Takashi Shimura
Takashi Shimura (志村 喬, Shimura Takashi, March 12, 1905 – February 11, 1982) was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1934 and 1981. He is particularly noted for his appearances in 21 of Akira Kurosawa's 30 films (more than any other actor), including as a lead actor in Drunken Angel
Drunken Angel (1948), Rashomon
Rashomon (1950), Ikiru
Ikiru (1952) and Seven Samurai
Seven Samurai (1954).

Contents

1 Early life 2 Career 3 Death 4 Filmography 5 Television 6 Honours 7 References 8 External links

Early life[edit] Shimura was born in Ikuno, Hyōgo
Ikuno, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.[2] His birth-name was Shimazaki Shōji (島崎捷爾). His forebears were members of the samurai class: in 1868 his grandfather took part in the Battle of Toba–Fushimi during the Boshin War. Shimura entered Ikuno
Ikuno Primary School in 1911 and Kobe
Kobe First Middle School in 1917. He missed two years of schooling because of a mild case of tuberculosis, and subsequently moved to the prefectural middle school in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, where his father had been transferred by his employer, Mitsubishi Mining. At Nobeoka
Nobeoka Middle School, he excelled in English and became active on the literary society's magazine, to which he contributed poetry. He also became a star of the rowing club. In 1923, he entered Kansai University, but after his father's retirement the family could no longer afford the fees for a full-time course and he switched to the part-time evening course in English literature, supporting himself by working at the Osaka
Osaka municipal waterworks. Among the teachers in the English Literature Department were the playwright Toyo-oka Sa-ichirō (豊岡佐一郎) and the Shakespeare scholar Tsubouchi Shikō (坪内士行). These two inspired in Shimura an enthusiasm for drama. He joined the University's Theatre Studies Society and in 1928 formed an amateur theatrical group, the Shichigatsu-za (七月座) with Toyo-oka as director. He began to miss work because of the time he spent on theatrical activities and eventually lost his job. He then left university to try to earn a living in the theatre. The Shichigatsu-za turned professional and began to tour, but got into financial difficulties and folded. Career[edit] After the failure of the Shichigatsu-za, Shimura went back to Osaka, where he began to get roles in radio plays. In 1930 he joined the Kindaiza (近代座) theatre company and became a fully professional actor. He toured China and Japan with the Kindaiza, but in 1932 he left the company and returned again to Osaka, where he appeared with the Shinseigeki (新声劇) and Shinsenza (新選座) troupes.　Talking pictures were just then coming in and Shimura realised they would provide opportunities for stage-trained actors. In 1932 he joined the Kyoto
Kyoto studios of the film production company Shinkō Kinema. He made his film debut in the 1934 silent Ren'ai-gai itchōme (恋愛街一丁目: Number One, Love Street). The first film in which he had a speaking part was the 1935 Chūji uridasu (忠次売出す), directed by Mansaku Itami. His first substantial film role was as a detective in Mizoguchi Kenji's 1936 Osaka
Osaka Elegy (Naniwa erejii; 浪華悲歌).

