Tomisaburo Wakayama

In this Japanese name, the family name is Wakayama.
Tomisaburō Wakayama

Tomisaburō Wakayama

Wakayama appearing as Ogami Ittō in
the Lone Wolf and Cub movie series
Born Masaru Okumura
(1929-09-01)September 1, 1929
Fukagawa, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Died April 2, 1992(1992-04-02) (aged 62)
Kyoto, Japan
Occupation Actor
Years active 1955–1991
Spouse(s) Reiko Fujiwara (1963–1965)

Tomisaburō Wakayama (若山 富三郎 Wakayama Tomisaburō, September 1, 1929 – April 2, 1992), born Masaru Okumura,[1] was a Japanese actor best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 19th century ronin warrior in the six Lone Wolf and Cub samurai movies.[1][2]

Biography

Wakayama was born on September 1, 1929, in Fukagawa, a district in Tokyo, Japan.[1] His father was Tohiji Katsu[2] (or Katsutōji Kineya),[3] a noted kabuki performer and nagauta singer,[1] and the family as a whole were kabuki performers. He and his younger brother, Shintaro Katsu, followed their father in the theater.[1] 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.[1]

In 1952, as part of the Azuma Kabuki troupe, Wakayama toured the United States of America for nine months.[2] He gave up theater performance completely after his two-year term with the troupe was over.[1] Wakayama taught judo until Toho recruited him as a new martial arts star in their jidaigeki movies.[1] He prepared for these movies by practicing other disciplines, including kenpō, iaidō, kendo, and bōjutsu.[1] All this helped him for roles in the television series The Mute Samurai,[3] the 1975 television series Shokin Kasegi (The Bounty Hunter),[3] and his most famous role: Ogami Ittō, 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.[3] 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, Sugai, in Ridley Scott's Black Rain (1989) that delivers a memorable English monologue that becomes a defining moment for the film, and the film's title.[3][4]

Wakayama died of acute heart failure on April 2, 1992, in a hospital in Kyoto.[1][3] He was survived by a son, Kiichiro Wakayama (born c. 1965), also an actor.[5]

Filmography

Wakayama appeared in the following films, amongst others.

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)[3] (credited as Jō Kenzaburō)
  • 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)[3]
  • 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)[6]
  • Hokkai yûkyôden (1967)
  • Hibotan bakuto ("Red Peony Gambler") (1968)[7]
  • 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)[8]
  • 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)
  • Sympathy for the Underdog (1971)
  • 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)

1980–1991

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Leous, G. (c. 2003): Tomisaburo Wakayama Retrieved on May 23, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Stout, J. (1981): "Tomisaburo Wakayama: The Anti-Hero of Shogun Assassin." Martial Arts Movies (August), 1(2):26–33.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Asiateca: Tomisaburo Wakayama (August 10, 2007). Retrieved on May 24, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Nash, Jay Robert; Ross, Stanley R. (1990). The Motion Picture Guide 1990 Annual The Films of 1989. Cinebooks. ISBN 978-0-933997-29-5.
  5. Sankei Sports: 若山騎一郎&仁美凌、熱愛発覚!交際5年 (Japanese) (March 31, 2010). Retrieved on May 24, 2010. Archived April 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. Cowie, Peter (1977). World Filmography 1967. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. p. 342. ISBN 978-0-498-01565-6.
  7. Hong Kong Cinema: Red Peony Gambler (c. 2006). Retrieved on May 24, 2010.
  8. Desjardins, Chris (2005). Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film. I B Tauris & Company Limited. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-84511-086-4.
  9. 1 2 Maltin, Leonard (2005). Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide. ISBN 978-0-452-28699-3.
  10. Palmer, Bill (1995). The Encyclopedia of Martial Arts Movies. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108-3027-1.
  11. Maltin, Leonard (2002). Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 2003. Plume. ISBN 978-0-452-28329-9.

External links


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