Taiji Tonoyama

Acting

Taiji Tonoyama

Born October 17, 1915 · Kobe, Japon

Died April 30, 1989 · aged 73

Taiji Tonoyama (殿山 泰司, Tonoyama Taiji, 1915–1989) was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989. He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members. He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company Kindai Eiga Kyokai with Shindo and Kōzaburō Yoshimura.

Known For

In the Realm of the SensesIn the Realm of the Senses · 1976
In the Realm of the Senses
6.61976
MovieDramaRomance
A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship.
Sex and FurySex and Fury · 1973
Sex and Fury
6.21973
MovieActionCrime
Sex & Fury chronicles Ocho's exploits as she searches for her father's killers, each identified by unique tattoos on their backs (a deer, a boar, and a butterfly). Along the way, she also crosses paths with Shunosuke, a radical set on murdering prominent politician Kurokawa, and Christina, an American spy posing as a gambler.
Drunken AngelDrunken Angel · 1948
Drunken Angel
7.61948
MovieDrama
In postwar Tokyo, a blunt, alcohol-soaked doctor diagnoses a swaggering young yakuza with tuberculosis, forging an uneasy bond that’s tested when the gangster’s ruthless former boss returns and drags him back toward the swampy underworld he can’t escape.
Saijoke no kyoenSaijoke no kyoen · 1951
Saijoke no kyoen
1951
MovieDrama
The Gate of Youth Part 2The Gate of Youth Part 2 · 1977
The Gate of Youth Part 2
7.51977
MovieDrama
Mid 50s: the trials and tribulations of Shinsuke Ibuki, freshly arrived in Tokyo from Kyushu.
The Ballad of NarayamaThe Ballad of Narayama · 1983
The Ballad of Narayama
7.51983
MovieDrama
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.
Empire of PassionEmpire of Passion · 1978
Empire of Passion
6.91978
MovieDramaRomance
In a small Japanese village at the end of the 19th century, a rickshaw driver's wife takes on a much younger lover and the two conspire to murder him.
Onibaba : Film LocationOnibaba : Film Location · 1964
Onibaba : Film Location
1964
MovieDocumentary
This rare silent black & white and color Super-8 footage was shot with the camera of actor Kei Sato (Hachi in the film) during the production of Onibaba

