(November 20, 1932 – March 10, 1997) was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

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 ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

. Born , son of kabuki actor Nakamura Tokizō III, he entered kabuki and became the first in the kabuki tradition to take the name Nakamura Kinnosuke. He took on his guild name (''

yagō , literally meaning "house name", is a term applied in traditional Japanese culture to names passed down within a guild, studio, or other circumstance other than blood relations. The term is synonymous with and . The term most often refers to the ...

'') Yorozuya as his surname in 1971. In addition to his kabuki activity, Kinnosuke had an extensive film career. A specialist in ''

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 ...

'', Kinnosuke appeared in more than 140 films. These include a 1957 ''

Mito Kōmon is a Japanese ''jidaigeki'' or period drama that was on prime-time television from 1969 to 2011, making it the longest-running ''jidaigeki'' in Japanese television history. The title character is the historic Tokugawa Mitsukuni, former vice-''s ...

'' and a 1961 appearance as the title character in the

Toei Company () (also styled TOEI) is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan (all but two of them operated by ...

's ''

Miyamoto Musashi , also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...

'' series (a role he reprised in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1965, and again in 1971). A versatile actor, he has played as many as seven characters in a single film. In various productions of ''

Chūshingura is the title given to fictionalized accounts in Japanese literature, theater, and film that relate to the historical incident involving the forty-seven ''rōnin'' and their mission to avenge the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including th ...

'', he also portrayed Oyamada Shōzaemon (1956),

Asano Naganori was the ''daimyō'' of the Akō Domain in Japan (1675–1701). His title was ''Takumi no Kami'' (). He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as '' Chūshingura'' (involving the forty-seven rōnin) ...

(1959), Wakisaka Awaji no Kami (1961), and

Ōishi Yoshio was the chamberlain (karō) of the Akō Domain in Harima Province (now Hyōgo Prefecture), Japan (1679 - 1701). He is known as the leader of the Forty-seven Rōnin in their 1702 revenge vendetta and thus the hero of the ''Chūshingura''. He is ...

(1978). Other appearances include

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo cons ...

(1957, 1958, 1962),

Tokugawa Iemitsu Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光, August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) was the third '' shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, ...

(1958),

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese '' daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unif ...

(1965),

Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful Daimyo, daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of ...

(1969),

Sakamoto Ryōma was a Japanese ''samurai'', a '' shishi'' and influential figure of the '' Bakumatsu'' and establishment of the Empire of Japan in the late Edo period. He was a low-ranking ''samurai'' from the Tosa Domain on Shikoku and became an active op ...

(1970),

Matsudaira Katamori Matsudaira Katamori after the Meiji restoration was a samurai who lived in Bakumatsu period and the early to mid Meiji period Japan. He was the 9th ''daimyō'' of the Aizu Domain and the Kyoto Shugoshoku (Military Commissioner of Kyoto). He i ...

(1980), and Oda Yūrakusai (1989). Kinnosuke portrayed

Yagyū Munenori was a Japanese daimyo, swordsman, and martial arts writer, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, which he learned from his father Yagyū "Sekishūsai" Muneyoshi. This was one of two official sword styles patronized by the Tokugawa ...

multiple times, first on television as the star of the year-long 1971

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestri ...

Taiga drama ''Haru no Sakamichi'', then on the Big Screen in the 1978 film ''

Shogun's Samurai ''Shogun's Samurai'', known in Japan as , is a 1978 Japanese historical martial arts period film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The film is the first of two period films by Fukasaku starring Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba as Jūbei Mitsuyoshi Yagyū, the ...

''. His next appearance as Munenori was in a 13 episode TV production entitled ''

Yagyū Shinkage-ryū is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu''). Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, w ...

'' which aired in 1982. His final appearance as Munenori was in 4 of 5 ''Yagyu Bugeicho'' TV movies that aired between 1990 and 1992. From 1973 to 1976, he played Ogami Ittō, the Lone Wolf in the NTV series '' Kozure Ōkami'' based on the manga ''

Lone Wolf and Cub is a Japanese manga series created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya, an ...

