Hashizo Okawa
Hashizo Okawa was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than one hundred Jidaigeki films from 1955 to 1967.
Biography
Born in Tokyo, the son of a Yanagibashi geisha, he was soon adopted by the Ono family. His adoptive father was a kabuki actor named Takinoyo Ichikawa II, who trained him in dance and kabuki acting from an early age.In November 1935, he made his kabuki stage debut as Omemaru Ichikawa and quickly got the attention of Kikugorō Onoe VI, who took him under his wing as part of a long line of great onnagata.
In October 1944, he was adopted by Chiyo Terashima, wife of Kikugorō Onoe VI, inheriting the family name of Niwa to become Tominari Niwa. At the time, he also appeared on the kabuki stage as Hashizo Okawa II for the first time.
In 1955, he made his film debut at the request of Mitsuo Makino, with the Jidaigeki film A Warrior's Flute opposite Hibari Misora.
Working exclusively for Toei, Okawa quickly became the studio's most popular star appearing in many films, and headlining a number of series, including eight films as Shingo Aoi, the illegitimate son of Shōgun Yoshimune Tokugawa.
After appearing in at least 113 films over a twelve-year period from 1955-1967, he moved on to television playing the same role he did in his final theatrically released film, the Edo period detective Heiji Zenigata, which he portrayed in 888 TV episodes over the next 18 years until his death from colon and liver cancer at age 55 in 1984.
Hashizo Okawa is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest running actor in a one-hour long television series for his performance as Heiji, and is still considered one of the most popular Japanese film stars of all time.
Filmography
Films
| Release | Title | Role | Series |
| 1955.12.04 | A Warrior's Flute | Taira no Atsumori | |
| 1955.12.28 | Bored Hatamoto: Riddle of the Duel Challenge | Hanji | Bored Hatamoto |
| 1956.02.25 | Case of Young Lord 1 | Young Lord | Case of Young Lord |
| 1956.02.25 | Case of Young Lord 2 | Young Lord | Case of Young Lord |
| 1956.05.11 | The Happy Wanderer | Kikuji | |
| 1956.05.24 | Kingdom of Edo Part 1 | Mantarō Tokugawa | Kingdom of Edo |
| 1956.06.01 | Kingdom of Edo Part 2 | Mantarō Tokugawa | Kingdom of Edo |
| 1956.06.08 | Kingdom of Edo Part 3 | Mantarō Tokugawa | Kingdom of Edo |
| 1956.06.21 | Case of Young Lord 3 | Young Lord | Case of Young Lord |
| 1956.08.22 | Revenge Comes Disguised | Kin | |
| 1956.09.11 | Stones From the Sea | Yōzō | |
| 1956.10.09 | Scramble For Fortune | Shintarō Tsuyuki | |
| 1956.10.17 | Avenging Father | Kagetoki Kajiwara | |
| 1956.11.07 | Mysteries of Edo | Genjirō Kawashima / Genjirō Terao | |
| 1956.11.20 | Against The Grain | Nakazō Nakamura | |
| 1956.12.26 | The Seven Vows Part 1 | Yuzukimaru | The Seven Vows |
| 1957.01.03 | The Seven Vows Part 2 | Yuzukimaru | The Seven Vows |
| 1957.01.03 | Port of Honor | Oiwake no Sangorō | |
| 1957.01.09 | The Seven Vows Part 3 | Yuzukimaru | The Seven Vows |
| 1957.01.09 | Fighting Festival in Edo | Shinza | |
| 1957.02.05 | Bird of Chaos | Sōtarō Gin | |
| 1957.03.04 | Case of Young Lord 4 | Young Lord | Case of Young Lord |
