Denjirō Ōkōchi
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese film actor most famous for starring roles in jidaigeki
directed by such masters as Akira Kurosawa
, Daisuke Itō
, Sadao Yamanaka
, Teinosuke Kinugasa
, Hiroshi Inagaki
and Masahiro Makino
. His real name was Masuo Ōbe. Training in Shinkokugeki under Shōjirō Sawada, Ōkōchi entered Nikkatsu
in 1925 and soon came to fame in chanbara films playing characters such as Chūji Kunisada and Sazen Tange. At his peak, he was one of the top jidaigeki stars alongside Tsumasaburō Bandō
and Chiezō Kataoka
. During World War II
, he also appeared in a number of war films. His house and garden in Arashiyama
, Kyoto
, called Ōkōchi Sansō
, are still preserved and open to the public.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film actor most famous for starring roles in jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
directed by such masters as Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
, Daisuke Itō
Daisuke Itō (film director)
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who played a central role in the development of the modern jidaigeki and samurai cinema.-Career:Born in Ehime Prefecture, Itō joined the actors school at Shōchiku in 1920, but soon began writing screenplays under the recommendation of Kaoru Osanai. He...
, Sadao Yamanaka
Sadao Yamanaka
was a Japanese film director and writer who directed 24 films during a seven-year period in the 1930s. He was a contemporary of Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi and one of the primary figures in the development of the jidaigeki, or historical film. Yamanaka died of dysentary in...
, Teinosuke Kinugasa
Teinosuke Kinugasa
-External links:* *...
, Hiroshi Inagaki
Hiroshi Inagaki
was a Japanese filmmaker most known for the Academy Award-winning Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, which he directed in 1954.-Career:Born in Tokyo as the son of a shinpa actor, Inagaki appeared on stage in his childhood before joining the Nikkatsu studio as an actor in 1922...
and Masahiro Makino
Masahiro Makino
was a Japanese film director of more than 260 films, primarily in the chanbara and yakuza genres. His real name was Masatada , but he took the stage name Masahiro, the kanji for which he changed multiple times .-Career:...
. His real name was Masuo Ōbe. Training in Shinkokugeki under Shōjirō Sawada, Ōkōchi entered Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
in 1925 and soon came to fame in chanbara films playing characters such as Chūji Kunisada and Sazen Tange. At his peak, he was one of the top jidaigeki stars alongside Tsumasaburō Bandō
Tsumasaburo Bando
was one of the most prominent Japanese actors of the twentieth century. Famous for his rebellious, sword fighting roles in many jidaigeki silent films, he rose to fame after joining the Tōjiin Studio of Makino Film Productions in Kyoto in 1923.-Early life:...
and Chiezō Kataoka
Chiezo Kataoka
was a Japanese actor. Born in 1903 in Gunma Prefecture, he was raised in Tokyo. His first starring role in a film was in 1923. Specializing in jidaigeki, he played the lead in various films before and during World War II. After the war, he eventually joined Toei...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he also appeared in a number of war films. His house and garden in Arashiyama
Arashiyama
is a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It also refers to the mountain across the Ōi River, which forms a backdrop to the district.Notable tourist sites in Arashiyama include...
, Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, called Ōkōchi Sansō
Ōkōchi Sansō
is the former home and garden of the Japanese jidaigeki film actor Denjirō Ōkōchi and is located in Arashiyama, Kyoto. The villa is open to the public for an admission fee and is known for its gardens and views of the Kyoto area. Several of the buildings are recorded as cultural properties by the...
, are still preserved and open to the public.
Selected filmography
- Yaji and Kita: The Battle of Toba FushimiYaji and Kita: The Battle of Toba Fushimiis a 1928 Japanese film directed by Tomiyasu Ikeda. This comedy film showcases the acting talent of Denjiro Okochi and acts as a complementary film to Yaji and Kita: Yasuda's Rescue, which is part of the Yaji and Kita series.-Versions:...
(1927) - Yaji and Kita: Yasuda's RescueYaji and Kita: Yasuda's Rescueis a 1927 black and white Japanese silent film directed by Tomiyasu Ikeda. This comedy film showcases the comic talent of Denjiro Okochi, which contrasts markedly with his heroic performance in Oatsurae Jirokichi Koshi...
(1927) - Oatsurae Jirokichi KoshiOatsurae Jirokichi Koshiis a 1931 black and white Japanese silent film with benshi accompaniment directed by Daisuke Itō. It is the only completely preserved silent film directed by Ito and related the life of a legendary thief, Jirokichi the Rat, in an exquisite original story and through the revolutionary use of dynamic...
(1931) - The Million Ryo PotThe Million Ryo Potis a 1935 black and white Japanese film comedy directed by Sadao Yamanaka and starring Denjirō Ōkōchi....
(1935) - Hawai Mare oki kaisenHawai Mare oki kaisen, literally: The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malay, is a 1942 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Kajiro Yamamoto.There are special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya who would later co-create the widely-popular Godzilla franchise and fully create the also widely-popular Ultraman series.- Cast :* Susumu...
(1942) - Sanshiro SugataSanshiro Sugatawas the directorial debut of the Academy Award-winning Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa. First released in Japan on 25 March 1943 by Toho film studios, the film was eventually released in the United States on 28 April 1974. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Tsuneo...
(1943) - Ano hata o uteAno hata o uteaka Fire on that Flag: The End of Corregidor is a 1944 black and white Japanese film directed by Yutaka Abe.- External links :Article on history and analysis: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~amnornes/Dawn.pdf...
(1944) - Sanshiro Sugata Part IISanshiro Sugata Part IIis a 1945 film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is based on the novel by Tsuneo Tomita.It was filmed in early 1945 in Japan towards the end of World War II....
(1945) - The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's TailThe Men Who Tread On the Tiger's Tailis a 1945 film, written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is based on the kabuki play Kanjinchō, which is in turn based on the Noh play Ataka.The film stars Hanshiro Iwai, Susumu Fujita, Kenichi Enomoto, and Denjirō Ōkōchi....
(1945) - No Regrets for Our YouthNo Regrets for Our Youthis a 1946 film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is based on the Takigawa incident of 1933.The film stars Setsuko Hara, Susumu Fujita, and Denjirō Ōkōchi...
(1946) - The Tale of GenjiThe Tale of Genji (1951 film)The Tale of Genji is a 1951 Japanese drama film directed by Kōzaburō Yoshimura. It's based on the piece of Japanese literature of the same name...
(1951) - Dedication of the Great BuddhaDedication of the Great Buddhais a 1952 Japanese film directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. It was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Shinobu Araki - Ryôben* Kôtarô Bandô* Kazuo Hasegawa - Kunihito Tateto* Sumiko Hidaka - Morime Ômiya* Tatsuya Ishiguro* Ryosuke Kagawa...
(1952) - Yagyu Secret Scrolls (1957)
- Akō RōshiAkō Rōshiis a 1961 color Japanese film about the Forty-Seven Ronin directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda.- Cast :* Kusuo Abe as Katada* Kyōko Aoyama as Nagi* Chiyonosuke Azuma as Horibe* Shinobu Chihara as Ukibashi Dayu* Yoshiko Fujita as Ayame* Hiromi Hanazono as Sakura...
(1961)