Tomisaburo Wakayama
Encyclopedia
, born Masaru Okumura, was a Japanese actor
, best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 17th century ronin
warrior in the six Lone Wolf and Cub
samurai movies.
, a district in Tokyo, Japan. His father was Tohiji Katsu (or Katsutoji Kineya), a noted kabuki
performer and nagauta
singer, and the family as a whole were kabuki performers. He and his younger brother, Shintaro Katsu
, followed their father in the theater. Wakayama tired of this; at the age of 13, he began to study judo
, eventually achieving the rank of 4th dan
black belt
in the art.
In 1952, as part of the Azuma Kabuki troupe, Wakayama toured the United States of America for nine months. He gave up theater performance completely after his two-year term with the troupe was over. Wakayama taught judo until Toho
recruited him as a new martial arts
star in their jidaigeki
movies. He prepared for these movies by practicing other disciplines, including kenpō
, iaidō
, kendo
, and bōjutsu
. All this helped him for roles in the television series The Mute Samurai, the 1975 television series Shokin Kasegi, and his most famous role: Ogami Itto, the Lone Wolf.
Wakayama went on to star in many films, performing in a variety of roles. It has been estimated that he appeared in between 250 to 500 films. His only roles in American movies were as a baseball coach in The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
(1978) and as a yakuza
boss in Ridley Scott
's Black Rain (1989).
Wakayama died of acute heart failure on April 2, 1992, in a hospital in Kyoto
. He was survived by a son, Kiichiro Wakayama (born c. 1965), also an actor.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 17th century ronin
Ronin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
warrior in the six Lone Wolf and Cub
Lone Wolf and Cub
is a manga 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 Yorozuya Kinnosuke, and is widely recognized as an important and influential work.Lone Wolf and Cub...
samurai movies.
Biography
Wakayama was born on September 1, 1929, in FukagawaFukagawa (Tokyo)
is a region in Kōtō ward of Tokyo metropolis, Japan. It is one of the representative shitamachi of Tokyo. Formerly, it was a ward of the historical Tokyo City. Its postal code is 135-0033....
, a district in Tokyo, Japan. His father was Tohiji Katsu (or Katsutoji Kineya), a noted kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
performer and nagauta
Nagauta
, literally "long song", is a kind of traditional Japanese music which accompanies the kabuki theater. They were developed around 1740. Influences included the vocal yōkyoku style used in noh theater, and instruments including the shamisen and various kinds of drums.The shamisen, a plucked lute...
singer, and the family as a whole were kabuki performers. He and his younger brother, Shintaro Katsu
Shintaro Katsu
, born Toshio Okumura was a Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director...
, followed their father in the theater. Wakayama tired of this; at the age of 13, he began to study judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, eventually achieving the rank of 4th dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in the art.
In 1952, as part of the Azuma Kabuki troupe, Wakayama toured the United States of America for nine months. He gave up theater performance completely after his two-year term with the troupe was over. Wakayama taught judo until Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
recruited him as a new martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
star in their 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...
movies. He prepared for these movies by practicing other disciplines, including kenpō
Kenpo
is the name of several Japanese martial arts. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "quánfǎ. This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo", as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization, but failing to use a macron to indicate the long vowel...
, iaidō
Iaido
is a modern Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard...
, kendo
Kendo
, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
, and bōjutsu
Bojutsu
, translated from Japanese as "staff technique", is the martial art of using a staff weapon called bō which simply means "staff". Staffs are perhaps one of the earliest weapons used by humankind. They have been in use for thousands of years in Eastern Asia. Some techniques involve slashing,...
. All this helped him for roles in the television series The Mute Samurai, the 1975 television series Shokin Kasegi, and his most famous role: Ogami Itto, the Lone Wolf.
Wakayama went on to star in many films, performing in a variety of roles. It has been estimated that he appeared in between 250 to 500 films. His only roles in American movies were as a baseball coach in The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan is a 1978 film release by Paramount Pictures and was the sequel to The Bad News Bears and the sequel to The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training. It stars Tony Curtis, Jackie Earle Haley, and Regis Philbin...
