Denjirō Ōkōchi
| Denjirō Ōkōchi | |
|---|---|
 Denjirō Ōkōchi | |
| Native name | 大河内 傳次郎 |
| Born |
February 5, 1898 Buzen, Fukuoka |
| Died | July 18, 1962 (aged 64) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Other names | Masuo Ōbe |
| Occupation | Film actor |
| Years active | 1925 – 1961 |
Denjirō Ōkōchi (大河内 傳次郎 Ōkōchi Denjirō, 5 February 1898 – 18 July 1962) was a Japanese film actor most famous for starring roles in jidaigeki directed by leading Japanese filmmakers.
Early life
Born in 1898, his real name was Masuo Ōbe.[1]
Career
Ōkōchi entered Shinkokugeki (Eng: New National Theatre), traiining under Shōjirō Sawada (aka Sawasho). Sawada founded this new school of popular theatre in 1917 which had strong cultural impact by the early 1920s.[2] Shinkokugeki was known for jidaigeki the period drama genre, particularly for its realistic sword fights (tate) or swordplay (kengeki).[2]
With this background, Ōkōchi entered the Nikkatsu studio in 1925 and soon came to fame in chanbara (sword-fighting) Samurai films – a subgenre of jidaigeki emphasizing tate[2] – playing characters such as Chūji Kunisada and Sazen Tange.[1]
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.
He was directed by such masters as Akira Kurosawa, Daisuke Itō, Sadao Yamanaka, Teinosuke Kinugasa, Hiroshi Inagaki and Masahiro Makino.
Death
Ōkōchi had ceased acting by 1961, dying a year later on July 18, 1962.
Legacy
His house and garden in Arashiyama, Kyoto, called Ōkōchi Sansō,[3] are still preserved and open to the public.
Selected filmography
- Yaji and Kita: The Battle of Toba Fushimi (1927)
- Yaji and Kita: Yasuda's Rescue (1927)
- A Diary of Chuji's Travels (忠治旅日記 Chūji tabi nikki)
- Oatsurae Jirokichi Koshi (1931)
- The Million Ryo Pot (1935)
- The Giant (1938)
- Hawai Mare oki kaisen (1942)
- Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
- Ano hata o ute (1944)
- Sanshiro Sugata Part II (1945)
- The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945)
- No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
- The Tale of Genji (1951)
- Dedication of the Great Buddha (1952)
- Eagle of the Pacific (Taiheiyô no washi) (1953)
- Yagyu Secret Scrolls (1957)
- Akō Rōshi (1961)
References
- 1 2 "Ōkōchi Denjirō". Nihon jinmei daijiten (in Japanese). Kōdansha. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- 1 2 3 Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, Kurosawa: Film Studies and Japanese Cinema, Duke University Press, 2000; Ch "Seven Samurai" p213
- ↑ "Okochi Sanso Villa". Japan Visitor. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
External links
- Denjirō Ōkōchi on IMDb
- Ōkōchi Denjirō at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)