was a Japanese actor and film director. He was also known by the name Satoshi Yamamura, while his actual birth name is Koga Hirosada. Yamamura graduated from

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

. In 1942, Yamamura and

Isao Yamagata was a Japanese film actor. In 1942, Yamagata and So Yamamura formed the ''Bunkaza Theatre Company''. In 1949 he made his film debut with ''Kirareya Senta''. Yamagata became famous for his role in 1953 film '' Gate of Hell''. He became a charac ...

formed the ''Bunkaza Theatre Company''. He began his career as a screen actor in 1946 and appeared in more than 110 films between 1947 and 1991. In 1953, he debuted as a director with his film Kanikōsen and directed other three films. Yamamura was introduced to Western audiences in the 1958 film

The Barbarian and the Geisha ''The Barbarian and the Geisha'' (working titles ''The Townsend Harris Story'' and ''The Barbarian'') is a 1958 American adventure drama film directed by John Huston and starring John Wayne. The film was shot primarily on location in Japan. Town ...

. In the US, he is well known for his portrayals of Japanese Admiral

Isoroku Yamamoto was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II until he was killed. Yamamoto held several important posts in the IJN, and undertook many of its changes and reor ...

of the

Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...

, in ''

Tora! Tora! Tora! ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' ( ja, トラ・トラ・トラ！) is a 1970 epic war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The film was produced by Elmo Williams and directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda and Kinji ...

'', and of Mr. Sakamoto, the CEO of Assan Motors in ''

Gung Ho ''Gung ho'' () is an English term, with the current meaning of "overly enthusiastic or energetic". It originated during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) from a Chinese term, ( zh, hp=gōnghé, l=to work together), short for Chinese ...

''. Yamamura appeared in a lot of

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 ...

television dramas. He played the role of

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 ...

in the taiga drama Haru no Sakamichi in 1971. His major historical roles were

Yagyū Munenori was a Japanese daimyo, swordsman, and martial arts writer, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, which he learned from his father Yagyū "Sekishūsai" Muneyoshi. This was one of two official sword styles patronized by the Tokugaw ...

in the 1978

The Yagyu Conspiracy is a Japanese television jidaigeki (period drama) that was broadcast from 1978 to 1979. It is adapted from the 1978 film ''Shogun's Samurai'' starring Sonny Chiba, who reprises his role in the series. Plot After the death of Tokugawa Hidetada, h ...

and Hoshina Masayuki in the 1980 Shadow Warriors. In addition to historical parts, he appeared in fictional series. He portrayed as Otowaya Hanemon in the

Hissatsu series The is a long-running prime-time popular television Jidaigeki series about assassins in Japan. ''Hissatsu Shikakenin'' is based on Shōtarō Ikenami's novel ''Shiokinin Fujieda Baian'', but its sequels are only inspired by it. The series still c ...

Hissatsu Shikakenin is a Japanese television ''jidaigeki'' or period drama that was broadcast in 1972–1973. It was the first in the Hissatsu series and is based on Shōtarō Ikenami's novel ''Shiokinin Fujieda Baian''. Ken Ogata played Fujieda Baian. Episode 1 ...

, he reprised the character in the film series later.

Selected filmography

Films

* ''Inochi Arukagiri'' (1946) * ''Chikagai nijuyojikan'' (1947) * ''

The Love of the Actress Sumako is a 1947 Japanese drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. The film is based on a play by Hideo Nagata and portrays the life story of actress Sumako Matsui. Cast * Kinuyo Tanaka as Sumako Matsui * Sō Yamamura as Hōgetsu Shimamura * Kikue Mōr ...

'' (1947) - Hōgetsu Shimamura * ''Daini no jinsei'' (1948) * ''Taifuken no onna'' (1948) * ''Onna no tatakai'' (1949) * ''Kirare no Senta'' (1949) * ''Ryusei'' (1949) * ''Shojo takara'' (1950) - Yoshitaro Hanawa * ''Yoshitaro Hanawa'' (1950) - Ryosuke Izumi * ''

The Munekata Sisters is a 1950 drama film directed by Yasujirō Ozu and starring Kinuyo Tanaka and Hideko Takamine was a Japanese actress who began as a child actress and maintained her fame in a career that spanned 50 years. She is particularly known for her co ...

'' (1950) - Ryosuke Mimura, Setsuko's husband * ''

Portrait of Madame Yuki , also titled ''A Picture of Madame Yuki'', is a 1950 Japanese drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Plot Yuki Shinano, a descendant of the once powerful Shinano family, is living in an unhappy marriage with her husband Naoyuki. Although he tr ...

