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 ...

and singer born in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

. His elder brother is

Shintaro Ishihara was a Japanese politician and writer who was Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the radical right Japan Restoration Party, he was one of the most prominent ultranationalists in modern Japanese politics. An ultra ...

, an author, politician, and the Governor of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

between 1999 and 2012. Yujiro's film debut was the 1956 film ''

Season of the Sun is a Japanese novel written in 1955 by Shintaro Ishihara, who later became a politician and was governor of Tokyo for 13 years from 1999 to 2012. It is the source of the name of the rebellious taiyōzoku () youth culture which emerged after W ...

'', based on a novel written by his brother. He was beloved by many fans as a representative youth star in the films of

postwar Japan Post-occupation Japan is the period in postwar Japanese history which started when the Allied occupation of Japan ended in 1952 and lasted to the end of the Showa era in 1989. Despite the massive devastation it suffered in the Second World War, ...

and subsequently as a macho movie hero. He was extravagantly mourned following his early death from liver cancer.

Life and career

Yūjirō grew up in

, in

Otaru, Hokkaidō is a city and port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular tou ...

, and in

Zushi, Kanagawa is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of June 2012, the city has an estimated population of 58,087, and a population density of 3,350 per km². The total area is . Geography Zushi is located at the head of Miura Peninsula, fac ...

. His father, an employee of

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Mitsui O.S.K. Lines ( ja, 株式会社商船三井, Kabushiki-gaisha Shōsen Mitsui; abbreviated MOL) is a Japanese transport company headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest shipping companies in the world. ...

, was from

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

, and his mother was from

Miyajima may refer to: Places * Miyajima, another name for the Japanese island Itsukushima * Miyajima, Hiroshima, a former town on this island, merged into Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The name derives from a m ...

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

. Yūjirō attended Otaru Fuji Kindergarten and then Otaru City Inaho Elementary School. During his elementary school years he participated in competitive swimming and skied on Mt. Tengu. He then attended Zushi City Zushi junior High School, where he began playing

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. He aimed to enter Keio Senior High School, but did not pass the entrance examination. He enrolled at Keio Shiki Boys' Senior High School, but in 1951 was admitted to Keio Senior High School. Afterward he entered the political science department of the school of law at

Keio University , mottoeng = The pen is mightier than the sword , type = Private research coeducational higher education institution , established = 1858 , founder = Yukichi Fukuzawa , endowmen ...

, associated with the high school, but reportedly spent all his time playing around. Wanting to become an actor, he auditioned at

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

Daiei Film 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 ...

and

Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally ...

, but did not pass any of his auditions. However, in 1956, with help from producer

Takiko Mizunoe , born , was a Japanese actress, film producer, and radio and TV presenter. She was born in Otaru, Hokkaido, and began her career by acting in Shochiku's musical theatre troupe. Later she became one of Japan’s first female film producers, workin ...

and his brother Shintaro, he received a bit-part in the film adaptation of Shintaro's

Akutagawa Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History The ...

-winning ''

'', making his film debut. Afterwards he withdrew from Keio University to work for Nikkatsu, playing the lead in the film adaptation of Shintaro's novel ''

Crazed Fruit , also known as ''Juvenile Jungle'', is a 1956 Japanese Sun Tribe film directed by Kō Nakahira. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Shintaro Ishihara, the older brother of cast member Yujiro Ishihara,Marc Moha"Crazed Fruit: ...

''. At the 1958

Blue Ribbon Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan. The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers. In 1961, the six major Japanes ...

Ishihara won the prize for best new actor for the 1957 films '' Washi to taka'' and '' Man Who Causes a Storm''. He would go on to become one of the representative stars of the Showa Era with his twin acting and singing career, but his life was one made harder by illness and injury. In 1960 he married actress

Mie Kitahara is a Japanese actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1952 and 1960. She is best known for co-starring in a series of films with Yujiro Ishihara, one of postwar Japan's most famous stars, starting with ''Crazed Fruit'' in 1956. They ...

, his co-star in a number of films beginning in 1956 with ''Crazed Fruit''. Yūjirō, together with

Akira Kobayashi is a Japanese actor and singer. His nickname is . Biography Kobayashi attended Meiji University but left before graduating. He became an actor at Nikkatsu and made his film debut with "Ueru Tamashii" directed by Yuzo Kawashima in 1956. He s ...

