Shigeru Tsuyuguchi

Shigeru Tsuyuguchi (露口 茂) was born on April 8, 1932 in Tokyo, Japan, and spent his childhood in Ehime Prefecture. After enrolling at Ehime University he left before completing his degree and in 1955 joined the prestigious Haiyuza Theatre Company, launching a stage career that would soon transition to the screen. His first film appearance came in 1959, and he quickly rose to prominence with his portrayal of the charismatic thief in Shohei Imamura’s Unholy Desire. Tsuyuguchi became one of Imamura’s favored collaborators, appearing in four of the director’s subsequent films, including the acclaimed Eijanaika (1981). He was offered the role of Taro in Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (2001) but declined, a decision that underscored his selective approach to roles. In 1966 he earned the White Bronze Award for his performances in Woman of the Lake and Yojōhan monogatari: Shōfu shino, cementing his reputation as a versatile and respected actor.**

**Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Tsuyuguchi became a familiar face in Japanese jidaigeki television dramas, initially often cast as a villain before evolving into more heroic parts. Notable television roles include Hyōgo Furukawa in the inaugural season of Mito Kōmon and Fujiwara no Hidesato in the taiga drama Kaze to Kumo to Niji to, where his character famously slayed Taira no Masakado in the series finale. Screenwriter Kōki Mitani later quoted one of Tsuyuguchi’s lines from this drama in the 2016 taiga series Sanada Maru, a testament to his lasting cultural impact. In 1981 he led the TV drama Fubo no Gosan, and he achieved his greatest popular acclaim as Detective Yammura (“Yama‑san”) in the long‑running series Taiyō ni Hoero!, a role he inhabited for fourteen years until the character’s dramatic on‑screen death in episode 691. His film work continued with lead parts in the Morimura Seiichi no Shūchakueki series (1990‑1994), and he lent his voice to the beloved Baron Humbert von Gikkingen in Studio Ghibli’s Whisper of the Heart (1995). After retiring from acting in the mid‑1990s and formally announcing his retirement in 2013, Tsuyuguchi passed away on April 28, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of nuanced performances across stage, film, and television.