Personal Info
Birth date
1929-04-06 (96 Years)
Day of death
2012-12-10
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
Also known as
Shôichi Ozawa
Соити Одзава
Сёити Одзава
Shoichi Ozawa
Biography
Shōichi Ozawa (小沢 昭一, Ozawa Shōichi, April 6, 1929 – December 10, 2012) was a Japanese actor, radio host, singer, and prominent researcher and expert on Japanese folk art. He also founded the Shabondama-za theater company. Ozawa, who was born in Tokyo, graduated from Waseda University. He began acting after college, beginning with his debut stage role in 1951. He also appeared in television and film roles, acting quite frequently in films directed by Shohei Imamura and Yūzō Kawashima. In 1971, Ozawa launched his long running radio show.
Filmography
Kaoru Kiri: The Best Lesbian In Japan, Authentic Account
4.5
Overview:
A backstage documentary and interview with the real life lesbian stage performer Kaoru Kiri mixed with a fictional life of her rejected lover.The Ballad of Narayama
7.509
Overview:
In a small village in a valley everyone who reaches the age of 70 must leave the village and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should refuse they would disgrace their family. Old Orin is 69. This winter it is her turn to go to the mountain. But first she must make sure that her eldest son Tatsuhei finds a wife.The Eel
6.9
Overview:
A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.Vengeance Is Mine
7.514
Overview:
A thief, a murderer, and a charming lady-killer, Iwao Enokizu is on the run from the police.Take Aim at the Police Van
6.2
Overview:
A sniper kills two prisoners in a police van, and the driver sets out to find the killer.The Insect Woman
7.4
Overview:
A woman, Tome, is born to a lower class family in Japan in 1918. The title refers to an insect, repeating its mistakes, as in an infinite circle. Imamura, with this metaphor, introduces the life of Tome, who keeps trying to change her poor life.Story of a Prostitute
6.6
Overview:
Volunteering as a "comfort woman" on the Manchurian front, where she is expected to service hundreds of soldiers, Harumi is commandeered by the brutal Lieutenant Narita but falls for the sensitive Mikami, Narita's direct subordinate. Seijun Suzuki's Story of a Prostitute is a tragic love story as well as a rule-bending take on a popular Taijiro Tamura novel, challenging military and fraternal codes of honor, as seen through Harumi's eyes.Pigs and Battleships
7.1
Overview:
In the city of Yokosuka, Kinta and his lover Haruko, both involved with yakuza, brave the post-occupation period with a goal to be together.Pleasures of the Flesh
5.76
Overview:
A corrupt businessman blackmails the lovelorn reprobate Atsushi into watching over his suitcase full of embezzled cash while he serves a jail sentence.Intentions of Murder
7.219
Overview:
The neglected common-law wife of a Japanese librarian is repeatedly harassed by a young man with a heart condition who seduces her with the prospect of a better life.The Pornographers
7.3
Overview:
Subu makes pornographic films. He sees nothing wrong with it. They are an aid to a repressed society, and he uses the money to support his landlady, Haru, and her family. From time to time, Haru shares her bed with Subu, though she believes her dead husband, reincarnated as a carp, disapproves. Director Shohei Imamura has always delighted in the kinky exploits of lowlifes, and in this 1966 classic, he finds subversive humor in the bizarre dynamics of Haru, her Oedipal son, and her daughter, the true object of her pornographer-boyfriend’s obsession. Imamura’s comic treatment of such taboos as voyeurism and incest sparked controversy when the film was released, but The Pornographers has outlasted its critics, and now seems frankly ahead of its time.Why Not?
