Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-50 of 349
- Otojirô Kawakami was born on 8 February 1864 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Kusunoki masasige sakura eki (1911) and Wayo secchu kekkonshiki (1908). He was married to Sada Yacco . He died on 11 November 1911 in Osaka, Japan.
- Kyuusaku Yumeno was born on 4 January 1889 in Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan. Kyuusaku was a writer, known for Labyrinth of Dreams (1997), Dogra Magra (1988) and Yumeno Kyusaku's Girl Hell (1977). Kyuusaku died on 11 March 1936 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Yoshiki Hayama was born on 12 March 1894 in Fukuoka, Japan. Yoshiki was a writer, known for The Prostitute (2016). Yoshiki died on 18 October 1945 in Japan.
- Yoshio Toyoshima was born on 27 November 1890 in Asakura, Fukuoka, Japan. He was a writer, known for Mikaheri no tô (1941). He died on 18 June 1955 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Actress
- Art Department
Born Tsuru Kawakami, Tsuru emigrated to the U.S. in 1903 with her aunt and uncle, who were in the theater business. She found work on stage before moving to film. She worked in L.A., then moved to San Francisco and New York before returning to California. At a time when even in her home country female leads were non-existent, she garnered top billing in a series of films by Thomas H. Ince, who had seen her on stage in L.A., including 1913's "The Oath of Tsuru San". She met her future husband Sessue Hayakawa on the set of O Mimi San (1914). They married in 1914 and went on to star together several times. She retired from acting 10 years later to raise her adopted children and only returned once, which was just prior to her death. This last performance was her sole speaking role.- Denjirô Ôkôchi was born on 5 February 1898 in Iwaya-mura, Chikujo-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan [now Buzen City, Fukuoka Prefecture]. He was an actor and writer, known for No Regrets for Our Youth (1946), Sanshiro Sugata (1943) and Oatsurae Jirôkichi kôshi (1931). He died on 19 July 1962.
- Kenji Susukida was born on 14 September 1898 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Akôjô (1952), Yukinojô henge - Fukushû no koi (1954) and Those Who Make Tomorrow (1946). He died on 26 May 1972.
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Production Manager
An English major who graduated from Waseda University, one of Japan's most prestigious, in 1935, Motoyoshi Oda was promptly accepted into the directors' program at Tokyo's P.C.L. (Photo Chemical Laboratories, a film company later incorporated into Toho Studios). He studied under director Kajiro Yamamoto, as did Akira Kurosawa, Ishiro Honda, and Senkichi Taniguchi. When the latter two trainees were drafted into Japan's war in China, Oda found his career accelerated. He was promoted to director in 1940 with SONG OF KUNYA (Kunya no Uta), after a relatively scant few years of training. Perhaps because of this relative lack of training, and certainly because Oda was not drafted into the army, P.C.L. and Toho kept Oda going as a maker of programmers--trivial pictures that had to be made in order to keep product flowing into the theaters, but which offered little time or room for artistic achievement. Probably his most distinguished credits are LADY FROM HELL (1949, based on a Kurosawa script), TOMEI NINGEN (1954) and the only film he made ever to be shown outside Japan, the second Godzilla film, GOJIRA NO GYAKUSHU (1955). Toho insisted that Oda direct as many as seven movies a year, knowing that he could be trusted to deliver them on time. Over his entire career, Motoyoshi Oda directed fifty movies, not to mention his work as assistant director and second-unit direction on Ishiro Honda's EAGLE OF THE PACIFIC (Taiheiyo no Washi, 1953). No credits are available for Oda after 1957, when he may well have taken an early retirement.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Kyôji Sugi was born on 8 July 1903 in Chigyo, Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Yajikita dôchû Tôkaidô (1931), Tôkaidô hizakurige dai-ippen: Jigoku kara haiagatta Yaji-Kita (1928) and Yajikita dôchûki (1938). He died on 1 September 1975.- Daigoro Yasukawa was born on 2 June 1886 in Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan. He died on 25 June 1976 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Eitarô Shindô was born on 10 November 1899 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for A Geisha (1953), Onna no issho (1953) and Drunken Angel (1948). He died on 18 February 1977 in Tokyo, Japan.- Composer
