Joe Shishido
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese actor
most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film
roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones
. He has appeared in some 300 films but is best known in the West for his performance in the cult film
Branded to Kill
(1967). In Japan, he is also known by the nickname for his popular role in the Western
Fast-Draw Guy (1961).
of Osaka
, Japan
. He had two older brothers, one younger sister and a younger brother who also became an actor under the name Eiji Go. Shishido attended schools in Tokyo
and Miyagi
. In 1952, he graduated high school and enrolled in the theatre course at Nihon University
. Two years later, he auditioned for the Nikkatsu Company
's New Face contest. He was one of 21 selected from 8000 applicants. Shishido dropped out of school and began working for Nikkatsu, appearing in small film roles.
. Studio bosses encouraged Shishido to change his name, as popular tales of the samurai
Miyamoto Musashi
contained a villain named Shishido
and they were modeling him into a romantic lead, but he refused. His first major role was in Policeman's Diary (1955), in which he played a young patrolman who challenges a police chief in a kendo
(bamboo sword fighting) match.
Displeased with his middling success in melodrama
s and "blandly handsome features", Shishido underwent cheek augmentation
surgery in 1957, increasing their size. Some have described his new look as "ruggedly handsome" and others equated it as being distinctly chipmunk-like. Afterwards, he began getting bigger parts predominantly as villain
s in action movies
. Two of his largest roles in the early 1960s were opposite Akira Kobayashi
in the Birds of Passage
series and Keiichiro Akagi in the Record of Pistol Criminality series. Akagi then died in a go-karting
accident which left Nikkatsu in need of a new action star. Shishido was selected. His first starring role was in the comic buddy film
Dirty Work (1961) with Hideaki Nitani. The film was a success and spawned two immediate sequels, Bodyguard Work (1961) and Helper Work (1961). He gained national popularity and the lifelong nickname "Joe the Ace" ("Eisu no Jō") for his eponymous role in the Eastern Western
Fast-Draw Guy (1961), in which he played the "third-fastest draw in the world—0.65 seconds."
Though he worked predominantly in comic action roles he also gained a "tough-guy loner image" in such films as Seijun Suzuki
's Youth of the Beast
(1963) in which he played an ex-cop who infiltrates two rival yakuza gangs. Shishido is best known in the West for the films he made with Suzuki including Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell, Bastards! (1963) and Gate of Flesh
(1964). Internationally, his best known film is Suzuki's Branded to Kill
(1967), in which he starred as the number three hitman
in Japan, although it received only moderate success on its original release. He later recalled seeing the film with friends and finding the theatre near deserted.
Nikkatsu action movies began to lose favour through the late 1960s and production was scaled back resulting in fewer jobs for Shishido. He began taking roles with other companies and in television, which were primarily of a comic nature. He also starred in Nikkatsu "new action" films such as the all-star
vehicle Yakuza Bird of Passage:Bad Guys' Work (1969), with Akira Kobayashi and Tetsuya Watari
, and Bloody Battle (1971). In 1971, Shishido ended his contract and left the failing company, which had transitioned into softcore
roman porno ("romantic pornography") films in order to stay profitable.
's highly popular post-war
yakuza series, Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode
(1974). By this time yakuza films had begun to lose favour with the public and Shishido ceased appearing in those types of roles. Over the next 20 years, he focused predominately on television with occasional film appearances including Exchange Students
(1982), Bound for the Fields, the Mountains, and the Seacoast (1986) and A Mature Woman (1994). His roles in Kaizo Hayashi
's Mike Hama
: Private Eye trilogy marked a reemergence of his tough-guy persona. The trilogy included The Most Terrible Time in My Life (1994), The Stairway to the Distant Past (1995) and The Trap (1996).
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film
Yakuza film
is a popular film genre in Japanese cinema which focuses on the lives and dealings of yakuza, also referred to as the Japanese Mafia.-Ninkyo eiga:...
roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones
Cheek augmentation
Cheek augmentation is a cosmetic surgical procedure that is intended to emphasize the cheeks on a person's face. To augment the cheeks, a plastic surgeon may place a solid implant over the cheekbone. Injections with the patients' own fat or a soft tissue filler, like Restylane, are also popular....
. He has appeared in some 300 films but is best known in the West for his performance in the cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Branded to Kill
Branded to Kill
is a 1967 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Annu Mari and Mariko Ogawa. It was a low budget, production line number for the Nikkatsu Company, originally released in a double bill with Shōgorō Nishimura's Burning Nature. The story follows Goro...
(1967). In Japan, he is also known by the nickname for his popular role in the Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
Fast-Draw Guy (1961).
