Eijirō Tōno

Eijirō Tōno
Eijirō Tōno
東野英治郎
	Tōno in 1954
Born	17 September 1907; Tomioka, Gunma, Japan
Died	8 September 1994 (aged 86); Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1934–1994
Children	Eishin Tōno

Eijirō Tōno (東野英治郎, Tōno Eijirō, 17 September 1907 – 8 September 1994) was a Japanese actor who, in a career lasting more than 50 years, appeared in over 400 television shows, nearly 250 films and numerous stage productions. He is best known in the West for his roles in films by Akira Kurosawa, such as Seven Samurai (1954) and Yojimbo (1961), and films by Yasujirō Ozu, such as Tokyo Story (1953) and An Autumn Afternoon (1962). He also appeared in Kill! by Kihachi Okamoto and Tora! Tora! Tora!, a depiction of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His final film was Juzo Itami's A-ge-man (Tales of a Golden Geisha) in 1990. Tōno also starred as the title character in the long-running television jidaigeki series Mito Kōmon from 1969 to 1983. In the early years of his career he acted under the name of Katsuji Honjo (本庄克二).

Early life

Eijirō Tōno was born on 17 September 1907 in Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan.^[1] Born to a sake brewery, his father was a Hino merchant (Ōmi merchant), who had moved to Kantō alone from a mountain village in Ōmi Province and worked his way to become a sake brewer from the ground up.^[2] Tōno attended Tomioka Middle School. After enrolling as a student in the Commerce Department of Meiji University^[1] he joined the left-wing Society for the Study of Social Science (社会科学研究会 : Shakai-kagaku kenkyukai ). This was politically dangerous, as the Peace Preservation Law of 1925 made members of any association whose object was the alteration of the kokutai (National Polity), or of the system of private property, liable to imprisonment for up to ten years. In 1931 he became a student on the proletarian drama course run by the Tsukiji Little Theatre (築地小劇場: Tsukiji shogekijo ). He made his stage debut in the Tokyo Left-wing Theatre (東京左翼劇場: Tokyo sayoku gekijo ) production of The Mount Osore Tunnel (恐山トンネル: Osoreyama tonneru)by Jūrō Miyoshi. Having completed the proletarian drama course, he joined the New Tsukiji Theatre Group and took the stage name Katsuji Honjō (本庄克二).^{[citation needed]}

Career

Through the 1930s, Tōno appeared in almost all of the New Tsukiji Theatre Group's productions, receiving favourable reviews. In particular, his performances as Heizō in Earth (土: Tsuchi), Yugorō in The Composition-writing Classroom (綴方教室: Tsuzurikata kyōshitsu) and the Gravedigger in Hamlet established his reputation as an actor. He also came to play an important part in the management of the troupe. In 1936, he made his film debut in Older Brother, Younger Sister (兄いもうと: Ani imōto). In 1938 he appeared in Teinosuke Kinugasa's Kuroda seichū roku (黒田誠忠録)and subsequently had roles in pictures for the Shōchiku, Nikkatsu and Tōhō studios. Up to this point, he was credited under his stage name, 'Katsuji Honjō'.^{[citation needed]}

In August 1940 the New Tsukiji Theatre Group was forcibly disbanded.^[1] From this time on, he was credited as 'Tōno Eijirō'. In 1943 he appeared in Keisuke Kinoshita's debut film Port of Flowers (花咲く港: Hana saku minato). In 1944 Tōno, Eitarō Ozawa, Koreya Senda, Sugisaku Aoyama, Chieko Higashiyama and others formed the Actors' Theatre Haiyuza.^[1] During the last year of the Pacific War, he toured Japan under the auspices of the Japan Peripatetic Drama League (日本移動演劇連盟), an officially-sponsored body whose remit was to raise morale, and therefore productivity, by bringing drama to factories, mines, farming communities and fishing villages.^{[citation needed]}

After the war ended in August 1945, Tōno returned to the Actors' Theatre as one of its central figures, both actor and administrator. Between the end of the war and 1990 he also played supporting roles in well over 200 films. Notable among them were seven films for Akira Kurosawa, including Seven Samurai and Yojimbo, four for Yasujirō Ozu, including Tokyo Story and An Autumn Afternoon, and nine for Keisuke Kinoshita, including Marriage (結婚: Kekkon) and The Ballad of Narayama.^{[citation needed]}

He also voiced Doc in the 1958 Japanese dub of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film).^{[citation needed]}

