is a Japanese actor.
Biography Early life He was born in Kyoto, son of jidaigeki film star Ichikawa Utaemon, and graduated from Waseda University School of Letters, Arts and Sciences II in Tokyo.
Acting career Kin'ya made his debut with his father in the 1956 Toei film Oyakodaka in the role of Katsu Kaishū. He is a contemporary of, and was taken to be a rival of, Hiroki Matsukata, who was also the son of a famous actor (Jūshirō Konoe). In 1964, Kin'ya made his first appearance on stage in Cyrano de Bergerac.
The 1960s and 1970s saw him in many contemporary roles. He appeared in Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima and Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode as well as Karei naru Ichizoku. The title role in the 1975 film Takehisa Yumeji was his.
On television, Kitaōji portrayed Miyamoto Musashi in the Nippon Television show of the same name. A major historical role was Sakamoto Ryōma in the year-long prime-time NHK taiga drama Ryōma ga Yuku (1968). He landed the title role in the long-running cop show Zenigata Heiji, set in the Edo period. In the 1985 twelve-hour New Year special Fūun Yagyū Bugeichō, he played Yagyū Jūbei, and in the following year's special, he portrayed both Tokugawa Yoshimune and Yagyū Shinrokurō. The role of another shogun fell to him in the following new year as TV Tokyo tapped him to play Tokugawa Iemitsu. Kin'ya returned to NHK for the 1987 Taiga drama Dokuganryū Masamune as Date Terumune, father of title character Date Masamune.
Another role he took had been created by his father. Saotome Mondonosuke was the title character in the series Gozonji! Hatamoto Taikutsu Otoko (The Bored Hatamoto). It ran from 1988 to 1994 on TV Asahi. His father, Ichikawa Utaemon, had appeared in numerous films and a 1973-74 TV series as Mondonosuke.
Kin'ya reprised the part of Miyamoto Musashi in the 1990 New Year's special. Toshirō Mifune had portrayed Musashi in the earlier film, also based on the Eiji Yoshikawa story, that had won an Academy Award. He returned to the New Year's special in 1996, again as the famous swordsman, in Tokugawa Kengōden Sore kara no Musashi.
His first portrayal of Ōishi Kuranosuke was in the 1996 Chūshingura. He took up the role again in 2004 for the NHK Saigo no Chūshingura and in 2007, in the New Year special Chūshingura Yōzei-in no Inbō. Other historical roles from the Sengoku period include Azai Nagamasa, Saitō Dōsan, and Yamamoto Kansuke. In addition to historical parts, he appeared in fictional series. His portrayal of Ogami Ittō in Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub) (2002-2004), which was a series for Asahi TV in Japan, is representative of these appearances.
In 2008, Kitaōji revisited the role of Katsu Kaishū in the taiga drama Atsuhime. He had portrayed Katsu in his 1956 debut.
He won the award for best actor at the 10th Hochi Film Award for Fire Festival and Haru no Kane. Kitaōji played one of the lead roles in Hideo Nakata's psychological thriller film The Incite Mill.
In recent times, Kitaōji voices the Hokkaido-inu character of "Father" in SoftBank Mobile's White Family advertising campaign.
Filmography Film Year Title RoleNotesRef.1956Virtue in Spades Young Katsu KaishūDebut roleAvenging FatherMinamoto no Yoriie1957The Mansion of IntrigueShadow Over FujiGolden Spell1958Kingdom of YouthYamanaka ShikanosukeLead role1959The Idle Vassal Pt.131961The Orphan BrotherZushiōmaru (voice)1962Tale of Genji KuroMinamoto no YoshitsuneLead role 1964Wolves, Pigs and Men Sabu1965Tokugawa IeyasuMatsudaira MotonobuLead role 1969ShinsengumiOkita Sōji1971Men and War Part IIShunsuke Godai1973Men and War Part IIIShunsuke GodaiBattles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima Shoji YamanakaLead role 1974Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final EpisodeTamotsu MatsumuraKarei-naru IchizokuYoshihiko Ichinose1975Cross the Rubicon!Takeshi KiyomotoLead roleThe Bullet TrainDetectiveSpecial appearance 1976Fumō ChitaiKaifu1977Mount HakkodaCaptain KandaLead role1978Dynamaite Don DonGinji1982Future War 198XWataru Mikumo (voice)Lead role1984KūkaiKūkaiLead role1985Fire FestivalTatsuoLead roleHaru no KaneRokuheita NarumiLead role1993Rainbow BridgeChōzaemon2010The Incite MillYoshiya AndoSakurada Gate IncidentTokugawa Nariaki2012AsuraBuddhist Monk (voice)2016One Piece Film: GoldRaise Max (voice)2019WhistleblowerIkuo Tokuyama2020The Confidence Man JP: Episode of the PrincessRaymond2023The Legend and ButterflySaitō Dōsan
Television Year Title RoleNotesRef.1968Ryōma ga Yuku Sakamoto RyōmaLead role; Taiga drama1970Momi no Ki wa Nokotta Sakai TadakiyoTaiga drama1972Shin Heike Monogatari Prince MochihitoTaiga drama1987Dokuganryū Masamune Date TerumuneTaiga drama1991–1998Zenigata Heiji Zenigata HeijiLead role; 7 seasons2001Hojo TokimuneXie GuomingTaiga drama2002-2004Lone Wolf and CubOgami IttoLead role; 3 seasons2007The FamilyDaisuke ManpyoLiar GameHasegawa2008AtsuhimeKatsu KaishūTaiga drama2008Genjūrō HissatsukenKoyama GenjuroLead role2009Genjūrō's Deadly Sword: The Return of ShinigamiKoyama GenjuroLead role; TV movie2010–2018Zettai ReidoHideo Nagashima3 seasons2011GōTokugawa IeyasuTaiga drama2012Man of DestinyPrime Minister Sahashi2013–2020Hanzawa NaokiKen NakanowatariSpecial appearance; 2 seasons2014Doctor-XYoshihito TendōSeason 32015Burning FlowerMōri TakachikaTaiga dramaMassanRyūnosuke UesugiAsadora2015–2023Seven DetectivesShuntaro Domoto9 seasons2016FragileKaoru Nakaguma2019–2022Kioku SōsaIchiro OnizukaLead role; 3 seasons2021Reach Beyond the Blue SkyTokugawa IeyasuTaiga drama2024Believe: A Bridge to YouGoro BandoSpecial appearance2025News Anchor Tsuyoshi HanyuSpecial appearance
Dubbing Year Title Role Dub for Ref.2009Hachi: A Dog's Tale Professor Parker Wilson Richard Gere
Video games Year Title Role Notes Ref.2010Yakuza 4 Seishiro Munakata
Honours Medal with Purple Ribbon (2007) Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2015) Person of Cultural Merit (2023)
References
External links
北大路欣也 at JMDB Official page at the Horipro agency