''. A late-career role was

Yamana Sōzen was originally before becoming a monk. Due to his red complexion, he was sometimes known as ''Aka-nyūdō'', "the Red Monk". He was one of the ''daimyōs'' who fought against Hosokawa Katsumoto during the Ōnin War in Heian-kyō. Biography Ya ...

in the Taiga drama ''Hana no Ran''. Kinnosuke's younger brother

Nakamura Katsuo is a Japanese actor. Nakamura is a former Kabuki actor as well as his older brother Kinnosuke Nakamura. His first film appearance was in the 1955 film ''Furisode Kenpo''. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 5th Japan Academy Priz ...

and nephew

Nakamura Shidō II , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese kabuki and film actor. Life Born in Tokyo, the son of kabuki actor Nakamura Shidō I, young Nakamura made his kabuki debut at the age of eight. He took the name Shidō the following year, following ...

are currently active in kabuki, television, and film.

Filmography

Film

* ''Shinshokoku monogatari'' (1954, part 1, 2) * ''Satomi Hakken-den'' (1954, part 1-5) * ''Mangetsu tanuki-bayashi'' (1954) - Mametaro / Gen'nosuke * ''Shinshokoku monogatari, benikujaku dai-ippen'' (1954) * ''Shinsengumi Oni Taicho'' (1954) * ''Seizoroi Kenka Wakashu'' (1955) - Benten Kozo Kikunosuke * ''Shinshokoku monogatari benikujaku'' (1955, part 2-4) * ''Sezuroi kenkawa kashu'' (1955) * ''Shinshokoku monogatari benikujaku kanketsu-hen'' (1955) * ''Seishun kôro: Umi no wakôdo'' (1955) - Eiichirô Yamazato * ''Beni kujaku'' (1955) * ''

Minamoto Yoshitsune was a military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo cons ...

'' (1955) * ''Shishi maru ippei'' (1955) * ''Akô rôshi - Ten no maki; Chi no maki'' (1956) - Shôzaemon Oyamada * ''Kaidan Chidori ga fuchi'' (1956) - Minosuke * ''Shinshokoku monogatari'' (1957, part 1-3) * '' Daibosatsu tōge'' (1957) - Uzuki Hyoma * ''Mito kômon'' (1957) * ''Yurei-sen'' (1957, part 1, 2) - Jirômaru * ''

Ninkyō Shimizu-minato is a 1957 color Japanese film, directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda (松田定次), and the first of an all-star cast trilogy, loosely based on the legend of Shimizu Jirocho (1820–1893), Japan's most famous gangster and folk hero, whose life and expl ...

'' (1957) - Mori no Ishimatsu * ''Genji Kurô Sassôki'' (1957-1958, part 1, 2) - Genji Kurô * ''Edo no meibutsuotoko'' (1958, part 1) - Isshin Tasuke * ''Kaze to onna to tabigarasu'' (1958) - Ginji * ''Daibosatsu tōge - Dai ni bu'' (1958) * ''Onmitsu Shichishoki'' (1958) * ''Isshin Tasuke - Tenka no ichidaiji'' (1958) - Isshin Tasuke / Tokugawa Iemitsu * ''Shimizu Minato no meibutso otoko: Enshūmori no Ishimatsu'' (1958) * ''Obuzo tengu'' (1958) * ''Ninkyo Tokaido'' (1958) - Onikichi * ''Ken wa shitte ita'' (1958) * ''Asama no abarenbo'' (1958) * ''Doku-ganryu Masamune'' (1959) -

Date Masamune was a regional ruler of Japan's Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful ''daimyō'' in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he was made all ...

* ''Binan-jo'' (1959) * ''Daibosatsu tōge - Kanketsu-hen'' (1959) * ''Fuunji Oda Nobunaga'' (1959) * ''Tenka no fuku-shogun'' (1959) * ''Doto no taiketsu'' (1959) * ''Naniwa no koi no monogatari'' (1959) - Chubei Kameya * ''Isshin Tasuke'' (1959) * ''Torimono dochu'' (1959) * ''Abarenbo kyodai'' (1960) * ''Shinran'' (1960) -

Shinran ''Popular Buddhism in Japan: Shin Buddhist Religion & Culture'' by Esben Andreasen, pp. 13, 14, 15, 17. University of Hawaii Press 1998, was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino (now a part of Fushimi, Kyoto) at the turbulent close of ...

