Japanese national treasure actor Tatsuya Nakadai passed away on Monday (November 11) at the age of 92. A veteran of the film industry for nearly 70 years, he starred in classic masterpieces such as Akira Kurosawa's *Heaven and Hell*, *Kagemusha*, and *Ran*, and also participated in Masaki Kobayashi's *The Human Condition* and *Harakiri*. Nakadai's profound and solid acting skills left an indelible mark on Japanese and world cinema.
Tatsuya Nakadai was born in 1923 and entered the "Haiyuza" theater training school in 1952. After graduating, he quickly distinguished himself with his refined performance. In 1954, he participated as an extra in Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece "Seven Samurai," officially entering the film industry. He was soon appreciated by director Masaki Kobayashi and starred in anti-war classics such as "The Human Condition" and "Harakiri," becoming a representative figure of the Showa era film industry.
He was also an important collaborator with director Akira Kurosawa. From his villainous role in "Sanjuro" where he faced off against Toshiro Mifune, to his leading roles in "Kagemusha" and "Ran," he consistently demonstrated restrained yet explosive acting skills, deeply captivating international audiences. "Kagemusha" won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival, while "Ran" became one of Kurosawa's most representative classic works from his later years.
Nakadai's films have won awards at the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin film festivals, and he has also appeared at the Academy Awards, setting an example for Japanese actors on the international stage. Other representative works he starred in include Kon Ichikawa's 1958 film "Enjo" (炎上), 1966's "The Face of Another" (异人之顏), and 1969's "Gop Kim" (御用金). He even ventured into the Hong Kong film industry in 1992, starring in the unconventional film "Demon City" (妖兽都市).
In 1975, Nakadai co-founded "Mumeijuku" with his wife, Kyoko Miyazaki, one of the few institutions in Japan that has been training actors for a long time as a private theater troupe. He personally mentored younger generations, the most famous of whom was Koji Yakusho. Inspired by his original name, "Hiroshi Hashimoto," which included his experience as a civil servant, he personally named his son "Yakusho Hiroshi," meaning "yakudokoro ga hirou naru" (meaning "yakudokoro ga hirou naru"), hoping that his son would be able to take on various roles in the future.
Despite receiving recognition from the Mainichi Film Awards, Blue Ribbon Awards, and Kinema Junpo for many years, Nakadai has always missed out on the Best Actor award at the Japan Academy Film Prize. He finally received an honorary award in 2016; in 2019, he received a special honorary award at the Tokyo International Film Festival; and in 2021, he was awarded the Kikuchi Kan Prize in recognition of his contributions to the arts and education.
In 2022, he co-starred with his disciple Koji Yakusho in his final work, "The Last Samurai of the Passage," an adaptation of Ryotaro Shiba's novel, which became a symbol of passing on the torch and bidding farewell. In January of this year, he still attended the screening of the documentary "My Sister's Time," and his tone remained unchanged in his dedication to acting and his gentle humor, "I never thought I could act until I'm 92. I originally wanted to retire, but it seems like it's not the right time yet."