- Actor
- Writer
Masao Koga was born on 18 November 1904 in Okawa, Fukuoka, Japan. He was a composer and actor, known for Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Yearning for the Shadows (1949) and Rikidôzan monogatari: Dotô no otoko (1955). He died on 25 July 1978.- Writer
- Producer
Debuted in the film industry in 1927, as original author and screenplay writer for the Makino Film Company. After five films, he left the studio the next year to work in smaller film studios Kawai (1928-31), Shinko Cinema (1931-34) and Shin Kyoto (1935-42). In 1942, he signed his first contract with a major Japanese company, Daiei, and after World War II he began to work free-lance for all the six "majors," although mostly for Daiei. In the mid-50s, under a shared pen name translated as "Five People Capital Shrine Chapter," he and four writers (Yoshikata Yoda, Yoshitake Hisa, Toshio Tamikado, and 'Shin'ichi Yanagawa') wrote some original stories and scripts for movies. Mr. Yahiro retired in 1969.- Susumu Fujita was born on 8 January 1912 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for The Hidden Fortress (1958), Sanshiro Sugata (1943) and Yojimbo (1961). He died on 23 March 1991 in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Koume Akasaka was born on 20 April 1906 in Kawasaki-machi, Tagawa-gun, Fukuoka, Japan. She was an actress, known for Ohara Shôsuke-san (1949), Matashiro's Fighting Journey (1956) and Awa-odori tanuki gassen (1954). She died on 17 January 1992 in Kamogawa, Chiba, Japan.- Tôru Abe was born on 28 March 1917 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Tokyo Story (1953), Shogun (1980) and Yomigaeru kinrô (1979). He died on 18 July 1993.
- Jun Hamamura was born on 7 February 1906 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for High and Low (1963), Gamera: The Giant Monster (1964) and Bamboo Doll of Echizen (1963). He died on 21 June 1995 in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan.
- Eisuke Nakazono was born in 1920 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was a writer, known for KT (2002). He died on 9 April 2002 in Kawasaki, Japan.
- Hideo Murata was born on 17 January 1929 in Yoshii, Ukiha, Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Asakusa no kyôkaku (1963), Otoko no shôbu: Byakko no Tetsu (1968) and North Sea Chivalry (1967). He died on 13 June 2002 in Osaka, Japan.
- Yûzaburô Sakaguchi was born on 3 September 1941 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Kamen no ninja Aka-Kage (1967), Akakage: 3-D Adventure Movie (1969) and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972). He died on 13 July 2003 in Fukuoka, Japan.
- Actor
- Art Director
- Production Designer
Kôji Uno was born on 21 April 1924 in Omuta, Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor and art director, known for Seven Samurai (1954), Watch Out, Crimson Bat! (1969) and Mothra (1961). He died on 28 July 2003.- Tappei Shimokawa was born on 11 December 1930 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Manhunt (1976), Dodes'ka-den (1970) and Tôkyô-wan enjô (1975). He died on 25 March 2004 in Fukuoka, Japan.
- Champion Japanese breaststroke swimmer Tetsuo Hamuro was born on September 7, 1917 in Fukuoka, Japan. Hamuro set a world record in the 200 meter breaststroke in 1935. The following year Tetsuo set a new Olympic record and won the gold medal in the 200 meter breaststroke at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Hamuro not only went on to win ten national championship breaststroke titles in his native Japan, but also never lost a race between the years 1935 and 1940. Tetsuo became a sports journalist for the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper after World War II broke out. Hamuro was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1990. Moreover, his wife was also a Masters World Champion swimmer. Tetsuo died at age 88 on October 30, 2005 in Takaishi, Osaka, Japan.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Masahiro Kawasaki was born on 15 September 1949 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was a composer, known for Kin'yû fushoku rettô: Jubaku (1999), Hainan ji fan (2004) and Kamikaze Taxi (1995). He died on 4 May 2006 in Chiba, Japan.- Chiemi Kai was born on 16 June 1963 in Fukuoka, Japan. She was an actress, known for Karajishi kabushiki gaisha (1983), Nogare no machi (1983) and Hagure keiji: Junjôha (1988). She died on 10 July 2006 in Chiba, Japan.
