was a Japanese actor, radio host, singer, and prominent researcher and expert on Japanese folk art. He also founded the Shabondama-za

theater company Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

. Ozawa, who was born in Tokyo, graduated from

Waseda University , mottoeng = Independence of scholarship , established = 21 October 1882 , type = Private , endowment = , president = Aiji Tanaka , city = Shinjuku , state = Tokyo , country = Japan , students = 47,959 , undergrad = 39,382 , postgrad ...

. He began acting after college, beginning with his debut stage role in 1951. He also appeared in television and film roles, acting quite frequently in films directed by Shohei Imamura and Yūzō Kawashima. In 1971, Ozawa launched his long running radio show. A respected folk art expert, Ozawa also researched traditional Japanese

performing art The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfo ...

s. He recorded and released "Nihon no Horo Gei" ("Japan's Itinerant Arts") based on his research. In 2004, Ozawa became the "mayor" of Meiji Mura, an open-air museum in Aichi Prefecture which showcases

Meiji Era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

architecture. The Japanese government awarded Ozawa the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2001 and the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1994 for his body of work. Shōichi Ozawa died on December 10, 2012, at the age of 83.

Filmography

*'' Suzaki Paradise: Akashingō'' (1956) *''

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 ...

'' (1957) *'' Endless Desire'' (1958) *'' My Second Brother'' (1959) *''

Pigs and Battleships The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus ''Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

'' (1961) *''

Foundry Town is a 1962 Japanese drama film directed by Kirio Urayama. It was entered into the 1962 Cannes Film Festival and won the Blue Ribbon Awards in 1962. Cast * Sayuri Yoshinaga as Jun * Mitsuo Hamada as Tsukamoto, Katsumi * Eijirō Tōno as Ishigu ...

'' (1962) *''

The Insect Woman is a 1963 Japanese drama film directed by Shōhei Imamura. It was entered into the 14th Berlin International Film Festival, where Sachiko Hidari won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award. It was also awarded numerous national film prizes. P ...

'' (1963) *'' Bad Girl'' (1963) * ''

Kunoichi ninpō is a 1964 Japanese erotic film directed by Sadao Nakajima in his directorial debut. It is based on Futaro Yamada's novel of the same title. Plot In the Siege of Osaka, five female ninjas who pregnanted with Toyotomi Hideyori's child escape fr ...

'' (1964) *'' Story of a Prostitute'' (1965) *''

Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon , also known as ''Space Gulliver'', is a 1965 Japanese animated feature that was released in Japan on March 20, 1965 and in the United States on July 23, 1966. Plot The story concerns a homeless boy named Ricky, or Ted in the Japanese version ...

'' (1965) *''

The Pornographers is a 1966 satiric Japanese film directed by Shōhei Imamura. It is based on the novel ''Erogotoshitachi'' by Akiyuki Nosaka. Plot ''The Pornographers'' tells the story of porn filmmaker Mr. Subuyan Ogata, whose business is under threat from thi ...

'' (1966) *'' A Fool's Love'' (1967) *'' The Human Bullet'' (1968) * '' Summer Soldiers'' (1972) *'' Eijanaika'' (1981) *''

Tora-san's Promise , also called ''Torasan and a Paper Balloon'' in some regions, is a 1981 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Mikiko Otonashi as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san's Prom ...

'' (1981) *'' The Ballad of Narayama'' (1983) *''

Gonza the Spearman is a 1986 Japanese drama film directed by Masahiro Shinoda. It was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution. Cast * Hiromi Gō as Gonza Sasano * Haruko Kato ...

'' (1986) *''

Black Rain (Japanese film) is a 1989 Japanese drama film by director Shōhei Imamura, based on the novel of the same name by Masuji Ibuse. The story centers on the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and its effect on a surviving family. Plot Half-orphan Yasuko ...

'' (1989) *'' The Eel'' (1997) *'' Dr. Akagi'' (1998)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ozawa, Shoichi 2012 deaths Japanese male stage actors Japanese male television actors Japanese male film actors Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class Waseda University alumni 1929 births Japanese actresses