Acting
Utaemon Ichikawa
Born 1904-02-11
Marugame, Kagawa, Japan
Department: Acting
Biography
Utaemon Ichikawa was a Japanese film actor famous for starring roles in Jidaigeki from the 1920s to the 1960s. Trained in kabuki from childhood, he made his film debut in 1925 at Makino Film Productions under Shōzō Makino. Quickly gaining popularity, he followed the example of Makino stars such as Tsumasaburō Bandō in starting his own independent production company, Utaemon Ichikawa Productions, in 1927. It was there he first began the "Idle Vassal" (Hatamoto taikutsu otoko) series, which would become his signature role. When his company folded in 1936 as sound film came to the fore, he moved to Shinkō Kinema and then Daiei Studios before helping form the Toei Company after World War II. He served on the board of directors along with fellow samurai star Chiezō Kataoka. Utaemon appeared in over 300 films during his career. His son, Kin'ya Kitaōji, is also a famous actor in film and television.
Known For
Prominent works featuring Utaemon Ichikawa
Movie
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The 47 Ronin
1941
TMDB3.5
TV
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Sanada Yukimura
1989
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TV
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Tokugawa Chronicles: Ambition of the 3 Branches
1986
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Runway to Hell
1960
TMDB3.5
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Road of Chivalry
1960
TMDB3.0
Movie
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Lord of Steel Heart
1961
TMDB3.9
Movie
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Drunken Sword
1962
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Flowers on the Trail
1957
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Jiruba no Tetsu
1950
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Turbulent Highways
1959
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Filmography & Credits
Complete career catalog (130 titles)
| Poster | Title | Character / Role | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Diary of Chuji's Travels | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1992 |
 | Sanada Yukimura | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1989 |
 | Tokugawa Chronicles: Ambition of the 3 Branches | Mito Mitsukuni | TV Series | 1986 |
| The Bored Samurai | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1973 | |
 | The Lord's spy | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1964 |
 | A Prisoner in Search of Daughter | Kumokiri Nizaemon | Movie | 1963 |
 | Bloody Record of the Shinsengumi | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1963 |
 | Street of Wandering Men | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1963 |
 | The Mysterious Cape | Saotome Mondonosuke | Movie | 1963 |
 | Tokaido Fullhouse | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1963 |
 | Showdown at Lightning Pass | Takata Matabei Yoshitsugu | Movie | 1962 |
 | Drunken Sword | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1962 |
 | Otoko dokyō no ayame kasa | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1962 |
 | Kisaragi Sword | Tsukinosuke Ryûtan | Movie | 1962 |
 | Knightly Advice | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1962 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: The Mysterious Coral Mansion | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1962 |
 | Travels of Gonkuro | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1961 |
 | The Man Who Challenged 8,000,000-Koku | Yamanouchi Iganosuke | Movie | 1961 |
 | The Cave of the Vampire Bats | Saotome Mondonosuke | Movie | 1961 |
 | Samurai Knights | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1961 |
 | The Ako Retainers | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1961 |
| Samurai Hawk | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1961 | |
 | Lord of Steel Heart | Matabei Goto | Movie | 1961 |
 | Queen of the Treasure Island | Chusuke Yamakawa | Movie | 1960 |
 | The Swordsman In The Golden Valley | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1960 |
 | Lord Mito: All Star Version | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1960 |
 | Ninja Assassins | Saotome Mondonosuke | Movie | 1960 |
 | Ooka Seidan: Devil Image | Ooka Tadasuke | Movie | 1960 |
 | Runway to Hell | Sôshun Kôchiyama | Movie | 1960 |
 | The Samurai Markets | Chûsuke Yamakawa | Movie | 1960 |
 | Lord of Red Banner | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1960 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: Island of No Return | Saotome Mondonosuke | Movie | 1960 |
 | Road of Chivalry | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1960 |
| Bloody Battle at Dawn | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1959 | |
 | A Spectacular Showdown | Sasagawa no Shigezo | Movie | 1959 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: The Daimonji Conspiracy | Saotome Mondonosuke | Movie | 1959 |
 | No Stronger Swords | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1959 |
 | Turbulent Highways | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1959 |
 | The Unleashed Lord | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1959 |
 | The 47 Masterless Samurai | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1959 |
 | The Acrobats of Death | Saotome Mondonosuke | Movie | 1959 |
 | The Lost Public Funds | Asaka Keinosuke | Movie | 1958 |
| Drenched Swallow Gonpachi | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1958 | |
 | Epic Crash | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1958 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: Idle Vassal Tribute | Saotome Mondonosuke | Movie | 1958 |
 | Eight Views of Samurai | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1958 |
 | Seven from Edo | Katsukawa | Movie | 1958 |
 | Aoi Secret Book | Uotaro Toge | Movie | 1958 |
 | A Chivalrous Spirit | Nikichi | Movie | 1958 |
 | The Mansion of Intrigue | Saotome Mondonosuke | Movie | 1957 |
 | Shadow Over Fuji | Sato | Movie | 1957 |
 | Lord Mito | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1957 |
 | Rebellion | Satahiko | Movie | 1957 |
 | Lords of Oppression 2 | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1957 |
 | Lords of Oppression | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1957 |
