Biography

Raizô Ichikawa was born on August 29, 1931 in Kyoto, Japan as Akio Kamezaki, at the age of 6 months was adopted by his uncle Kazo Takeuchi (kabuki actor Kudanji Ichikawa III) as Yoshio Takeuchi. Started his kabuki career in 1946 as Enzo Ichikawa II. In 1951 he was both re-adopted by Shôzô Ôta (actor Jukai Ichikawa III) as Yoshiya Ôta and changed his stage name to Raizô Ichikawa VIII. He is known in cinema for Conflagration (1958), Ninja, a Band of Assassins (1962) and The Outcast (1962). Raizô Ichikawa died on July 17, 1969 in Tokyo, Japan from hepatic metastases of colon cancer.
- IMDb mini biography by: igormeerov

One of the most well-known and beloved actors from Japan, famous for appearing in many Samurai films and "Jidaigeki" dramas. Even in his career which spanned for 15 years, he left an impressive body of work and legacy.

He was born on August 29, 1931 in Kyoto. His birth name was Akio Kamezaki. Since the relationship between his parents had regressed, he was formally adopted by his father's brother-in-law Ichikawa Kudanji and renamed him as Yoshio Takeuchi. And although Kudanji did not train Raizo to become a kabuki actor in his childhood, in 1946, Raizo left high school to pursue acting career. He made his kabuki debut at the age of 15. Raizo worked hard and in 1949 he formed a study group with two fellow kabuki actors, named "Tsukushiaki". However, because his adoptive father had a family member involved in politics in Kyoto, he was regarded as someone who was not born in the world of kabuki and could be trained and further developed into it. The same applied for Raizo and that slowed his further desire to work as an actor.

In the same year, Ichikawa talents did not went unnoticed, however he had to find an alternative way to adapt himself in the world of acting. In 1950, he meet Ichikawa Jukai lll, a kabuki actor who became a president of Kansai Kabuki Actors guild and next year he adopted young Ichikawa and gave him the name - Raizo. The name for which he and his new adopted father fought to obtain. From that moment, Raizo's career started to grow. In 1954, he became a member of Daiei studio.

Considering the situation before he started to work for Daiei, he left kabuki theater and focused mainly on "Jidaigeki" films. His beginnings were pretty much modest as he debuted in The Great White Tiger Platoon (1954). He gained fame for Taira Clan Saga (1955), in which he portrayed Taira no Kiyomori and this was also his first collaboration with the director Kenji Mizoguchi, who often cast Raizo. At that period, Raizo was established as one of the most focused and hard-working actors.

In 1958, Raizo confirmed his talents and rise to high profile actor status by playing the leading role in Conflagration (1958) (known as "Enjo") in which he appeared with Tatsuya Nakadai and directed by Kon Ichikawa (not related). This role became one of the most memorable in Raizo's career. For his performance in Enjo, Raizo received the Kinema Junpo Award for best male actor in a leading role, and the Blue Ribbon Award for best performer in a leading role. The next two big projects were series of "Ninja" films (1962 - 1966) (Shinobi no mono), where he played Goemon Ishikawa and another film series "Sleepy eyes of Death" (Nemuri Kyoshio) (1963 - 1969), in which he played Nemuri Kyoshiro, a lonely, yet nihilistic, wandering masterless samurai known for his lethal sword technique "The full Moon Cut". Kyoshiro, perhaps was the role for which Raizo was most remembered. In these films (and many others) he often worked with such actors and actresses as Katsu Shintaro, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Shigeru Amachi, Shiho Fujimura and Naoko Kubo.

In 1968, his career faced a surprising downturn when he was diagnosed with the rectal cancer. He was admitted in the hospital twice and had had two surgeries. In spite of his fruitless recovery, he discussed his future projects and continued to fight to the very end. He died on July 17, 1968 of liver cancer at the age of 37 and was buried at the Ikegami Honmon-ji temple in the Ota ward of Tokyo on July 23. His grave is located in the temple.

The other well-known roles in movies include: An Osaka Story (1967), The Demon Crusader (1957), The Loyal 47 Ronin (1958), Jirocho Fuji (1959), Samurai Vendetta (1959), The Demon of Mount Oe (1960), Satan's Sword 1 & 2 (1960), The Gambler's Code (1961), Young Boss Takeshi (1965), Nakano Spy School (1966), The Betrayal (1966), Lone Wolf Isazo (1968) and his final role in Bakuto Ichidai Chimatsuri Fudo (1969).
- IMDb mini biography by: svedzin

Known for his graceful body movements.

Often played tragic characters who carried a lot of pain within them.

[Speaking of transition from Kabuki to films] In Kabuki you're no good unless you're old. In film you're no good once you're old. While I'm still young I'll make a living in film, once I've gotten older I'll try kabuki again.