HASEGAWA, Kazuo

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Nationality: Japanese. Born: Kyoto, 27 February 1908. Education: Attended Fushimi No. 3 Elementary School to 1921. Military Service: Served three-months basic training for Japanese Army, and spent the remainder of the war touring with theater groups, 1944–45. Family: Married 1) Tami Nakamura 1930 (divorced 1942); 2) Shige Iijima 1942, children: actor Narutoshi Hayashi and actresses Toshiko and Kiyo Hasegawa. Career: 1913—first role in his uncle's Kabuki theater; over the next few years used the stage names Kazuo Nakamura, Kazuo Arashi, and Chomaru Hayashi; underwent training as Kabuki actor; 1927—joined Shochiku Studio and made film debut (using name Chojiro Hayashi) in Chigo no kempo; made about 120 films in the next ten years for this studio; 1937—joined Toho Studio; his popularity was enhanced after being attacked by a thug, allegedly hired by rival studio; from this point began using his real name, Kazuo Hasegawa; 1942—established the Shin Engi-za theater group; 1946–47—engaged by Shin-Toho Studio; 1948–52—the Shin Engiza company began producing films as well as plays; 1949–63—member of Daiei Studio and executive officer, 1957–63; 1964—first TV appearance; 1960s—concentrated on stage work. Awards: Japanese Government Shiju-hosho, 1965; Minister of Education Award, 1978. Died: From cerebral tumor, 6 April 1984.

Films as Actor:

(as Chojiro Hayashi)

1927

Chigo no kenpo (Inuzuka); Ojo Kissa (Kinugasa); Rangun (Inuzuka); Doku azami (Kinugasa); Kinno jidai (Kinugasa); Itawari Asataro (Inuzuka); Jofusei (Fuyushima); Goyosen (Kinugusa); Yabure amigasa (Inuzuka); Akatsuki no yushi (Kinugawa); Korui (Yamazaki); Komori zoshi (Yamazaki); Gekka no kyoba (Kingugasa); Tempo hiken-roku (Yamazaki)

1928

Benten-kozo (Kinugasa) (title role); Kyoraku hicho (Kinugasa); Kaikoku-ki (Kinugasa); Fuunjo-shi (Yamazaki) (as Shinpachi Aizawa); Chokon yasha (Kinugasa); Hookibi (Hoshi); Shirai Gonpachi (Yamazaki); Ose Hangoro (Hoshi); Kaito Sayamaro (Koishi); Tsurugi no ketsuen (Koishi); Jinpinin (Tomonari); Edo sodachi (Tomonari); Kirare Yosa (Kioshi); Shigure-gasa (Koishi); Ningyo bushi (Koishi); Toribeyama shinju (Fuyushima)

1929

Kurode-gumi Sukeroku (Furuno); Jigoku kaido (Ishiyama); Obo Kissa (Fuyushima); Fubuki-toge (Fuyushima); Omokage (Hattori); Yari no Gonzo (Furuno); Tsukigata Hanpeita (Fuyushima) (title role); Ise ondo (Takeuchi); Sanza shigure (Hoshi); Chi ni somuku mono (Tomonari); Kuruheru meikun (Inoue)

1930

Nogitsune Sanji (Koishi); Jisei wa utsuru (Fuyushima); Jikizamurai (Inoue); Fuyuki shinju (Fuyushima); Matsudaira Choshichiro (Hoshi); Seki no Yatappe (Hoshi); Naniwa hina (Inoue); Satsunan sodoin (Fuyushima); Chiyoda no ninjo (Hoshi); Shochiku biggu paredo (Shimazu)

1931

Fubuki ni sakebu ookami (Fuyushima); Bijobu Sakyo (Hoshi); Monzaburo no Hide (Watanabe); Reimei izen (Kinugasa); Jurokuya seishin (Inuzuka); Bato no zeni: Kesho-bosatsu no maki (Inoue); Kagoya Dainagon (Futakawa); Bata no zeni: Ogon oni ranbu no maki (Inoue); Jonan no Yoemon (Inuzuka); Nagebushi Yasuke: Michinoku no maki (Futakawa); Nagebushi Yasuke: Edo no maki (Futakawa); Hiren hikui-zuka (Inuzuka)

1932

Yaji Kita bijn sodo (Futakawa); Konjiki-yasha (Nomura) (as Kanichi); Tabigaeru kokyo no uta (Inuzuka); Nezumi-kozo Jirokichi (Kinugasa) (as Jirokichi); Matsuri-uta Mitokichi goroshi (Inuzuka); Rikigun daikoshin (Shimizu); Edo gonomi Ryogoku-zoshi (Inoue); Kamiyui Shinza (Inuzuka); Dogo no kishi (Inoue); Hototogisu (Gosho); Nezumi-kozo Kirokichi: Kaiketsu-hen (Akiyama) (as Jirokichi); Kikugoro goshi (Inuzuka); Chushingura (Kinugasa) (as Asano Takuminokami and Yoshida Sawaemon)

