originally an adaptation of the Shūgorō Yamamoto novel ''Hibi H ...

'' (1962, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * '' Heaven and Hell'' (1963, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * '' A Woman's Life'' (1963, directed by Mikio Naruse) * ''

Red Beard is a 1965 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, in his last collaboration with actor Toshiro Mifune. Based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's 1959 short story collection, '' Akahige Shinryōtan'', the film takes p ...

'' (1965, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * ''

Mickey One ''Mickey One'' is a 1965 American neo noir crime film starring Warren Beatty and directed by Arthur Penn from a script by Alan Surgal. Plot After incurring the wrath of the Mafia, a stand-up comic (Warren Beatty) flees Detroit for Chicago. He s ...

'' (1965, directed by

Arthur Penn Arthur Hiller Penn (September 27, 1922 – September 28, 2010) was an American filmmaker, theatre director, and producer. He was a three-time Academy Award nominee for Academy Award for Best Director, Best Director, and a Tony Awards, Tony Awa ...

) * '' Taking The Castle'' (1965, directed by Toshio Masuda) * ''

The Sword of Doom ''The Sword of Doom'', known in Japan as , is a 1966 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film directed by Kihachi Okamoto and starring Tatsuya Nakadai. It is based on the serial novel of the same title by Kaizan Nakazato. Plot The story follows the life of R ...

'' (1966, directed by

Kihachi Okamoto was a Cinema of Japan, Japanese film director who worked in several different film genre, genres. Career Born in Yonago, Tottori, Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted into the Air Force 1943 and entered World War II, an exp ...

) * ''The River of Tears'' (1967, directed by

Kenji Misumi (2 March 1921 – 24 September 1975) was a Japanese film director. He created film series such as ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' and the initial film in the long-running ''Zatoichi'' series, and also directed ''Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice'', starri ...

) * '' Double Suicide'' (1969, directed by

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 ...

) * '' Dodeskaden'' (1970, directed by Akira Kurosawa) * ''

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

'' (1971, directed by

) * ''

Kagemusha is a 1980 epic jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is set in the Sengoku period of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class petty thief who is taught to impersonate the dying ''daimyō'' Takeda Shingen to dissuade oppos ...

'' (directed by Akira Kurosawa, 1980) * '' Sailor Suit and Machine Gun'' (1981, directed by Shinji Somai) * ''

W's Tragedy is a 1984 Japanese film directed by Shinichirō Sawai, based on the novel by Shizuko Natsuki (published in English under the title ''Murder at Mt. Fuji''). At the 9th Japan Academy Prize (film), Japan Academy Prize it won three awards and received ...

'' (1984, directed by

Shinichiro Sawai was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Career Born in Hamamatsu, Sawai studied German at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Graduating in 1961, he joined the Toei Company as an assistant director and worked under such directors as ...

) * '' The Funeral'' (1984, directed by

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara, Kamatari 1905 births 1985 deaths 20th-century Japanese male actors Sawamura family