Shimura as a terminally ill bureaucrat in Kurosawa's Ikiru

The film which established his reputation as a first-rate actor was Itami Mansaku's 1936 Akanishi Kakita (赤西蠣太: Capricious Young Man). In 1937 he moved to Nikkatsu film corporation's Kyoto
Kyoto studios, and between then and 1942 appeared in nearly 100 films. His most notable role in these years was that of Keishirō in the long-running series Umon Torimono-chō (右門捕物帖), starring Kanjūrō Arashi. He also demonstrated his considerable ability as a singer in the 1939 "cine-operetta", Singing Lovebirds. During this time the political regime in Japan was growing ever more oppressive, and Shimura was arrested by the Special
Special Higher Police (Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu, known as Tokkō) and held for about three weeks because of his earlier association with left-wing theatre groups. He was eventually released on the recognisance of his wife Masako and fellow-actor Ryūnosuke Tsukigata.　He is said to have made use of this experience later when playing a Tokkō official in Akira Kurosawa's 1946 No Regrets for Our Youth. When Nikkatsu and Daiei merged in 1942, Shimura moved to the Kōa Eiga studios and then in 1943 to Tōhō. A few weeks before the end of the Pacific War
Pacific War in August 1945, Shimura's elder brother was killed in Southeast Asia. In 1943, Shimura appeared as the old jujutsu teacher Murai Hansuke in Kurosawa's debut movie, Sanshiro Sugata. Along with Toshirō Mifune, Shimura is the actor most closely associated with Kurosawa: he eventually appeared in 21 of Kurosawa's 30 films. In fact, Kurosawa's cinematic collaboration with Shimura, from Sanshiro Sugata
Sanshiro Sugata in 1943 to Kagemusha
Kagemusha in 1980, started earlier and lasted longer than his work with Mifune (1948–65). Shimura's performances for Kurosawa included the doctor in Drunken Angel
Drunken Angel (1948), the veteran detective in Stray Dog (1949), the flawed lawyer in Scandal (1950), the woodcutter in Rashomon
Rashomon (1950), the mortally ill bureaucrat in Ikiru
Ikiru (1952), and the lead samurai Kambei in Seven Samurai
Seven Samurai (1954). Kurosawa wrote the part in Kagemusha
Kagemusha specifically for Shimura, but the scenes were cut from the Western release, so many in the West did not know that he had been in the film. The DVD release of the film by The Criterion Collection restored Shimura's footage. Shimura appeared in a number of Tōhō kaiju (giant monster) and tokusatsu (special effects) films, many of which were directed by Kurosawa's good friend and colleague Ishiro Honda. Shimura's roles included Professor Kyohei Yamane in the original Godzilla (1954), a character he briefly reprised in Godzilla Raids Again
Godzilla Raids Again (1955). Death[edit] Shimura died on February 11, 1982 in Tokyo, Japan, from emphysema at the age of 76. His effects were presented to the Film Centre of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. Filmography[edit]

Shimura questioning nightclub dancer Harumi (Keiko Awaji) in Kurosawa's Stray Dog (1949) with Toshiro Mifune
Toshiro Mifune (standing)

