Yorozuya Kinnosuke

Kinnosuke Yorozuya
Kinnosuke Yorozuya
萬屋錦之介
	Kinnosuke as Kikumaru in Fuefuki Dōji
Born	Kin'ichi Ogawa; (小川錦一); November 20, 1932; Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Died	March 10, 1997 (aged 64); Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
Other names	Nakamura Kinnosuke
Occupation	Kabuki actor
Spouse(s)	Ineko Arima (1961-1965); Keiko Awaji (1966-1987); Nishiki Kō (1990-1997)
Father	Nakamura Tokizō III
Relatives	Nakamura Karoku I (great-grandfather); Nakamura Karoku III (grandfather); Nakamura Tokizō IV (older brother); Nakamura Shidō I (older brother); Nakamura Kashō II (older brother); Nakamura Karoku V (nephew); Nakamura Matagorō III (nephew); Nakamura Tokizō V (nephew); Nakamura Kinnosuke II (nephew); Nakamura Shidō II (nephew)

Yorozuya Kinnosuke (萬屋錦之介) (November 20, 1932 – March 10, 1997) was a Japanese kabuki actor. Born Kin'ichi Ogawa (小川錦一, Ogawa Kin'ichi),^[1] son of kabuki actor Nakamura Tokizō III, he entered kabuki and became the first in the kabuki tradition to take the name Nakamura Kinnosuke. He took on his guild name (yagō) Yorozuya as his surname in 1971.

In addition to his kabuki activity, Kinnosuke had an extensive film career. A specialist in jidaigeki, Kinnosuke appeared in more than 140 films. These include a 1957 Mito Kōmon and a 1961 appearance as the title character in the Toei Company's Miyamoto Musashi series (a role he reprised in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1965, and again in 1971). A versatile actor, he has played as many as seven characters in a single film. In various productions of Chūshingura, he also portrayed Oyamada Shōzaemon (1956), Asano Naganori (1959), Wakisaka Awaji no Kami (1961), and Ōishi Yoshio (1978). Other appearances include Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1957, 1958, 1962), Tokugawa Iemitsu (1958), Oda Nobunaga (1965), Takeda Shingen (1969), Sakamoto Ryōma (1970), Matsudaira Katamori (1980), and Oda Yūrakusai (1989).^[2]

Kinnosuke portrayed Yagyū Munenori multiple times, first on television as the star of the year-long 1971 NHK Taiga drama Haru no Sakamichi, then on the Big Screen in the 1978 film Shogun's Samurai.^[2] His next appearance as Munenori was in a 13 episode TV production entitled Yagyū Shinkage-ryū which aired in 1982. His final appearance as Munenori was in 4 of 5 Yagyu Bugeicho TV movies that aired between 1990 and 1992. From 1973 to 1976, he played Ogami Ittō, the Lone Wolf in the NTV series Kozure Ōkami based on the manga Lone Wolf and Cub. A late-career role was Yamana Sōzen in the Taiga drama Hana no Ran.

Kinnosuke's younger brother Nakamura Katsuo and nephew Nakamura Shidō II are currently active in kabuki, television, and film.

^ ^a ^b While the stage names of all kabuki actors have retained traditional order (Surname-Givenname) on Wikipedia, birth names of those born after the Meiji Restoration are in Western order (Givenname-Surname).
^ ^a ^b John Berra, ed. (2012). Directory of world cinema. Vol. 11, Japan 2. Bristol: Intellect. pp. 158–160. ISBN 978-1-84150-598-5. OCLC 860602860.

[name-1] While the stage names of all kabuki actors have retained traditional order (Surname-Givenname) on Wikipedia, birth names of those born after the Meiji Restoration are in Western order (Givenname-Surname).

[:0-2] John Berra, ed. (2012). Directory of world cinema. Vol. 11, Japan 2. Bristol: Intellect. pp. 158–160. ISBN 978-1-84150-598-5. OCLC 860602860.

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