Asahi Kurizuka
Asahi Kurizuka (Japanese: 栗塚 旭, Hepburn: Kurizuka Asahi; May 9, 1937 – September 9, 2025) was a Japanese actor.[1] He made his film debut in Satsuo Yamamoto's The War Without Weapons (1960). In 1966, he received the Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year.[2] Specializing in jidaigeki, Kurizuka was known for portraying Hijikata Toshizō, a role he played multiple times throughout his career.[3][4]
On September 12, 2025, news outlets reported that Kurizuka had died at his home in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto on September 9. He had been scheduled to appear on Mitsuya Seizaemon Zanjitsuroku, a jidaigeki for BS Fuji, but could not be contacted prior to the start of production. When he did not show up on his scheduled filming day, the police were asked to perform a wellness check, where they confirmed his death.[5][6]
Filmography
Film
- Bukinaki Tatakai (1960)
- Onna no Issho (1967), Ogi Soichi
- Moeyo Ken (1966), Hijikata Toshizō
- Harbor Light Yokohama (1968)[1]
- Futari Biyori (2005), Kuroda Gen
- Shundo (2013), Nishizaki
- Ninja Kids: Summer Mission Impossible (2013)
- Chambara: The Art of Japanese Swordplay (2015)
- The Old Capital (2016)
- Love's Twisting Path (2019), Monk
- Musicophilia (2021)[7]
- Toshizō no Katana (2023), Hijikata Toshizō[8]
Television
- Shinsengumi Keppūroku (1965), Hijikata Toshizō
- Warera Kyūnin no Senki (1966)
- Ore wa Yōjinbō (1967)
- Kaze, co-starring Sanae Tsuchida (1967)
- Moeyo Ken (1970), Hijikata Toshizō
- Shinsengumi (1973), Hijikata Toshizō
- Inochi Moyu (1981), Hijikata Toshizō
- Shinsengumi! (2004), Hijikata Tamejirō
- The Unfettered Shogun (xxxx) (as semi-regular character Yamada Asaemon)
References
- ^ a b American Film Institute (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1961-1970, Part 2. University of California Press. p. 454. ISBN 978-0-520-20970-1. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
- ^ "エランドール賞歴代受賞者一覧". 一般社団法人 日本映画テレビプロデューサー協会. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "ミスター土方歳三役 俳優・栗塚旭は記念館設立目指す ８２歳、今も映画出演". www.daily. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ "栗塚旭×荒俣宏 ～「新選組血風録」を振り返る". 京都漫画ミュージアムy. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ "栗塚旭さん 死去、88歳 撮影日にも現場に現れず、警察が確認 「新選組血風録」で主役の土方歳三役" [Kurizuka Akira dies, age 88—Did not show up even on filming day, police confirmed; played lead role of Hijikata Toshizō in Shinsengumi Keppūroku]. Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). September 13, 2025. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
- ^ "俳優の栗塚旭さん死去 「燃えよ剣」の土方歳三役、「暴れん坊将軍」など出演" [Actor Kurizuka Asahi dies: played the role of Hijikata Toshizō in Moeyo Ken, appeared in The Unfettered Shogun, among others]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). September 12, 2025. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
- ^ "ミュジコフィリア". eiga.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
- ^ "土方歳三の「都市伝説」…函館から露へを映画化". Sankei Shimbun. Retrieved April 12, 2023.