Number One, Love Street (1934) Singing Lovebirds
Singing Lovebirds (1939) Sanshiro Sugata
Sanshiro Sugata (1943, Kurosawa) The Most Beautiful
The Most Beautiful aka Most Beautifully (1944, Kurosawa) The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945, Kurosawa) Minshū no Teki (1946) No Regrets for Our Youth
No Regrets for Our Youth (1946, Kurosawa) Snow Trail
Snow Trail (1947) Drunken Angel
Drunken Angel (1948, Kurosawa) The Quiet Duel
The Quiet Duel (1949, Kurosawa) Stray Dog (1949, Kurosawa) as Detective Sato. Won Best Actor award at 1950 Mainichi Film Concours. Boryōku no Machi (1950) Scandal (1950, Kurosawa) Rashomon
Rashomon (1950, Kurosawa) Elegy (1951) The Idiot (1951, Kurosawa) Ikiru
Ikiru (1952, Kurosawa) The Skin of the South
The Skin of the South (1952) Seven Samurai
Seven Samurai (1954, Kurosawa) as Kambei Shimada Godzilla (1954) Godzilla Raids Again
Godzilla Raids Again (1955) I Live in Fear
I Live in Fear aka Record of a Living Being (1955, Kurosawa) Godzilla, King of the Monsters
Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956) Samurai
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956) The Mysterians
The Mysterians (1957) Throne of Blood
Throne of Blood (1957, Kurosawa) Zoku Aoi sanmyaku Shinko no maki (1957) The Hidden Fortress
The Hidden Fortress (1958, Kurosawa) The Loyal 47 Ronin
The Loyal 47 Ronin (Chūshingura) (1958) Storm Over the Pacific
Storm Over the Pacific (1960) The Bad Sleep Well
The Bad Sleep Well (1960, Kurosawa) Yojimbo (1961, Kurosawa) Mothra (1961) The Story of Osaka
Osaka Castle (1961) as Katagiri[3] Sanjuro
Sanjuro (1962, Kurosawa) as Kurofuji Zoku sararîman shimizu minato (1962) Long Way to Okinawa (1962) Gorath
Gorath (1962) as Kensuke Sonoda - Paleontologist Kurenai no sora (1962) Kujira gami (1962) Chushingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki (1962) as Hyôbu Chisaka Attack Squadron! (1963) as Admiral High and Low (1963, Kurosawa) as Chief of Investigation Section Boryokudan (1963) Taiyô wa yondeiru (1963) The Lost World of Sinbad (1963) as King Raksha Tsukiyo no wataridori (1963) as Nagisa yo yuki jo Jinsei gekijo: shin hisha kaku (1964) Chi to daiyamondo (1964) Brand of Evil (1964) as Tsukamoto, manager Tensai sagishi monogatari: Tanuki no hanamichi (1964) as Komai Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) as Dr. Tsukamoto Kwaidan (1964) as Head priest (segment "Miminashi Hôichi no hanashi") Matatabi san ning yakuza (1965) as Kakegawa Bunzo Jigoku no hatobâ (1965) Barâ kêtsu shobû (1965) Samurai
Samurai Assassin (1965) as Narihisa Ichijô Red Beard
Red Beard (1965, Kurosawa) as Tokubei Izumiya Sanshiro Sugata
Sanshiro Sugata (1965) as Mishima Taiheiyô kiseki no sakusen: Kisuka (1965) as Military Command president Frankenstein Conquers the World
Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) as Axis Scientist Buraikan jingi (1965) as Genkichi Jinnai Kono koe naki sakebi (1965) Sarutobi Sasuke (1966) as Hakuunsai Tozawa Bangkok no yoru (1966) as Dr. Yoshino Kaerazeru hatoba (1966) as Detective Egusa Zesshô (1966) as Sôbei Sonoda Showa saidai no kaoyaku (1966) Noren ichidai: jôkyô (1966) Ârappoi no ha gômen dazê (1967) Satogashi ga kowareru toki (1967) as Kudo Japan's Longest Day (1967) as Information Bureau Director Hiroshi Shimomura Gyangu no teiô (1967) Naniwa kyokaku: dokyo shichinin giri (1967) Kyokotsu ichidai (1967) The Sands of Kurobe (1968) as Ashimura Botan Dōrō (1968) as Fortune Teller Zatoichi and the Fugitives (1968) as Dr. Junan Gion matsuri (1968) as Tsuneemon Shin Abashiri Bangaichi (1968) as Tetsutarô Fujigami Sangyo supai (1968) Onna tobakushi amadera kaichô (1968) Gendai yakuza: yotamono no okite (1968) Ah kaiten tokubetsu kogetikai (1968) Fûrin kazan (1969) Shôwa zankyô-den: Karajishi jingi (1969) It's Tough Being a Man
It's Tough Being a Man (1969) as Hyôichirô Suwa Shin Abashiri Bangaichi: Saihate no Nagare-mono (1969) Shin Abashiri Bangaichi: Runin-masaki no ketto (1969) Nihon boryoku-dan: kumicho to shikaku (1969) The Militarists (1970) as Editor (uncredited) Yomigaeru daichi (1971) as Gondo Gorotsuki mushuku (1971) Tora-san's Love Call
Tora-san's Love Call (1971) as Hyouichiro Suwa (Hiroshi's father) Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro renka (1971) Gokuaku bozu - Nomu utsu kau (1971) Gokudo makari touru (1972) Zatoichi's Conspiracy (1973) as Sakubei The Family (1974) as Yasuda - Makiko's father Ranru no hata (1974) as Shihei Furukawa Prophecies of Nostradamus (1974) as Pediatrician Karajishi keisatsu (1974) The Bullet Train
The Bullet Train (1975) as JNR President Zoku ningen kakumei (1976) Godzilla (1977) as Dr. Yamane Ogin-sama (1978, Love and Faith) as Sen Rikyu Otoko wa tsurai yo: Uwasa no Torajirô (1978) as Hiroshi's Father Dôran (1980) as Kosuke Miyagi Tempyo no iraka (1980) Kagemusha
Kagemusha (1980, Kurosawa) as Gyobu Taguchi Story of the Japan Philharmonic: Movement of Flame (1981)

Television[edit]

Haru no Sakamichi (1971), Aoyama Tadatoshi Akai Unmei (1976) Ōgon no Hibi (1978)

Honours[edit]

Medal with Purple Ribbon (1974) Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (1980)

References[edit]

^ http://movie.daum.net/movieperson/Biography.do?personId=50481 ^ http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_p.php?num_p=46229 ^ Stuart Galbraith IV (May 16, 2008). The Toho
Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-4616-7374-3. 

