Kinya Kitaoji
Early life:
He was born in Kyoto, son of jidaigeki film star Ichikawa Utaemon, and graduated from Waseda University School of Letters, Arts and Sciences Ⅱ in Tokyo.
Acting career:
Kin'ya made his debut with his father in the 1956 Toei film Oyakodaka in the role of Katsu Kaishū. He is a contemporary of, and was taken to be a rival of, Hiroki Matsukata, who was also the son of a famous actor (Jūshirō Konoe). In 1964, Kin'ya made his first appearance on stage in Cyrano de Bergerac.
The 1960s and 1970s saw him in many contemporary roles. He appeared in Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima and Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode as well as Karei naru Ichizoku. The title role in the 1975 film Takehisa Yumeji was his.
On television, Kitaōji portrayed Miyamoto Musashi in the Nippon Television show of the same name. A major historical role was Sakamoto Ryōma in the year-long prime-time NHK Taiga drama Ryōma ga Yuku (1968). He landed the title role in the long-running cop show Zenigata Heiji, set in the Edo period. In the 1985 twelve-hour New Year special Fūun Yagyū Bugeichō, he played Yagyū Jūbei, and in the following year's special, he portrayed both Tokugawa Yoshimune and Yagyū Shinrokurō. The role of another shogun fell to him in the following new year as TV Tokyo tapped him to play Tokugawa Iemitsu. Kin'ya returned to NHK for the 1987 Taiga drama Dokuganryū Masamune as Date Terumune, father of title character Date Masamune.
Another role he took had been created by his father. Saotome Mondonosuke was the title character in the series Gozonji! Hatamoto Taikutsu Otoko. It ran from 1988 to 1994 on TV Asahi. His father, Ichikawa Utaemon, had appeared in numerous films as Mondonosuke.
Kin'ya reprised the part of Miyamoto Musashi in the 1990 New Year's special. Toshirō Mifune had portrayed Musashi in the earlier film, also based on the Eiji Yoshikawa story, that had won an Academy Award. He returned to the New Year's special in 1996, again as the famous swordsman, in Tokugawa Kengōden Sore kara no Musashi.
His first portrayal of Ōishi Kuranosuke was in the 1996 Chūshingura. He took up the role again in 2004 for the NHK Saigo no Chūshingura and in 2007, in the New Year special Chūshingura Yōzei-in no Inbō. Other historical roles from the Sengoku period include Azai Nagamasa, Saitō Dōsan, and Yamamoto Kansuke. In addition to historical parts, he appeared in fictional series. His portrayal of Ogami Ittō in the Lone Wolf and Cub ( Kozure 2) Which was a series for Asahi TV in Japan is representative of these appearances.
In 2008, Kitaōji revisited the role of Katsu Kaishū in the Taiga drama Atsuhime. He had portrayed Katsu in his 1956 debut.
He won the award for best actor at the 10th Hochi Film Award for Fire Festival and Haru no kane. Kitaōji played one of the lead roles in Hideo Nakata's psychological thriller film The Incite Mill.
In recent times, Kitaōji voices the Hokkaido-inu character of "Father" in SoftBank Mobile's White Family advertising campaign.