(1978) and as a yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
boss in Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
's Black Rain (1989).
Wakayama died of acute heart failure on April 2, 1992, in a hospital in 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:...
. He was survived by a son, Kiichiro Wakayama (born c. 1965), also an actor.
1955–1969
- Gyakushu orochimaru (1955)
- Rage (1959)
- Fukaku hichô (1959)
- Jirochô kesshôki: Nagurikomi kôjinyama (1960)
- Megitsune henge (1961)
- Tekka Daimyo ("Lord of Steel Heart") (1961)
- Ghost of Oiwa (1961)
- Zatoichi 2 (1962)
- Ninja 1 (1962)
- Love for a Mother (1962)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death: The Chinese Jade (1963)
- Teuchi (1963)
- Ninja 2 (1963)
- Ninja 3 (1963)
- Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold (1964)
- Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Seduction (1964)
- Ninja 4 (1964)
- Virgin Witnessed (1966)
- A Brave Generous Era (1966)
- Fraternal Honor: Three Brothers of Kanto (1966)
- Bakuchiuchi ("The Gambler) (1967)
- Hokkai yûkyôden (1967)
- Hibotan bakuto ("Red Peony Gambler") (1968)
- Kyôdai jingi gyakuen no sakazuki (1968)
- Yôen dokufu-den hannya no ohyaku (1968)
- Bakuto retsuden (1968)
- Kaettekita gokudo (1968)
- Ballad of Murder (1968)
- Wicked Priest (1968)
- Nunnery Confidential (1968)
- Bakuchi-uchi: Socho tobaku (1968)
- Gendai yakuza: Yotamono no okite (1968)
- Memoir of Japanese Assassins (1969)
- Tabi ni deta gokudo (1969)
- Boss (1969)
- Nihon jokyo-den: Kyokaku geisha (1969)
- Nihon ansatsu hiroku (1969)
- Red Peony: The Hanafuda Game (1969)
- Matteita gokudo (1969)
- Gokudô bôzu: Nenbutsu hitokiri tabi (1969)
1970–1979
- Blind Yakuza Monk (1970)
- Bakuchi-uchi: Nagaremono (1970)
- Underground Syndicate (1970)
- Shiruku hatto no ô-oyabun (1970)
- Shiruku hatto no ô-oyabun: Chobi-hige no kuma (1970)
- Thugs of Shinjuku (1970)
- Gokuaku bozu nenbutsu sandangiri (1970)
- Gokudo Kamagasaki ni kaeru (1970)
- Gokudo kyojo tabi (1970)
- Hakurai jingi: Kapone no shatei (1970)
- Nihon boryoku-dan: Kumicho kuzure (1970)
- Saigo no tokkôtai (1970)
- A Boss with the Samurai Spirit (1971)
- Gamblers in Okinawa (1971) (International: English title)
- Bakuto kirikomi-tai (1971)
- Boryokudan sai buso (1971)
- Kizudarake no seishun (1971)
- Nippon akuninden (1971)
- Nihon yakuza-den: Sôchiyô e no michi (1971)
- Bakuchi-uchi: Inochi-huda (1971)
- Cherry Blossom Fire Gang (1972)
- Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of VengeanceLone Wolf and Cub: Sword of VengeanceLone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance is a 1972 film directed by Kenji Misumi, the first in a series of six Ogami Ittō, a wandering assassin for hire who is accompanied by his young son, Daigoro.-Plot:Set in Japan during an...
(1972) - Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River StyxLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River StyxLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx is the second in a series of six Japanese martial arts films based on the long-running Lone Wolf and Cub manga series about Ogami Ittō, a wandering assassin for hire who is accompanied by...
(1972) - Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to HadesLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to HadesLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades , is the third in a series of six Japanese martial arts films based on the long-running Lone Wolf and Cub manga series about Ogami Ittō, a wandering assassin for hire who is accompanied by his...