Early life
Joe Shishido was born in the Kita WardKita-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.-Economy:West Japan Railway Company has its headquarters in Kita-ku. Nihon Bussan has its headquarters in Kita-ku. Dentsu and Yomiuri Shimbun have branch offices in Kita-ku. Mazda has an office in the Umeda Sky Building Tower East. Air France has an office on the...
of Osaka
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He had two older brothers, one younger sister and a younger brother who also became an actor under the name Eiji Go. Shishido attended schools in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Miyagi
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...
. In 1952, he graduated high school and enrolled in the theatre course at Nihon University
Nihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
. Two years later, he auditioned for the Nikkatsu Company
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
's New Face contest. He was one of 21 selected from 8000 applicants. Shishido dropped out of school and began working for Nikkatsu, appearing in small film roles.
Nikkatsu
In 1954, Joe Shishido signed on as a contract player at NikkatsuNikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
. Studio bosses encouraged Shishido to change his name, as popular tales of the samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age...
contained a villain named Shishido
Shishido Baiken
Shishido Baiken was a Japanese swordsman active in the early years of the Edo period . Baiken was a skilled swordsman, and soon on became a skilled practitioner of the kusarigama...
and they were modeling him into a romantic lead, but he refused. His first major role was in Policeman's Diary (1955), in which he played a young patrolman who challenges a police chief in a 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...
(bamboo sword fighting) match.
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
s and "blandly handsome features", Shishido underwent cheek augmentation
Cheek augmentation
Cheek augmentation is a cosmetic surgical procedure that is intended to emphasize the cheeks on a person's face. To augment the cheeks, a plastic surgeon may place a solid implant over the cheekbone. Injections with the patients' own fat or a soft tissue filler, like Restylane, are also popular....
surgery in 1957, increasing their size. Some have described his new look as "ruggedly handsome" and others equated it as being distinctly chipmunk-like. Afterwards, he began getting bigger parts predominantly as villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s in action movies
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
. Two of his largest roles in the early 1960s were opposite Akira Kobayashi
Akira Kobayashi
is a Japanese actor. His nickname is .- Biography :He successfully became an actor in the Nikkatsu Corporation. He attended Meiji University but left before graduating. Kobayashi made his debut in 1959 in the film Nangoku Tosa o Ato ni Shite . He also starred in the TV series "Wataridori" and...
in the Birds of Passage
Birds of Passage
Birds of Passage is the second album by the Norwegian band Bel Canto.-Track listing:#"Intravenous" – 3:18#"Birds of Passage" – 5:26#"The Glassmaker" – 4:27...
series and Keiichiro Akagi in the Record of Pistol Criminality series. Akagi then died in a go-karting
Kart racing
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...
accident which left Nikkatsu in need of a new action star. Shishido was selected. His first starring role was in the comic buddy film
Buddy film
The buddy film is a film genre in which two people of the same sex are paired. The two often contrast in personality, which creates a different dynamic onscreen than a pairing of two people of the opposite sex. The contrast is sometimes accentuated by an ethnic difference between the two...
Dirty Work (1961) with Hideaki Nitani. The film was a success and spawned two immediate sequels, Bodyguard Work (1961) and Helper Work (1961). He gained national popularity and the lifelong nickname "Joe the Ace" ("Eisu no Jō") for his eponymous role in the Eastern Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
Fast-Draw Guy (1961), in which he played the "third-fastest draw in the world—0.65 seconds."
Though he worked predominantly in comic action roles he also gained a "tough-guy loner image" in such films as Seijun Suzuki
Seijun Suzuki
, born Seitaro Suzuki on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are renowned by film enthusiasts worldwide for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility...
's Youth of the Beast
Youth of the Beast
is a 1963 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki. Much of the film is set in Tokyo.-External links:* * at the Japanese Movie Database...
(1963) in which he played an ex-cop who infiltrates two rival yakuza gangs. Shishido is best known in the West for the films he made with Suzuki including Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell, Bastards! (1963) and Gate of Flesh
Gate of Flesh
is a 1964 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki.-Synopsis:In an impoverished and burnt out Tokyo ghetto of post-World War II Japan, a band of prostitutes defend their territory, squatting in a bombed-out building. Somehow they eke out a living together...
(1964). Internationally, his best known film is Suzuki's Branded to Kill
Branded to Kill
is a 1967 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Annu Mari and Mariko Ogawa. It was a low budget, production line number for the Nikkatsu Company, originally released in a double bill with Shōgorō Nishimura's Burning Nature. The story follows Goro...