Acted in
Believe: A Bridge to You
2024
as Bando Goro
Alice in Wonderful Kitchen
2024
as Gojo Michitaka
Kazama Kimichika: Kyojo Zero
2023
THE LEGEND & BUTTERFLY
2023
as Saitō Dōsan
さすらい署長風間昭平スペシャル 塩屋岬いわき殺人事件
2022
In His Chart
2021
as Itagaki Genzo [Director]
The Confidence Man JP – Episode of the Princess –
2020
as Raymond Fuu
Alive: Dr. Kokoro, The Medical Oncologist
2020
as Kyotaro Onda
Castle of Sand
2019
Whistleblower
2019
as Ikuo Yakuyama
Kioku Sousa ~Shinjuku Higashi-sho Jiken Fairu~
2019
がん消滅の罠～完全寛解の謎～
2018
as 西條征士郎(さいじょう せいしろう)
Virtual Detective Tabito Higurashi
2017
as Wataru Enoki
Monster Strike The Movie: To The Place of Beginnings
2016
as Kentaro Ishibashi (voice)
One Piece Film: GOLD
2016
as Raise Max (voice)
Case 17
2016
as Shuichi Itami
Sayonara Debussy - Pianist Tantei Misaki Yosuke
2016
as 香月玄太郎
Fragile
2016
as Kaoru Nakaguma
Keiji 7-nin
2015
as Shuntaro Domoto
I'm Home
2015
as Yozo Ieji
Seicho Matsumoto's Black Gospel
2014
Sanbiki no Ossan
2014
as 清田清一
Sakura Housara
2014
淋しい狩人
2013
Hanzawa Naoki
2013
as Ken Nakanowatari
Legal High SP
2013
as Teshigawara Isao
Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon
2012
as Yoshito Tendo（天堂 義人）
Asura
2012
as Monk
Breathless Summer
2012
as Shusaku Natsume
Blackboard
2012
as Akinori Shioda
Blackboard
2012
as Shioda Akinori
Man of Destiny
2012
as Keisaku Sahashi
I Don't Want to Kidnap Anyone Anymore
2012
as Hanazono Shugoro
The Last Revenge
2011
as Tesshu Yamaoka
Princess Go
2011
Chushingura〜Sono Otoko, Oishi Kuranosuke
2010
The Incite Mill
2010
as Yoshi Ando
Sakurada Gate Incident
2010
Eternal First Love
2010
as Yuichi Makibara
Absolute Zero
2010
as Hideo Nagashima
Genjuro's Deadly Sword: The Return of Shinigami
2009
Triangle
2009
as Kuroki Shinzo
刑事シュート しゅうと&ムコの事件日誌
2008
Sushi King Goes to New York
2008
as Gengoro
Phantom Assassin
2008
as Koyama Genjuro
Atsuhime
2008
Kuwayama Jubei travels to eight provinces
2007
as Kuwayama Jubei
The Grand Family
2007
as Daisuke Manpyo
Magistrate Ooka Echizen
2005
The Story of Dominating Countries
2005
忠臣蔵
2004
Roving Police Chief Kazama Shohei 2 - Lake Tazawa Murder Case
2004
as Shohei Kazama
さすらい署長 風間昭平
2003
Lone Wolf and Cub
2002
as Ogami Ittô
生存 愛する娘のために
2002
Hojo Tokimune
2001
as Sha Kokumei
Secret Magistrate Asahina
1998
as Asahina Kawachinokami Masakiyo
The Peking Man
1997
as Kin'ya Kitaôji
SMAP×SMAP
1996
as Skit Guest
Further Tales of Musashi
1996
as Miyamoto Musashi
Another 47 Ronins: Genroku Taiheiki
1995
Assassin's Target: Iemitsu
1995
The Notorious Bored Samurai 9
1994
as Saotome Mondonosuke
The Notorious Bored Samurai 9
1994
Bored Hatamoto: The Kaga Conspiracy
1993
事件 (テレビ朝日のテレビドラマ)
1993
The Notorious Bored Samurai 8
1993
as Sawatari Mondonosuke
Bored Hatamoto: Letter of Death
1993
Yakuza Ladies Revisited 2
1993
Date Masamune: The One-Eyed Dragon
1993
The Notorious Bored Samurai 7
1992
as Sawatari Shusui
The Diary of Chuji's Travels
1992
as Chuji
Tokugawa Ieyasu: The Conqueror of Japan
1992
The Notorious Bored Samurai 6
1991
as Sawatari Shusui
Dohten
1991
The Notorious Bored Samurai 5
1990
as Sawatari Shusui
Detective Heiji
