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Julian Ryall

Kyodo

Ken Takakura
	1931-2014
Ken Takakura, one of the few Japanese actors to win recognition and praise outside of his homeland, has died. He was 83.
Known as the Clint Eastwood of Japan, Takakura died of lymphoma in a Tokyo hospital on November 10, but his death was only announced yesterday.
Takakura appeared in more than 180 films after making his debut in the 1956 title Lightning Karate Blow, but is best known in the United States and Europe for his 1989 role as a hard-bitten Osaka cop in Black Rain, opposite Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia.

He also built a firm following in China, particularly among older movie-goers, with the 1976 film Kimi yo Funnu no Kawa o Watare, one of the first overseas titles permitted to be shown in China after the Cultural Revolution.
The film, which tells the tale of a police officer falsely accused of corruption attempting to clear his name, became an instant hit with Chinese audiences
Takakura began easing back on his acting roles around 2000 and only appeared in three further films, although the success of Zhang Yimou's 2005 film Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles once again endeared him to Chinese viewers.
"He was one of that handful of figures from post-war cinema who was instantly recognisable to Western audiences," said Gavin Blair, Japan correspondent for The Hollywood Reporter.
"Takakura perfected that cold, brooding look and it made him perfect for Black Rain, although I think a lot of people forget that he had already made a name for himself in Hollywood titles," Blair said.
The sentiment was echoed by many Chinese internet users, who filled the country's social media with tributes to the actor.
State-run television CCTV also ran a segment celebrating his life.
Takakura "was well known to the Chinese people" and he "made important, positive contributions to promoting cultural exchange between China and Japan", Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said during a regular press briefing yesterday.

Born Goichi Oda in Fukuoka in 1931, Takakura grew up in the post-war years watching local gangs fighting turf battles for the lucrative black market in the port city. Those formative experiences are credited with the style he brought to many of his yakuza roles.
Takakura earned a place at Tokyo's respected Meiji University but slipped into acting after seeing an audition for the Toei Film Company in 1955. The connection was swift, with the studio delighted to discover a natural actor with swagger and presence at a time when gangster movies were about to go through a popularity boom.
Lead roles came his way after he played an inmate in Abashiri Prison and its sequel, Abashiri Prison: Longing for Home, which were both released in 1965.
It was not long before Hollywood came calling, with a role as Major Yamaguchi in Robert Aldrich's 1970 film Too Late the Hero alongside Michael Caine, Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson and Denholm Elliott.
But it is his role as the hard-as-nails cop Masahiro Matsumoto in Ridley Scott's Black Rain that will linger in the memories of Western audiences - not least for Takakura's line: "I do speak f***ing English."


Ken Takakura - the Clint Eastwood of Japan - made it big in US and China

Ken Takakura receives the order of culture at the Imperial Palace last year. Photo: AFP

File photo of Japanese actor Ken Takakura in Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles. Photo: Handout

Japanese movie star Ken Takakura (right) posing with Chinese film director Zhang Yimou during the 18th Tokyo International Film Festival on October 22, 2005. Photo: AFP

Ken Takakura in Black Rain.

Ken Takakura and Michael Douglas in the film Black Rain.

Newspapers with Takakura's obituary. Photo: AP

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Asia

Ken Takakura, famous in Hollywood for his role as a hard-bitten cop in Black Rain, was one of few Japanese actors to win renown abroad


Ken Takakura, one of the few Japanese actors to win recognition and praise outside of his homeland, has died. He was 83.


Ken Takakura - the Clint Eastwood of Japan - made it big in US and China

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Ken Takakura, famous in Hollywood for his role as a hard-bitten cop in Black Rain, was one of few Japanese actors to win renown abroad

Ken Takakura, famous in Hollywood for his role as a hard-bitten cop in Black Rain, was one of few Japanese actors to win renown abroad