'' (1950) - Tateoka * ''Kikyō'' (1950) - Ongi * ''Senka o koete'' (1950) * ''Hirate Miki'' (1951) * ''Eriko to tomoni - Dai ichi-bu'' (1951) - Sōtarō * ''Eriko to tomo ni: Dai ni-bu'' (1951) - Sōtarō * ''Jiyū gakkō'' (1951) - Taku Henmi * ''Dare ga watashi o sabaku no ka'' (1951) * ''Sekirei no kyoku'' (1951) * ''Maihime'' (1951) - Motoo Yagi * ''

The Lady of Musashino is a 1951 Japanese drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It is based on the novel by Shōhei Ōoka. Plot Michiko Akiyama is married to Tadao Akiyama, a college professor but a vulgar man with a lower-class background. Towards the end of World W ...

'' (1951) - Eiji Ono * ''

Hibari no komoriuta is a 1951 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Koji Shima was a Japanese film director, actor, and screenwriter. Career Born as Takehiko Kagoshima in Nagasaki, Shima left for Tokyo after graduating from high school. He was in the firs ...

'' (1951) * '' Repast'' (1951) * ''Seishun kaigi'' (1952) - Haruki Eda * ''Okuni to Gohei'' (1952) - Tomonojo * ''Kin no tamago: Golden girl'' (1952) * ''Kon'na watashi ja nakatta ni'' (1952) - Takeshi Yajima * ''

Gendai-jin is a 1952 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Minoru Shibuya. It was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Ryō Ikebe * Isuzu Yamada * So Yamamura * Toshiko Kobayashi * Yūko Mochizuki * Shinsuke Ashida * Yumi Takano * Jun T ...

'' (1952) * ''Choito neesan omoide yanagi'' (1952) - Koshimura * ''Ashi ni sawatta onna'' (1952) - Yasukichi Sakaza * ''Oka wa hanazakari'' (1952) - Ryōzō Noro * ''

Ringo-en no shōjo is a 1952 black and white Japanese film directed by Koji Shima. The art director was Tomoo Shimogawara.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429036/fullcredits#cast accessed 6 May 2009 Cast * Hibari Misora as Marumi * Akihiko Katayama * Kokuten K ...

'' (1952) * ''My Wonderful Yellow Car'' (1953) - The husband * ''Mura hatibu'' (1953) * ''

Epitome An epitome (; gr, ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "t ...

'' (1953) - Wakabayashi * ''Kanikōsen'' (1953) – Matsuki (also dir.) * ''

Tokyo Story is a 1953 Japanese drama film directed by Yasujirō Ozu and starring Chishū Ryū and Chieko Higashiyama about an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their grown children. Upon release, it did not immediately gain international recogni ...

'' (1953) - Koichi Hirayama * '' An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (1953) – Asanosuke (episode 3 "Troubled Waters") * ''Nihon yaburezu'' (1954) * ''

Sound of the Mountain is a 1954 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on the novel ''The Sound of the Mountain'' by Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata. Plot Shingo, an aging businessman, sees the marriage of his son Shuichi and his daughter-i ...

'' (1954) - Ogata Shingo * ''

Dobu 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-butylamphetamine (DOBU) is a lesser-known psychedelic drug and a substituted Amphetamine. DOBU was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin. In his book '' PiHKAL (Phenethylamines i Have Known And Loved)'', only low dosages of 2–3 ...

'' (1954) – Businessman * ''Moeru Shanghai'' (1954) - Shōfū Muramatsu * ''Kakute yume ari'' (1954) - Takashi Shōkōchi * ''Karatachi no hana'' (1954) - Chotaro Kitahara * ''Otsukisama ni wa warui kedo'' (1954) - Yā-san * ''Kuroi ushio'' (1954) (also dir.) * ''Aisureba koso'' (1955) - Gorō (segment 3) * ''Ai no onimotsu'' (1955) * ''Yuki no koi'' (1955) * ''Seishun kaidan'' (1955) - Tetsuya, father of Chiharu * ''

Princess Yang Kwei-Fei is a 1955 Japanese historical film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It was a co-production between Daiei Film and Shaw & Sons, Hong Kong (later Shaw Brothers). It is one of Mizoguchi's two colour films, the other being '' Tales of the Taira Clan'', ...

'' (1955) - An Lushan * ''Till We Meet Again'' (1955) - Daisuke Kaji * ''Sara no hana no toge'' (1955) - Gunnoshin Sakakibara * '' Early Spring'' (1956) - Yutaka Kawai * ''

Mahiru no ankoku is a 1956 Japanese drama film directed by Tadashi Imai. It is based on an actual court case, described in the non-fiction book "Saibankan–Hito no inochi wa kenryoku de ubaeru mono ka" by attorney Hiroshi Masaki. Cast * Kōjirō Kusanagi * Sac ...