1990
as Heiji Zenigata
Miyamoto Musashi
1990
as Miyamoto Musashi
The Notorious Bored Samurai 3
1989
as Sawatari Shusui
Sensei
1989
as Chairman of the town
Sanada Yukimura
1989
The Notorious Bored Samurai 2
1988
as Mondonosuke Saotome
The Notorious Bored Samurai
1988
as Mondosuke
Masamune Shogun
1987
as 伊達輝宗
Crisis at Edo Castle - Angry Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu
1987
Tokugawa Chronicles: Ambition of the 3 Branches
1986
as Genroku Kano (Tokugawa Yoshimune)
Spring Bell
1985
as Rokuheita Narumi
The Second Is a Christian
1985
as Eiji
The Second Is a Christian
1985
Yume-Chiyo
1985
Fire Festival
1985
as Tatsuo
The Story of a Man Among Men
1984
Zero
1984
as Jiro Horikoshi
Kukai
1984
as Kukai
Shadow Conspirator
1982
Future War 198X
1982
as Wataru Mikumo (voice)
Lake of Illusions
1982
as Nobunaga Oda
The Highest Honour
1982
as Major Tachibana
Abandoned
1981
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga
1980
Glowing Autumn
1978
Dynamite Don-Don
1978
as Ginji Tachibana
Monument to Holy Service
1978
Winter's Flower
1978
as Michio Sakata
Shag
1978
Mount Hakkoda
1977
as Captain Kanda
The Alaska Story
1977
as Frank Yasuda
The Corporation
1976
Love and Separation in Sri Lanka
1976
Takehisa Yumeji monogatari: koi suru
1975
as Yumeji Takehisa
Gambling Den Heist
1975
as Takeshi Kiyomoto
Shimane Prison Riot
1975
as Yuji Kawamura
Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack
1975
Father of the Kamikaze
1974
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode
1974
as Tamotsu Matsumura
Akumyo: Notorious Dragon
1974
The Blossom and the Sword
1973
as Captain Sakagami
Rise, Fair Sun
1973
Men and War III: The Final Chapter
1973
as Shunsuke Godai
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima
1973
as Shoji Yamanaka
A Woman Called En
1971
Will to Conquer
1970
Mominoki wa Nokotta
1970
as Sakai Tadakiyo
Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor
1969
as Soji Okita
Admiral Borneo: Betting at the Equator
1969
as Takeo
One Day at Summer's End
1968
as Shigeo Ugari
The Day the Sun Rose
1968
Ryoma ga Yuku
1968
as Sakamoto Ryoma
River of Forever
1967
Love on the Rainbow
1965
as Tatsuya Kitakami
Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu
1965
Wolves, Pigs & Men
1964
as Sabu, the third brother
The Navy
1963
as Shinji
53 Stages of Action
1963
Tokaido Fullhouse
1963
as Okeya-no-oni
A Revengeful Raid
1962
Keepers of Order
1962
Yoka chigo zakura Make no wakamusha
1962
Genkuro Yoshitsune
1962
Knightly Advice
1962
Young Lord and Second Son
1961
Whistling Drifter
1961
as Tsukinowa Gentaro
Law in Ghost Island
1961
as Yusaku
The Orphan Brother
1961
Lord Mito: Struggle of Suke and Kaku
1961
Fine Man
1961
Bored Hatamoto: Island of No Return
1960
Bloody Battle at Dawn
1959
Bored Hatamoto: The Daimonji Conspiracy
1959
The Acrobats of Death
1959
Bored Hatamoto: Idle Vassal Tribute
1958
Kingdom of Youth
1958
as Yamanaka Shikanoske
The Mansion of Intrigue
1957
as Kirishima Kyoya
Shadow Over Fuji
1957
Avenging Father
1956
as Minamoto no Yoriie
Virtue in Spades
1956
Toyama Shōgawa kai satsujin jiken