Koji Yakusho
Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Template:Nihongo, known professionally as Template:Nihongo, is a Japanese actor. He is known internationally for his starring roles in Shall We Dance? (1996), Cure (1997), 13 Assassins (2010), The Third Murder (2017), The Blood of Wolves (2018), Under the Open Sky (2020) and The Days (2023). For his performance in Perfect Days (2023), he was awarded the Best Actor award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
Early life and education
Yakusho was born in Isahaya, Nagasaki, the youngest of five brothers. After graduation from Nagasaki Prefectural High School of Technology in 1974, he worked at the Chiyoda municipal ward office, or kuyakusho, in Tokyo, from which he later took his stage name.<ref name="MG">Template:Cite web</ref>
Career
In 1976, he saw a production of Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths (Played by Tatsuya Nakadai) and was inspired, first to watch, and then later to take part in, as many plays as possible.<ref name=MG/> In the spring of 1978 he auditioned for Tatsuya Nakadai's the Mumeijuku (Studio for Unknown Performers) acting studio, and was one of four chosen out of 800 applicants.<ref name=MG/>
In 1983, he landed the role of Oda Nobunaga in the year-long NHK drama Tokugawa Ieyasu and was catapulted to fame. He also appeared in a TV version of Miyamoto Musashi from 1984 to 1985. For several years, he played Kuji Shinnosuke (or "Sengoku"), one of the title characters in the jidaigeki Sanbiki ga Kiru!. He played a major character in Juzo Itami's 1986 Tampopo.<ref name=MG/>
In 1988, he was given a special award for work in cinema by the Japanese Minister of Education, Science, Sports and Culture and continued to appear in films and in a number of TV shows through the '90s.<ref name=MG/>
In 1996 and 1997, Yakusho enjoyed several major successes. The Eel, directed by Shohei Imamura, in which he played the eel-loving lead, won the Palme d'Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lawrence Van Gelder in the New York Times called his performance "unerring."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lost Paradise, about a double-suicide, was second only to Princess Mononoke at the Japanese box office.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
International breakthrough: Shall We Dance?
Shall We Dance? was such a major hit in Japan that it inspired a domestic dance craze. Ballroom groups and dance schools multiplied in the country after the film's release, and people who previously would never admit to taking lessons announced that they did with pride.<ref name="SFC">Template:Cite web</ref> Director Masayuki Suo said of his lead, who until that point was known mostly for playing good-looking samurai, "we thought he could play this overworked, tired Japanese businessman, and he did.... He pulled everything off and took his dance training so seriously."<ref name="SFC" />
The film also was one of Japan's highest-grossing movies outside the country.<ref name=MG/><ref name="SFC" /> It earned $9.5 million in the US and inspired a remake starring Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere, with Gere playing Yakusho's role.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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Yakusho next won the Hochi Film Award for Best Actor for Bounce Ko Gals, a film which dealt with high school prostitution specifically, and money worship in general. He collaborated with horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa in Cure,<ref name=MG/> License to Live,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Seance, Charisma,<ref name=MG/> Pulse,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Doppelganger,<ref name="Doppel">Template:Cite web</ref> Retribution,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Tokyo Sonata.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yakusho found further recognition with international audiences to some extent with roles in such films as Memoirs of a Geisha and Babel. In the latter, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, he played the father of the deaf person played by Rinko Kikuchi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Continued success
In 2009, he debuted as director of Toad's Oil.<ref name="Toad">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010 and 2011 he was part of both ensemble casts in Takashi Miike's samurai films, 13 Assassins and Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai. The latter was in 3D and the first 3D film to be in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2011 war drama film Rengō Kantai Shirei Chōkan: Yamamoto Isoroku, Yakusho portrayed Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Yakusho was reportedly the only actor considered for the role; had he not accepted it, the film would have been canceled.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2018 he was in The Blood of Wolves. For his performance in Perfect Days, directed by Wim Wenders, Yakusho won best actor at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the same year, he has been selected 2023 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival’s filmmaker in focus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Hunter in the Dark | Kuwano | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Eireitachi no oenka: saigo no sôkeisen | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||
| 1980 | Twelve Months | Young soldier (voice) | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1981 | Willful Murder | Journalist | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1982 | Onimasa | Kondō | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Himeyuri no Tô | Otaka | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| The Legend of Sayo | Hatsutaro | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| 1985 | Tampopo | Man in White Suit | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1987 | The Great Department Store Robbery | Cello player | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1988 | Another Way: D-Kikan Joho | Naoto Sekiya | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1990 | Pod severnym siyaniyem | Genzo Tamiya | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1993 | Gurenbana | Kenzo Nakada | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Drug Connection | Ryosuke Kano | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1994 | Osaka Gokudo Senso: Shinoidare | Ippei Yoshikawa | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1995 | Kamikaze Taxi | Kantake | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1996 | Shall We Dance? | Shohei Sugiyama | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Sleeping Man | Kamimura | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| Shabu Gokudo | Makabe | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1997 | Lost Paradise | Shoichiro Kuki | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| The Eel | Takuro Yamashita | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Bounce Ko Gals | Oshima | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Cure | Kenichi Takabe | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1998 | Kizuna | Takaaki Ise/Tetsuro Haga | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Tadon to chikuwa | Kida | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1999 | License to Live | Fujimori | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Charisma | Goro Yabuike | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Spellbound | Hiroshi Kitano | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2000 | Swing Man | Movie star | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Dora-heita | Koheita "Dora-heita" Mochizuki | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Eureka | Makoto Sawai | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2001 | Pulse | Ship captain | Cameo | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Warm Water Under a Red Bridge | Yosuke Sasano | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2002 | The Choice of Hercules | Atsuyuki Sassa | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2003 | Doppelganger | Michio Hayasaki | Lead role | <ref name="Doppel"/> |