6.4
Overview:
The film depicts carnivalesque atmosphere summed up by the cry "Ei ja nai ka" ("Why not?") in Japan in 1867 and 1868 in the days leading to the Meiji Restoration. It examines the effects of the political and social upheaval of the time, and culminates in a revelrous march on the Tokyo Imperial Palace, which turns into a massacre. Characteristically, Imamura focuses not on the leaders of the country, but on characters in the lower classes and on the fringes of society.Stolen Desire
6.6
Overview:
A rambunctious and ribald tale of a troupe of travelling actors who alternate highlights of kabuki theatre with strip shows.Endless Desire
6.5
Overview:
Set in post-war Japan, a group of five, four men and one woman, gathers in the basement of a butcher shop to dig up a cache of morphine buried during the war. A grimly humorous tale of twisted relationships as one by one each of the group is eliminated.Revenge
7.5
Overview:
An innocuous comment during a weapon inspection wounds the pride of low-ranking samurai Shinpachi, leading to an argument with his superior. The situation snowballs out of control, leading to a deadly duel and political fallout which threatens the entire clan. Declared mentally unstable by the corrupt authority, Shinpachi begins his descent into true insanity…Black Rain
7.533
Overview:
Shigematsu Shizuma, who lives with his family in a village near Fukuyama, was in Hiroshima with his wife and niece just after the devastating atomic bombing, a tragedy that cruelly took the lives of thousands of people and forever marked the harsh existence of the survivors.Foundry Town
7.6
Overview:
Set in Kawaguchi in the early 60s, this simple story chronicles the lives of foundry families and one girl's dreams of higher education.The Threat
7.3
Overview:
Two escaped criminals who kidnapped a baby break into the house of Misawa, a man who works in an advertising agency and lives quietly with his family. They will force him to collect the child's ransom for them.Smashing the 0-Line
6.2
Overview:
Katiri is a reporter so ambitiously amoral that he’ll sell out anyone—including his partner and the drug dealer he’s sleeping with—to get a scoop. But what happens when an even more ruthless female gang boss kidnaps his sister?A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era
7.2
Overview:
Saheji, a man-about-town, gets stuck at a high-class brothel when he can’t pay the bill. He makes the best of his situation by performing various tasks amidst the tumult of the end of the shogunate—but always by making sure to get a “commission” for his troubles.Love for an Idiot
6
Overview:
A middle-aged factory engineer trains, marries, and ultimately loses a teenage bride after she enslaves him to her whims.Gonza the Spearman
7
Overview:
The tragic story of Gonza, a handsome ladies man, set in the Tokugawa Period, a time in which appearances are very important. Gonza competes with Bannojō for the honor to perform the tea ceremony to celebrate the birth of an heir to the lord of their clan. To see the sacred tea scrolls Gonza promises to marry the daughter of the family which possesses them, even though he is unofficially engaged to another. When studying the scrolls with Osai, the mother of the house, Bannojō sneaks into the house and steals their obis and runs through the town proclaiming the two as adulterers.The Sleeping Beast Within
6.6
Overview:
A newspaper reporter's search for his girlfriend's missing father lead him into heart of the criminal underworld of Yokohama's Chinatown.Winter's Flower
6.2
Overview:
