was a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

 actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

. Born , son of kabuki actor Nakamura Tokizō III, he entered kabuki and became the first in the kabuki tradition to take the name Nakamura Kinnosuke. He took on his guild name (yagō

YAGO

YAGO was an early LAN startup acquired by Cabletron Systems in the mid-1990s, fueling its growth into Gigabit Ethernet switching and ultimately being re-spun off into the entity Riverstone Networks....

) Yorozuya as his surname in 1971.

In addition to his kabuki activity, Kinnosuke had an extensive film career. A specialist in jidaigeki

Jidaigeki

is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...

, Kinnosuke appeared in more than 140 films. These include a 1957 Mito Kōmon

Mito Kōmon

is a Japanese jidaigeki or period drama that has been on prime-time television since 1969. The title character is the historic Tokugawa Mitsukuni, former vice-shogun and retired second daimyo of the Mito domain...

and a 1961 appearance as the title character in the Toei Company

Toei 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 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...

series (a role he reprised in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1965, and again in 1971). A versatile actor, he has played as many as seven characters in a single film. In various productions of Chūshingura

Chushingura

is the name for fictionalized accounts of the historical revenge by the Forty-seven Ronin of the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including the early , the story has been told in kabuki, bunraku, stage plays, films, novels, television shows and other media...

, he also portrayed Oyamada Shōzaemon (1956), Asano Naganori

Asano Naganori

was the daimyo of the Akō Domain in Japan . His title was Takumi no Kami . He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as Chushingura, one of the favourite themes of kabuki, joruri and Japanese books and films.He was born in Edo as the eldest son of Asano...

 (1959), Wakisaka Awaji no Kami (1961), and Ōishi Yoshio

Oishi Yoshio

was the chamberlain of the Akō Domain in Harima Province , Japan . He is known as the leader of the Forty-seven Ronin in their 1702 vendetta and thus the hero of the Chūshingura...

 (1978). Other appearances include Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Minamoto no Yoshitsune

was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen. Yoshitsune's older brother Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the Kamakura...

 (1957, 1958, 1962), Tokugawa Iemitsu

Tokugawa Iemitsu

Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651.-Early life :...

 (1958), Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...

 (1965), Takeda Shingen

Takeda Shingen

, of Kai Province, was a preeminent daimyo in feudal Japan with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.-Name:Shingen was called "Tarō" or "Katsuchiyo" during his childhood...

 (1969), Sakamoto Ryōma

Sakamoto Ryoma

was a leader of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. Ryōma used the alias .- Early life :Ryōma was born in Kōchi, of Tosa han . By the Japanese calendar, this was the sixth year of Tenpō...

 (1970), Yagyū Munenori

Yagyu Munenori

was a Japanese swordsman, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, which he learned from his father Yagyū "Sekishusai" Muneyoshi. This was one of two official sword styles patronized by the Tokugawa Shogunate...

 (1978), Matsudaira Katamori

Matsudaira Katamori

was a samurai who lived in the last days of the Edo period and the early to mid Meiji period. He was the 9th daimyo of the Aizu han and the Military Commissioner of Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period. During the Boshin War, Katamori and the Aizu han fought against the Meiji Government armies, but...

 (1980), and Oda Yūrakusai

Oda Nagamasu

was a Japanese daimyo who lived from the late Sengoku period through the early Edo period. Also known as Urakusai , he was a brother of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasu converted to Christianity in 1588 and took the baptismal name of John....

 (1989).

Kinnosuke portrayed Yagyū Munenori

Yagyu Munenori

was a Japanese swordsman, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, which he learned from his father Yagyū "Sekishusai" Muneyoshi. This was one of two official sword styles patronized by the Tokugawa Shogunate...

 once again, this time on television as the star of the year-long 1971 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....

 Taiga drama

Taiga drama

is 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...

 Haru no Sakamichi. His final appearance as Munenori was in Yagyū Shinkage-ryū

Yagyu Shinkage-ryu

is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship . Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, who added his own name to the school. Today, the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū remains...

in a 1982 production. From 1973 to 1976, he played Ogami Ittō, the Lone Wolf in the NTV

Nippon Television

is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...

 series Kozure Ōkami based on the manga Lone Wolf and Cub

Lone Wolf and Cub

is a manga created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Yorozuya Kinnosuke, and is widely recognized as an important and influential work.Lone Wolf and Cub...