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Takashi Shimura.

Takashi Shimura
Takashi Shimura on IMDb Takashi Shimura
Takashi Shimura at AllMovie Takashi Shimura
Takashi Shimura at the Japanese Movie Database
Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)

v t e

Mainichi Film Award for Best Actor

Masayuki Mori (1947) Chishū Ryū
Chishū Ryū (1948) Takashi Shimura
Takashi Shimura (1949) Shin Saburi
Shin Saburi (1950) Chishū Ryū
Chishū Ryū (1951) Shin Saburi
Shin Saburi (1952) Ken Uehara (1953) So Yamamura
So Yamamura (1954) Hisaya Morishige (1955) Keiji Sada (1956) Toshiro Mifune
Toshiro Mifune (1957) Keiju Kobayashi
Keiju Kobayashi (1958) Eiji Funakoshi (1959) Keiju Kobayashi
Keiju Kobayashi (1960) Tatsuya Nakadai
Tatsuya Nakadai (1961) Taiji Tonoyama (1962) Keiju Kobayashi
Keiju Kobayashi (1963) Kō Nishimura (1964) Rentarō Mikuni
Rentarō Mikuni (1965) Shoichi Ozawa (1966) Kunie Tanaka (1967) Minori Terada (1968) Kiyoshi Atsumi
Kiyoshi Atsumi (1969) Hisashi Igawa (1970) Shintaro Katsu
Shintaro Katsu (1971) Takeo Chii (1972) Tetsurō Tamba
Tetsurō Tamba (1973) Rentarō Mikuni
Rentarō Mikuni (1974) Shin Saburi
Shin Saburi (1975) Tetsuya Watari (1976) Ken Takakura
Ken Takakura (1977) Ken Ogata (1978) Tomisaburo Wakayama
Tomisaburo Wakayama (1979) Tatsuya Nakadai
Tatsuya Nakadai (1980) Takahiro Tamura (1981) Kō Nishimura (1982) Ken Ogata (1983) Tsutomu Yamazaki (1984) Kin'ya Kitaōji (1985) Eiji Okuda
Eiji Okuda (1986) Masahiko Tsugawa
Masahiko Tsugawa (1987) Hajime Hana (1988) Rentarō Mikuni
Rentarō Mikuni (1989) Masato Furuoya (1990) Masatoshi Nagase
Masatoshi Nagase (1991) Kyōzō Nagatsuka (1992) Gorō Kishitani (1993) Eiji Okuda
Eiji Okuda (1994) Kōji Yakusho
Kōji Yakusho (1995) Kōji Yakusho
Kōji Yakusho (1996) Yoshio Harada (1997) Masahiro Motoki (1998) Keiju Kobayashi
Keiju Kobayashi (1999) Tadanobu Asano
Tadanobu Asano (2000) Tatsuya Mihashi (2001) Hiroyuki Sanada
Hiroyuki Sanada (2002) Toshiyuki Nishida (2003) Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano (2004) Tadanobu Asano
Tadanobu Asano (2005) Kōichi Satō (2006) Taichi Kokubun (2007) Hiroshi Abe (2008) Kenichi Matsuyama
Kenichi Matsuyama (2009) Shinichi Tsutsumi (2010) Mirai Moriyama (2011) Isao Natsuyagi (2012) Ryuhei Matsuda
Ryuhei Matsuda (2013) Gō Ayano (2014) Shinya Tsukamoto
Shinya Tsukamoto (2015) Masahiro Motoki (2016) Masaki Suda (2017)

Authority control

WorldCat Identities VIAF: 42040820 LCCN: n85201979 ISNI: 0000 0001 0891 9490 GND: 131754149 SUDOC: 055476856 BNF: cb14039075d (data) NDL: 00623727 NKC: pna2007370765 BNE: XX1341542