was a Japanese

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

known especially for his work in

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—''Portrait of Hel ...

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

Career

Born in

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...

, Tsukigata entered the actor's school at

Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally ...

in 1920, but earned his first starring role working at Shōzō Makino's studio in 1924. He became a star of

chanbara , also commonly spelled "''chambara''", meaning "sword fighting" films,Hill (2002). denotes the Japanese film genre called samurai cinema in English and is roughly equivalent to Western and swashbuckler films. ''Chanbara'' is a sub-category of '' ...

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 Mansaku Itami (伊丹万作; real name Yoshitoyo Ikeuchi 池内義豊; 2 January 1900 – 21 September 1946) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter known for his critical, sometimes satirical portraits of Japan and its history. H ...

, and

Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker best remembered for the Academy Award-winning '' Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto'', which was released in 1954. Career Born in Tokyo as the son of a shinpa actor, Inagaki appeared on stage in his childhood before joining t ...

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

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

'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 25 March 1943 by Toho film studios, the film was eventually released in the United States on 28 April 1 ...

''. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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

Tokugawa Mitsukuni , also known as , was a Japanese 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 the seco ...

(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 is a 1945 Japanese action drama film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is based on the novel by Tsuneo Tomita, son of Tomita Tsunejirō, the earliest disciple of judo. It was filmed in early 1945 in Japan towards the end of World War II. ...

'' (1945) * ''

The Invisible Man Appears is a 1949 Japanese science fiction tokusatsu film directed by Nobuo Adachi, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was loosely based on H. G. Wells' 1897 ''The Invisible Man'' and produced by Daiei Film, the film stars Kanji Koshiba, C ...

'' (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 His childhood name was Shojumaru (松寿丸). In 1577, when Nagamasa was a ...

* ''

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 was a popular figure in the Edo period. He was a bakuto (gamblers commonly seen as forerunners to the modern yakuza). His story is mainly responsible for the romanticised "chivalrous bandit" or "Robin Hood" image in Japan. An example was when ...

'' (1958) * '' Akō Rōshi'' (Akō Rōshi) (1961) * ''

Hangyakuji Hangyakuji ( ja, 反逆児, ''The Conspirator'') is a 1961 Japanese historical-fiction film directed by Daisuke Ito. It features Kinnosuke Yorozuya, Kaneko Iwasaki, and Tsukie Matsuura. Plot Saburo Nobuyasu, a young king, has trouble finding h ...

'' (1961) as

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

* ''

The Mad Fox ''The Mad Fox'', (also titled '' Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow'' or ''Koiya koi nasuna koi'') is a 1962 film directed by Tomu Uchida. It is based upon a 1734 bunraku play. It is noted for its use of bunraku and kabuki aesthetics, including joshikimaku ...

'' (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