was a Japanese actor, radio host, singer, and prominent researcher and expert on Japanese folk art. He also founded the Shabondama-za

theater company Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

. Ozawa, who was born in Tokyo, graduated from

Waseda University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the ''Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō'' by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902. The university has numerou ...

. He began acting after college, beginning with his debut stage role in 1951. He also appeared in television and film roles, acting quite frequently in films directed by Shohei Imamura and Yūzō Kawashima. In 1971, Ozawa launched his long running radio show. A respected folk art expert, Ozawa also researched traditional Japanese

performing art The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfor ...

s. He recorded and released "Nihon no Horo Gei" ("Japan's Itinerant Arts") based on his research. In 2004, Ozawa became the "mayor" of

Meiji Mura is an open-air architectural museum/theme park in Inuyama, near Nagoya in Aichi prefecture, Japan. It was opened on March 18, 1965. The museum preserves historic buildings from Japan's Meiji (1867–1912), Taishō (1912–1926), and early Sh ...

, an open-air museum in

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...

which showcases

Meiji Era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

architecture. The Japanese government awarded Ozawa the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2001 and the

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 ...

in 1994 for his body of work. Shōichi Ozawa died on December 10, 2012, at the age of 83.

Filmography

*'' Suzaki Paradise: Akashingō'' (1956) *''

Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate is a 1957 Japanese comedy film directed by Yūzō Kawashima with a screenplay by Kawashima, Shōhei Imamura and Keiichi Tanaka. It was voted the fifth best Japanese film of all time in a poll of 140 Japanese critics and filmmakers conducted by ...

'' (1957) *'' Endless Desire'' (1958) *'' My Second Brother'' (1959) *''

Pigs and Battleships The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

'' (1961) *''

Foundry Town is a 1962 Japanese drama film directed by Kirio Urayama. It was entered into the 1962 Cannes Film Festival and won the Blue Ribbon Awards in 1962. Cast * Sayuri Yoshinaga as Jun * Mitsuo Hamada as Tsukamoto, Katsumi * Eijirō Tōno as Ishigur ...

'' (1962) *''

The Insect Woman is a 1963 Japanese drama film directed by Shōhei Imamura. It was entered into the 14th Berlin International Film Festival, where Sachiko Hidari won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award. It was also awarded numerous national film prizes. Plo ...

'' (1963) *'' Bad Girl'' (1963) * ''

Kunoichi ninpō is a 1964 Japanese erotic film directed by Sadao Nakajima in his directorial debut. It is based on Futaro Yamada's novel of the same title. Plot In the Siege of Osaka, five female ninjas who pregnanted with Toyotomi Hideyori's child escape fro ...

'' (1964) *'' Story of a Prostitute'' (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. ...

'' (1965) *''

The Pornographers is a 1966 satiric Japanese film directed by Shōhei Imamura. It is based on the novel ''Erogotoshitachi'' by Akiyuki Nosaka. Plot ''The Pornographers'' tells the story of porn filmmaker Mr. Subuyan Ogata, whose business is under threat from thie ...

'' (1966) *'' A Fool's Love'' (1967) *'' The Human Bullet'' (1968) * '' Summer Soldiers'' (1972) *'' Eijanaika'' (1981) *''

Tora-san's Promise , also called ''Torasan and a Paper Balloon'' in some regions, is a 1981 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Mikiko Otonashi as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san's Pro ...

'' (1981) *'' The Ballad of Narayama'' (1983) *''

Gonza the Spearman is a 1986 Japanese drama film directed by Masahiro Shinoda. It was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution. Cast * Hiromi Gō as Gonza Sasano * Haruko Kat ...

'' (1986) *''

Black Rain (Japanese film) is a 1989 Japanese drama film by director Shōhei Imamura, based on the novel of the same name by Masuji Ibuse. The story centers on the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and its effect on a surviving family. Plot Half-orphan Yasuk ...

'' (1989) *'' The Eel'' (1997) *''

Dr. Akagi Dr. Akagi, known in Japan as , is a 1998 Japanese Comedy-drama film by director Shohei Imamura. For his work on the film, Yosuke Yamashita was awarded Best Film Score at the 1999 Mainichi Film Concours. Plot The film concerns Dr. Akagi, a doc ...

'' (1998)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ozawa, Shoichi 2012 deaths Japanese male stage actors Japanese male television actors Japanese male film actors Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class Waseda University alumni 1929 births Japanese actresses