Tsuyoshi Ihara
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese actor of Korean descent, born on November 6, 1963 in Kitakyūshū, and who grew up in Ikuno-ku
, Osaka
. He is a graduate of Imamiya Senior High School, situated in Naniwa-ku
, Osaka
. Ihara is represented by the K Dash agency.
, after leaving high school. Soon after, he began to act in numerous feature films
and television drama
s, including the 1996 NHK
series Futarikko. In 2006, Ihara appeared as the Baron Takeichi Nishi
in Clint Eastwood
's critically acclaimed Academy Award-winning film Letters from Iwo Jima
, introducing him to an international audience. He has also authored a book, , which was published in Japan by Amoeba Books.
Ikuno-ku, Osaka
right|thumb|300px|A typical residential area of Ikuno-ku is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.The area of Ikuno-ku is well-known for the large number of Korean-Japanese citizens living there, as well as for its large number of yakiniku restaurants...
, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. He is a graduate of Imamiya Senior High School, situated in Naniwa-ku
Naniwa-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka City, Japan. It has an area of 4.37 km², and a population of 51,567.- General information :Largely a residential area itself, Naniwa-ku is adjacent to and has in recent years blurred into the Namba district, which is south Osaka City's transport hub and centre of...
, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. Ihara is represented by the K Dash agency.
Biography
A Japanese of Korean descent, Ihara joined the Japan Action Enterprise, a theater troupe founded by Sonny ChibaSonny Chiba
, also known as Sonny Chiba, is a Japanese actor, singer, film producer, film director and martial artist.Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience.- Early life :Born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka,...
, after leaving high school. Soon after, he began to act in numerous feature films
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
and television drama
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
s, including the 1996 NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
series Futarikko. In 2006, Ihara appeared as the Baron Takeichi Nishi
Takeichi Nishi
Colonel/Baron was a Japanese Imperial Army officer, equestrian show jumper, and Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. He was a tank unit commander at the Battle of Iwo Jima and was killed in action during the defense of the island....
in Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
's critically acclaimed Academy Award-winning film Letters from Iwo Jima
Letters from Iwo Jima
is a 2006 war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, and starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the...
, introducing him to an international audience. He has also authored a book, , which was published in Japan by Amoeba Books.
Television dramas
- Shadow Warriors (Hattori Hanzō: Kage no Gundan series) (Fuji TV, 1980-)
- Kage no Gundan IV
- Kage no Gundam Bakumatsu-hen
- Takeda Shingen (1988 NHKNHKNHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
Taiga dramaTaiga dramais the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shōroku and Takarazuka star Awashima Chikage, the network has hired a producer, director, writer, music...
; portraying Oda NobuyukiOda Nobuyukiwas the son of Oda Nobuhide, and younger brother of Oda Nobunaga in the earlier years of the Sengoku period of the 16th century of Japan.Nobuyuki conspired against his brother Nobunaga with the Hayashi and Shibata families. Nobuyuki's Suemori Castle was reduced by Ikeda Nobuteru. Though Hayashi and...
) - Oishii no ga suki (TBSTokyo Broadcasting System, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
, 1989) - Kyō, Futari (1990 NHK morning drama)
- Yonimo Kimyōna Monogatari (1991, Fuji TV)
- Futarikko (1996 NHK morning drama)
- Only You ~Aisarete~ (1996, Nippon TV)
- Ichigen no Koto (2000, NHK)
- Star no Koi (2001, Fuji TV)
- Kowloon de Aimashō (2002, TV AsahiTV Asahi, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
) - Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho (2002, TBS)
- Mibu Gishi Den ~Shinsengumi de Ichiban Tsuyokatta Otoko~When the Last Sword Is Drawnis a 2003 Japanese movie directed by Yōjirō Takita loosely based on real historical events. When the Last Sword Is Drawn won the Best Film award at the 2004 Japanese Academy Awards, as well as the prizes for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor . It received a further eight...
(2002; portraying Hijikata ToshizōHijikata Toshizowas the vice-commander of Shinsengumi, a great swordsman and a talented Japanese military leader who resisted the Meiji Restoration.-Background:...
) - Koi wa Tattakai (2003, TV Asahi)
- Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho 2 (2003, TBS])
- Chūshingura ~ Ketsudan no Toki (2003, TV TokyoTV Tokyois a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
; portraying Horibe YasubeiHoribe Yasubeiwas a warrior in Japan. Yasubei was born to Nakayama Yajiemon, a samurai of the Shibata Domain . When Yasubei was 13, his father lost his position and became a ronin. Soon afterwards, Yajiemon died, and with Yasubei's mother having died shortly after giving birth to Yasubei, Yasubei was orphaned...
) - Sky High 2Sky High (2003 film)Sky High is a supernatural action film from director Ryuhei Kitamura. It is based on the manga of the same title by Tsutomu Takahashi and serves as a prequel to a Japanese television drama of the same name, and starring the same actress, Yumiko Shaku...