The role for which he is perhaps best remembered in Japan, however, is that of the title character in the hugely popular TV jidaigeki Mito Kōmon,^[1] in which the historical Tokugawa Mitsukuni, retired daimyō of the Mito Domain, roams the country in the guise of a retired merchant, Mitsuemon, righting wrongs and correcting injustice with the aid of two samurai retainers. Tōno played the role in 381 episodes between 1969 and 1983. (The series continued through 2011, with four further actors playing Mitsuemon.)^{[citation needed]}

Tōno died of heart failure on 8 September 1994, nine days before his 87th birthday.^{[citation needed]}

Selected filmography

Older Brother, Younger Sister (1936) as A laborer (uncredited)
Port of Flowers (1943) as Hayashida
Kaigun (1943)
Kanko no machi (1944)
Army (1944) as Sakuragi
Izu no musumetachi (1945) as Murakami
Morning for the Osone Family (1946) as Ippei Yamaki
Kekkon (1947) as Kōhei, Fumie's father
Tsukinode no ketto (1947)
Joyū Sumako no koi (1947) as Shoyo Tsubouchi
Natsukashi no buruusu (1948)
Jutai (1948)
Taifuken no onna (1948) as Yoshii
The Broken Commandment (1948)
Waga Koi wa Moenu (1949) as State Councillor Ito
Shin'ya no kokuhaku (1949)
Mahiru no embukyoku (1949) as Sampei Kuribayashi
Stray Dog (1949) as Old man of wooden tub shop
Rinchi (1949)
Ma no ogon (1950)
Akagi Kara kita otoko (1950)
Les Miserables (1950)
Sasaki Kojiro (1950)
Zoku Sasaki Kojiro (1951)
Ginza Cosmetics (1951) as Hyôbei Sugano
Jiyû gakkô (1951)
Hopu-san: sararîman no maki (1951)
Kanketsu Sasaki Kojirô: Ganryû-jima kettô (1951) as Jinnai Ôba
Sekishun (1952) as Sakichi Arakawa
Yamabiko gakkô (1952)
Sengoku burai (1952)
Children of Hiroshima (1952)
Bijo to touzoku (1952) as Jurota
Muntinlupa no yo wa fukete (1952)
Himitsu (1952) as Jonosuke Tajima
Fuun senryobune (1952)
Jûdai no seiten (1953) as Tomekichi, Fusae's father
Asama no karasu (1953) as Hyakusuke no Onoji
Hiroba no kodoku (1953) as Soneda
Hana no naka no musumetachi (1953) as Shôroku Ishii
The Wild Geese (1953) as Suezô, the moneylender
Waseda daigaku (1953) as Nomura
Shishun no izumi (1953) as Nakamura, a policeman
Tokyo Story (1953) as Sanpei Numata
Life of a Woman (1953) as Kyuzaemon
Seven Samurai (1954) as Thief
The Sound of Waves (1954) as Schoolmaster, a peddler
Taiyo no nai machi (1954)
Midori no nakama (1954) as Tamon Tsuburagi
Nyonin no yakata (1954) as Inokawa
Horafuki tanji (1954) as Policeman Iketani
Kuroi ushio (1954)
Kunsho (1954)
Keisatsu nikki (1955)
Koko ni izumi ari (1955)
Ai no onimotsu (1955)
Uruwashiki saigetsu (1955) as Imanishi's father
Tasogare sakaba (1955) as Onizuka
Wolf (1955)
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955) as Baiken Shishido
Ukikusa nikki (1955)
Record of a Living Being (1955) as Old man from Brazil
Shuzenji Monagatari (1955) as Hōjō Tokimasa
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956) as Baiken Shishido
Hanayome no tameiki (1956) as Tahei Kawamura
Early Spring (1956) as Tokichi Hattori
Hakusen midare kurokami (1956)
Kyûketsu-ga (1956) as Tetsuzô Ibuki / Shunsaku Etô
Farewell to Dream (1956) as Yôichi's father, Genkichi
Hana no kyodai (1956)
Byaku fujin no yoren (1956)
Zenigata Heiji Torimono no Hikae: Hitohada Gumo (1956)
Nonki fufu (1956)
Mori wa ikiteiru (1956) as A waiting man
Hadashi no seishun (1956) as Shiimbei Hayashi
Anata kaimasu (1956) as Ogushi
An Actress (1956) as Tadao Inoue
Tsuyu no atosaki (1956)
Night River (1956)
Namida (1956)
Kome (1957) as Sakuzo
Ôban (1957) as Chaplin-San
An Osaka Story (1957) as Ninpei Omiya