* ''Tôei All Star Eiga: Mito Kômon'' (1960) * ''Zoku shinran'' (1960) * ''Mori no Ishimatsu'' (1960) * ''Tokai no kaoyaku'' (1960) - Jirocho * ''

Yatarō gasa Yatarō, Yataro or Yatarou is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yatarō can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: The characters used for "taro" (太郎) literally means "thick (big) ...

'' (1960) - Yataro * ''Tonosama'' (1960) - Yaji kita * ''Mori no Ishimatsu'' (1960) * ''Iyemitsu to Hikoza to isshin yasuke'' (1961) * ''Eddoko bugyo tenka o kiru otoko'' (1961) * '' Akō Rōshi'' (1961) - Wakisaka * ''Miyamoto Musashi'' (1961) -

(Takezo) * ''Hangyakuji'' (1961) -

Tokugawa Nobuyasu was the eldest son of Matsudaira Ieyasu. His ''tsūshō'' ("common name") was . He was called also , because he had become the lord of in 1570. Because he was a son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is often referred to, retroactively, as . Biography No ...

* ''Eddoko hanseiki'' (1961) * ''Wakaki ni ho Jirocho: Tokaido no tsumujikaze'' (1962) * ''Mabuta no haha'' (1962) - Banba no Chutaro * ''Chiisakobe'' (1962) - Shigetsugu * ''Miyamoto Musashi: Hannyazaka no ketto'' (1962) - Miyamoto Musashi (Takezo) * ''Sen-hime to Hideyori'' (1962) -

Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's second son. The birth of Hideyori cr ...

* ''Jirochō to kotengu: nagurikomi kōshūji'' (1962) * ''Genji Kurō sassōki: Hiken ageha no chō'' (1962) * ''Otoko ippiki dochuki'' (1963) * ''

Bushido, Samurai Saga , also titled ''Bushido: The Cruel Code of the Samurai'' and ''Cruel Tale of Bushido'', is a 1963 Japanese drama and jidaigeki film directed by Tadashi Imai. It was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Gold ...

'' (1963) - Jirozaemon / Iikura / Sajiemon / Kyutaro / Shuzo / Shingo / Osamu / Susumu * ''Miyamoto Musashi: Nitoryu kaigen'' (1963) - Miyamoto Musashi (Takezo) * ''Seki no yatappe'' (1963) * ''Fuji dōzan-koku monogatari'' (1963) * ''

Brave Records of the Sanada Clan is a Japanese film directed by Tai Kato in 1963. It is a jidaigeki musical about Sasuke Sarutobi and the Sanada Ten Braves who, under the leadership of Yukimura Sanada, try to defend Toyotomi Hideyori during the siege of Osaka Castle by th ...

'' (1964) - Sasuke * ''Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijoji no ketto'' (1964) - Miyamoto Musashi (Takezo) * ''Samé'' (1964) - Same * ''Nihon kyôkaku-den'' (1964) - Seiji * ''Revenge'' (1964) - Shinpachi Ezaki * ''Shark'' (1964) * ''Tokugawa Ieyasu'' (1965) -

* ''Hiya-meshi to Osan to Chan'' (1965) - Daishiro Shibayama (episode1) / Santa (episode 2) / Jyukichi (episode 3) * ''Matatabi san ning yakuza'' (1965) - Kaze-no-Kyutaro * ''Miyamoto Musashi: Ganryū-jima no kettō'' (1965) - Miyamoto Musashi (Takezo) * ''Hana to ryu'' (1965) * ''Kutsukake Tokijiro'' (1966) - yukyo ippiki * ''Tange Sazen: Hien iaigiri'' (1966) - Samanosuke / Tange Sazen * ''Hana To Ryu: Do Kâiwan No Kêtto'' (1966) * ''Gion Matsuri'' (1968) - Shinkichi * ''

Samurai Banners is a Japanese samurai drama film released in 1969. It was directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and is based on the novel ''Furin kazan'' by Yasushi Inoue. Plot Yamamoto Kansuke (Toshiro Mifune) is a general of warlord Takeda Shingen ( Nakamura Kinn ...