| Fireflies: River of Light | Mr. Takiguchi | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| 2004 | The Hunter and the Hunted | Detective Jin Sekikawa | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Tokyo: Level One | The Governor of Tokyo | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Lakeside Murder Case | Shunsuke Namiki | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| University of Laughs | Mutsuo Sakisaka | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2005 | Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean | Masami Shin'ichi | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Memoirs of a Geisha | Nobu | American film | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2006 | The Uchōten Hotel | Heikichi Shindo | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Babel | Yasujiro Wataya | Foreign film | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Retribution | Noboru Yoshioka | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2007 | I Just Didn't Do It | Masayoshi Arakawa | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Argentine Baba | Satoru Wakui | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Silk | Hara Jubei | Foreign film | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Walking My Life | Yukihiro Fujiyama | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2008 | Paco and the Magical Book | Onuki | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Tokyo Sonata | The Robber | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| 2009 | Mt. Tsurugidake | Morisaku Furuta | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Gelatin Silver Love | Client | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| Toad's Oil | Takuro Yazawa | Lead role & director | <ref name="Toad"/> | |
| 2010 | 13 Assassins | Shinzaemon Shimada | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| The Last Ronin | Magozaemon Senoo | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2011 | Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai | Kageyu Saito | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Isoroku | Isoroku Yamamoto | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Chronicle of My Mother | Kōsaku | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| The Woodsman and the Rain | Katsuhiko | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2012 | A Terminal Trust | Shinzo Egi | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2013 | The Kiyosu Conference | Shibata Katsuie | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2014 | The World of Kanako | Akikazu Fujishima | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| A Samurai Chronicle | Shūkoku Toda | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2015 | The Emperor in August | Korechika Anami | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| The Boy and the Beast | Kumatetsu (voice) | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Mifune: The Last Samurai | Himself | Documentary film | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2017 | Sekigahara | Tokugawa Ieyasu | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Oh Lucy! | Komori | American-Japanese film | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| The Third Murder | Misumi | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| 2018 | The Blood of Wolves | Shōgo Ōgami | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Mirai | Grandpa (voice) | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| 2019 | Wings Over Everest | Jiang Yuesheng | Lead role; Chinese film | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Whistleblower | Kase | Cameo | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2021 | Under the Open Sky | Masao Mikami | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| The Supporting Actors In Byplaywood | Himself | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| Belle | Suzu's father (voice) | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| 2022 | The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai | Kawai Tsugunosuke | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2023 | Perfect Days | Hirayama | Lead role; Japanese-German film | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Familia | Seiji | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Father of the Milky Way Railroad | Masajirō Miyazawa | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window | Sōsaku Kobayashi (voice) | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| 2024 | Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality | Takizawa Bakin | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2025 | Snowflowers: Seeds of Hope | Hino Teisai | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Scarlet | Claudius (voice) | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| 2026 | The Brightest Sun | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Shishi no Jidai | Murakami Taiji | Taiga drama | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1981 | Onna Taikōki | Oda Nobutaka | Taiga drama | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1983 | Tokugawa Ieyasu | Oda Nobunaga | Taiga drama | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1984–1985 | Miyamoto Musashi | Miyamoto Musashi | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1986 | Inochi | Hamamura | Taiga drama | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1987–1995 | Sanbiki ga Kiru! | Kuji Shin'nosuke | 7 seasons | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1990 | Moeyo Ken | Hijikata Toshizō | Lead role; miniseries | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1991 | Takeda Shingen | Takeda Shingen | Lead role; TV movie | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1994 | Hana no Ran | Ibuki Saburo Nobutsuna | Taiga drama | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2000 | Aikotoba wa Yūki | Jintaro Akatsuki | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Seance | Sato | Lead role; TV movie | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2010 | Wagaya no Rekishi | Narrator | Miniseries | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2011 | Early Autumn | Shinpei Matsubara | Lead role; TV movie | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2014 | Oyaji no Senaka | Sōsuke Aoki | Lead role; episode 2 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2017 | Ties: A Miraculous Colt | Masayuki | Lead role; miniseries | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Rikuoh | Kōichi Miyazawa | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| The Supporting Actors | Himself | Episode 1 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2019 | Idaten | Kanō Jigorō | Taiga drama | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2021 | Pension Metsa | Tsuneki | Episode 1 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Matrilineal Family | Yoshizō Yajima | Special appearance; miniseries | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2023 | The Days | Masao Yoshida | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Vivant | Nogoon Beki | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| 2026 | Did Someone Happen to Mention Me? | Gen Takasegawa | Lead role | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Japanese dub
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Band of Brothers | Richard Winters | Voice dub for Damian Lewis | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2006 | Over the Hedge | RJ | Animation | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2009 | Astro Boy | Dr. Bill Tenma | Animation | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Accolades
Awards and nominations
State honors
| Country | Year | Honor | Template:Abbr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Flag | 2012 | Medal with Purple Ribbon | <ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cite web</ref> |