Suzakumon (1957) as Tomofusa Kunokura, Yuhide's father
Ninjitsu (1957) as Fugetsusai
Untamed (1957)
Snow Country (1957) as Keisuke Kiyama
Hikage no musume (1957)
Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen (1957) as Chaplin san
The Lower Depths (1957) as Tomekichi the Tinker
Jun'ai monogatari (1957) as Garbage man
Kuroi kawa (1957) as Kurihara
Dotanba (1957)
Ninkyo shimisu-minato (1957) as Kansuke
Boryoku no hatoba (1957)
Yagyû bugeichô: Sôryû hiken (1958) as Fugetsusai
Hotarubi (1958)
Ankoru watto monogatari utsukushiki aishu (1958) as Chamberlain
Yoru no tsuzumi (1958) as Mataemon Kurokawa
The Ballad of Narayama (1958) as Messenger
Kisetsufu no kanatani (1958)
Oban kanketsu hen (1958)
Wakai kemono (1958)
Hitotsubu no mugi (1958)
Zokuzoku sarariman shussetai kôki (1958)
Kami no taisho (1958)
Hadaka no taishô (1958) as Commander
Jinsei gekijô - Seishun hen (1958)
Shirasagi (1958)
Akujo no kisetsu (1958) as Taisuke Yashiro
Wakai kawa no nagare (1959) as Shôkichi Sone
The Human Condition (1959)
Dai san no shikaku (1959) as Kazuta Kubo
Kiku to Isamu (1959) as Policeman
Karatachi nikki (1959)
Ohayo (aka Good Morning) (1959) as Tomizawa
High Teen (1959) as Tateishi, principal
Yajû shisubeshi (1959) as Detective Kawashima
Naniwa no koi no monogatari (1959)
Mi wa jukushitari (1959) as Saemon, Hikari's father
Ningen no kabe (1959)
The Three Treasures (1959) as Ootomo
Futô no nâwabarî (1959)
Shin santô jûyaku: Tabi to onna to sake no maki (1960)
Ôinaru tabiji (1960)
Chinpindô shujin (1960)
Kunisada Chûji (1960) as Kansuke
Ajisai no uta (1960) as Genjûrô Kurata
Sake to onna to yari (1960) as Hideyoshi Toyotomi
Shin santo juyaku: teishu kyo iku no maki (1960)
Kenka Tarô (1960) as Kitaura
The Twilight Story (1960) as Teacher Yamai
Ashita hareru ka (1960) as Seisaku Kajiwara
Sararîman Chûshingura (1960) as Gonosuke Kira
Ore no kokyô wa western (1960) as Ôkawa
Tekkaba no kazê (1960)
Botchan yaro seizoroi (1961)
Pigs and Battleships (1961) as Kan'ichi
Zoku sararîman Chûshingura (1961) as Gonosuke Kira
Eddoko bugyo tenka o kiru otoko (1961)
Yojimbo (1961) as Gonji - Tavern Keeper
Tôshi reijô (1961) as Ginroku
Ai to honoho to (1961) as Kudo
The Littlest Warrior (1961) as Sanshô Dayû (voice)
Kako (1961)
Akai kôya (1961) as Shinzô Okui
Immortal Love (1961) as Policeman
Sekai daisensô (1961)
Dôdôtaru jinsei (1961) as Daisaku Hara
Buda (1961) as Suratha
Hadakakko (1961) as Shohei, Akiko's father
Kanpai! Gokigen yarou (1961)
Taiheî hara no otoko (1961)
Salary man Shimizu minato (1962) as Komazô Kuroda
Zoku sararîman shimizu minato (1962)
Watakushi-tachi no kekkon (1962)
Musume to watashi (1962) as Grandfather
Seinen no isu (1962) as Genjûrô Hatada
Kyûpora no aru machi (1962) as Tatsugorô Ishiguro (Jun's father)
Shachô yôkôki (1962)
Nakayama shichiri (1962)
Chiisakobe (1962) as Ikichi
Akitsu Springs (1962) as Priest
Ao beka monogatari (1962) as Grandpa Yoshi
Shin no shikôtei (1962) as Li Tang
An Autumn Afternoon (1962) as Seitarō Sakuma, "The Gourd"
Kawa no hotori de (1962) as Tôgo Sawada
Akai kage-bôshi (1962) as Jinzaburô Kamo
Sen-hime to Hideyori (1962) as Tokugawa Ieyasu
Hakone-yama (1962)
Twin Sisters of Kyoto (1963) as Sosuke Otomo
High and Low (1963) as factory worker
Shiro to kuro (1963)
Shitamachi no taiyô (1963) as Gensuke
Kono kubi ichimangoku (1963) as Tenzen Ôshikôchi
Bushido, Samurai Saga (1963) as Shibiku-Shosuke Hori
Jinsei gekijo: zoku hisha kaku (1963)
Kekkonshiki Kekkonshiki (1963) as Gorô
Otoko no monshô (1963)
Zoku shinobi no mono (1963) as Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Kaigun (1963)
