Kuranosuke Sasaki Explained

Kuranosuke Sasaki
Native Name:佐々木 蔵之介
Native Name Lang:ja
Birth Name:Hideaki Sasaki
Birth Date:4 February 1968
Birth Place:Kyoto, Japan
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:1990–present

is a Japanese actor, known primarily for his roles in Japanese television drama.

Biography

He was born into a family of a sake brewery in Kyoto, Japan. After graduating from Kobe University and resigning from an advertising agency, he played an active part in a Japanese theatrical group called "Planet Pistachio," as a stage actor, from 1990 to 1998.

He later extended the range of activities to TV dramas and movies, and has played important roles in many works in Japan. He made his film debut starring in Mamiya Kyodai in 2006, and his TV series debut starring in Gira Gira in 2008.

When Sasaki was a freshman and received a phone call from his college company to decide on a stage name, his father suggested the name Kuranosuke, with a double meaning; for Kura, a sake cellar/brewery for their sake brewery, and for Ōuchi Kuranosuke, a famous historical drama role.[1]

Sasaki's initial plan was to join the family business of sake brewing as the eldest son when he graduated from college. Learning sales strategy at an advertisement company was also part of his plan.[1]

His family was not supportive when he aspired to be an actor, until he played a part in Audrey (NHK, 2000). His father sold sake named "Audrey", and then a premium junmai sake Hancho for a limited period while the TV drama was aired; Kuranosuke played a lead in Hancho.[2]

Selected filmography

TV series

YearTitleRoleNetworkNoteRef
2000 AudreyKohtaro MikiNHKAsadora [3]
2001 Handoku!Makoto Takano
2003 Bijo ka Yajū Hiroshi Kobukuro
Shiroi Kyotō Yūta Takeuchi Fuji TV
2004Last Present Satoshi Oda
2004–05 Rikon Bengoshi Toshifumi Yanagida2 seasons
2005 Roomshare no Onna Shūhei Sugita
M no Higeki Akira Kubo
Kon-ya hitori no bed de Shunsuke Kuzumi
2006Shimokita Sundays Tsubasa Akutagawa
Boku no aruku michi Hideharu OhtakeFuji TV
2006–14 Team Medical Dragon Keisuke FujiyoshiFuji TV4 seasons
2007 Fūrin Kazan Sanada YukitakaNHK
Bambino! Atsushi KuwabaraNTV
2008 Saitō-san Tōru ManoNTV
Shikaotoko Awaniyoshi Shigehisa FukuharaFuji TV
Absolute Boyfriend Gaku NamikiriFuji TV
Monster Parent Keigo MiuraFuji TV
Gira Gira Kōhei NanaseTV AsahiLead role
2009 Triangle Ryō AkimotoFuji TV
Orthros no Inu Takayuki Sawamura TBS
Fumō Chitai Seiki AkitsuFuji TV
Challenged Keiichirō HanawaNHKLead role
2009–13Hanchō Tsuyoshi AdumiTBSLead role; 6 seasons
2010 Himitsu Heisuke Sugita TV Asahi
2011 Boku to Star no 99 Nichi Yamato TakanabeFuji TV
2016 Kaitō Yamaneko Shūgo SekimotoNTV[4]
2017 Hiyokko Shogo Makino NHK Asadora
2019 Ieyasu, Edo wo Tateru Ōkubo TadayukiNHKMiniseries
Reiji EtōFuji TV[5]
2020 The Man Who Stood for Autonomy of Japan: Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru Hayato IkedaTV TokyoTV movie
2020–21 Awaiting Kirin Hashiba HideyoshiNHKTaiga drama
2023 My Home HeroTetsuo Tosu MBS / TBSLead role[6]
2024 Dear Radiance Fujiwara no Nobutaka NHK Taiga drama [7]

