Veteran Actor Tatsuya Nakadai, Icon of Japanese cinema, Dies at 92
TOKYO – Tatsuya Nakadai, a towering figure of Japan’s golden age of cinema renowned for his complex portrayals of both heroes and villains, died on November 8 at the age of 92. The news, reported by The Asahi Shimbun on November 13, marks the end of an era for Japanese film.
Nakadai’s career spanned decades,delivering unforgettable performances in landmark films directed by Akira Kurosawa and Masaki Kobayashi,among others. He became known for a dedication to his craft that bordered on the obsessive, immersing himself in roles through exhaustive readiness.For example, he famously covered the walls of his home – including the toilet and kitchen – with his lines, using a flashlight to review them at night.
He first gained widespread recognition for his work with Kurosawa, notably in the 1962 samurai drama Sanjuro (released as Tsubaki Sanjuro in japan). The film’s climactic duel scene, a masterclass in tension and choreography, was achieved through Nakadai’s rigorous practice of iaido – repeatedly drawing and swinging his sword in a confined space without striking the wall – while unaware of his co-star Toshiro Mifune’s approach. The scene’s realism was so convincing, a crew member initially believed Nakadai had been genuinely cut. As the script directed, “Their showdown cannot possibly be described in words. You can only see for yourself by watching the film.”
Nakadai’s range extended far beyond samurai roles. He captivated audiences as Kaji in Masaki Kobayashi’s epic Ningen no Joken (The Human Condition) and as the tragic warlord hidetora Ichimonji in Kobayashi’s Ran, inspired by Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Despite his success, Nakadai remained grounded, dismissing acting as a “nonessential profession” while continually striving for enhancement. He possessed a distinctive presence, described as having somewhat Caucasian features and intensely luminous eyes, and openly embraced playing darker characters, believing that “humans are interesting precisely as thay are not just all light, they are also dark.”
In his later years,nakadai adopted the term “sekishu” – meaning “red autumn” – as a personal ideology,contrasting it with “seishun” (“blue spring”) to embrace the beauty and intensity of life’s final chapter. He viewed the vibrant, yet fleeting, autumn leaves as a metaphor for fully embracing every remaining moment.
“The flaming red leaves that dazzle the eye with their autumnal glory are bound to fade and die. But until that time comes, let us fully blaze through every remaining moment,” The Asahi Shimbun reported, concluding, “One leaf, still scarlet in all its glory, just fell to the ground.”