(1972) - Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in PerilLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in PerilLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril , is the fourth in a series of six Japanese martial arts films based on the long-running Lone Wolf and Cub manga series about Ogami Ittō, a wandering assassin for hire who is accompanied by...
(1972) - Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of DemonsLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of DemonsLone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Land of Demons is the fifth in a series of six Japanese martial arts films based on the long-running Lone Wolf and Cub manga series about Ogami Ittō, a wandering assassin for hire who is accompanied by his young son,...
(1973) - Kamagasaki gokudo (1973)
- ESPYESPY (film)is a 1974 film based on the novel of the same name by Sakyo Komatsu. The film was directed by Jun Fukuda from a screenplay by Ei Ogawa. It stars Masao Kusakari, Kaoru Yumi, Tomisaburo Wakayama, and Eiji Okada. The film was released to U.S...
(1974) - Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in HellLone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in HellLone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell is the final entry in a series of six Japanese martial arts films based on the long-running Lone Wolf and Cub manga series about Ogami Ittō, a wandering assassin for hire who is accompanied by his young...
(1974) - Datsugoku Hiroshima satsujinshû (1974)
- Gokudo VS furyô banchô (1974)
- Gokudo VS Mamushi (1974)
- Bôryoku kinmyaku (1975)
- Devil's Bouncing Ball Song (1977)
- Edogawa Rampo no injû (1977)
- Torakku yarô: Otoko ippiki momojirô (1977)
- Sugata Sanshiro (1977)
- Hi no Tori ("The Phoenix") (1978)
- The Bad News Bears Go to JapanThe Bad News Bears Go to JapanThe Bad News Bears Go to Japan is a 1978 film release by Paramount Pictures and was the sequel to The Bad News Bears and the sequel to The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training. It stars Tony Curtis, Jackie Earle Haley, and Regis Philbin...
(1978) - Oh My Son (1979)
- Distant Tomorrow (1979)
1980–1991
- Shogun AssassinShogun AssassinShogun Assassin, known in Japan as , is a jidaigeki film made for the British and American markets and released in 1980. In 2006 it was restored and re-released on DVD in North America by AnimEigo....
(1980) - Seishun no monThe Gate of Youthis a 1981 film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and Koreyoshi Kurahara.It is based on a story by Hiroyuki Itsuki that was originally serialized in the magazine Shukan Gendai in 1969-70...
("The Gate of Youth") (1981) - Makai TenshōSamurai ReincarnationSamurai Reincarnation is a 1981 film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and starring Sonny Chiba. The film was based on the novel Makai Tensho....
("Samurai Reincarnation") (1981) - Flames of Blood (1981)
- Conquest (1982)
- The Shootout (1982)
- Irezumi: Spirit of Tattoo (1982)
- Jinsei gekijoTheater of LifeTheater of Life is a 1983 film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, Sadao Nakajima and Junya Sato.-Cast:*Keiko Matsuzaka*Toshiyuki Nagashima*Kie Nakai*Hiroki Matsukata*Aiko Morishita*Hideo Murota*Morio Kazama*Kô Nishimura...
("Theater of Life") (1983)
- Shôsetsu Yoshida gakko (1983)
- Hakujasho (1983)
- Story of the Yamashita Boy (1985)
- Ningen no yakusokuA Promise (film)A Promise is a 1986 Japanese drama film directed by Yoshishige Yoshida. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section the 1986 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Rentaro Mikuni - Ryosaku Morimoto* Sachiko Murase - Tatus, Ryosaku's wife...
("A Promise") (1986) - Shinran: Shiroi michiShinran: Path to Purityis a 1987 Japanese drama film directed by Rentaro Mikuni. The film won the Jury Prize at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Junkyu Moriyama - Zenshin * Michiyo Ookusu - Keishin, Shinran's wife* Ako - Shiina* Kazuo Andoh - Kazuto* Sen Hara - Ayae...
("Shinran: Path to Purity") (1987) - Black Rain (1989)
- Jotei: Kasuga no tsubone (1990)
- Checkmate (1991)