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 ...

who appeared in films of

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 ...

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in t ...

Mikio Naruse was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967. Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook. He made primarily shomin-geki ("common people drama") films with female protagonists, ...

Tadashi Imai was a Japanese film director known for Social realism, social realist filmmaking informed by a Left-wing politics, left-wing perspective. His most noted films include ''An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (1953) and ''Bushido, Samurai Saga'' (1963). Life ...

and many others. He succumbed to

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

at the age of 71.

Distinctions

One of Kurosawa's iconic ''

Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The story takes place in 1586 during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who hire seven ...

'', Miyaguchi won the 1955

Mainichi Film Concours The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...

Best Supporting Actor award for his role. In 1983 he was awarded Japan's

Medal with Purple Ribbon are medals awarded by the Government of Japan. They are awarded to individuals who have done meritorious deeds and also to those who have achieved excellence in their field of work. The Medals of Honor were established on December 7, 1881, and we ...

. A character designed as a caricature of Miyaguchi is regularly featured in the cat-oriented

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

''Mon-chan and Me'', published in

Fusosha is a Japanese publishing company wholly owned by Fuji TV, Fuji Media Holdings and part of the Fujisankei Communications Group. History Fuji TV established Living Magazine Co. , Ltd as a publishing business. In 1984, the company name was changed ...

's popular

webzine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to being online only was the computer magaz ...

''Joshi Spa!'' (Women's Spa!).

Selected filmography

*1945: ''

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 ...

'' - Kohei Tsuzaki *1946: ''Urashima Tarô no kôei'' *1947: ''Sanbon yubi no otoko'' *1951: '' The Good Fairy'' - Editor-in-chief *1951: ''

Early Summer is a 1951 Japanese drama by Yasujirō Ozu. Like most of Ozu's post-war films, ''Early Summer'' deals with issues ranging from communication problems between generations to the rising role of women in post-war Japan. The plot concerns Noriko, who ...

'' - Nishiwaki *1951: '' Fireworks over the Sea'' - Gunzô Ishiguro *1951: ''Inochi uruwashi'' - Oshima *1952: ''

Ikiru is a 1952 Japanese drama film directed and co-written (with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni) by Akira Kurosawa. The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo bureaucrat (played by Takashi Shimura) and his final quest for meaning. ...

'' - Yakuza Boss *1953: ''The Last Embrace'' - Gangster *1953: ''Senkan Yamato'' *1953: '' An Inlet of Muddy Water'' - Gen Shichi (Story 3) *1954: ''

'' - Kyuzo, the master swordsman *1954: ''Taiyo no nai machi'' *1955: ''Izumi e no michi'' *1956: ''Kyatsu o nigasuna'' *1956: '' Flowing'' *1956: ''Ankokugai'' *1956: ''Shokei no heya'' - Hanya, Katsumi's father *1956: ''Onibi'' *1956: ''Aru onna no baai'' - Tomoki Hisamoto *1956: ''

Nagareru is a 1956 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on the novel ''Nagareru'' by Aya Kōda. Plot Widow Rika starts working as a maid in the okiya (geisha lodging house) of geisha Otsuta, who lives with her daughter Katsuyo, her ...

'' - Namie's uncle *1957: ''

Throne of Blood is a 1957 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film transposes the plot of William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'' from Medieval Scotland to feudal Ja ...

'' - Phantom samurai *1957: ''

Tokyo Twilight is a 1957 Japanese drama film by Yasujirō Ozu. It is the story of two sisters (played by Ineko Arima and Ozu regular Setsuko Hara) who are reunited with a mother who left them as children. The film is considered amongst Ozu's darkest postwar ...

'' - Policeman *1957: '' Aruse'' *1957: ''Nikui mono'' *1957: ''Yoru no chô'' - Customer *1957: ''Kiken na eiyu'' *1957: ''

Jun'ai monogatari is a 1957 Japanese film directed by Tadashi Imai. It was entered into the 8th Berlin International Film Festival where Imai won the Silver Bear for Best Director. Cast * Shinjirō Ehara as Hayakawa Kantaro * Hitomi Nakahara * Eiji Okada * Isa ...

'' - Judge *1957: '' Kuroi kawa'' - Kin *1958: ''

Stakeout Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...