Kanno is a Yakuza. He had to kill Matsuoka who betrayed their boss. Kanno knew Matsuoka had a 3-year-old daughter named Youko. Before he gave himself to the police, he asked his trusted man to take care of her. While in prison, Kanno kept sending letters to Youko, disguising as an uncle in Brazil. 15 years later, Kanno is released. He is determined to live legitimately, however the Yakuza has not forgotten his wicked deed!Ichijo's Wet Lust
5.8
Overview:
Ichijo Sayuri, once the legendary queen of Osaka strippers, has retired to run a sushi shop. She is awaiting her day in court after having been arrested for indecency at her farewell performance. While she was active, she was both the rival and the model for many young strippers. Harumi was one of them. Ichijo Sayuri was the real-life queen of Osaka strippers who was arrested on her final performance.Comedy: Love and Justice Among Cheaters
NYR
Overview:
Ex-conman Junpei plots revenge on a corrupt corporation by leading a team of swindlers posing as politicians. A slick crime comedy of cons and payback.The Temple of Wild Geese
6.3
Overview:
Satoko is a mistress by trade or fate: when her master, the silkscreen artist of the Kohoan Temple in Kyoto, dies, she is given to the temple's lascivious head priest Kikuchi. She is drawn to a melancholy young acolyte, Jinen, who has observed the profligacy of his cruel master and Satoko's utter dependence on the man. Jinen is both fascinated and disturbed by Satoko's interest in him; he is similarly caught between loathing of Kikuchi and of the dark circumstances of his birth and his own moral weakness. The story unfolds in a dreamlike manner—a flashback inspired by a now-infamous image on a silkscreen in the souvenir shop at the so-called Temple of the Wild Geese.Young Challengers
NYR
Overview:
A story depicting the challenges faced by today's youth in working to build a better tomorrow, based on the theme of Toshiba's progress as one of Japan's leading manufacturers of electronic and electric goods.Song of Love
6
Overview:
The life in a small village in Shikoku and the love story between two young people.Sweet Sweat
7.5
Overview:
This film by Toyoda depicts the hard life of an unmarried mother in Tokyo. Umeko (Machiko Kyo), at 36, is working in a bar, struggling valiantly to keep her family together. Her 17-year-old daughter Takeko becomes increasingly upset by her mother's constant drinking and yakuza boyfriend, and runs away from home. Kyo's performance was highly praised.Acting
2007Free and Easy 18 as Unknown
1997The Eel as Gynaecolology Clinic Doctor
1993I Can Hear the Duck Singing as Unknown
1989A Sandcastle Model Family Home as Unknown
1989Black Rain as Shokichi
1986Gonza the Spearman as Boatman
1983The Ballad of Narayama as Katsuzô
1982Nuclear Scrapbook as Narrator
1981Tora-san's Promise as Tsunesaburo
1981Rennyo and His Mother as Unknown
1981Why Not? as Sakunojo
1979Vengeance Is Mine as Nisshinbo Section Manager
1978Winter's Flower as Chan
1977Boxer as Apartment Manager
1977The Love and Adventures of Kuroki Taro as Unknown
1975The Gate of Youth as Unknown
1974Kaoru Kiri: The Best Lesbian In Japan, Authentic Account as Unknown
1974Comedy: Love and Justice Among Cheaters as Gontaro Ishiyama / Rep. Yamada
1972Ichijo's Wet Lust as Ramen Shop Owner
1972The Golden Bat Shows Up as Seitaro Marukawa
1972Summer Soldiers as Tanikawa
1972The Pirates of Buban as Unknown
1971Kigeki Ijiwaru Daishougai as Unknown
1970The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan as Ushimatsu
1969The Girl I Abandoned as Unknown
1969喜劇 深夜族 as Unknown
1969Black Comedy - Ah, Fool as Unknown
19695 Gents Fly to Kyushu Part II as Tomitabayashi Shigeichi (sales)
19695 Gents Fly to Kyushu as Shigeru Tondabayashi (Sales Manager)
1968Scrap Collectors as Unknown
1968Sun Above, Death Below as Unknown
1968Japan's No. 1 Traitor as Unknown
1968The Human Bullet as Unknown
1968Young Challengers as Shintaro Namikawa
1968How to Be the Worst of Office Workers as Unknown