(2004, TV Asahi) - Shinsengumi!Shinsengumi!is a Taiga drama television series produced by Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was a popular drama about shinsengumi, the Japanese special police from the Shogun period....
(2004 NHK Taiga drama; portraying Sasaki Tadasaburō) - Last Christmas (2004, Fuji TV)
- Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho 4 (2004, TBS)
- Magari Kado no Kanojo (2005, Fuji TV)
- Shiawase ni Naritai! (2005, TBS)
- Koi no Jikan (2005, TBS)
- Grave of the FirefliesGrave of the Firefliesis a 1988 Japanese animated war tragedy film written and directed by Isao Takahata. This is the first film produced by Shinchosha, who hired Studio Ghibli to do the animation production work...
(2005, Nippon TV) - Umeko (2005, TBS)
- Kuroi Taiyō (2006, TV Asahi)
- Nyotei (2007, TV Asahi)
- Team Batista no EikoTeam Batista no Eikois a Japanese mystery film and television show adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by Takeru Kaidō. The story revolves around a hospital with a team of doctors known for their success with a type of heart surgery...
(2008, Fuji TV)
Films
- Kotaro MakaritoruKotaro Makaritoruis a shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Hiruta. It was published by Kodansha in Shōnen Magazine from 1982 to 1994 and collected in 59 tankōbon volumes, and was followed by two sequel series: Shin Kōtarō Makaritōru!, which ran from 1995 to 2001 and collected in 27 volumes, and...
(1984) - Bakayarō! Watashi Okkote Masu (1988, Kōwa International and ShochikuShochikuis a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...
) - Hong Kong Paradise (1990, TohoTohois 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...
) - Daida Kyōshi Akiba, Shinken Desu! (1991, ToeiToei Companyis a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
and Nippon TV) - Jingi (1991, ToeiToei Companyis a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
) - Shura no Teiou (1994)
- Yonshima Monogatari (1995, Ezaki Guriko)
- Gamera: Guardian of the UniverseGamera: Guardian of the Universe, is a 1995 Kaiju film directed by Shusuke Kaneko. It is a reboot of the Gamera film franchise. It is the ninth entry in the Gamera film series and first in Shusuke Kaneko's Gamera trilogy. It was followed by Attack of The Legion and Revenge of Iris....
(1995, DaieiKadokawa Picturesis a Japanese movie studio.-History:One of the most famous studios in Japan and founded in 1942 as , it is best known for having produced the giant monster Gamera film series and the Daimajin Trilogy. It also produced the Zatoichi and Nemuri Kyoshiro film series and the television series Shōnen Jet...
) - Abunai Deka Returns (1996, Nippon TV, ToeiToei Companyis a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
) - Gamera 3: Awakening of IrysGamera 3: Awakening of Irysis a 1999 Kaiju film. It is the third and last film in the Gamera Heisei series, and the last to be distributed by Toho. It was released in the United States on DVD in 2003 under the title Gamera: Revenge of Iris.-Plot:...
(1999, Daiei) - Minna no IeMinna no Ieis a 2001 comedy film written and directed by Japanese director Koki Mitani. The film is about an affluent couple who decide to build a new house, and the clash between traditional Japanese and modern western styles between the people they hire to build it.Cast members include Naoki Tanaka , Akiko...
(2001, Fuji TV, TohoTohois 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...
) - Hanochi (2004)
- Hinagon (2005)
- Letters from Iwo JimaLetters from Iwo Jimais a 2006 war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, and starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the...
(2006) - portraying Baron Takeichi NishiTakeichi NishiColonel/Baron was a Japanese Imperial Army officer, equestrian show jumper, and Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. He was a tank unit commander at the Battle of Iwo Jima and was killed in action during the defense of the island.... - RetributionRetribution (film)is a 2006 Japanese horror film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.-Plot:Yoshioka, an experienced detective, investigates the murder of an unknown woman in a red dress. She was drowned on the Tokyo waterfront, but an autopsy reveals that her stomach is full of seawater...
(2006) - Heat Island (2007)
- Ninja (2009)
- Thirteen AssassinsThirteen Assassinsis a 2010 Japanese-British jidaigeki film directed by Takashi Miike.A samurai epic based on a true incident, the film was produced by Toshiaki Nakazawa, who also produced the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Departures...
(2010) - Dirty Hearts (2011)
Theater
- We Love JAC (1986)
- Jōji ta JAC Kōen
- Mayonaka no Party (1991)
- Honkon Rhapsody (1993)
- Dā! Dā! Dā! (1993)
- Hikoma ga Yuku (2002)
- Blood Gets in Your Eyes (2003)
- Rōnin Gai (2004)
- Kātenkōru (2005)
- shuffle (2005)
- Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Other programs
- Kimama ni Toygyazā (Mainichi Broadcasting SystemMainichi Broadcasting Systemis a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...
, KansaiKansaiThe or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
Local) - Ōra no Izumi (December 13, 2006, TV AsahiTV Asahi, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
)