1933

Adauchi kyodai kagami (Futakawa); Kikugoro goshi (Fuyushima); Ten-ichibo to Iganosuke (Kinugasa); Kyokaku harusame-gasa (Fuyushima); Irezumi hangan (Fuyushima); Futatsu dore (Kinugasa); Irezumi hangan: Hyaku-san kiki no maki (Fuyushima); Irezumi hangan: Kanketsu-hen (Fuyushima); Koina no Ginpei (Kinugasa); Uijin (Fuyushima); Yaji Kita (Inoue)

1934

Kutsukake Tokijiro (Kinugasa) (as Tokijiro); Yashu Honnoji (Fuyushima); Ishii Tsuneemon (Oosone); Myoreki meikenshi (Inoue); Tsukigata Hanpeita (Fuyushima) (title role); Yakko Kagami-san (Oosone); Ippon-gatana dohyoiri (Kinugasa); Rinzo shusse-tabi (Futakawa); Edo wa utsuru (Fuyushima); Genzaburo ihen: Hissatsuken oni no maki (Kimura); Genzaburo ihen: Shokuran renbo no maki (Fuyushima); Watashi no niisan (Shimazu) (as Fumio); Kyokaku Soga (Inoue)

1935

Hanayome no negoto (Gosho) (as Yasuo); Haha no ai (Ikeda); Kurayami no Ushimatsu (Kinugasa); Ronintabi sassho bosatsu (Kondo); Yokino-jo henge Parts I and II (Kingugasa) (as Yokino-jo, Yamitaro, and Yukino-jo's mother); Kagoya hangan (Fuyushima) (as Ooka Echizen ni kami); Tenpo Yasubei (Inuzuka); Megumi ni kenka (Fuyushima)

1936

Yokino-jo henge: Kaiketsu-hen (Kinugasa) (as Yokino-jo, Yamitaro, and Yokino-jo's mother); Onatsu Seijuro (Inuzuka) (as Seijuro); Arakawa no Sakichi (Oosone); Oduro Meikun (Inoue); Toribeyama shinju: Osome Hankuro (Fuyushima) (as Hankuro); Harusugata gonin-otoko (Fuyushima)

1937

Oosaka natsu-no-jin (Kinugasa) (as Sakazaki Izumo no kami); Tabi no kagero (Inuzuka); Tsuchiya Chikara: Rakka no make (as Tsuchiya Chikara and Sugino Jubeita); Sekkai no maki (Fuyushima); Suzukamori (Inoue); Moko raishu: Tekikoku Kofuku; Shishi-hen (Akiyama); Bancho sarayashiki (Fuyushima)

(as Kazuo Hasegawa)

1938

Tojuro no koi (Yamamoto) (as Sakata Tojuro); Mabuta no haha (Kondo); Tsuruhachi Tsurujiro (Naruse) (as Tsurujiro); Gekka no wakamusha (Nakagawa)

1939

Ronin fubuki (Kondo); Chushingura Parts I and II (Takizawa and Yamamoto); Kenka-tobi Parts I and II (Ishida) (released as short 1951); Echigo-jishi matsuri (Watanabe); Byakuran no uta (Watanabe) (as Kokichi Matsumura); Gozonji asumaotoko (Takizawa)

1940

Adauchi goyomi (Kondo); Hebihime-sama (Kinugasa) (as Hinokiya Sentaro); Shina no yoru Parts I and II (Hase) (released as Soshu yakyoku 1952—short) (as Tetsuo Hase); Zoku Hebihime-sama (Kinugasa) (as Hinokiya Sentaro); Moyuru daichi (Abe) (as Lt. Ohashi); Nessa no chikai Parts I and II (Watanabe) (as Kenji Sugiyama)

1941

Sakujitsu kieta otoko (Makino) (as Bunkichi); Hasegawa Roppa no Iemitsu to Hikosa (Makino) (as Tokugawa Iemitsu and Kawamura Keibu); Orizushichi nana-henge Parts I and II (Ishida); Awa no odoriko (Makino) (released as Kenun Naruto shibuki 1960—short); Kawanakajima gassen (Kinugasa) (as Hyakuzo); Otoko no hanamichi (Makino) (as Utaemon III)

1942

Matteita otoko (Makino); Fukei-zu (Makino) (as Hayase Chikara); Zoku Fukei-zu (Makino) (as Hayase Chikara); Omokage no machi (Hagiwara)