'' (1969) -

* ''

Goyokin is a 1969 Japanese '' jidaigeki'' film directed by Hideo Gosha. Set during the late Tokugawa period, the story follows a reclusive ''rōnin'' who is trying to atone for past transgressions. Plot Magobei Wakizaka is a samurai for the Sabai clan. ...

'' (1969) - Samon Fujimaki * ''Shirikurae Magoichi'' (1969) - Magoichi Saika * ''

Portrait of Hell , also titled ''A Story of Hell'' and ''The Hell Screen'', is a 1969 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film directed by Shirō Toyoda starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Kinnosuke Nakamura. The film is based on the short story ''Hell Screen'' by Ryūnosuke Akutaga ...

'' (1969) - Lord Horikawa * ''

Shinsengumi The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time when ...

'' (1969) - Fujita Arima * ''

Bakumatsu was the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunate to the modern empire of the Meiji governme ...

'' (1970) - Ryoma Sakamoto * '' Machibuse'' (1970) - Heima Ibuki * ''Tenka no Abarembō'' (1970) - Yataro Iwasaki * ''Shokon ichidai tenka no abarenbo'' (1970) * ''Shinken shobu'' (1971) - Musashi Miyamoto * ''Akatsuki no chôsen'' (1971) * ''

'' (1978) -

* ''

Ogin-sama is jidaigeki novel written by Tōkō Kon and published in 1956. Kon won the Naoki Prize for the novel. The novel deals with Sen no Rikyū's daughter Ogin and Takayama Ukon. The novel was adapted into film twice. Adaptation * ''Love Under the ...

'' (1978) * ''

The Fall of Ako Castle is a 1978 Japanese historical martial arts period film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. It depicts the story of the forty-seven Ronin (''Chūshingura''). The film is one of a series of period films by Fukasaku starring Yorozuya Kinnosuke, including '' ...

'' (1978) - Kuranosuke Ohishi * ''

Nichiren Nichiren (16 February 1222 – 13 October 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period. Nichiren declared that the Lotus Sutra alone contains the highest truth of Buddhist teachings suited for the Third Age of ...

'' (1979) -

* ''

Sanada Yukimura no Bōryaku is a 1979 Japanese film directed by Sadao Nakajima. The film deals Sanada Yukimura and Siege of Osaka. Cast *Hiroki Matsukata as Sanada Yukimura * Chiezō Kataoka as Sanada Masayuki * Tatsuo Umemiya as Sanada Nobuyuki *Teruhiko Aoi as Sarutobi ...

'' (1979) -

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fel ...

* ''Renegade ninjas'' (1979) * ''Tokugawa ichizoku no houkai'' (1980) -

(Lord of Aizu) * ''

Shikake-nin Baian is a 1981 Japanese film directed by Yasuo Furuhata. The film was adapted from Shōtarō Ikenamis novel. Fujieda Baian is a doctor/assassin. Cast * Kinnosuke Yorozuya as Fujieda Baian * Katsuo Nakamura as Hikosan * Takayuki Godai as Kosugi * ...

'' (1981) - Baian Fujieda * ''Seishun no mon: Jiritsu hen'' (1982) - Eiji Niki * ''Kita kara minami nishi kara higashi'' (1983) - Ittô Ogami * ''Tori ni tsubasa kemono ni kiba'' (1984) - Ogami Itto * ''Fugitive Samurai'' (1984) - Ogami Itto * ''Saigo no Bakuto'' (1985) - Harunobu Kiyoshima * ''Kozure Ôkami: osanago no me'' (1985) - Ittô Ogami * ''

Death of a Tea Master ''Death of a Tea Master'' ( ja, 千利休本覺坊遺文, ''Sen no Rikyu: Honkakubô ibun'' also known as ''Sen no Rikyū: Honkakubo's Student Writings'') is a 1989 Japanese biographical drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It is based on real life ...