- Fuyuki Murakami was born on 23 December 1911 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Godzilla (1954), Ikiru (1952) and The Mysterians (1957). He died on 5 April 2007 in Japan.
- Composer
- Actor
Born on the island of Kyushu, Japan, Misawa had an early successful career as the baritone in a vocal quartet called "the Four Coins." The quartet toured the US for six months in the early '60s as "the Tokyo Four". After the death of a group member in the early '70s, the quartet broke up and Misawa began composing and arranging music as a new career. Concentrating primarily on commercial jingles (winning an international category for a Cleo award for a soap commercial jingle) and TV theme songs, Misawa has two gold records for the Japanese TV drama series, "Attention, Please" (about flight attendants) and "Sign wa V" (about women volleyball players). He continued his music career after his move to Hawaii in 1976. He moved to California in the early '80s, and eventually started working in film and TV.- Junpei Natsuki was born on 15 June 1918 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Seven Samurai (1954), Godzilla (1954) and Dreams (1990). He died on 21 February 2010.
- Sen Yano was born on 11 February 1928 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Illusion of Blood (1965), The Face of Another (1966) and Woman in the Dunes (1964). He died on 17 September 2010 in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Takeshi Shudô was born on 18 August 1949 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was a writer, known for Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998), Pokémon 3 the Movie: Spell of the Unown (2000) and GoShogun (1982). He died on 29 October 2010 in Nara-City, Nara-Pref, Japan.- Toshiyuki Hosokawa was born on 15 December 1940 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970), Miyamoto Musashi (1973) and Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967). He was married to Norie Fujimoto and Mayumi Ogawa. He died on 14 January 2011 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Animation Department
Ryu Noguchi was born on 1 January 1944 in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He is known for Resident Evil Zero (2002), Maison Ikkoku - Apartment Fantasy (1986) and Red Baron (1994). He died on 2 January 2012 in Japan.- Taketoshi Naitô was born on 16 June 1926 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972), Kyojin Ôkuma Shigenobu (1963) and The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961). He died on 21 August 2012 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Born in August of 1937, Japanese actor from Kitakyushu, Kenji Utsumi, is affiliated with the independent animation studio Ken Production. He is married to fellow voice actress Michiko Nomura and has received a lifetime achievement award at the third Seiyu Awards.
He is best known for his roles in Buronson's Fist of the North Star (as Raoh), Dr. Slump Arale-chan (as Senbei Norimaki), Zodd The Immortal in Kentarou Miura's Berserk, the Dragon Ball series (as Shenron, Commander Red, Recoome and the Tenkaichi Budakai announcer) as well as co-starring in Fullmetal Alchemist (as Alex Louis Armstrong).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Masakane Yonekura was born on 10 July 1934 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970), Harukanaru sôro (1980) and Dôran (1980). He died on 26 August 2014 in Fukuoka, Japan.- Kazuko Yanaga was born on 14 April 1947 in Fukuoka, Japan. She was an actress, known for Vampire Hunter D (1985), Aim for the Ace (1973) and Mobile Sheriff Jiban (1989). She was married to Hôchû Ôtsuka. She died on 1 November 2014 in Japan.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ken Takakura was a Japanese actor best known for his brooding style and the stoic, honorable presence he brought to his roles.
Known as the "Clint Eastwood" of Japan, Takakura gained his streetwise swagger and tough guy persona watching yakuza turf battles over the lucrative black market and racketeering in postwar Fukuoka. This subject was covered in one of his most famous movies, Brutal Tales of Chivalry (1965) in which he played an honorable old-school yakuza among the violent post-war gurentai.