1943

Ina no Kantaro (Takizawa) (released as Ina-bushi jinji 1953—short) (title role); Ongaku dai-shingun (Watanabe); Meijin Choji-bori (Hagiwara) (as Choji); Susume dokuritsu-ki (Kinugasa and Imai); Himetaru kakugo (Takizawa)

1944

Idaten kaido (Hagiwara); Shibai-do (Naruse); Inochi no minato (Watanabe)

1945

Ato ni tsuzuku o shinzu (Watanabe); Sanju-san-gen-do toshiya monogatari (Naruse)

1946

Hinok butai (Toyoda); Aru yo no tonosama (Kinugasa) (as Kiichiro Taira); Kiri no yobanashi (Hagiwara)

1947

Toho Sen-ichi-ya (Ichikawa); Sakura-ondo: Kyo wa odotte (Watanabe); Oedo no oni (Hagiwara); Bonbon (Saeki)

1948

Yurei akatsuki ni shisu (Makino); Yukyo no mure (Oosone); Koban-zame: Dogo-hen (Kinugasa)

1949

Koban-zame: Aizo-hen (Kinugasa); Heiji happy-aku-ya-cho (Saeki); Ashi o arrata otoko (Fuyushima); Koga-yashiki (Kinugasa); Hebihime dochu (Kimura); Zoku Hebihime dochu (Kimura); Fukei-zu (Makino) (short version of Fukeizu and Zoku Fukei-zu, 1942)

1950

Kizudarake no otoko (Makino); Otomi to Yosaburo Parts I and II (Fuyushima) (as Yosaburo); Jogashima no ame (Tanaka); Senryo-hada (Fuyushima); Hi no tori (Tanaka); Oni azami (Fuyushima); Beni-komori (Kinugasa)

1951

Ashura hangan (Mori); Tsuki no wataridori (Kinugasa); Zenigata Heiji (Mori) (title role); Meigetsu somato (Kinugasa); Orizuru-gasa (Fuyushima); Genji monogatari (Tale of Genji) (Yoshimura) (as Hikari Genji); Tsuki kara kita otoko (Saeki); Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Koibumi dochu (Fuyushima) (title role); Hebihime-sama (Kinugasa) (short version of Hebihime-sama and Zoku Hebihimesama, 1940)

1952

Jirokichi goshi (Ito) (as Jirokichi); Shura-jo hibun: Soryu no maki (as Momotaro and Shin-nosuke); Hiun no maki (Kinugasa); Zenigata Heiji torimon-hikae: Jigoku no mon (Mori) (title role); Furisode kyojo (Yasuda); Kantaro tsukiyouta (Tasaka) (as Kantaro); Daibutsu kaigen (Kinugasa) (as Kunihito); Fuun senryo-bune (Inagaki)

1953

Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Karakuri yashiki (Mori) (title role); Asama no mozu (Kinugasa); Hana no Kodo-kan (Mori); Shishi no za (Ito) (as Hosho Yagoro); Hana no kenka-jo (Inuzuka); Jigokumon (Gate of Hell) (Kinugasa) (as Morito); Omatsuri Hanjiro (Inagaki) (as Hanjiro); Zenigata Heiji torimon-hikae: Konjiki no ookami (Mori) (title role)

1954

Hanano sandogasa (Inuzuka); Okiku to Harima (Ito) (as Aoyama Harima); Yoidore nito-ryu (Mori); Hana no nagawakizashi (Kinugasa); Shirazu no Yataro (Makita); Tekka bugyo (Kinugasa); Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Yurei daimyo (Hirozu) (title role); Chikamatsu monogatari (A Story from Chikamatsu; The Tale of the Crucified Lovers) (as Mohei)

1955

Itaro jishi (Tasaka); Nanatsu no kao no Ginji (Misumi); Jako yashiki (Tasaka); Bara wa ikutabika (Kinugasa); Tsubakurogasa (Tasaka); Tojuro no koi (Mori) (as Sakata Tojuro); Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Doguro-kago (Tasaka) (title role); Nagasaki no yuro (Mori); Ore was Tokichiro (Mori)

1956

Hana no wataridori (Tasaka); Yoshinaka o meguru san-nin no onna (Kinugasa) (as Kiso Jiro Yoshinaka): Zangiku monogatari (Shima) (as Kikunosuke); Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Shibijin-buro (Kado) (title role); Nezumi-kozo shinobikomi-hikae (Kado) (as Nazumi-kozo); Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Hitohada-gumo (Mori) (title role); Aizome-gasa (Kato); Tsukigata Hanpeita (Kinugasa) (title role)

1957

Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Madara-hebi (Kado) (title role); Nezumi-kozo shinobikomi-hikae: Ne-no-koku sanjo (Tasaka) (as Nezumi-kozo); Genji monogatari: Ukifune (Kinugasa) (as Kaeru no kimi); Ninjo misui (Kato); Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Megitsune yashiki (Kato) (title role); Naruto hicho (Kinugasa); Yuki no wataridori (Kato)

