Actor Ken Ogata dies at 71

Ken Ogata, a veteran actor in Japanese cinema passed away suddenly at the age of 71 on Sunday, October 5th due to unknown causes. Ogata was a broad-ranging actor who is best known to genre fans for varied roles in a string of action films including SAMURAI REINCARNATION, where he portrayed legendary swordsman Musashi Miyamoto and GONIN 2, as a samurai sword-wielding avenger in modern-day Japan.

Ken Ogata carries Sumiko Sakamoto in BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (1983).

He also appeared in other genre films including SAMURAI BANNERS, SHOGUN’S SHADOW, IZO and even Yuen Biao’s fantasy actioner THE PEACOCK KING.

Ogata, whose real name is “Akinobu Ogata,” was born in Tokyo in 1937. In 1958, a year after graduating from the Tokyo Metropolitan High School, he joined the Shinkokugeki Drama Troupe, a theater group founded in 1917 and credited with first introducing realistic swordfighting to stage plays and film productions.

In 1960, Ogata made his feature film debut in Toho’s “A Distant Province.” Over the course of the next 48 years he appeared in over 80 theatrical and TV movies, as well as 26 television series including Shintaro Katsu’s ZATOICHI series.

He had only a handful of starring roles but Ken Ogata was a dependable dramatic actor with a thoughtful and poised demeanor who leant credibility to a variety of roles ranging from an amoral and criminally delinquent father in THE DEMON to a fatalistic ronin in ZATOICHI. His role in THE DEMON (1978) earned Ogata a Best Actor Award at the 1979 Japanese Academy Awards, a feat he would repeat two more times while racking up an additional eight nominations.

Perhaps Ogata’s most controversial role was in MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS (1985) where he portrayed the highly controversial nationalistic author Yukio Mishima who in 1970 took over a JSDF command center where he read a prepared speech before committing seppuku. Because of its sensitive content, MISHIMA was never released either theatrically or on video in Japan.

Up until his death, Ogata remained active in the entertainment industry while receiving recognition for his skill in calligraphy. He notably appeared in two of Yoji Yamada’s three jidai geki, THE HIDDEN BLADE and LOVE AND HONOR. In the latter, he played fencing instructor. His final role was in a dramatic TV series that aired this year.