, was the main male star at Nikkatsu on Nikkatsu's move into the

Roman Porno in its broadest sense includes almost any Japanese theatrical film that includes nudity (hence 'pink') or deals with sexual content. This encompasses everything from dramas to action thrillers and exploitation film features. The Western equi ...

soft porn market. Yūjirō founded the Ishihara Productions company to make films. Kurobe's Sun which he produced was a great success but some movies he produced failed and he was forced to appear in the television dramas although he was reluctant to appear. Yūjirō survived a 1978

oral cancer Oral cancer, also known as mouth cancer, is cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless white patch, that thickens, develops red patches, an ulcer, and continues to grow. When on ...

of the tongue, and a 1981

aortic aneurysm An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. They usually cause no symptoms except when ruptured. Occasionally, there may be abdominal, back, or leg pain. The prevalence of abdominal aortic ...

, supported by friends, family and his legion of fans. However he was later diagnosed with

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

and died at Keio University Hospital in 1987 on July 17 at 4:26. He was 52 years old. His final appearance as an actor was in the final episode of popular detective television drama

Taiyō ni Hoero! , literally ''Roar at the Sun!'', was a long-running prime-time television detective series in Japan, which ran from 1972 to 1986 for a total of 718 episodes. The lead star was Yujiro Ishihara. It also helped further the career of actors such a ...

. In Taiyō ni Hoero! Ishihara kept on playing the role of Shunsuke Todō for 14 years and gained new popularity. Throughout his life Yūjirō used alcohol and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, and ate meals that were lacking in vegetables; this unhealthy lifestyle is generally acknowledged as contributing to his early death.

Legacy and memorials

Yujiro Ishihara was called a Japanese

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and his films and music are still followed by lovers of the

Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...

. On the anniversary of his death, 17 July, his mourning ceremony is often rebroadcast on television. His grave is a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

gorintō ("five-ringed tower") is a Japanese type of Buddhist pagoda believed to have been first adopted by the Shingon and Tendai sects during the mid Heian period. It is used for memorial or funerary purposesKōjien Japanese Dictionary and is therefore ...

, at

Sōji-ji is one of two of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism. The other is Eihei-ji temple in Fukui Prefecture. ''Fodor's'' calls it "one of the largest and busiest Buddhist institutions in Japan". The temple was founded in 740 as a Shingon Buddhist temp ...

temple in Tsurumi,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

. A memorial museum opened on June 21, 1991, in

Otaru, Hokkaido is a city and port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular to ...

. In 1996 his older brother, Shintaro, published a biography, ''Otōto'' (弟), (''Younger Brother''), that won the Mainichi Bungakusho Special Prize and became the basis of a drama broadcast by

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

in 2004. His image features on a 1997 Japanese postage stamp.

Selected filmography

* '' Gesshoku'' (1956) * ''

'' (太陽の季節, ''Taiyō no Kisetsu'', 1956) - Mr. Izu (supporting role) * ''

'' (狂った果実, ''Kurutta kajitsu'', 1956) - Takishima Natsuhisa * '' The Baby Carriage'' (乳母車, ''Ubaguruma'', 1956) - Muneo Aizawa * '' Chitei no Uta'' (地底の歌, 1956) - Fuyu, the Diamond * ''Ningen gyorai shutsugekisu'' (1956) * ''

Jazz musume tanjō Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

'' (ジャズ娘誕生 ''Jazu musume tanjō'', 1957) - Haruo Nanjô * '' This Day's Life'' (今日のいのち ''Kyo no inochi'', 1957) * ''

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) -

Takasugi Shinsaku was a samurai from the Chōshū Domain of Japan who contributed significantly to the Meiji Restoration. He used several aliases to hide his activities from the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life Takasugi Shinsaku was born in the castle town Hag ...

* '' Washi to taka'' (1957) - Senkichi * '' I Am Waiting'' (俺は待ってるぜ ''Ore wa matteru ze'', 1957) - Jôji Shimaki * '' Man Who Causes a Storm'' (嵐を呼ぶ男 ''Arashi o yobu otoko'', aka ''A Storming Drummer'', 1957) - Shoichi Kokubu * '' Shorisha'' (1957) * ''

Subarashiki dansei is a 1958 Japanese film directed by Umetsugu Inoue. Cast * Yujiro Ishihara * Mie Kitahara ( 北原三枝) * Mari Shiraki is a Japanese actress. She joined the Nikkatsu studio and appeared in about 100 films at Nikkatsu. Shiraki is well kno ...

'' (1958) * ''

Yoru no kiba is a 1958 color Japanese film directed by Umetsugu Inoue. Cast * Yujiro Ishihara : Sugiura Kenkichi * Yumeji Tsukioka : Hanaoka Mari * Ruriko Asaoka : Ogin * Mari Shiraki : Kono Akemi * Ko Nishimura : Kano * Toru Abe : Akanuma * Masumi Okada ...

