''aka'' was a Japanese film actor. Aoki became famous as a child actor after debuting at the age of six in silent films directed by

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 ...

. His leading role in Ozu's 1929 short comedy ''Tokkan kozo'' gave Aoki his nickname. '' I Was Born, But...'' (1932), '' Passing Fancy'' (1933) and ''

An Inn in Tokyo is a 1935 silent film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. The film is Ozu's last extant silent film. The screenplay is credited to Uinzato Mone or Winthat Monnet ("Without Money"). In fact, the screenplay was written by Ozu, Masao Arata and Tadao Iked ...

'' (1935) were three other Ozu films in which Aoki had notable roles. Aoki disappeared from Japanese cinema in 1940, at the age of 16, but returned to film acting in

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won ...

's '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956). During the 1960s he appeared in films for directors

Seijun Suzuki , born (24 May 1923 – 13 February 2017), was a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are known for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility. He made 40 predo ...

and

Teruo Ishii was a Japanese film director best known in the West for his early films in the ''Super Giant'' series, and for his films in the '' ero guro'' ("erotic-grotesque") subgenre of ''pinku eiga'' such as '' Shogun's Joy of Torture'' ( 1968). He also di ...

before retiring again in 1972. He again returned to the screen in 1995 in

Makoto Shinozaki (born 1963 in Tokyo) is a Japanese film director. Career Born in Tokyo, Shinozaki attended Rikkyo University, where he studied under Shigehiko Hasumi, made 8mm films, and appeared in the then amateur works of other Rikkyo graduates such as Kiy ...

's ''

Okaeri is the 9th single from Ayaka. It was released on May 14, 2008. Overview Okaeri is used as the theme song for the drama series, ''Zettai Kareshi''. Ayaka was asked by Yuu Watase, the manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or ill ...

'', and appeared in Suzuki's ''

Pistol Opera is a 2001 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Makiko Esumi. Storyline The film's main character, Miyuki Minazuki, ranked number three in The Assassins Guild, is known as the "Stray Cat". A stoic and deadly woman, she is forced ...

'' (2001). He continued appearing in films, and in short comedies by Shinozaki until his death in 2004. He shared the Best Actor award at the French

Three Continents Festival The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau. By the time of his death, at the age of 80, Aoki had performed in over 300 films.

Selected filmography

* '' I Was Born, But...'' (1932) * '' Passing Fancy'' (1933) * ''

'' (1935) * '' The Burmese Harp'' (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 ...

'' (幕末太陽伝 Bakumatsu taiyōden) (1957) * ''

The Wandering Guitarist is a 1959 Japanese action and yakuza film directed by Buichi Saitō. It stars Akira Kobayashi. The Wandering Guitarist is the first film of Akira Kobayashi and Buichi Saitō's ''Wataridori series''. The film made Akira Kobayashi star and he gaine ...

'' (1959) * ''

'' (1995) * '' Not Forgotten'' (2000) * ''

'' (2001)

References

External links

*
JMDb profile (in Japanese)
* 1923 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Japanese male actors 21st-century Japanese male actors Japanese male child actors Japanese male film actors People from Yokohama {{Japan-film-actor-stub