Rentarō Mikuni

Rentarō Mikuni was a celebrated Japanese actor and film director.

He was recognized as one of the most talented movie stars of the Shōwa era. Throughout his life, he appeared in 183 films. Mikuni was known for his immense versatility on screen. He could perform in serious dramas or lead popular comedy series. His career was marked by a free-spirited nature that often challenged the strict rules of the film industry. He was not just a performer, but also a writer, a painter, and a calligrapher.

To prepare for his roles, Mikuni practiced extreme methods to ensure realism. He believed in deep, physical preparation for every character. For his role in the film *Stepbrothers*, he pulled out ten of his own teeth. He did this to look and act like an older man alongside actress Kinuyo Tanaka. In the film *Night Drum*, he performed a scene with such intensity that he hit an actress more than 20 times. This was done only after receiving permission from the director. Some critics noted that his preparation could sometimes lead to overacting. However, great directors knew how to guide his intense energy.

Mikuni's acting career was defined by several distinct stages and types of work. He began as a leading man in the early 1950s. He quickly became a popular figure among young women due to his handsome features. Later, he moved between leading roles and supporting roles. He became a famous freelancer after leaving the Shochiku studio. He also worked extensively with Nikkatsu, a studio that did not follow the strict rules of the major companies. One of his most famous later roles was in the *Tsuribaka Nisshi* series. This comedy series featured his character, Su-san, and ran for 22 films until 2009.

His journey to stardom followed a difficult and wandering path. Born in January 1923, Mikuni left school in his second year of middle school. He ran away from home at age 14 and traveled to China. He worked as a cabin boy on ships and held various jobs in Manchuria and Korea. During the Pacific War, he refused to be drafted because he did not want to kill or die. He was eventually sent to the front in China in 1943. While there, he was wounded in the armpit by a bullet. He spent much of the war working as a medic or tending to horses to avoid combat. He returned to Japan in 1946.

His professional breakthrough occurred in December 1950. A producer scouted him in Higashi-Ginza after seeing a photo taken in a studio. He made his debut in 1951 in the film *The Good Fairy*. He played a newspaper reporter and won the 2nd Blue Ribbon Award for Best Newcomer. At the time, the industry used false details to market him. They claimed he was an engineering graduate from Osaka University. In reality, he was a middle school dropout with a family. This type of exaggeration was common in the movie industry during that period.

Mikuni achieved significant international and domestic recognition. He was the first actor to win three Blue Ribbon Awards. He won the Best Actor award in 1960 for a film about a railway engineer. In 1965, he won the Mainichi Film Award for his role in *A Fugitive from the Past*. His most prestigious international honor came in 1987. He won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. This was for his film *Shinran: Path to Purity*, which he wrote and directed. He also received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1984 for his contributions to art.

Beyond acting, Mikuni's life connected to many different fields of study and art. He had a deep interest in Buddhism and wrote books about the monk Shinran. He founded his own production companies, such as Nippon Productions and A.P.C. His work as a director allowed him to explore complex themes through his own writing. He even shared the screen with his son, Koichi Sato, in several films. His life was a mix of intense artistic discipline and a refusal to be controlled by others. He remains a central figure in the history of Japanese cinema.