1958

Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Hachi-nin no hanayome (Makita) (title role); Yukyo gonin otoko (Kato); Edokko matsuri (Shima); Chushingura (Watanabe) (as Oishi Kuranosuke and Tamura); Inochi o kakeru otoko (Kato); Kuchibue o fuku wataridori (Tasaka); Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Onibi doro (Kato) (title role); Hana no yukyo-den (Yasuda); Nicherin to Moko daishurai (Watanabe) (as Nichiren); Igano minatsuki; Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Yuki-onna no ashiato (Kato) (title role)

1959

Kagero-gasa (Misumi); Onna tokaizoku (Ito); Yamada Nagamasa Oja no tsurugi (Kato) (title role); Jirocho Fuji (Mori) (as Jirocho); Yotsuya kaidan (Misumi); Oyashiki-zame (Kato); Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna (Kimura) (as Utamaro); Furai monogatari: Ninkyo-hen (Watanabe); Seki no Yatappe (Kato) (title role)

1960

Futari no Musashi; Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Bijin-gumo (Misumi) (title role); Oeyama Shuten-doji (Tanaka); Zoku jirocho Fuji (Mori) (as Jirocho); San-nin no kaoyaku (Inoue); Hi-sen-ryo (Tanaka); Furai monogatari: Abare Hisha; Ippon-gatana dohyo-iri (Yasuda); Kyokaku harusame-gasa (Watanabe); San-kyodai no ketto (Tanaka)

1961

Hare-kosode (Yasuda); Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Yoru no emmacho (Watanabe) (title role); Sakurada-mon (Nishiyama); Mito Komon umi o wataru (Watanabe); Kuroi sando-gasa (Nishiyama); Zenigata Heiji torimono-hikae: Bijin-zame (Misumi) (title role)

1962

Sabakareru Echizen no kami (Tanaka); Nakayoshi ondo Nippon ichi dayo (Inoue); Aoba-jo no oni (Misumi); Shin no shi-kotei (The Great Wall) (Tanaka)

1963

Yokino-jo henge (An Actor's Revenge) (Ichikawa) (as Yokino-jo and Yamitaro); Edo mujo (Nishiyama)

Publications

By HASEGAWA: books—

Watashi no niju-nen.

Butai ginmaku rokuju-nen.

On HASEGAWA: book—

Yamamura, Misa, Shosetsu Hasegawa Kazuo: otoko no hanamichi, Tokyo, 1985.

On HASEGAWA: article—

Obituary, in Revue du Cinéma (Paris), July/August 1984.

* * *

Kazuo Hasegawa, a handsome Kabuki star known as Chojiro Hayashi until 1938, attracted an enormous following as soon as he joined the Shochiku Studio. His romantic features and soft movements, which he learned from his training as an onnagata (female impersonator), thoroughly enchanted his fans. He studied with the director Teinosuke Kinugasa who had also been an onnagata. Kinugasa understood this actor's quality well, and continued to collaborate with him for several decades. Hasegawa also made countless swordplay films for the directors Fuyushima, Inuzuka, Inoue, Koishi, Hoshi, and Futakawa. Not content to rely on his Kabuki background, Hasegawa meticulously studied camera positions and lighting to understand how to present his attractive features most effectively in the film medium. For example, he consciously favored his left profile which was believed to be the better.

Among his 301 films, Hasegawa played period heroes such as samurais and lords, as well as detectives, actors, burglars, and gamblers. He most often played the familiar romantic type with high moral standards, struggling against injustice with the power of his sword. His acting style is elegant, with well-paced movement and delivery of dialogue. One of his most successful roles was in Kinugasa's Yokino-jo-henge in 1935–36, which Hasegawa remade for Kon Ichikawa in 1963. Drawn from the Kabuki theater are such elements as the complicated plot, the actor playing multiple roles (Hasegawa plays the vengeful Kabuki actor Yukino-jo, his mother, and the Robin Hood-like burglar who assists the actor in obtaining vengeance), as well as the concept of a play-within-a-play. The critical and popular success of this film led to the production of several sequels, all using Hasegawa.

Hasegawa's contemporary roles include romantic lovers in the Shochiku Studio's light-comic shomingeki (ordinary people's life) film genre and in the Toho Studio's wartime romances set in China, in which he played a Japanese man loved by a Chinese girl. His other successful roles include those of a doomed lover in Mizoguchi's Chikamatsu monogatari, which brought him international recognition, and his role as a brave warrior in Kinugasa's Jigoku-mon. These films were energetically exported under the auspices of the Daiei Studio, for which Hasegawa was the main star of the 1950s.

—Kyoko Hirano