Overview
- Japanese outlets reported his death on November 11, with no cause disclosed.
- He entered the Haiyuza training program in 1952 and rose to prominence with Masaki Kobayashi’s The Human Condition.
- His Kurosawa credits include Yojimbo and Sanjuro, with leading roles in Kagemusha and Ran that broadened his international profile.
- He co-founded the acting school Mumeijuku in 1975 with his wife Kyoko Miyazaki, nurturing talents such as Koji Yakusho and staging Shakespeare.
- State honors included the Medal with Purple Ribbon (1996), the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fourth Class (2003), recognition as a Person of Cultural Merit (2007), and the Order of Culture (2015).