| 1957.04.02 | Case of Young Lord 5 | Young Lord | Case of Young Lord |
| 1957.05.12 | The Fighting Man on the Trail | Kusama no Hanjirō | Hanjiro of Kusama |
| 1957.05.28 | Two Rulers | Yata / Yoshimitsu Rokugō | |
| 1957.07.02 | Red Peony | Genjirō Ōkusa | |
| 1957.08.11 | Lord Mito | Kakunoshin Atsumi | Lord Mito |
| 1957.09.01 | The Drum | Nawanosuke Kikuchi | |
| 1957.09.29 | Case of Young Lord 6 | Young Lord | Case of Young Lord |
| 1957.11.17 | Falcon Magistrate | Kyōtō Nezumi | |
| 1957.12.28 | Woman of Mettle | Nigumi no Chōji | |
| 1958.01.03 | A Chivalrous Spirit | Masukawa no Senemon | |
| 1958.01.29 | The Scarlet Cherry Lord | Chiyosaburō Matsudaira | |
| 1958.03.18 | Tange Sazen | Genzaburō Yagyū | Tange Sazen |
| 1958.04.01 | Her Son Came Back | Kusama no Hanjirō | Hanjiro of Kusama |
| 1958.04.30 | Seven From Edo | Sōshirō Akizuki | |
| 1958.06.03 | The Young Boss | Matsunojō Kōzuki | |
| 1958.07.30 | The Lord's Thousand Ryo Umbrella | Jōtarō Tadamasa Honda | |
| 1958.08.12 | Bored Hatamoto Tribute | Shinbei Minobe | Bored Hatamoto |
| 1958.09.16 | The Envoy | Shiranui no Shinza | |
| 1958.10.14 | Drenched Swallow Gonpachi | Gonpachi Kurenai | |
| 1958.11.11 | Devastation | Takitarō Miwa | |
| 1958.12.15 | Case of Young Lord 7 | Young Lord | Case of Young Lord |
| 1958.12.27 | Fighting Disposition | Eijirō Ōmaeda | |
| 1959.01.03 | Tange Sazen: The Mystery of the Twin Dragons | Daisaku Ibuki | Tange Sazen |
| 1959.01.15 | Forty-Seven Masterless Samurai | Kinemon Okano | |
| 1959.03.17 | Ten Duels of Young Shingo: Part I | Yorikata Matsudaira / Shingo Aoi | Shingo Aoi |
| 1959.04.22 | Happily Tied To The Road | Kusama no Hanjirō | Hanjiro of Kusama |
| 1959.05.05 | No Stronger Swords | Jirōkichi Inabaya | |
| 1959.06.09 | The Secret Envoy | Oda no Takemaro | |
| 1959.07.12 | Lord Mito 2 | Inokichi | Lord Mito |
| 1959.08.09 | A Spectacular Showdown | Nadare no Iwamatsu | |
| 1959.08.19 | Ten Duels of Young Shingo: Part II | Shingo Aoi | Shingo Aoi |
| 1959.09.20 | Echo in the Mountains | Ina no Kogenta / Munisai Shimazaki | |
| 1959.10.11 | Bloody Battle at Dawn | Dainaiki Honda | |
| 1959.11.01 | Bloodied Spear | Juheiji Sugino | |
| 1959.12.25 | Handsome Disguise | Yukinojō Nakamura / Yamitarō / Seizaemon Matsuuraya | |
| 1960.01.03 | Road of Chivalry | Takei no Asajirō | |
| 1960.01.15 | Tange Sazen: The Mysterious Sword | Gennosuke Sōma | Tange Sazen |
| 1960.02.07 | Chivalrous Child of Edo | Nezumi Kozō Jirōkichi | |
| 1960.03.27 | Ten Duels of Young Shingo: Part III | Shingo Aoi | Shingo Aoi |
| 1960.04.16 | Ten Duels of Young Shingo: Saga Conclusion | Shingo Aoi | Shingo Aoi |
| 1960.05.29 | Hanjiro of Kusama: Wanderer in the Mist | Kusama no Hanjirō | Hanjiro of Kusama |
| 1960.07.10 | Shinsengumi: Last Days of the Shogunate | Orinosuke Tajima | |
| 1960.07.31 | The Newcomer to Shimizu | Masakichi | |
| 1960.08.07 | Lord Mito: All Star Version | Chūjō Tsunaeda Mito | Lord Mito |
| 1960.09.18 | The Pirates | Rokumon Isono | |
| 1960.10.30 | Castle of Flames | Masato Ōmi | |
| 1960.12.27 | Case of Young Lord 8 | Young Lord | Case of Young Lord |
| 1961.01.03 | Shingo's Challenge | Shingo Aoi | Shingo Aoi |
| 1961.01.15 | Case of Umon: The Nanbanzame Murders | Yokichi | |