 | Flowers on the Trail | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1957 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: Mysterious Crimson Tower | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1957 |
 | Shimizu Port of Chivalry | Boss Omaeda | Movie | 1957 |
 | Red-Lacquered Sword | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1956 |
 | やくざ大名 | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1956 |
| Ancient Coins | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1956 | |
 | Bored Hatamoto: The Mysterious Ghost Ship | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1956 |
 | Virtue in Spades | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1956 |
 | 快剣士・笑いの面 | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1956 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: Mysterious Letter of Challenge | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1955 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: The Mysterious Demon Palace | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1955 |
 | 牢獄の花嫁 | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1955 |
 | Four Swordsmen of Ashura | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1955 |
 | Golden Valley | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1955 |
 | Goblin Warrior | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1955 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: The Mysterious Phantom Mansion | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1954 |
 | 続変化大名 | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1954 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: The Million-ryo Mystery | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1954 |
 | 疾風愛憎峠 | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1954 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: House of Skulls | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1954 |
 | The Sun | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1953 |
 | Bored Hatamoto Passes By | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1953 |
 | 花吹雪男祭り | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1952 |
 | Tsukigata Hanpeita | Tsukigata Hanpeita | Movie | 1952 |
 | Kojiki Taishô | Gotō Mototsugu | Movie | 1952 |
 | Travels of Lord Mito Pt.2 | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1952 |
 | Travels of Lord Mito Pt.1 | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1952 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: The Imposter | Saotome Mondonosuke | Movie | 1952 |
 | Five Men of Edo | Jurozaemon Mizuno | Movie | 1951 |
 | Bored Hatamoto: The Demon of Chinatown | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1951 |
 | 豪快三人男 | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1951 |
 | The Killing of Otsuya | Shinsuke | Movie | 1951 |
 | A Thousand Standards of Stone | Sôkichi Fudôyama | Movie | 1950 |
 | Bored Hatamoto Detective, Part 2: Poisoning of the Demon Lord | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1950 |
 | Bored Hatamoto Detective, Part 1: The Seven Brides | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1950 |
 | Fencing Master | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1950 |
 | Jiruba no Tetsu | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1950 |
 | G-men of Japan 2: Bloody Duel at Shipwreck Cape | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1950 |
| Chobei the Rogue | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1949 | |
 | Monsters Catcher Oedo Seven Changes | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1949 |
 | Hida no abarenbō | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1949 |
 | Guren bosatsu | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1949 |
 | Goblin Courier | Haiyaku tengu no Chōta | Movie | 1949 |
 | Black Cloud Road | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1948 |
| The Terror of Z | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1948 | |
| Yoimatsuri happyaku yachō | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1947 | |
| The Sea Wolf | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1947 | |
 | Yari-odori gojūsantsugi | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1946 |
| Onatsu Seijurō | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1946 | |
 | Tōkai suikoden | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1945 |
 | Akatsuki no kotekitai | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1945 |
 | Thus the Divine Wind Blows | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1944 |
| Kokusai Mitsuyudan | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1944 | |
 | Thousand Spears of Kikuchi: Sydney Special Attack Unit | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1944 |
 | María Luz Incident: Slave Ship | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1943 |
| Oedo no asagiri | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1942 | |
 | The March of the Restoration | Kogoro Katsura | Movie | 1942 |
| Masujiro Omura | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1942 | |
 | The 47 Ronin | Tsunatoyo Tokugawa | Movie | 1941 |
 | A Color Print of Edo | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1939 |
 | Bored Hatamoto Enters the Mountain of Treasure | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1938 |
 | Mito Kōmon Manyu-ki | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1938 |
 | Bored Hatamoto on Mt. Fuji | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1937 |
| Bored Hatamoto Judges 100,000-koku | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1935 | |
| Bored Hatamoto on the Nakasendo | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1935 | |
| Bored Hatamoto on a Rampage | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1933 | |
 | Chûshingura - Zempen: Akahokyô no maki | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1932 |
 | The Loyal 47 Ronin | Awajinokami Wakisaka / Gorobei Kakimi | Movie | 1932 |
| Bored Hatamoto Returns to Edo | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1931 | |
| Bored Hatamoto Appears in Sendai | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1931 | |
| Bored Hatamoto in Kyoto | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1930 | |
| Bored Hatamoto | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1930 | |
| Skull | Reinosuke Ushio | Movie | 1927 | |
| Botan dôrô | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1926 | |
| Nagurareta o tonosama | Self / Appearance | Movie | — |