was a Japanese

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

known especially for his work in

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "historical drama, period dramas", it refers to stories that take place before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. ''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, crafts ...

in film and television. His real name was Kiyoto Monden.

Career

Born in

Miyagi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akit ...

, Tsukigata entered the actor's school at

Nikkatsu is a Japanese film studio located in Bunkyō. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Motion Pictures". Shareholders are Nippon Television Holdings (35%) and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (28.4%). ...

in 1920, but earned his first starring role working at Shōzō Makino's studio in 1924. He became a star of chanbara films, but got into trouble when he ran away with Makino's daughter, Teruko Makino, even though he was married. He eventually left Teruko and returned to the fold, but left again to start his own production company, which soon failed. Continuing to work at various studios, Tsukigata appeared in films by such masters as Daisuke Itō, Mansaku Itami, and

Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker who worked on over 100 films in a career spanning over five decades. He is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed filmmakers in the history of Japanese cinema, having directed several ''jidaigeki'' epics s ...

. He is probably best known to foreign audiences for playing Sanshiro's rival in

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

's ''

Sanshiro Sugata is a 1943 Japanese martial arts drama film and the directorial debut of the Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa. First released in Japan on March 25, 1943 by Toho film studios, the film was eventually released in the United States on April 28 ...

''. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he moved into supporting roles at the Tōei studio, but also played such major characters as

Tokugawa Mitsukuni , also known as , was a Japanese daimyō, daimyo who was known for his influence in the politics of the early Edo period. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa (who in turn was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu) and succeeded him, becoming ...

(Mito Kōmon) on film and television.

Selected filmography

* ''Zanjin zanbaken'' (斬人斬馬剣) (1928) * ''Chūji uridasu'' (忠治売出す) (1935) * ''Muhōmatsu no isshō'' (無法松の一生) (1943) * ''

'' (1943) * '' Noroshi wa Shanghai ni agaru'' (1944) * '' Sanshiro Sugata Part II'' (1945) * '' The Invisible Man Appears'' (1949) * '' Kojiki Taishō'' (1952) as

Kuroda Nagamasa was a ''daimyō'' during the late Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods. He was the son of Kuroda Kanbei, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's chief strategist and adviser. Biography Nagamasa's childhood name was Shojumaru (松寿丸). In 1577 his fathe ...

* ''

Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is a 1955 Japanese jidaigeki and drama film directed by Tomu Uchida. Plot The samurai Sakawa Kojūrō is on the road to Edo with his two servants Genta and Genpachi. Kojūrō is a kindly master, but his character totally changes when he consum ...

'' (1955) * '' Dai-bosatsu tōge'' (1957) * '' Kunisada Chūji'' (1958) * '' Akō Rōshi'' (Akō Rōshi) (1961) * '' Hangyakuji'' (1961) as

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

* '' The Mad Fox'' (1962) * '' 13 Assassins'' (1963) as Makino * '' Soshiki Bōryoku'' (1967) * ''

Samurai Banners is a Japanese samurai drama film released in 1969. It was directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and is based on the novel ''Furin kazan'' by Yasushi Inoue. Plot Yamamoto Kansuke (Toshiro Mifune) is a general of warlord Takeda Shingen ( Nakamura Kinno ...

'' (1969) as Kasahara Kiyoshige

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tsukigata, Ryunosuke 1902 births 1970 deaths Japanese male silent film actors Actors from Miyagi Prefecture 20th-century Japanese male actors