Eden no umi (1963)
Kureji sakusen: Kudabare! Musekinin (1963)
Gobanchô yûgirirô (1963) as Kunigi
The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman (1963) as Meiji, his father
Tange Sazen: zankoku no kawa (1963)
Shin shinobi no mono (1963)
Ukyonosuke Junsatsu-ki (1963)
Hachigatsu umare no Onna (1963)
Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijôji no kettô (1964) as Haiya
Pale Flower (1964) as Gang Leader
Hanayome wa jûgo sai (1964)
Kizudarake no sanga (1964) as Shinzo Kozuki
Echigo Tsutsuishi Oyashirazu (1964) as Endô
Hadaka no jûyaku (1964) as Kosugi, president
Horafuki taikôki (1964) as Koroku Hachisuka
Otoko no monshô - fuun futatsu ryu (1964)
Kûroi daîsu ga ore o yobû (1964)
Dokonjô monogatari: Zuputo iyatsu (1964)
Baka ga tanku de yatte kuru (1964)
Aa, seishun no mune no chi wa (1964) as Sôtarô Shimizu
Shachô ninpôchô (1965)
Samurai Assassin (1965) as Masagorô Kisoya
Red Beard (1965) as Goheiji
Nippon ichi no goma suri otoko (1965)
Muhômatsu no isshô (1965) as Jûzô Yûki
Illusion of Blood (1965) as Priest
Sword of the Beast (1965) as Minister
Abashiri bangaichi: Bôkyô hen (1965)
Akutô (1965) as Commentator
Uzushio (1965)
Supai (1965)
An Innocent Witch (1965) as Mountain shaman
Iki-ni kanzu (1965)
Shachô gyôjôki (1966)
Tobenai chinmoku (1966)
Yojôhan monogatari: Shôfu Shino (1966) as Uyû
Izuko e (1966)
Yoidore hakase (1966) as Marshal
Lost Sex (1966) as Neighbor / Writer
Shiroi Kyotô (1966) as Professor Azuma (the first surgery dept)
Yorû no bara o kesê (1966)
Zatôichi tekka tabi (1967) as Senzo
Kitaguni no ryojô (1967) as Kichinosuke Kawara
Lost Spring (1967) as Soga
Kureji no Kaitô Jibako (1967)
Zoku ô-oku maruhi monogatari (1967) as Narrator (voice)
Moero! Taiyô (1967)
Waka oyabun senryû-hada (1967)
Nippon ichi no otoko no naka no otoko (1967) as Gonosuke Okanda
Kamo to negi (1968) as Shigejiro Ohno
Teppô denraiki (1968) as Kinbei Yaita
Kill! (1968) as Hyogo Moriuchi
The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968) as Ganko, the blacksmith (voice)
Âh himeyuri no tô (1968) as Nakaji, Principal
Moero! Seishun (1968) as Zenkichi Misawa
Otoko no chosen (1968)
Fukushû no uta ga kikoeru (1968)
Kureji no buchamukure daihakken (1969) as Onikuma
Shachô enmachô (1969)
Tirania (1969)
Zoku shachô enmachô (1969)
Zoku otoko wa tsurai yo (1969) as Sanpo Sensei
Shachô gaku ABC (1970)
Zoku shachô gaku ABC (1970)
Fuji sanchō (1970)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
Tenkan no abarembo (1970)
Shokon ichidai tenka no abarenbo (1970)
Showa hito keta shachô tai futaketa shain (1971)
Gekido no showashi: Okinawa kessen (1971)
Zoku Showa hito keta shachō tai futaketa shain: Getsu-getsu kasui moku kinkin (1971)
Gokumon-to (1977) as Kaemon Kitō - Yosamatsu's Father
Mito Komon (1978) as Tokugawa Mitsukuni
Hunter in the Dark (1979) as Shogen
Eireitachi no oenka: saigo no sōkeisen (1979)
Izakaya Chōji (1983) as Matukawa
So What (1988)
Death of a Tea Master (1989) as Kokei
Harasu no ita hibi (1989)
Ageman (1990) as Prime Minister

Honours

Medal with Purple Ribbon (1975)
Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (1982)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "新撰芸能人物事典明治～平成「東野英治郎」の解説". kotobank. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
^ 中央公論社刊. 歴史と人物. 中央公論新社. p. 316.

External links

Eijirô Tono at IMDb

[kotoba-1] "新撰芸能人物事典明治～平成「東野英治郎」の解説". kotobank. Retrieved 15 August 2021.

[2] 中央公論社刊. 歴史と人物. 中央公論新社. p. 316.

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