A graduate of the prestigious Meiji University in Tokyo, Takakura happened by an audition in 1955 at the Toei Film Company, and decided to look in. Toei found a natural in Takakura as he debuted with Denkô karate uchi (1956) (Lightning Karate Blow) in 1956. As luck would have it, Japan experienced a boom in gangster films in the 1960s as the Japanese people struggled with the generational differences between those raised in pre-war and post-war Japan and these were Takakura's stock in trade. His breakout role came in 1965 playing a ex-con antihero in Abashiri Prison (1965). By the time he left Toei in 1976, he had appeared in over 180 films.
Takakura gained international recognition after starring in the 1975 Sydney Pollack sleeper hit The Yakuza (1974) with Robert Mitchum and is probably best known in the West for his role in Ridley Scott's Black Rain (1989) in which he surprises American cops played by Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia by showing he can speak English. He again proved himself bankable to Western audiences in the 1992 Fred Schepisi comedy Mr. Baseball (1992) starring Tom Selleck.
While he slowed down a bit in his older years, he remained active. His later films included Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005), by Chinese director Yimou Zhang.- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Katsuya Susaki was born on 1 January 1922 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was a writer and assistant director, known for Mori Shigeru's Hoax Gentleman (1955), No Advice Taken (1958) and Three Brother's Duel (1960). He died on 9 January 2015 in Japan.- Sheena was born on 23 November 1953 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. She was an actress, known for Daikanyama monogatari - tantei tanjo (1998) and Hosono Haruomi: Yellow Magic Show (2001). She was married to Makoto Ayukawa. She died on 14 February 2015 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Writer
- Animation Department
Her debut was with a work called CALLING, which she made when she was only fifteen. She choose not to go to high school so that she could draw manga. Fujiwara was a large fan of RPGs such as Final Fantasy, which showed in her works. Fujiwara's works Watashi no Ookami-san and Dear have both been published in Square Enix's Monthly Gangan Wing. Two drama CDs have been made of her work Dear. Fujiwara's manga Inu × Boku SS was adapted into an anime series by David Production which aired in Japan between January and March 2012.
She passed away from an illness on March 31st, 2015, at the age of 31. Leaving her series Katsute Mahou Shoujo to Aku wa Tekitai Shite Ita, serialized in Square Enix's Gangan Joker online magazine,unfinished.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Masao Imafuku was born on 8 April 1921 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), Kill! (1968) and Tokkan (1975). He died on 27 May 2015 in Chiba, Japan.- Tomohiro Matsu was born on 13 October 1972 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was a writer, known for Queen's Blade: The Exiled Virgin (2009), Hatena Iryûjon (2020) and Listen to Me, Girls. I'm Your Father! (2012). He died on 2 May 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lily was born on 17 February 1952 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. She was an actress, known for Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005), MPD Psycho (2000) and The Execution Game (1979). She died on 11 November 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.- Mami Amemiya was born on 26 September 1976 in Fukuoka, Japan. She died on 15 November 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Hiromi Hayakawa was born on 19 October 1982 in Fukuoka, Japan. She was an actress, known for El Señor de los Cielos (2013), El Chema (2016) and Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef (2016). She was married to Fernando Santana. She died on 27 September 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico.
- Hidenori Shibao was born on 12 December 1962 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. He was a writer, known for Paladin's Quest (1992) and Legend of Legaia (1998). He died on 2 April 2018.
- Etsuko Ikuta was born on 8 April 1947 in Fukuoka, Japan. She was an actress, known for RoboGeisha (2009), Tears for a Strolling Singer (1970) and Aa kimi ga ai (1967). She died on 15 July 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Teruyuki Okazaki was born on 22 June 1931 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He died on 21 April 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Kikuo Kaneuchi was born on 29 January 1935 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor, known for Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (1974), Shinkuronishiti (2004) and Vengeance Is Mine (1979). He was married to Reiko Katsura. He died on 28 April 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Actor
- Writer
Masao Komatsu was born on 10 January 1942 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was an actor and writer, known for Kita no kuni kara (1981), Za kagesutaa (1976) and Za taigâsu: Sekai wa bokura o matteiru (1968). He died on 7 December 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.