'' (1989) - Urakusai Oda * ''Minamoto Yoshitsune'' (TBA) * ''Jishi maru ippei'' (TBA)

Television

* ''Hiya-meshi to Osanto-chan'' (1965) – Daishiro Shibayama (episode1)/Santa (episode 2)/Jūkichi (episode 3) * '' Haru no Sakamichi'' (1971) -

* ''

'' (1973-1976) – Ittō Ogami * ''

Nagasaki Hangachōu is a Japanese television ''jidaigeki'' or period drama that was broadcast in 1975. Plot The drama depicts in the late Edo period in Nagasaki, Hiramatsu takes up Nagasaki bugyō's head post. He likes alcohol and women. Furthermore He is always ...

'' (1975) - Hiramatsu Chūshirō * ''

The Yagyu Conspiracy is a Japanese television jidaigeki (period drama) that was broadcast from 1978 to 1979. It is adapted from the 1978 film ''Shogun's Samurai'' starring Sonny Chiba, who reprises his role in the series. Plot After the death of Tokugawa Hidetada, h ...

'' (1978) –

Tokugawa Yoshinao was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Biography Born the ninth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu with his concubine, Okame no Kata. His childhood name was Gorōtamaru (五郎太丸). While still a young child, he was appointed leader of ...

* '' Akō Rōshi'' (1979) –

Ōishi Kuranosuke Oishi may refer to: * Ōishi (surname), a Japanese surname * Oishi (Philippine brand), a snack company from the Philippines * Oishi Group, a Thai food-and-drink company * Ōishi Station is a railway station on the Hanshin Electric Railway Main ...

Yoshio/Yoshitaka * ''Sorekara no Musashi'' (1981) –

* ''Yagyū Shinkage-ryū'' (1982) - Yagyū Munenori * ''Musashibō Benkei'' (1986) –

Fujiwara no Hidehira was the third ruler of Northern Fujiwara in Mutsu Province, Japan, the grandson of Fujiwara no Kiyohira. During the Genpei War, he controlled his territory independently of the central government; however, he was the official imperial governor ...

* ''Tabaruzaka'' (1987) –

Katsu Kaishū Count , best known by his nickname , was a Japanese statesman and naval engineer during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy (Kaishū Shooku ) by Sakuma Shōzan. H ...

* ''Yagyū Bugei-chō'' (1990–1992) - Yagyū Munenori * ''

Hana no Ran was the 33rd Taiga drama to be broadcast on the NHK network in Japan. It premiered on 3 April 1994 and its finale aired on 25 December of the same year. Plot The story takes place during the Muromachi period of Japan, in the midst of the Ōn ...

'' (1994) –

* ''Kanpanî'' (1996) – Himself

Producer

* Sorekara no Musashi (1981) TV series * Bakumatsu (1970) (associate producer)

Awards and nominations

* In 1958 he won for Best Actor in ''Isshin Tasuke - Tenka no ichidaiji'' by the ''Asia-Pacific Film Festival''. * In 1959 he won the ''Most Popular Award'' by the ''Blue Ribbon Awards''. * In 1964 he won for Best Actor in ''Bushidô zankoku monogatari'' by the ''Blue Ribbon Awards''. * In 1979 he was Nominated for the ''Award of the Japanese Academy'' for Best Actor in ''Yagyû ichizoku no inbô''. * In 1990 he was Nominated for the ''Award of the Japanese Academy'' for Best Supporting Actor in ''Sen no Rikyu''. * In 1996 he was awarded a ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' by the ''Awards of the Japanese Academy''. * In 1998 he was awarded a ''Special Award'' by the ''Awards of the Japanese Academy'' for his career. * In 1998 he was awarded a ''Special Award'' by the ''Mainichi Film Concours'' for his career.

Notes and references

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yorozuya, Kinnosuke 1932 births 1997 deaths Male actors from Tokyo Kabuki actors Japanese male film actors Deaths from pneumonia in Japan Deaths from laryngeal cancer Deaths from cancer in Japan 20th-century Japanese male actors Taiga drama lead actors Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class