. A late-career role was Yamana Sōzen in the Taiga drama Hana no Ran.

Kinnosuke's younger brother Nakamura Katsuo and nephew Nakamura Shidō II are currently active in kabuki, television, and film.

Filmography

• Sen no Rikyu
  Sen no Rikyu
  , is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on chanoyu, the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of wabi-cha...
  
   (1989) Urakusai Oda
• Kozure Ôkami: namida ito (1986) Ogami Itto
• Saigo no bakuto (1985) Himself
• Kozure Ôkami: osanago no me (1985) Ogami Itto
• Tori ni tsubasa kemono ni kiba (1984) Ogami Itto
• Fugitive Samurai (1984) Ogami Itto
• Kita kara minami nishi kara higashi (1983) Ogami Itto
• Seishun no mon: Jiritsu hen (1982) Eiji Niki
• Shikake-nin Baian
  Shikake-nin Baian
  is a 1981 Japanese film directed by Yasuo Furuhata.-Awards and nominations:5th Japan Academy Prize*Won: Best Supporting Actor - Katsuo Nakamura*Nominated: Best Director - Yasuo Furuhata6th Hochi Film Award...
  
   (1981) Baian Fujieda
• Tokugawa ichizoku no houkai (1980) Matsudaira Katamori (Lord of Aizu)
• Sanada Yukimura no bouryaku (1979)
• Ako-Jo danzetsu (1978) Kuranosuke Ohishi
• Ogin-sama (1978)
• Yagyû ichizoku no inbô (1978) Yagyu Tajima
• Shinken shobu (1971) Musashi Miyamoto
• Tenkan no abarembo (1970) Yataro Iwasaki
• Machibuse (1970) Heima Ibuki
• Bakumatsu (1970) Ryoma Sakamoto
• Shokon ichidai tenka no abarenbo (1970)
• Shinsengumi
  Shinsengumi
  The were a special police force of the late shogunate period.-Historical background:After Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853, its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic...
  
   (1969) Fujita Arima
• Jigokuhen (1969) Lord Hosokawa
• Shirikurae Magoichi (1969) Magoichi Saika
• Goyokin
  Goyokin
  is a 1969 jidaigeki film co-written and directed by Hideo Gosha. Set during the late Tokugawa era, the story follows a reclusive ronin who is trying to atone for past transgressions. In 1975 it was remade as a Western film, entitled The Master Gunfighter.-Plot:...
  
   (1969) Samon Fujimaki
• Samurai Banners
  Samurai Banners
  is a Japanese samurai drama film released in 1969. It was directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and is based on the life of the famous Sengoku-era battle strategist, Yamamoto Kansuke.- Plot :...
  
   (1969) Takeda Shingen
• Gion matsuri
  Gion Matsuri
  The takes place annually in Kyoto and is one of the most famous festivals in Japan. It spans the entire month of July and is crowned by a parade, the on July 17. It takes its name from Kyoto's Gion district....
  
   (1968) Shinkichi
• Tange Sazen: Hien iaigiri (1966) Samanosuke/Tange Sazen
• Kutsukake Tokijiro - yukyo ippiki (1966)
• Miyamoto Musashi: Ganryū-jima no kettō (1965) Miyamoto Musashi (Takezo)
• Tokugawa Ieyasu (film) (1965)
• Matatabi san ning yakuza (1965)
• Hana to ryu
  Hana to Ryu
  is a yaoi manga series created by Kazuma Kodaka in 1993. Designed as a doujinshi, Hana to Ryū follows Ryūji Kazama, the son of a dead yakuza boss, as he struggles to maintain a peaceful existence while dealing with harmful forces all around him...
  
   (1965)
• Samé (film) (1964) Same
• Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijoji no ketto (1964) Miyamoto Musashi (Takezo)
• Shark (1964 film) (1964)
• Miyamoto Musashi: Nitoryu kaigen (1963) Miyamoto Musashi (Takezo)
• Bushidō zankoku monogatari (1963) Jirozaemon/Iikura/Sajiemon/Kyutaro/Shuzo/Shingo/Osamu/Susumu
• Otoko ippiki dochuki (1963)
• Brave Records of the Sanada Clan
  Brave Records of the Sanada Clan
  is a Japanese film directed by Tai Kato in 1963. It is a jidaigeki musical about Sasuke Sarutobi and the Sanada Ten Braves who, under the leadership of Yukimura Sanada, try to defend Toyotomi Hideyori during the siege of Osaka Castle by the Tokugawa armies...
  