'' (literally "Fang of the Night") (1958) - Kenkichi Sugiura * ''

Rusty Knife is a 1958 action Japanese film directed by Toshio Masuda. ''Rusty Knife'' was part of the Nikkatsu film studio's wave of Japanese ''noir'' films, made in order to compete with popular American and French films at the Japanese box office. The fil ...

'' (錆びたナイフ ''Sabita naifu'', 1958) - Yukihiko Tachibana * ''

A Slope in the Sun aka ''A Slope in the Sun'' is a 1958 black-and-white Japanese film drama directed by Tomotaka Tasaka.日活アクションの華麗な世界：1954-1971 第四章言語のユートピア-裕次郎の青春ドラマの意味 2「一緒にいる� ...

'' (陽のあたる坂道 ''Hi no ataru sakamichi'', 1958) - Shinji Tashiro * '' Fūsoku 40 metres'' (風速４０米 ''Fūsoku yonjū mētoru'', 1958) * ''

Red Quay is a 1958 black-and-white action Japanese film directed by Toshio Masuda. ''Red Quay'' was one of the many successful collaborations between director Toshio Masuda and actor Yujiro Ishihara which defined the Nikkatsu action film genre. Plot ...

'' (赤い波止場 ''Akai Hatoba'', 1958) - Jirô Tominaga * '' Kurenai no tsubasa'' (1958) * ''

Ashita wa Ashita no Kaze ga Fuku is a 1958 color Japanese film directed by Umetsugu Inoue. Cast * Yujiro Ishihara * Mie Kitahara * Kaku Takashina * Nobuo Kaneko was a Japanese actor. His wife was actress Yatsuko Tanami. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1950 an ...

'' (1958) * ''

Arashi no naka o tsuppashire is a 1958 Japanese color drama film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and produced by Nikkatsu. Cast * Yujiro Ishihara * Mari Shiraki * Sanae Nakahara * Kō Nishimura * Shinsuke Ashida was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 90 film ...

'' (1958) * ''Wakai Kawa no Nagare'' (1959) - Kensuke Sone * ''Sekai o kakeru Koi'' (1959) - Yûji Muraoka * ''Tôgyû ni kakeru otoko'' (1960) - Tôu Kitami * ''Aitsu to watashi'' (1961) - Saburo Kurokawa * ''Dôdôtaru jinsei'' (1961) - Shûhei Nakabe * ''Arabu no Arashi'' (1961) - Shintaro Munakata * ''Ginza no koi no Monogatari'' (1962) - Jirô Ban * ''Nikui An-chikushô'' (1962) - Daisaku Kita * ''Zerosen Kurokumo Ikka'' (1962) * ''Wakai Hito'' (1962) - Shintarô Masaki * '' Hana to Ryu'' (1962) * ''

Alone on the Pacific is a 1963 color (Eastmancolor) Japanese adventure film directed by Kon Ichikawa. It was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival. The film is based on the book , Kenichi Horie's account of his 1962 solo voyage across the Pacific, which was ...

'' aka ''Alone Across the Pacific'' (太平洋ひとりぼっち ''Taiheiyo hitori-botchi'', 1963) - The Youth * ''

Red Handkerchief is a 1964 Japanese film directed by Toshio Masuda. Inspired by Yujiro Ishihara's hit song of the same title. Plot Mikami was deceived by his friend and colleague detective Ishizuka, but he didn't know the fact and was forced to quit the job, ...

'' (1964) * ''Tekkaba Yaburi'' (1964) * ''Kuroi Kaikyo'' (1964) - Akio Maki * ''

Taking The Castle also known as "Shirotori" is a 1965 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Toshio Masuda. The film is the first film to be released from Yūjirō Ishihara's company Ishihara Promotion.日活アクションの華麗な世界：1954-1971 第十一� ...

'' (1965) - Tozo Kuruma * ''

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines ''Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines; Or, How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes'' is a 1965 British period comedy film that satirizes the early years of aviation. Directed and co-written by Ken Annakin, the film ...

'' (1965) - Yamamoto * ''Seishun to wa nanda'' (1965) - Kensuke Nonomura * ''Nakaseruze'' (1965) * '' Yogiri yo Kon'yamo Arigatō'' (1967) - Tôru Sagara * ''Hatoba no taka'' (1967) - Keinichi Kusumi * ''Kimi wa koibito'' (1967) - Ishizaki - director * '' Kurobe's Sun'' (黒部の太陽; ''Kurobe no Taiyō'', 1968) - Iwaoka * ''Wasureru Monoka'' (1968) * ''

Samurai Banners is a Japanese samurai drama film released in 1969. It was directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and is based on the novel ''Furin kazan'' by Yasushi Inoue. Plot Yamamoto Kansuke (Toshiro Mifune) is a general of warlord Takeda Shingen ( Nakamura Kinno ...

