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 b ...

. 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. In the US, he is well known for his portrayals of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto of the Combined Fleet, 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 I ...

''. Yamamura appeared in a lot of jidaigeki 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 fello ...

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

and

Hoshina Masayuki was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period, who was the founder of what became the Matsudaira house of Aizu. He was an important figure in the politics and philosophy of the early Tokugawa shogunate. Biography Hoshina Masayuki was born ...

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 co ...

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 Mō ...

'' (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 col ...

'' (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 ...

'' (1951) - Eiji Ono * ''

Hibari no komoriuta is a 1951 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Koji Shima. The movie is based on ''Lisa and Lottie'' (german: Das doppelte Lottchen), a 1949 novel by Erich Kästner later adapted as the 1961 film '' The Parent Trap''. Cast * Hibari Mi ...

'' (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 was a Japanese ...

'' (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 " ...

'' (1953) - Wakabayashi * ''Kanikōsen'' (1953) – Matsuki (also dir.) * '' Tokyo Story'' (1953) - Koichi Hirayama * ''

An Inlet of Muddy Water ''An Inlet of Muddy Water'' ( ja, にごりえ, Nigorie) is a 1953 Japanese drama film based on short stories by Ichiyō Higuchi and directed by Tadashi Imai. It was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival and awarded numerous national film p ...

'' (1953) – Asanosuke (episode 3 "Troubled Waters") * ''Nihon yaburezu'' (1954) * '' Sound of the Mountain'' (1954) - Ogata Shingo * '' Dobu'' (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'' (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 * Sach ...

'' (1956) - Yuji * '' Tsukigata Hanpeita: Hana no maki; Arashi no maki'' (1956) - Kogoro Katsura * ''Yonjū-hassai no teikō'' (1956) - Kotaro Nishimura * '' Typhoon Over Nagasaki'' (1957) - Hori * '' Tokyo Twilight'' (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'' (1958) - Heishiro Hirayama - the father * ''Hibari no hanagata tantei kassen'' (1958) * '' The Barbarian and the Geisha'' (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'' (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'' (1965) - Toshio Ōki * ''Taiheiyō kiseki no sakusen: Kisuka'' (1965) - Kawashima * '' Japan's Longest Day'' (1967) - Mitsumasa Yonai * '' The Militarists'' (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 ''C ...

'' (1974) - Prime Minister Kuroki * ''Dōmyaku rettō'' (1975) - Nagata * ''Shag'' (1978) - Head of Maritime Safety Agency * ''Kage no Gundan: Hattori Hanzo'' (1979) * '' Nankyoku Monogatari'' (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'' (1991) - Prime Minister * ''Going West: To the West'' (1997)

Television

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

* ''

'' (1972) - Otowaya Hanemon * '' The Water Margin'' (1973) -

Lu Junyi Lu Junyi is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Jade Qilin", he ranks second among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. In some Ch ...

* ''

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 jo ...

'' (1973–1974) - Seibei * '' Karei-naru Ichizoku'' (1974–75) - Daisuke Manpyo * ''

'' (1978) - Yagyū Munenori * '' 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 subje ...

: Kage no Gundan'' (1980) -

* ''Yagyu Abaretabi'' (1980–81) - Yagyū Munenori * ''Yagyu Jyubei Abaretabi'' (1982–83) - Yagyū Munenori * '' Ōoku'' (1983) - Arai Hakuseki * '' 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

Honours

* Medal with Purple Ribbon (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