was a Japanese actor.

Life and career

Kawazu was born in

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 ...

on 12 May 1935. While still a student at

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

, Kawazu signed with

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not all ...

in 1958 and debuted in Kinoshita's ''The Eternal Rainbow''. He became one of the studio's leading young stars, notably headlining Ōshima's ''

Cruel Story of Youth is a 1960 Japanese film directed by Nagisa Ōshima, starring Yusuke Kawazu and Miyuki Kuwano as teenage delinquents and lovers. It is Ōshima's second feature film and is known for its elements of Japanese '' nuberu bagu''. The film won the 1960 ...

'' in 1960. In later years he turned to character roles in film and television, also writing several books and establishing a reputation in calligraphy, painting, ceramics, and cooking. On 26 February 2022, he died of chronic heart failure at age 86

Selected filmography

Films

*''

The Human Condition ''The Human Condition'', first published in 1958, is Hannah Arendt's account of how "human activities" should be and have been understood throughout Western history. Arendt is interested in the ''vita activa'' (active life) as contrasted with ...

'' (1959) *''

'' (1960) *''

The River Fuefuki is a 1960 Japanese historical drama film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita and starring Hideko Takamine. It is based on a novel by Shichirō Fukazawa. Plot The film is set in the Sengoku period in Japan, spanning in time from the Battle of Iidagaw ...

'' (1960) *''

A Soldier's Prayer is a 1961 Japanese film directed by Masaki Kobayashi. It is the third part of ''The Human Condition'' trilogy. Plot The Japanese forces having been shattered during the events of the second film (Road to Eternity), Kaji and some comrades attempt ...

'' (1960) * ''

The Sun's Burial is a 1960 Japanese film directed by Nagisa Ōshima. ''The Sun's Burial'' is known for its elements of Japanese nuberu bagu. ''The Sun's Burial'' depicts people at the bottom of the social pyramid. Isao Sasaki was selected for one of the lead r ...

'' (1960) *'' Killers on Parade'' (1961) *''

Ken Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in ...

'' (1964) *'' Manji'' (1964) *''

Kiri no Hata is a 1965 Japanese crime film directed by Yoji Yamada. It is based on Seichō Matsumoto's novel of the same title. Plot A robbery murder of an old moneylender woman occurs in the countryside of Kyushu, and Kiriko Yanagida's older brother, Mas ...

'' (1965) *''

Fighting Elegy is a 1966 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki. Filmmaker Kaneto Shindō adapted the script from the novel by Takashi Suzuki. The film has also screened under the titles ''Violence Elegy'', ''Elegy to Violence'', ''Elegy for a Quarrel'' and ' ...

'' (1966) *'' Curse of the Blood'' (1968) *'' Black Lizard'' (1968) *''

Genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...

'' (1968) *''

Black Rose Mansion , also known as ''Black Rose'', is a 1969 Japanese drama film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Plot The millionaire Kyohei Sako converts his mother's old villa into an entertainment parlor for his hobbies called the Black Rose Mansion. Ryuko Fujio, a ...

'' (1969) as Tsugawa *''

Yakuza Zessyō also known as Ode to the Yakuza is a 1970 Japanese film directed by Yasuzo Masumura. Katsu and Masumura worked together for the first in 5 years. It is based on Jūgo Kuroiwa's novel ''Nishi Naruyama Hotel Gake no Hana''. The movie depicts a ...

'' (1970) *''

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

'' (1971) *''

Young Girls in Love is a 1986 Japanese film directed by Kazuki Ōmori. Awards 11th Japan Academy Prize *Nominated: Best Director - Kazuki Ōmori *Nominated: Best Screenwriter - Kazuki Ōmori *Nominated: Best Actress - Yuki Saito References 1986 films Fil ...

'' (1986) *'' Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II'' (1993) *'' Gamera 2: Attack of Legion'' (1996) as Akio Nojiri *'' Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris'' (1999) as Akio Nojiri *''

Number Ten Blues Number Ten Blues ( ja, ナンバーテン・ブルースさらばサイゴン, zh, link=no, 第十藍調, vi, Đệ-thập lam-điệu) or Goodbye Saigon ( ja, サヨナラ・サイゴン, zh, link=no, 告别西貢, vi, Giã-biệt Sài-gòn ...

'' (2013; filmed in 1975)

Television

*''

Taikōki The is a biography of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who rose to the office of '' taikō'' during the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japanese history. The Confucian scholar (1564–1640) published the work in 1626 during the rule of the third Tokugawa shōgu ...

'' (1965) as

Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又左 ...

*''

Wild 7 is a Japanese manga series by creator Mikiya Mochizuki that debuted on 1969 on '' Weekly Shōnen King'' where it ran until 1979. The creation of the manga had been based on the condition that Japan and other non-communist countries were f ...

'' (1972–1983) as Masaru Kusanami *''

G-Men '75 was a long-running prime-time popular television detective series in Japan. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:54 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) network from May 24, 1975 to April 3, 1982. A sequel, ''G-Men ' ...

'' (1979–1981) as Yoshiaki Nagumo *'' Akō Rōshi ''(1979) as Heihachi Kobayashi *''

Kinpachi-sensei is a Japanese television drama that aired from 1979 to 2011. The official English title is Mr. Kinpachi in Class 3B. ''Kinpachi-sensei'' tells the story of a third-year junior high school class in Japan; its teacher is Kinpachi Sakamoto, played ...

''(1980–1981) as Teacher Kamibayashi *''

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 ...

'' (1983) as

Shima Sakon , also known as Shima Tomoyuki and Shima Katsutake, was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku period. His nickname was (Shima the right hand). Sakon eventually left the service of the Hatakeyama clan, Tsutsui Junkei, Toyotomi Hidenaga and event ...

*''

Hitotsu Yane no Shita is a Japanese television series. It had a first season in 1993 and a second season, titled ''Hitotsu Yane no Shita 2'', in 1997. It was very popular in Japan, with its highest rating being 34 percent and it was also exported to other regions in ...

'' (1993) as Takao Sakaki

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawazu, Yusuke 1935 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Japanese male actors Japanese stage actors Keio University alumni Male actors from Tokyo