Denjirō Ōkōchi
Denjirō Ōkōchi was a Japanese film actor most famous for starring roles in jidaigeki directed by leading Japanese filmmakers.Early life
Born in 1898, his real name was Masuo Ōbe.Career
Ōkōchi entered Shinkokugeki, training under Shōjirō Sawada. Sawada founded this new school of popular theatre in 1917 which had strong cultural impact by the early 1920s. Shinkokugeki was known for jidaigeki the period drama genre, particularly for its realistic sword fights or swordplay.
With this background, Ōkōchi entered the Nikkatsu studio in 1925 and soon came to fame in chanbara samurai films – a subgenre of jidaigeki emphasizing tate – playing characters such as Chūji Kunisada and Sazen Tange.
At his peak, he was one of the top jidaigeki stars alongside Tsumasaburō Bandō and Chiezō Kataoka. During World War II, he also appeared in a number of war films.
He was directed by Akira Kurosawa, Daisuke Itō, Sadao Yamanaka, Teinosuke Kinugasa, Hiroshi Inagaki and Masahiro Makino.Death
Ōkōchi had ceased acting by 1961, dying a year later on July 18, 1962.Legacy
His house and garden in Arashiyama, Kyoto, called Ōkōchi Sansō, are still preserved and open to the public.Selected filmography