(1967), in which he starred as the number three hitman
Contract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
in Japan, although it received only moderate success on its original release. He later recalled seeing the film with friends and finding the theatre near deserted.
Nikkatsu action movies began to lose favour through the late 1960s and production was scaled back resulting in fewer jobs for Shishido. He began taking roles with other companies and in television, which were primarily of a comic nature. He also starred in Nikkatsu "new action" films such as the all-star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
vehicle Yakuza Bird of Passage:Bad Guys' Work (1969), with Akira Kobayashi and Tetsuya Watari
Tetsuya Watari
is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. He made his screen debut in 1964, in Isamu Kosugi's .He is now the president of Ishihara Promotion.He has a younger brother, Tsunehiko Watase, who is also an actor.-Filmography:-External links:* *...
, and Bloody Battle (1971). In 1971, Shishido ended his contract and left the failing company, which had transitioned into softcore
Softcore
Softcore pornography is a form of filmic or photographic pornography or erotica that is less sexually explicit than hardcore pornography. It is intended to tickle and arouse men and women. Softcore pornography depicts nude and semi-nude performers engaging in casual social nudity or non-graphic...
roman porno ("romantic pornography") films in order to stay profitable.
Free agent
Joe Shishido continued to work in television and appeared in films for other studios such as the fifth installment of ToeiToei Company
is 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...
's highly popular post-war
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
yakuza series, Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode
is part five and the final installation of a series of yakuza films directed by Kinji Fukasaku.-Cast:*Gorou Ibuki*Nobuo Kaneko*Kinya Kitaoji*Akira Kobayashi*Hiroki Matsukata*Bunta Sugawara as Shozo Hirono*Kunie Tanaka*Asao Uchida*Shingo Yamashiro...
(1974). By this time yakuza films had begun to lose favour with the public and Shishido ceased appearing in those types of roles. Over the next 20 years, he focused predominately on television with occasional film appearances including Exchange Students
Tenkōsei
is a 1982 Japanese film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. It is also known by the alternate English titles Exchange Students and I Are You, You Am Me.-Awards:4th Yokohama Film Festival*Won: Best Film...
(1982), Bound for the Fields, the Mountains, and the Seacoast (1986) and A Mature Woman (1994). His roles in Kaizo Hayashi
Kaizo Hayashi
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut with To Sleep so as to Dream . Abroad, he is best known for his neo-noir Maiku Hama trilogy, The Most Terrible Time in My Life , Stairway to the Distant Past and The Trap .-Partial filmography:* To Sleep so as to Dream *...
's Mike Hama
Mike Hammer
Michael "Mike" Hammer is a fictional detective created by the American author Mickey Spillane in the 1947 book I, the Jury .-Description:...
: Private Eye trilogy marked a reemergence of his tough-guy persona. The trilogy included The Most Terrible Time in My Life (1994), The Stairway to the Distant Past (1995) and The Trap (1996).
Partial filmography
- 1958 Voice Without a ShadowVoice Without a Shadowis a 1958 Japanese mystery film directed by Seijun Suzuki for the Nikkatsu Corporation. It is based on a novel by famed mystery writer Seichō Matsumoto.-External links:* at Cinefiles* at the Japanese Movie Database...
(影なき声 Kagenaki koe) - directed by Seijun SuzukiSeijun Suzuki, born Seitaro Suzuki on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are renowned by film enthusiasts worldwide for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility... - 1963 Detective Bureau 23: Go to Hell, Bastards!Detective Bureau 23: Go to Hell, Bastards!is a 1963 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki in the vein of the Nikkatsu Studio's "borderless action cinema". This was this first part of a series which ended after the second installment.-External links:* at Cinefiles...
(探偵事務所２３ 銭と女に弱い男 Tantei jimusho 23: Kutabare akutōdomo) - directed by Seijun Suzuki - 1963 Youth of the BeastYouth of the Beastis a 1963 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki. Much of the film is set in Tokyo.-External links:* * at the Japanese Movie Database...
(野獣の青春 Yaju no seishun) - d. Seijun Suzuki - 1964 Gate of FleshGate of Fleshis a 1964 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki.-Synopsis:In an impoverished and burnt out Tokyo ghetto of post-World War II Japan, a band of prostitutes defend their territory, squatting in a bombed-out building. Somehow they eke out a living together...
(肉体の門 Nikutai no mon) - d. Seijun Suzuki - 1967 A Colt Is My PassportA Colt Is My Passportis a 1967 Japanese yakuza film directed by Takashi Nomura for the Nikkatsu Corporation.-Synopsis:It stars Joe Shishido as a hitman who, along with his sidekick played by Jerry Fujio, is hired by the yakuza to eliminate a rival gang's boss. The two are captured after the job, escape and are waylaid...
