Hisaya Morishige Explained

Hisaya Morishige
Honorific Suffix:Junior Third Rank
Birth Date:May 4, 1913
Birth Place:Hirakata, Osaka, Japan
Death Place:Tokyo, Japan
Native Name Lang:ja
Othername:Jiji, Jijiya, Zachō, Za, Morishige, Shige-san
Occupation:Actor, composer, lyricist, announcer
Yearsactive:1936 - 2007
Spouse:Masuko Morishige (m. ? - 1989)
Children:Tatsuru Morishige (b. 1942) Izumi Morishige (1940 - 1999)

was a Japanese actor and comedian. Born in Hirakata, Osaka, he graduated from Kitano Middle School (now Kitano High School), and attended Waseda University. He began his career as a stage actor, then became an announcer for NHK, working in Manchukuo. He became famous in films first for comedy roles, appearing in series such as the "Company President" (Shacho) and "Station Front" (Ekimae) series, produced by Toho. He appeared in nearly 250 films, both contemporary and jidaigeki. He was also famous on stage playing Tevye in the Japanese version of Fiddler on the Roof.[1] He also appeared in television series and specials, and was the first guest on the television talk show Tetsuko's Room in 1975. He was long-time head of the Japan Actors Union. Among many honors, Morishige received the Order of Culture from the Emperor of Japan in 1991.

Hisaya Morishige died of natural causes at a hospital in Tokyo at 8:16 A.M. on November 10, 2009, at the age of 96.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
1947Joyū Teinosuke Kinugasa
1955Keisatsu Nikki Policeman YoshiiSeiji HisamatsuLead role
Meoto zenzai Ryukichi KoreyasuShirō ToyodaLead role
1956Romantic Daughters MorishitaToshio Sugie
A Cat, Shozo, and Two Women ShōzōShirō Toyoda
1956–70Company President seriesThe company presidentShūe Matsubayashi and othersLead role
1957Snow Country ImuraShirō Toyoda
1958A Holiday in TokyoKajirō Yamamoto
The Tale of the White Serpent All men characters (voice)Taiji Yabushita
1958–69Ekimae seriesTokunosuke Morita and othersKozo Saeki and othersLead role
1961The End of Summer Eiichirou IsomuraYasujirō Ozu
1971Tora-san's Shattered Romance SenzōYoji Yamada
1972Zatoichi at Large TōbeiKazuo Mori
1978The Incident Tamizō KiyokawaYoshitarō Nomura
1980The Battle of Port Arthur Itō HirobumiToshio Masuda
1981Imperial Navy Naoki HongōShūe Matsubayashi
1983Shōsetsu Yoshida Gakkō Shigeru YoshidaShirō MoritaniLead role
1984Sayonara Jupiter Earth Federation PresidentKoji Hashimoto/Sakyo Komatsu
1990Ruten no umi Kumago MatsuzakaBuichi SaitōLead role
199447 Ronin Chisaka TakafusaKon Ichikawa
1997Princess Mononoke Okkoto-nushi (voice)Hayao Miyazaki
2001 Professor Torino (voice)Tsutomu ShibayamaSpecial appearance
2004Blooming Again Rokusaburō AokiIsshin InudoSpecial appearance

Television

YearTitleRoleNetworkNotes
1975Genroku Taiheiki Tokugawa MitsukuniNHKTaiga drama
Ōoka Echizen Dr. Yuzan MikumoTBS
1975–77Edo o KiruTokugawa NariakiTBSSpecial appearance
1981Sekigahara Tokugawa IeyasuTBSLead role, miniseries
1986ByakkotaiInoue OkazumiNTVLead role

Dubbing

YearTitleRole
1986When the Wind Blows Jim
1997Hercules Opening narrator

Songs

Writings

Honours

References

  1. Web site: Gerow . Aaron . Aaron Gerow. Morishige Hisaya . Tangemania . November 11, 2009 . November 11, 2009.