'' - Yuji Shimooka, the police detective *1958: ''Kuroi kafun'' - Kitaga *1958: ''

Rickshaw Man , also released as ''Muhomatsu, the Rickshaw Man'' or ''The Rikisha-Man'', is a 1958 color Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. It is a remake of his own 1943 film. In the 1943 version Tsumasaburo Bando played the role of Muhōmatsu. In Oct ...

'' - Fencing master *1958: '' The Ballad of Narayama'' - Mata-yan *1958: ''Ryu ni makasero'' *1958: ''Nemuri Kyôshirô burai hikae: Maken jigoku'' - Senjuro Takebe *1959: ''

The Human Condition ''The Human Condition'', first published in 1958, is Hannah Arendt's account of how "human activities" should be and have been understood throughout Western history. Arendt is interested in the ''vita activa'' (active life) as contrasted with ...

'' - Kyôritsu Ô *1959: ''Saikô shukun fujin'' - Rintaro Nonomiya *1959: ''

Kiku to Isamu is a 1959 Japanese film directed by Tadashi Imai which addresses the subject of children from interracial relationships. Cast *Emiko Takahashi *George Okunoyama *Tanie Kitabayashi *Kōji Mitsui *Osamu Takizawa * Rentarō Mikuni *Seiji Miyaguchi * ...

'' - Doctor *1959: ''Farewell to Spring'' - Akira's father *1959: ''Aruhi watashi wa'' - Masao Shiroyama *1959: ''Mikkai'' *1959: ''Jôen'' - Ôshû Mitani *1960: ''Banana'' *1960: ''Bokutô kitan'' - Yoshizo *1960: ''

The Bad Sleep Well is a 1960 Japanese crime mystery film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It was the first film to be produced under Kurosawa's own independent production company. It was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival. The film stars Toshiro ...

'' - Prosecutor Okakura *1960: Minagoroshi no uta' yori kenjû-yo saraba!'' - Takahashi *1961: ''Enraptured'' - Prof. Nunokawa *1961: ''Miyamoto Musashi'' - Bamboo craftsman Kisuke *1961: ''Aitsu to watashi'' - Kokichi, Saburo's father *1961: ''Kuroi gashû dainibu: Kanryû'' *1962: ''Karami-ai'' *1962: ''The Outcast'' - School master *1962: ''Miyamoto Musashi: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights'' - Bamboo craftsman Kisuke *1962: ''Gekkyû dorobo'' *1963: ''Attack Squadron!'' *1963: ''Koto'' - Takichiro Sada *1963: ''Mushukunin-betsuchô'' - Usuke *1963: ''Subarashii akujo'' *1963: ''Alibi'' - Asakichi Sagawa *1963: ''Mashiroki Fuji no ne'' - Shûhei Isomura *1963: ''Gobanchô yûgirirô'' - Sanzaemon *1963: ''

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

'' - Doctor *1963: ''Hikaru umi'' - Seiji Tajima *1964: ''Kaze no bushi'' *1964: ''

Pale Flower is a 1964 Japanese film noir directed by Masahiro Shinoda. The film is about Muraki ( Ryō Ikebe) a Yakuza hitman just released from prison. At an illegal gambling parlor, he finds himself drawn to a mysterious young woman named Saeko ( Mariko K ...

'' - Gang leader *1964: ''Nihiki no mesu inu'' - Detective Tasaka *1964: ''Samurai from Nowhere'' - Tatewaki Komuro *1964: ''

Unholy Desire is a 1964 Japanese drama film by director Shōhei Imamura. Plot Sadako, a corpulent young woman, lives with her common-law husband Koichi, a librarian who has an ongoing affair with his colleague Yoshiko. Although she looks after Koichi's little ...

'' - Genji Miyata *1964: ''Hadaka no jûyaku'' - Heikichi Hamanaka *1964: ''Akujo'' - Daizo Suzuki *1964: ''Ai to shi o mitsumete'' *1964: ''Kuruwa sodachi'' - Tsukada *1964: ''

Kwaidan is a Japanese word consisting of two kanji: 怪 (''kai'') meaning "strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching apparition" and 談 (''dan'') meaning "talk" or "recited narrative". Overall meaning and usage In its broadest sense, ''kaidan'' refers ...

'' - Old man (segment "Chawan no naka") *1964: ''Kenji Kirishima Saburô'' - Masayuki Mori *1965: ''

Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon , also known as ''Space Gulliver'', is a 1965 Japanese animated feature that was released in Japan on March 20, 1965 and in the United States on July 23, 1966. Plot The story concerns a homeless boy named Ricky, or Ted in the Japanese version. ...

