was a Japanese

film 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 (), lite ...

famous for starring roles 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 ...

from the 1920s to the 1960s. Trained in

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

from childhood, he made his film debut in 1925 at

Makino Film Productions Makino Film Productions was a successful early film producing company active in Japanese cinema in the 1920s and 1930s. It was founded by the pioneering film director Shozo Makino in 1923. Makino produced many prominent films of the early era, and ...

under Shōzō Makino. Quickly gaining popularity, he followed the example of Makino stars such as

Tsumasaburō Bandō was one of the most prominent Japanese actors of the twentieth century. Famous for his rebellious, sword fighting roles in many jidaigeki silent films, he rose to fame after joining the Tōjiin Studio of Makino Film Productions in Kyoto in ...

in starting his own independent production company, Utaemon Ichikawa Productions, in 1927. It was there he first began the "Idle Vassal" (Hatamoto taikutsu otoko) series, which would become his signature role. When his company folded in 1936 as

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

came to the fore, he moved to

Shinkō Kinema was a Japanese film studio active in the 1930s. Background Shinkō was established in September 1931 out of the remnants of the Teikoku Kinema studio with the help of Shōchiku capital. The historian Jun'ichirō Tanaka writes that the studio w ...

and then

Daiei Studios Daiei Film Co. Ltd. (Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, producing ...

before helping form the

Toei Company () (also styled TOEI) is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan (all but two of them operated by i ...

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 served on the board of directors along with fellow samurai star Chiezō Kataoka. Utaemon appeared in over 300 films during his career. His son,

Kin'ya Kitaōji is a Japanese actor. Biography Early life He was born in Kyoto, son of '' jidaigeki'' film star Ichikawa Utaemon, and graduated from Waseda University School of Letters, Arts and Sciences II in Tokyo. Acting career Kin'ya made his debut with ...

, is also a famous actor in film and television.

Selected filmography

Kōkichi Takada (left) and Utaemon in 1950 *'' Dokuro'' (恐苦呂) (1927) *'' Nishikie Edosugata Hatamoto to Machiyakko'' (錦絵江戸姿旗本と街奴, The Color Print of Edo: Hatamoto to Machiyakko) (1939) *'' The 47 Ronin'' (元禄忠臣蔵, Genroku chūshingura) (1941/1942) *'' Kojiki Taishō'' (1952) *''

Ninkyō Shimizu-minato is a 1957 color Japanese film, directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda (松田定次), and the first of an all-star cast trilogy, loosely based on the legend of Shimizu Jirocho (1820–1893), Japan's most famous gangster and folk hero, whose life and explo ...

'' (任侠清水港, Ninkyō Shimizu-minato) (1957) *'' The Idle Vassal: House of the Snake Princess'' (旗本退屈男謎の蛇姫屋敷, Hatamoto taikutsu otoko: Nazo no Hebihime yashiki) (1957) *'' Akō Rōshi'' (赤穂浪士, Akō Rōshi) (1961)

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 ...

(1972) * Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (1979)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ichikawa, Utaemon 1907 births 1999 deaths Actors from Kagawa Prefecture Japanese male silent film actors 20th-century Japanese male actors Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class