'' (1956) - Yuji * '' Tsukigata Hanpeita: Hana no maki; Arashi no maki'' (1956) - Kogoro Katsura * ''Yonjū-hassai no teikō'' (1956) - Kotaro Nishimura * ''

Typhoon Over Nagasaki ''Typhoon Over Nagasaki'' (French: ''Typhon sur Nagasaki'') is a 1957 French-Japanese romantic drama film directed by Yves Ciampi and starring Danielle Darrieux, Jean Marais, Keiko Kishi and Gert Fröbe.Parish p.361 It was shot in Japan in N ...

'' (1957) - Hori * ''

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 fi ...

'' (1957) - Seki Sekiguchi * ''Jigoku bana'' (1957) - Umasuke * ''Chieko-sho'' (1957) - Kotaro Takamura * ''Yoru no chō'' (1957) - Ichiro Shirosawa * ''Hatsukoi monogatari'' (1957) - Shōhei Ganmaru * '' The Hole'' (1957) - Keikichi Shirasu * ''Bakuon to daichi'' (1957) * '' Doshaburi'' (1957) - Okubo, Father of Tanes children * ''Do no hājiki wa jigokū dazē'' (1958) * ''

Anzukko is a 1958 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on a novel by Saisei Murō. Plot Kyoko, daughter of successful writer Hirayama, rejects several marriage prospects before taking Ryokichi, owner of a small used book store, a ...

'' (1958) - Heishiro Hirayama - the father * ''Hibari no hanagata tantei kassen'' (1958) * ''

'' (1958) - Governor Tamura * ''Muhō gai no yarō domo'' (1959) * ''Jigokū no sokō made tsuki auzē'' (1959) * '' Ningen no jōken'' (1959) - Okishima * ''Chūshingura: ōka no maki, kikka no maki'' (1959) * ''Hahakogusa'' (1959) - Mr Fujiki * ''Shingo jūban shōbu: dai-ni-bu'' (1959) * ''Yami o yokogire'' (1959) - Takazawa * ''Tatsumaki bugyō'' (1959) * ''Jan Arima no shūgeki'' (1959) - Saburobei Obata * ''Shōri to haiboku'' (1960) - Kimpei Minegishi * ''Zoku beran me-e geisha'' (1960) * ''Arega minato no hi da'' (1961) * ''Hatamoto kenka taka'' (1961) - Suruganokami Koyama * ''Gonin no totsugeki tai'' (1961) - Gen. Mayor Soje * ''Fundoshi isha'' (1961) - Dr. Meikai Ikeda * ''Waga koi no tabiji'' (1961) * ''The Littlest Warrior'' (1961) - Fujiwara No Morozane (voice) * ''Onna wa nido umareru'' (1961) - Kiyomasa Tsutsui * ''Haitoku no mesu'' (1961) - Naoyuki Nishizawa * ''Netsuai sha'' (1961) - Murai * '' The Last War'' (1961) - Prime Minister * ''Boku wa jigoku no tehinshi da'' (1961) * ''Katei no jijō'' (1962) - Heitaro Misawa * ''The Inheritance'' (1962) - Senzō * ''Musume to watashi'' (1962) - Shiro Iwatani * ''Taiheiyō Sensō to Himeyuri Butai'' (1962) * ''

Akitsu Springs is a 1962 Japanese drama film directed by Yoshishige Yoshida, starring Mariko Okada and Hiroyuki Nagato. Plot Shortly before the end of World War II, young soldier Shusaku, ill with tuberculosis, arrives at Akitsu, expecting to die soon. Shink ...

'' (1962) - Mikami * ''Star of Hong Kong'' (1962) - Gentarō Sugimoto * ''Namida o shishi no tategami ni'' (1962) - Kōhei Matsudaira * ''Fūten Rōjin nikki'' (1962) - Tokusuke Rōjin * ''Born in Sin'' (1962) - Shinzō Tagaya * ''Yama no sanka: moyuru wakamono tachi'' (1962) * ''Zoku shinobi no mono'' (1963) * ''Gyangu Chūshingura'' (1963) * ''Kizudarake no sanga'' (1964) - Kappei Arima * ''Ane to imōto'' (1965) - Yoshirō Takaoka * ''Nikutai no gakko'' (1965) - Toshinobu Hira * ''

With Beauty and Sorrow is a 1965 Japanese drama film directed by Masahiro Shinoda. It is based on the novel ''Beauty and Sadness (novel), Beauty and Sadness'' by Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize winning writer Yasunari Kawabata. Plot Ageing writer Ōki travels t ...

'' (1965) - Toshio Ōki * ''Taiheiyō kiseki no sakusen: Kisuka'' (1965) - Kawashima * ''

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 ...

'' (1967) -

Mitsumasa Yonai was a Japanese general and politician. He served as admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Minister of the Navy, and Prime Minister of Japan in 1940. Early life and career Yonai was born on 2 March 1880, in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, the firs ...