| 1961.02.07 | Edo Purebred | Kichigorō | |
| 1961.03.28 | The Ako Retainers | Takumi-no-kami Asano | |
| 1961.04.09 | Young Warrior on Mt. Fuji | Minamoto no Yoritomo | |
| 1961.04.25 | Mask of the Moon | Hanpeita Tsukigata | |
| 1961.05.03 | Tange Sazen and the Princess | Genzaburō Yagyū | Tange Sazen |
| 1961.06.11 | Young Lord Yakuza | Taihei | Young Lord Yakuza |
| 1961.07.09 | Shingo's Challenge Part II | Shingo Aoi | Shingo Aoi |
| 1961.08.13 | Law in Ghost Land | Hanzō Yagi | |
| 1961.09.23 | Case of Young Lord 9 | Young Lord | Case of Young Lord |
| 1961.12.24 | The Red Shadow | Waka-kage | |
| 1962.01.14 | Good Rascals | Ichinojō Kaneko | |
| 1962.03.21 | The Christian Revolt | Shirō Tokisada Amakusa | |
| 1962.05.01 | Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow | Yasuna Abe | |
| 1962.07.13 | Yakuza Official | Bunkichi | |
| 1962.08.12 | The Phantom Goblin | Kyōnosuke Asakawa / Shūma Moriya | |
| 1962.10.12 | Mark of Blood | Tsubakuro no Fujitarō | |
| 1962.11.02 | Tengu Priest | Shinzaburō Akibaya | |
| 1962.11.11 | Mansion of the Blood Curse | Echizen-no-kami Ōoka | |
| 1962.12.01 | The Paper Crane | Toma no Hantarō | |
| 1962.12.23 | Case of Young Lord 10 | Young Lord | Case of Young Lord |
| 1963.01.03 | Tokaido Full House | Kira no Nikichi | |
| 1963.02.10 | Tattoo of Love | Hantarō | |
| 1963.04.21 | This Head is Wanted for 10,000 Goku | Yari no Gonzō | |
| 1963.06.22 | Three Outlaws | Akane no Yanokichi | |
| 1963.07.13 | Shingo's Challenge Part III | Shingo Aoi | Shingo Aoi |
| 1963.09.21 | Young Lord Yakuza: Edo Tengu | Gennojō Kageyama | Young Lord Yakuza |
| 1963.11.20 | Ukyonosuke On Patrol | Denemon Sena / Ukyōnosuke Murasaki | Ukyonosuke Murasaki |
| 1964.01.09 | Vanquished Foes | Hayate no Fujitarō | |
| 1964.01.15 | Warrior of the Wind | Shinzō Nabari | |
| 1964.03.12 | Ukyonosuke's Reverse Ichimonji Cut | Ukyōnosuke Murasaki | Ukyonosuke Murasaki |
| 1964.05.23 | Shingo's Greatest Duel | Shingo Aoi | Shingo Aoi |
| 1964.08.13 | The Shogun's Vault | Hanji | |
| 1964.09.05 | The Great Duel | Haruna no Shūjirō | |
| 1964.12.12 | Cruelty of Shogunate's Downfall | Saburō Eba | |
| 1964.12.24 | The Thief in Black | Kotarō Musashi / Jirō Tachibana | |
| 1965.02.13 | War of Roses | Hisao Takemura | |
| 1965.05.08 | The Grand Contest | Mitake no Sentarō | |
| 1965.06.27 | The Third Contest | Mondonosuke Yumedono | |
| 1965.08.01 | Chivalrous Nature | Matsudo no Shinta | |
| 1965.10.24 | Breaking Down The Magistrate | Sasagawa no Shigezō | |
| 1966.03.10 | Hatamoto Yakuza | Chōnome no Sanji | |
| 1967.10.10 | Heiji, The Detective | Heiji Zenigata | |
| 1981.04.11 | Chanbara Graffiti | Himself |
Television
| Airdate | Title | Type | Role |
| 1966.05.04 - 1984.04.04 | Heiji, The Detective | TV Series - 888 Episodes | Heiji Zenigata |
| 1981.04.17 | Tokijiro Kutsukake | TV Movie | Tokijiro Kutsukake |
| 1982.05.14 | Mataemon Araki's Duel at Kagiya no Tsuji | TV Movie | Mataemon Araki |
| 1983.04.20 | Ginpei from Koina: Migratory Bird of Winter | TV Movie | Ginpei from Koina |
| 1984.05.02 - 1984.06.06 | Yumie Hiraiwa Drama Series: Chōchō-san and Her Sons | TV Series - 6 Episodes |