'' - Prof. Gulliver (voice) *1965: ''Miseinen - Zoku cupola no aru machi'' - Tatsugorô Ishiguro *1965: ''

Samurai Spy , also known as ''Spy Hunter'', is a 1965 film directed by Masahiro Shinoda, based on a novel by Koji Nakada. The legendary ninja Sasuke Sarutobi tracks the spy Nojiri, while a mysterious figure named Sakon leads a band of men on their own quest ...

'' - Jinnai-Kazutaka Horikawa *1966: ''Panchi yarô'' - Wada's Father *1967: ''Taifû to zakuro'' - Naokichi Kuwata *1967: ''Chikumagawa zesshô'' *1967: ''

Japan's Longest Day is a 1967 Japanese war film directed by Kihachi Okamoto. The subject of the majority of the movie is the period between noon on August 14, 1945 and noon on August 15, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito's decision to surrender to the Allies in World W ...

'' - Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo *1968: ''Shachô hanjôki'' *1968: ''Zoku shacho hanjôki'' *1968: ''Rio no wakadaishô'' *1968: ''Rengô kantai shirei chôkan: Yamamoto Isoroku'' - Ito *1968: ''Aniki no koibito'' - Ginsaku Kitagawa *1970: ''

The Militarists is a 1970 Japanese film directed by Hiromichi Horikawa. Release ''The Militarists'' had a roadshow release in Japan on 11 August 1970 where it was distributed by Toho. It received general release 12 September 1970 in Japan. The film was Toho's ...

- Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo *1971: '' To Love Again'' - Miya's father *1972: '' Tora-san's Dear Old Home'' - Utako's father *1974: '' The Fossil'' - Sunami *1974: '' Tora-san's Lovesick'' - Utako's father *1975: ''Aoi sanmyaku'' *1977: ''Melodii beloy nochi'' *1980: ''Tobe ikarosu no tsubasa'' - Miwa *1980: ''

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) - Muraji *1982: '' The Challenge'' - Old Man *1982: ''Maboroshi no mizuumi'' - Yoshikane Nagao *1983: ''

Hakujasho is a 1983 Japanese film directed by Shunya Itō. Awards 7th Japan Academy Prize * Won: Best Actress - Rumiko Koyanagi , formerly known as during her Takarazuka Revue days, is a Japanese actress and singer. She began her career as a member o ...

'' - Jikan *1984: ''Ningyo densetsu'' - Tatsuo *1984: '' Farewell to the Ark'' - Old man *1986: ''Oedipus no yaiba'' - Yoshiyama (final film role)

Selected television appearances

*1965: ''

Taikōki The is a biography of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who rose to the office of '' taikō'' during the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japanese history. The Confucian scholar (1564–1640) published the work in 1626 during the rule of the third Tokugawa shōgu ...

'' - Manase Dōsan *1972: '' Shin Heike Monogatari'' -

Fujiwara no Shunzei was a Japanese poet, courtier, and Buddhist monk of the late Heian period. He was also known as Fujiwara no Toshinari"...there is the further problem, the rendition of the name in romanized form. Teika probably referred to himself as Sadaie, and ...

*1976: ''

Kaze to Kumo to Niji to is a 1976 Japanese historical television series. It is the 14th NHK taiga drama. Kaze to kumo to Niji to deals with the Heian period in Japan. Based on Chōgorō Kaionji's novels ''Taira no Masakado'' and ''Umi to Kaze to Niji to''. The drama was ...

'' - Musashi no Takeshiba *1979: '' Oretachi wa Tenshi da!'' (1979) Episode14 *1983: ''

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

'' - Torii Tadayoshi *1984: ''

Sanga Moyu ''Sanga Moyu'' (山河燃ゆ) is a Japanese television drama based on the 1983 novel ''Futatsu no Sokoku'' (二つの祖国) by Toyoko Yamazaki. It was NHK's taiga drama in 1984. Synopsis The Amo family lives in Los Angeles, California. Two of ...

'' - Ichirō Kiyose

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miyaguchi, Seiji 1913 births 1985 deaths Male actors from Tokyo 20th-century Japanese male actors Japanese male film actors Japanese male television actors Japanese male stage actors Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Deaths from lung cancer in Japan