'' (風林火山; ''Fūrin Kazan'', 1969) - Kenshin Uesugi * ''Eiko e no 5,000 kiro'' (1969) * '' Hitokiri'' (1969) - Ryoma Sakamoto * ''Arashi no yushatachi'' (1969) - Shimaji * ''

Fuji sanchō is a 1970 Japanese film directed by Tetsutaro Murano. Based on Jiro Asada`s novel of the same title. The film depicts how People built Mount Fuji Radar System on the top of Mount Fuji. Cast *Yūjirō Ishihara as Gorō Umehara * Tetsuya Watari a ...

'' (1970) - Gorō Umehara * ''

Machibuse ''Machibuse'' ( ja, 待ち伏せ) is a 1970 Japanese drama film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. Cast * Toshiro Mifune − 'Yojimbo' * Yujiro Ishihara − Yataro * Ruriko Asaoka − Okuni * Shintaro Katsu − Gentetsu * Kinnosuke Nakamura − Heim ...

'' (1970) - Yataro * ''Aru heishi no kake'' (1970) - Hiroshi Kitabayashi * ''Men and War'' (1970) - Shinozaki * ''

A Man′s World is a 1971 Japanese film directed by Yasuharu Hasebe. Yūjirō Ishihara produced the film by himself and made his final appearance in the Nikkatsu film. Konno's girl friend was killed by Shiraishi. He left Japan to forget it. But Konno goes bac ...

'' (1971) - Tadao Konno * ''Yomigaeru daichi'' (1971) - Kazuya uematsu * '' Kage Gari Hoero taiho'' (1972) - Jubei Muroto * ''

Kage Gari is a 1969 jidaigeki manga series by Takao Saito. It follows the adventures of three ronin - Jubei (十兵衛), Sunlight (日光), and Moonlight (月光) - who dedicate their lives to hunt down "shadows", the ninja spies of the Tokugawa shog ...

'' (1972) - Jubei Muroto * ''Tōga'' (1978) - (Special appearance) * ''

Arcadia of My Youth is an anime film depicting the origin of Leiji Matsumoto's seminal character Captain Harlock. At one time, it was considered to be the central hub of the so-called Leijiverse with the events depicted in other works such as ''Galaxy Express 999' ...

'' (わが青春のアルカディア ''Waga Seishun no Arcadia'', 1982) - Phantom F. Harlock I (voice) (final film role)

TV drama

* ''

'' (太陽にほえろ!) (1972-1986) - Shunsuke Tōdō (Boss) * ''

Daitokai Series 　was a popular prime-time television detective series in Japan, which ran from 1976 to 1979 for a total of 132 episodes and three seasons, each with its own story arc. The lead star was Tetsuya Watari. The drama won popularity and was followed b ...

'' (大都会) (1976-1978) - Gōro Munakata / Ryuta Takigawa * ''

Haguregumo is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by George Akiyama. It has been serialized by Shogakukan in '' Big Comic Original'' from 1973 to 2017 and collected in 112 tankōbon volumes. ''Haguregumo'' received the 1979 Shogakukan Mang ...

'' (浮浪雲) (1978) * ''

Seibu Keisatsu is a television drama series produced by and broadcast on TV Asahi. Plot The series portrays the Western Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division's Sergeant Keisuke Daimon, played by Tetsuya Watari and his subordinates, dubbed the ...

'' (西部警察) (1979–84) - Kogure

Discography

Hit songs

* ''Arashi wo Yobu Otoko'' (1958) * ''Ginza no Koi no Monogatari'' (銀座の恋の物語) (1961) * ''Red handkerchief'' (1962) * ''Futari no Sekai'' (1965) * ''Yogiri yo Konyamo Arigatou'' (1967) * ''Brandy Glass'' (ブランデーグラス) (1977) * ''Waga Jinsei ni Kuiwanai'' (1987) * ''Kita no Tabibito'' (1987)

References

External links

*
Yujiro Memorial Hall's website
— Yujiro Ishihara Memorial Hall in Otaru, Hokkaido *

Japan Mint The is an Independent Administrative Institution of the Japanese government, responsible for producing and circulating the coins of Japan. The agency has its head office in Osaka with branches in Saitama and Hiroshima. The Japan Mint does not pr ...

50th Anniversary of Yujiro Ishihara's Film Debut 2006 Proof Coin Set
* * http://shishido0.tripod.com/ishihara.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Ishihara Yujiro 1934 births 1987 deaths People from Otaru Actors from Kobe Musicians from Kobe Japanese male film actors Japanese male television actors Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from cancer in Japan People from Zushi, Kanagawa Shintaro Ishihara 20th-century Japanese male actors Keio University alumni 20th-century Japanese male singers 20th-century Japanese singers