Movies

YearTitleRoleNotesRef
2003 Bayside Shakedown 2
Densha OtokoHisashi
2005 Summer Time Machine Blues Kōtarō Hoseki
2006 Kenchō no hoshi Keita Sakurai
Mamiya kyodai Akinobu Mamiya Lead role
Rainbow Song Shinsuke Higuchi
2007 Tsukigami Sahei Bessho
Tsubaki Sanjūrō Kimura
2008 700 Days of Battle: Us vs. the Police Chūzai-san
After School Masayuki Kitazawa
20th Century Boys : Beginning of the End Fukubē
2009 20th Century Boys 2 : The Last Hope Fukubē
20th Century Boys 3 : Redemption Fukubē
Daremo mamotte kurenai Kōji Umezawa
2010 Ōoku Fujinami
2011 Gaku Masato Noda
2013 A Boy Called H
2014 Samurai Hustle Masaatsu Naito Lead role [8]
2015 Solomon's Perjury 1: Suspicion Fujino
Solomon's Perjury 2: Judgment Fujino
Till Death Do Us What? Kōta Shimizu Lead role [9]
2016 The Inerasable Yoshiaki Hiraoka
Samurai Hustle Returns Masaatsu NaitoLead role [10]
2017 Flower and Sword Maeda Toshiie
March Comes in Like a Lion Kai Shimada
Hamon: Yakuza Boogie Yasuhiko Kuwabara Lead role
A Beautiful Star Katsumi Kuroki
2018 We Make Antiques! Sasuke NodaLead role
Recall Hirohisa Aizawa
2019 Aircraft Carrier Ibuki Toshiya Niinami Lead role
Iwane: Sword of Serenity Sasaki Reien
We Are Little Zombies
One Night Michio Dōshita
2020 The Memory Eraser Takahara
We Make Antiques! Kyoto Rendezvous Sasuke NodaLead role
2021 The Woman of S.R.I. The Movie Wataru Kagano [11]
Akira Shimada Narrator Documentary [12]
2022 The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai Koyama Ryōun [13]
HomestayOsamu Kobayashi [14]
The Hound of the Baskervilles: Sherlock the Movie Reiji Etō [15]
2023We Make Antiques! Osaka Dreams Sasuke Noda Lead role [16]
Shylock's Children Michiharu Kuroda [17]
Godzilla Minus One Akitsu [18]
2024My Home Hero: The MovieTetsuo TosuLead role
TBA Emergency Interrogation Room: The Final Hiromichi Morishita [19]

Awards

Advertisements

Television

Notes and References

  1. "Watashino chizu - ano bashoe kaeritai" series, No.196, Sasaki Kuranosuke. Shūkan Gendai July 5 issue, 2014: pp.78-80.
  2. Web site: "A-Studio" program detail for June 5, 2009, 23:00 - 23:30. Sasaki Kuranosuke as a guest. Kakaku.com, Inc.. Japanese. 2009-06-05. 2016-04-04.
  3. Web site: 佐々木蔵之介. February 23, 2021. NHK.
  4. Web site: http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2065665/full/. ja:池内博之『怪盗山猫』で亀梨和也のライバル役に決定. 2016-03-13. ORICON STYLE. oricon ME Inc.. Japanese.
  5. News: 佐々木蔵之介:初の月9レギュラー出演 「シャーロック」で"足手まとい"の警部役. MANTAN Web. MANTAN. 2019-08-07. 2021-08-28. ja.
  6. Web site: August 22, 2023 . 「マイホームヒーロー」ドラマ化&実写映画化!主人公・鳥栖哲雄役は佐々木蔵之介 . August 22, 2023 . Comic Natalie (in Japanese) . Natalie.
  7. Web site: 来年大河『光る君へ』キャスト24人の相関図公開 "紫式部"吉高由里子を囲む豪華な顔ぶれ. March 20, 2023. Oricon.
  8. Web site: http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=347552. ja:超高速!参勤交代(2014). 26 June 2014. allcinema. Stingray. Japanese.
  9. Web site: 夫婦フーフー日記. February 26, 2021. eiga.com.
  10. Web site: 超高速!参勤交代 リターンズ. February 25, 2021. eiga.com.
  11. Web site: 佐々木蔵之介、『科捜研の女 ‐劇場版‐』でシリーズ史上"最大最強の敵"に 自身初の科学者役. May 7, 2021. Crank-in!.
  12. Web site: 生きろ 島田叡 戦中最後の沖縄県知事. May 22, 2021. eiga.com.
  13. Web site: 峠 最後のサムライ. February 22, 2021. eiga.com.
  14. Web site: 長尾謙杜の主演作「HOMESTAY」に佐々木蔵之介、石田ひかり、望月歩、濱田岳ら9名. December 23, 2021. Natalie.
  15. Web site: バスカヴィル家の犬 シャーロック劇場版. January 6, 2022. eiga.com.
  16. Web site: 中井貴一×佐々木蔵之介「嘘八百」第3弾製作、秀吉にまつわるお宝めぐりだまし合い. July 4, 2022. Natalie.
  17. Web site: 阿部サダヲが映画「シャイロックの子供たち」で主演、共演に上戸彩や玉森裕太. August 22, 2022. Natalie.
  18. Web site: 『ゴジラ-1.0』キャスト解禁 『らんまん』神木隆之介&浜辺美波が出演 山田裕貴や青木崇高も参加. September 4, 2023. Oricon.
  19. Web site: 劇場版 緊急取調室 THE FINAL. April 6, 2023. eiga.com.
  20. Web site: the 38th Japan Academy Prize was awarded!. Japan Academy Prize official site. Japanese. 2015-01-16.
  21. News: Kuranosuke Sasaki and Hana Kuroki join for Suntory's veberage . ORICON STYLE. oricon ME Inc.. Japanese. 2016-03-16. 2016-03-16.
  22. News: Kansai Electric Power Company resumes its advertisements on television with Kuranosuke Sasaki... against Takao Osawa for Osaka Gas. Sankei WEST. Japanese. 2016-07-04. 2016-07-04.