SHIMURA, Takashi

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Nationality: Japanese. Born: Shoji Shimazaki in Hyogo prefecture, 12 March 1905. Education: Attended night courses in English at Kansai University, late 1920s. Family: Married Masako, 1937. Career: 1928—formed amateur theater group, Shichigatsu-za; then joined a commercial group, Kindai-za, 1930, and appeared on stage in Osaka and on tour; 1939—joined the Shinsen-za group; 1934—joined the Shinko Kinema studio, Kyoto: first important film role in Chuji uridasu, 1935; later worked for other studios, including Makino, Nikkatsu, Shochiku, and, from 1941, Toho; 1950–54—roles in Rashomon and Seven Samurai brought international attention; appeared on television from the mid-1960s. Died: Of emphysema in Tokyo, 11 February 1982.

Films as Actor:

1935

Chuji uridasu (Itami); Tora-ko (Sasukita)

1936

Umon torimonocho: Harebare gojusan-tsugi; Naniwa ereji (Osaka Elegy) (Mizoguchi) (as the detective); Akanishi Kakita (Itami) (as Tsunomata); Shura yako: Edo no hanaosho; Hasshu kyokakujin; Maisen; Churetsu nikudan sanyushi; Hatsugaro-ondo; Irezumi chohan (Kinugasa)

1937

Seishun gonin otoko (Part I, II); Ryuko sokitai; Katana o nuite; Kisoji no tabigasa

1938

Jigoku no mushi (Inagaki)

1939

Myohoin Kanpachi (Tsuji); Shunju-ittoryu (Marune); Mumyoyumyo (Matsuda)

1940

Genroku bushido; Adauchi kokyogaku (Marune); Zoko Shimizuminato (Makino); Maboroshi-jo; Uemon torimono-cho: Uemon Edo-sugata (as Abata no Keishiro)

1941

Uchiiri zenya (Marune); Umi o wataru sairei (Inagaki); Edo saigo no hi (Inagaki); Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijo-ji no ketto (Inagaki)

1942

Torii Kyozaemon (Uchida)

1943

Sugata Sanshiro (Sanshiro Sugata) (Kurosawa) (as Hansuke Murai)

1944

Ichiban utsukushiku (The Most Beautiful) (Kurosawa) (as Goro Ishida)

1945

Tota no o o fumu otokotachi (The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail) (Kurosawa) (as Kakaoka)

1946

Waga seishun ni kui nashi (No Regrets for Our Youth) (Kurosawa) (as Dokuazami)

1947

Ginrei no hate (Snow Trail) (Taniguchi)

1948

Yoidore Tenshi (Drunken Angel) (Kurosawa) (as Dr. Sanada)

1949

Shizukanaru ketto (The Quiet Duel) (Kurosawa) (as Kyonosuke Fujisaki); Nora-inu (Stray Dog) (Kurosawa) (as Chief Detective Sato)

1950

Sukyandaru (Shubun; Scandal) (Kurosawa) (as Hiruta); Rashomon (Kurosawa) (as the woodcutter)

1951

Hakuchi (The Idiot) (Kurosawa) (as Ono); Mesu-inu (Kimura); Bakui ichidai (Kimura)

1952

Ikiru (To Live; Doomed) (Kurosawa) (as Kanji Watanabe); Ketto Kagiyanotsuji; Muteki; Bijo to yaju

1954

Saikaku ichidai-onna (The Life of Oharu) (Mizoguchi); Shichinin no samurai (The Seven Samurai) (Kurosawa) (as Kambei); Gojira (Godzilla, King of the Monsters) (Honda) (as Dr. Yamane)

1955

Otoko arite (Maruyama); Geisha Konatsu; Hitori neru yo no Konatsu (Aoyagi); Ikimono no kiroku (Record of a Living Being; I Live in Fear; What the Birds Knew) (Kurosawa) (as Harada)

1956

Ketto Ganryu-Jima (Musashi and Kojiro; Samurai Part III) (Inagaki) (as official)

1957

Kumonosujo (Throne of Blood) (Kurosawa) (as Noriyasu Odaguru); Ohtoro-jo no hanayome (Matsuda); Dotanba (Uchida)