1968The Shy Deceiver as Unknown
1968Neon taiheiki as as Toshinori, Masumoto
1968Wild Ducks and Green Onions as Unknown
1968Five Gents and a Chinese Merchant as Han Pei-kan
1968Five Gents and Karate Grandpa as Han Ping-han (Hong Kong Buyer)
1967Traveling in Party as Unknown
1967Love for an Idiot as Jôji Kawai
1967Classmates as Sublieutenant Doi
1967Express Train as Unknown
1967Quick-Draw Dog as Unknown
1967Song of Love as Postman
1967Zoku izuko e as Unknown
1967Explosion Course as Narrator
1966Once a Rainy Day as Unknown
1966Ohana han: Dai ni bu as Kamekichi Hosokura
1966The River Yokobori as Gamakuchi
1966Ohana han as Kamekichi Hosokura
1966Till We Meet Again as Unknown
1966The Pornographers as Yoshimoto 'Subu' Ogata
1966The Threat as Unknown
1966Silence Has No Wings as Unknown
1965Trigger Happy Romeo as Tadashi Hayakawa
1965A Smell of Money as Unknown
1965The Ghost of the One Eyed Man as Unknown
1965Pleasures of the Flesh as Hayami
1965Seisaku's Wife as Hyosuke
1965Color as Unknown
1965Cold Rice, Osan, Chan as Unknown
1965Story of a Prostitute as Akiyama
1965The Black Cat as Unknown
1965駿河遊侠伝 度胸がらす as Unknown
1964The Donkey Comes on a Tank as Unknown
1964The Spying Sorceress as Unknown
1964The Scarlet Camellia as Seiichi
1964Revenge as Koyama Samon
1964The Glamorous Ghost as Unknown
1964Female Ninja Magic as Usuzumi
1964Sweet Sweat as Fujii
1964Gambling Den Breakdown as Unknown
1964Intentions of Murder as Kazuyuki Tamaru
1964A Story from Echigo as Unknown
1964Our Happiness Alone as Unknown
1964To Your Majesty, The Emperor 2 as Unknown
1963The Insect Woman as Ken
1963The Gambling Monk as Unknown
1963The Maid Story as Unknown
1963Badge of the Night as Unknown
1963Bad Girl as Unknown
1963A Modern Samurai Village as Tajima Taichi
1962Elegant Beast as Pinosaku, the singer
1962Ponkotsu oyaji as Unknown
1962Shashō monogatari tabi wa michidzure as Unknown
1962Fresh Leaves as Unknown
1962Eigo ni yowai otoko azuma wa azuma, nishi wa nishi as Unknown
1962Shūmatsu-ya hanjō-ki as Unknown
1962Foundry Town as Unknown
1962Cat Changed Into Tiger as Life insurance agent
1962The Temple of Wild Geese as Kuniitsu Takami
1962Nippon no obaachan as Unknown
1961The Song of the Season as Unknown
1961That Guy and I as Unknown
1961Whistling in the Darkness as Unknown
1961Ōatari hyappatsuhyakuchū as Unknown
1961Living by Karate as Heisuke
1961A Killer Without a Grave as Unknown
1961Tokyo Knights as Unknown
1961Pigs and Battleships as Gunji
1961Dai shusse monogatari as Unknown
1960The War Without Weapons as Unknown
1960The Tokyo Mighty Guy as Hamakawa
1960Smashing the 0-Line as Lee
1960Jungle Block as Unknown
1960The Sleeping Beast Within as Reporter Horibe
1960He's the Witness as Unknown
1960六三制愚連隊 as Unknown
1960Take Aim at the Police Van as Gorô Kashima
1959青春蛮歌 as Unknown
1959Room for Let as Minoru Eto
1959おヤエの家つき女中 as Unknown
1959おヤエのママさん女中 as Unknown
1958Crimson Wings as Yukihiro Ando
1958Endless Desire as A teacher
1958Wolves of the Night as Unknown
1958Young Breasts as Unknown
1958The Man Who Wagers Tomorrow as Seikichi Kawarai
1958Nishi Ginza Station as Mantaro
1958Tōkyō no basugāru as Unknown
1958The Girl from Osaka as Unknown
1958Stolen Desire as Toshiro
1958A Slope in the Sun as Unknown
1958Forbidden Lips as Unknown
1957Temptation as Unknown
1957A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era as Kinzo
1957Frankie Bûchan no Aa gunkanki as Unknown
1957Inn of the Floating Weeds as Taki
1956Frankie the Milkman as Shingo Yamaguchi
1956Hungry Soul, Part II as Tachibana's Old Friend B
1956Our Town as Keikichi
1956Suzaki Paradise: Red Light District as Sankichi
1956Twice on a Certain Night as Unknown
1955Till We Meet Again as Doc Misawa
1955Burden of Love as Secretary Torii
Production
1981Why Not? ... Producer