(拳銃は俺のパスポート Koruto wa ore no pasupoto) - d. Takashi Nomura - 1967 Branded to KillBranded to Killis a 1967 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Annu Mari and Mariko Ogawa. It was a low budget, production line number for the Nikkatsu Company, originally released in a double bill with Shōgorō Nishimura's Burning Nature. The story follows Goro...
(殺しの烙印 Koroshi no rakuin) - d. Seijun Suzuki - 1974 Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final EpisodeBattles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episodeis part five and the final installation of a series of yakuza films directed by Kinji Fukasaku.-Cast:*Gorou Ibuki*Nobuo Kaneko*Kinya Kitaoji*Akira Kobayashi*Hiroki Matsukata*Bunta Sugawara as Shozo Hirono*Kunie Tanaka*Asao Uchida*Shingo Yamashiro...
(仁義なき戦い 完結篇 Jingi naki tatakai: Chojo sakusen) - d. Kinji FukasakuKinji Fukasakuwas a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer... - 1977 A Tale of Sorrow and SadnessA Tale of Sorrow and Sadnessis a 1977 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki.-External links:* at the Japanese Movie Database...
(悲愁物語 Hishu monogatari) - d. Seijun Suzuki - 1978 Bandits vs. Samurai SquadronBandits vs. Samurai Squadronis a 1978 Japanese film directed by Hideo Gosha.-Awards and nominations:21st Blue Ribbon Awards* Won: Best Supporting Actress - Junko Miyashita...
(雲霧仁左衛門 Kumokiri nizaemon) - d. Hideo GoshaHideo Goshawas a Japanese film director.Among his most famous films are Goyokin and Hitokiri, released in 1969, and The Wolves, released in 1971. His most famous film in the West is Sword of the Beast, released by Criterion.... - 1981 Edo Porn (北斎漫画 Hokusai manga) - d. Kaneto ShindōKaneto Shindo, Hiroshima, Japan) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His best known films include Children of Hiroshima, The Naked Island, Onibaba, Kuroneko and A Last Note.Shindō has often made films dealing with Hiroshima or the atomic bomb...
- 1985 Caribe: Symphony of Love (カリブ・愛のシンフォニー Karibu: Ai no shinfoni) - d. Norifumi SuzukiNorifumi Suzuki', also known as Norifumi Suzuki, is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his works for studio Toei , especially the Red Peony Gambler and Truck Yarō series.Suzuki was born November 26, 1933 in Shizuoka...
- 1986 The Samurai (ザ・サムライ Za samurai - d. Norifumi Suzuki
- 1987 Fugitive Alien - d. Minoru Kanaya & Kiyosumi Kuzakawa
- 1988 Tokyo: The Last MegalopolisTokyo: The Last Megalopolisis a tokusatsu historical fantasy film produced in 1987 by Exe and distributed in 1988 by Toho Studios. It is the first live-action adaptation of the Teito Monogatari series by Hiroshi Aramata.-Plot:...
- d. Akio JissojiAkio Jissojiwas a Japanese television and film director best known outside of Japan for the 1960s TV series Ultraman and Ultra Seven, as well as for his auteur erotic ATG-produced Buddhist trilogy , , and .... - 1994 The Most Terrible Time in My Life (我が人生最悪の時 Waga jinsei saiaku no toki) - d. Kaizo HayashiKaizo Hayashiis a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut with To Sleep so as to Dream . Abroad, he is best known for his neo-noir Maiku Hama trilogy, The Most Terrible Time in My Life , Stairway to the Distant Past and The Trap .-Partial filmography:* To Sleep so as to Dream *...
- 1995 The Stairway to the Distant Past (遥かな時代の階段を Harukana jidai no kaidan) o - d. Kaizo Hayashi
- 1996 The Trap (罠 Wana) - d. Kaizo Hayashi
- 1997 To LoveTo LoveTo Love is Japanese R&B singer-lyricist Kana Nishino's second studio album. It was released on June 23, 2010 by SME Records...
(愛する Aisuru) - d. Kei KumaiKei Kumaiwas a Japanese film director from Azumino, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he worked as director's assistant....
External links
- Midnight Eye interview: Joe Shishido and Toshio MasudaToshio Masudais a Japanese film director. He developed a reputation as a consistent box office hit-maker. Over the course of five decades, 16 of his films made the yearly top ten lists at the Japanese box office—a second place record in the industry. Between 1958 and 1968 he directed 52 films for the Nikkatsu...
- Dirty Joker Shishido's official website