1958

Chushingura (Watanabe) (as Jubei Otake); Ten to sen; Kakushi toride no san-akunin (Hidden Fortress) (Kurosawa) (as General Izumi Nagakura)

1959

Kotan no kuchibue (Naruse); Shobushi ro sono musume (Shima); Sengoki gunto-den (Saga of the Vagabonds) (Sugie) (as Toki Saemon-no-jo)

1960

Taiheiyo no arashi (I Bombed Pearl Harbor) (Matsubayashi) (as Tosaku); Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru (The Bad Sleep Well) (Kurosawa) (as Moriyama); Otoko tai otoko (Man against Man) (Taniguchi) (as Taniguchi)

1961

Yojimbo (The Bodyguard) (Kurosawa) (as Tokuemon); Osaka-jo monogatari (Daredevil in the Castle) (Inagaki); Ai to honoho to (Challenge to Live) (Sugawa); Mosura (Mothra) (Honda)

1962

Tsubaki Sanjuro (Sanjuro) (Kurosawa) (as Kurofuji); Chusingura (Inagaki); Futari no musuko (Different Sons) (Chiba); Yosei Gorath (Gorath) (Honda)

1963

Tengoku to jigoku (High and Low) (Kurosawa) (as the director)

1964

Kaidan (Kwaidan) (Kobayashi) (as priest); Samurai (Samurai Assassin) (Okamoto); Dai-tozoku (Samurai Pirate) (Taniguchi)

1965

Akahige (Red Beard) (Kurosawa) (as Tokubei Izumiya); Sandai kaiju chikyu saidai no kessen (Ghidrah; The Three Headed Monster) (Honda)

1966

Furankenshutain tai Baragon (Frankenstein Conquers the World) (Honda); Bankokku no yuro (Night in Bangkok) (Chiba)

1967

Nippon no ichiban nagai hi (The Emperor and a General) (Okamoto) (as information clerk)

1968

Kurobe no taiyo (Kumai); Zatoichi hatashi-jo (Yasuda); Gion matsuri (The Day the Sun Rose) (Yamanuchi) (as Tsuneemon)

1969

Furin-kazan (Samurai Banners) (Inagaki); Showa zankyoden: Karajishi jingi; Zoku otoko wa tsuraiyo (Yamada) (as the father)

1970

Gunbatsu (Horikawa)

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1971

Otokowa tsuraiyo: Torajiro koiuta (Yamada)

1973

Zatoichi's Conspiracy (Yasuda) (as Sakuebi)

1974

Ranru, no hata (Yoshimura); Shinkansen diabakuha (Sato)

1976

Zoku ningen kakumei (Masuda); Ninjutsu Sarutobi Sasuke

1982

Ogin Sama (Love and Faith of Ogin) (Kamai) (as Sen Rikyu)

Publications

On SHIMURA: article—

Obituary, in Image et Son, April 1982.

Obituary, in Films & Filming, May 1982.

The Annual Obituary 1982, New York, 1983.

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Takashi Shimura began his career playing villains or fools in many prewar films. His first major performance in Akira Kurosawa's Sugata Sanshiro began his ascendancy as one of Japan's most skillful and distinctive actors. Although he worked in numerous genres throughout his career, he is most often associated with Kurosawa's films, becoming an indispensible partner with him for 30 years.

Shimura's first starring role was as the alcoholic ghetto doctor of Drunken Angel. He attempts to save the life of a reckless gangster, played by Toshiro Mifune, who suffers from tuberculosis. Their performances, showing strength beneath human frailty, depicted opposing attitudes towards the confusion of optimism and despair in post-war Japan. Shamiru continued to play characters with paternal relationships to the younger Mifune: in The Quiet Duel as a doctor who encourages his son to follow his profession; in Stray Dog as an older detective paired with a rookie; and in Seven Samurai as the leader of a group of samurai which includes Mifune.

Two of Shimura's most impressive roles were as a villainous lawyer who awakens to the meaning of justice in Scandal and as a middle-aged bureaucrat in Ikiru. Learning he has terminal cancer, Shimura's character wishes to redeem his egocentric life by building a children's park. The dramatic change of this ordinary businessman as he wavers between hope and disillusionment became Shimura's screen monument.

—Kyoko Hirano