* ''

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

'' (1970) - Mitsumasa Yonai * ''

'' (1970) - Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto * '' Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril'' (1972) - Gōmune Jindaiyu * ''

'' (1973) - Han'emon Otowaya *'' Hissatsu Shikakenin Baian Arijigoku'' (1973) - Hanemon Otowaya *'' Hissatsu Shikakenin Shunsetsu shikakebari'' (1974) - Hanemon Otowaya * ''

Prophecies of Nostradamus is a 1974 disaster film by Toshio Masuda, based on a 1973 novel by Ben Goto, itself inspired by the prophecies of Nostradamus. Plot In 1853, Genta Nishiyama begins preaching the prophecies of Michel de Nostradame using a copy of his book ''Ce ...

'' (1974) - Prime Minister Kuroki * ''Dōmyaku rettō'' (1975) - Nagata * ''Shag'' (1978) - Head of Maritime Safety Agency * ''Kage no Gundan: Hattori Hanzo'' (1979) * ''

Nankyoku Monogatari is a 1983 Japanese drama film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and starring Ken Takakura. Its plot centers on the 1958 ill-fated Japanese scientific expedition to the South Pole, its dramatic rescue from the impossible weather conditions on the re ...

'' (1983) - Iwakiri Sencho * ''Nidaime wa Christian'' (1985) - Nakatsugawa * ''

'' (1986) - Mr. Sakamoto * ''Yoshiwara enjō'' (1987) - Isaburo Okura * ''Code Name Black Cat o oe'' (1987) - Superintendent Supervisor Amano * ''

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is a 1991 Japanese ''kaiju'' film written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori and produced by Shōgo Tomiyama. The film, produced and distributed by Toho Studios, is the 18th film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and is the third film in the franchise ...

'' (1991) - Prime Minister * ''Going West: To the West'' (1997)

Television

* '' Haru no Sakamichi'' (1971) -

* ''

'' (1972) - Otowaya Hanemon * ''

The Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is s ...

'' (1973) -

Lu Junyi Lu Junyi is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels, four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Jade Qilin", he ranks second among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 S ...

* ''

Tasukenin Hashiru is a Japanese television ''jidaigeki'' or period drama, that was broadcast in 1973–1974. It is the third in the Hissatsu series and is based on Saga Sen's ''Seibei-ryū Gokui''. Plot Seibie used to be a famous bandit. Now Seibie's official job ...

'' (1973–1974) - Seibei * ''

Karei-naru Ichizoku is a 1973 novel by Toyoko Yamasaki. It has been adapted into a film in 1974 and then three times as a television series in 1974, 2007, and 2021. Plot Set in the post-World War II climate of the 1960s in Kobe, the show explores the struggle for po ...

'' (1974–75) - Daisuke Manpyo * ''

'' (1978) -

* '' Akō Rōshi'' (1979) - Chisaka Hyōbu * ''

Hattori Hanzō or ''Second Hanzō'', nicknamed , was a famous Ninja of the Sengoku era, who served the Tokugawa clan as a ninja, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. He is often a subjec ...

Kage no Gundan is a Japanese television ''jidaigeki'' show featuring Sonny Chiba that ran for four seasons in the early 1980s. The first season was a reimagining of the film ''Kage no Gundan: Hattori Hanzō'' directed by Eiichi Kudo which was released in 1980. ...

'' (1980) - Hoshina Masayuki * ''Yagyu Abaretabi'' (1980–81) -

* ''Yagyu Jyubei Abaretabi'' (1982–83) -

* ''

Ōoku The refers to the women's quarters of Edo Castle, the section where the women connected to the reigning resided. Similar areas in the castles of powerful , such as the Satsuma Domain, were also referred to by this term. History The ''Ōok ...

'' (1983) -

Arai Hakuseki was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo period, who advised the ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi (君美). Hakuseki (白� ...

* '' Seibu Keisatsu partIII Daimon sisu Otokotachiyo Eienni'' (1984) (Final episode)- Saeki * ''

Tsūkai! Kōchiyama Sōshun is a Japanese television jidaigeki or period drama that was broadcast in 1975–1976. The lead star is Shintaro Katsu, his older brother Tomisaburo Wakayama also appeared in the episode5,7,25. Plot Kōchiyama Sōshun is a serves as a cha-bōzu　 ...

'' (1975–1976) -

Mizuno Tadakuni was a ''daimyō'' during late-Edo period Japan, who later served as chief senior councilor (''Rōjū'') in service to the Tokugawa shogunate. He is remembered for having instituted the Tenpō Reforms. Biography Mizuno Tadakuni was the second son ...

Honours

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 ...

(1977) * Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (1983)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamamura, So 1910 births 2000 deaths Japanese male film actors People from Nara Prefecture Japanese film directors 20th-century Japanese male actors Actors from Nara Prefecture Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class