   (1963) as Sasuke
  Sarutobi Sasuke
  was a famous ninja in Japanese folklore. He is generally believed to be a Meiji period fictional creation based on the historical ninja ', although some argue for his actual existence.- In folklore :...
  
  
• Seki no yatappe (1963)
• Fuji dōzan-koku monogatari (1963)
• Miyamoto Musashi: Hannyazaka no ketto (1962) Miyamoto Musashi (Takezo)
• Chiisakobe (1962) Shigetsugu
• Mabuta no haha (1962) Banba no Chutaro
• Genji Kurō sassōki: Hiken ageha no chō (1962)
• Sen-hime to Hideyori (1962) Toyotomi Hideyori
• Jirochō to kotengu: nagurikomi kōshūji (1962)
• Hangyakuji (1961) Tokugawa Nobuyasu
• Miyamoto Musashi (1961 film) (1961) as 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...
  
   (Takezo)
• Akō Rōshi
  Akō Rōshi
  is a 1961 color Japanese film about the Forty-Seven Ronin directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda.- Cast :* Kusuo Abe as Katada* Kyōko Aoyama as Nagi* Chiyonosuke Azuma as Horibe* Shinobu Chihara as Ukibashi Dayu* Yoshiko Fujita as Ayame* Hiromi Hanazono as Sakura...
  
  (赤穂浪士 Akō Rōshi) (1961) as Wakisaka
• Iyemitsu to Hikoza to isshin yasuke (1961)
• Eddoko bugyo tenka o kiru otoko (1961)
• Eddoko hanseiki (1961)
• Zoku shinran (1960)
• Shinran (film) (1960) as Shinran
  Shinran
  was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino at the turbulent close of the Heian Period and lived during the Kamakura Period...
  
  
• Yatarō gasa (1960 film) (1960)
• Tonosama - Yaji kita (1960)
• Mori no Ishimatsu (1960)
• Naniwa no koi no monogatari (1959) Chubei Kameya
• Daibosatsu tōge - Kanketsu-hen (1959)
• Torimono dochu (1959)
• Binan-jo (1959)
• Isshin Tasuke - Tenka no ichidaiji (1958) Isshin Tasuke/Tokugawa Iemitsu
• Daibosatsu tōge - Dai ni bu (1958)
• Kaze to onna to tabigarasu (1958) Ginji
• Ninkyo Tokaido (1958) Onikichi
• Obuzo tengu (1958)
• Shimizu Minato no meibutso otoko: Enshūmori no Ishimatsu (1958)
• Asama no abarenbo (1958)
• Daibosatsu tōge (1957) Uzuki Hyoma
• Yurei-sen (1957)
• Beni kujaku (1955)
• Shinshokoku monogatari, benikujaku dai-ippen: Nachi no kotengu (1954)
• Mangetsu tanuki-bayashi (1954) Mametaro/Gen'nosuke
• Doku-ganryu Masamune (1942) Lord of Date
• Jishi maru ippei (????)
• Minamoto Yoshitsune (????)

Television

• Kanpanî (1996) Himself
• Sorekara no Musashi (1981) TV series ... Miyamoto Musashi
• Haru no sakamichi (1971)
• Kozure Ōkami (1973-1976) TV series ... Ittô Ogami
• Hiya-meshi to Osanto-chan (1965) Daishiro Shibayama (episode1)/Santa (episode 2)/Jyukichi (episode 3)

Awards and nominations

• In 1958 he won for Best Actor in Isshin Tasuke - Tenka no ichidaiji by the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.
• In 1959 he won the Most Popular Award by the Blue Ribbon Awards.
• In 1964 he won for Best Actor in Bushidô zankoku monogatari by the Blue Ribbon Awards.
• In 1979 he was Nominated for the Award of the Japanese Academy for Best Actor in Yagyû ichizoku no inbô.
• In 1990 he was Nominated for the Award of the Japanese Academy for Best Supporting Actor in Sen no Rikyu.
• In 1996 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Awards of the Japanese Academy.
• In 1998 he was awarded a Special Award by the Awards of the Japanese Academy for his career.
• In 1998 he was awarded a Special Award by the Mainichi Film Concours for his career.

External links