Movies

In the Realm of the SensesIn the Realm of the Senses · 1976
In the Realm of the Senses
6.61976
MovieDramaRomance
A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship.
Sex and FurySex and Fury · 1973
Sex and Fury
6.21973
MovieActionCrime
Sex & Fury chronicles Ocho's exploits as she searches for her father's killers, each identified by unique tattoos on their backs (a deer, a boar, and a butterfly). Along the way, she also crosses paths with Shunosuke, a radical set on murdering prominent politician Kurokawa, and Christina, an American spy posing as a gambler.
Drunken AngelDrunken Angel · 1948
Drunken Angel
7.61948
MovieDrama
In postwar Tokyo, a blunt, alcohol-soaked doctor diagnoses a swaggering young yakuza with tuberculosis, forging an uneasy bond that’s tested when the gangster’s ruthless former boss returns and drags him back toward the swampy underworld he can’t escape.
Saijoke no kyoenSaijoke no kyoen · 1951
Saijoke no kyoen
1951
MovieDrama
The Gate of Youth Part 2The Gate of Youth Part 2 · 1977
The Gate of Youth Part 2
7.51977
MovieDrama
Mid 50s: the trials and tribulations of Shinsuke Ibuki, freshly arrived in Tokyo from Kyushu.
The Ballad of NarayamaThe Ballad of Narayama · 1983
The Ballad of Narayama
7.51983
MovieDrama
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.
Empire of PassionEmpire of Passion · 1978
Empire of Passion
6.91978
MovieDramaRomance
In a small Japanese village at the end of the 19th century, a rickshaw driver's wife takes on a much younger lover and the two conspire to murder him.
Onibaba : Film LocationOnibaba : Film Location · 1964
Onibaba : Film Location
1964
MovieDocumentary
This rare silent black & white and color Super-8 footage was shot with the camera of actor Kei Sato (Hachi in the film) during the production of Onibaba
HachikoHachiko · 1987
Hachiko
7.81987
MovieDramaFamily
The tragic, true story about Hachikō, an Akita dog who was loyal to his master, Professor Ueno, even after Ueno's death.
Edo PornEdo Porn · 1981
Edo Porn
6.01981
MovieDramaHistory
The world-famous woodblock artist Hokusai (1760-1849), a widower in need of a steady income, lives with his daughter Oei in the house of his friend Bakin.
The Human Condition I: No Greater LoveThe Human Condition I: No Greater Love · 1959
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
8.11959
MovieWarDrama
After handing in a report on the treatment of Chinese colonial labor, Kaji is offered the post of labour chief at a large mining operation in Manchuria, which also grants him exemption from military service. He accepts and moves with his newlywed wife Michiko, but when he tries to put his ideas of more humane treatment into practice, he finds himself at odds with scheming officials, cruel foremen, and the military police.
OnibabaOnibaba · 1964
Onibaba
7.71964
MovieHorror
While her son, Kichi, is away at war, a woman and her daughter-in-law survive by killing samurai who stray into their swamp, then selling whatever valuables they find. Both are devastated when they learn that Kichi has died, but his wife soon begins an affair with a neighbor who survived the war, Hachi. The mother disapproves and, when she can't steal Hachi for herself, tries to scare her daughter-in-law with a mysterious mask from a dead samurai.
Ishimatsu of the ForestIshimatsu of the Forest · 1949
Ishimatsu of the Forest
7.01949
MovieHistoryCrime
The tale of a feudal swordsman who cynically takes no responsibility for anything, relegating it to others, and then taking the credit.
IrezumiIrezumi · 1982
Irezumi
5.71982
MovieRomanceDrama
To satisfy her lover's fetish for tattooed women, Akane agrees to have her body covered in eloborate tattoos by Kyogoro, an old craftsman. Kyogoro has developed a special technique, by which his assistant, Harutsune, keeps Katsuko's mind off the pain while Kyogoro does his work. After the work is done, Harutsune makes the shocking discovery of how Kyogoro mastered his technique.
Fruits of PassionFruits of Passion · 1981
Fruits of Passion
5.31981
MovieDrama
A girl named O loves a rich, and much older man. She is subjected to a variety of humiliating experiences to prove her unconditional obedience to him in a Chinese brothel. A poor boy sees her and falls in love with her. To get the money needed to sleep with her, he takes part in rebellious acts.
Hooligans on BuggiesHooligans on Buggies · 1970
Hooligans on Buggies
9.01970
MovieDramaAction
Rivalry between a hoodlum group and a gangster organization.
Vengeance Is MineVengeance Is Mine · 1979
Vengeance Is Mine
7.61979
MovieCrimeDrama
A thief, a murderer, and a charming lady-killer, Iwao Enokizu is on the run from the police.
Good MorningGood Morning · 1959
Good Morning
7.71959
MovieComedyFamily
A lighthearted take on director Yasujiro Ozu’s perennial theme of the challenges of inter­generational relationships, Good Morning tells the story of two young boys who stop speaking in protest after their parents refuse to buy a television set. Ozu weaves a wealth of subtle gags through a family portrait as rich as those of his dramatic films, mocking the foibles of the adult world through the eyes of his child protagonists. Shot in stunning color and set in a suburb of Tokyo where housewives gossip about the neighbors’ new washing machine and unemployed husbands look for work as door-to-door salesmen, this charming comedy refashions Ozu’s own silent classic I Was Born, But . . . to gently satirize consumerism in postwar Japan.
Child of the SunChild of the Sun · 1980
Child of the Sun
1980
Movie
A couple originally from Okinawa run an inexpensive restaurant in Kobe, with their grade-school daughter, Fuuchan. The movie depicts the warm interaction between her and adults that grew up with the rough history of Okinawa and discrimination from the mainland. Shots partly on location at beach of Itoman, Yogi Park and Hateruma Island. This is the movie version of the well-known novel by Kenjiro Haitani.
A Pool Without WaterA Pool Without Water · 1982
A Pool Without Water
5.41982
MovieDramaCrime
After saving a girl from rape, a bored rail worker finds out about a chemical that makes people sleep and gets carried away into a new, violent world of ideas.
Legend of the Eight SamuraiLegend of the Eight Samurai · 1983
Legend of the Eight Samurai
5.81983
MovieFantasyAdventure
The evil Hikita clan rises from the dead to fulfill a curse on the Satomi clan by restoring the face of their warlord by using the skin of Princess Shizu. In the process of trying to capture her, the clan murders her entire family, but Princess Shizu escapes their clutches. She enlists the aid of eight samurai warriors, possessors of powerful magic crystal, led by Dosetsu (Sonny Chiba!) to help rescue the remaining members of her court and revenge her family. Along the way, they must fight undead warriors, evil spirits, poisonous beauties and a giant centipede.
Who Will Judge Me?Who Will Judge Me? · 1951
Who Will Judge Me?
8.01951
MovieDrama
Directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
The Castle of SandThe Castle of Sand · 1974
The Castle of Sand
7.41974
MovieCrimeMystery
Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.
Hot Springs Mimizu GeishaHot Springs Mimizu Geisha · 1971
Hot Springs Mimizu Geisha
4.21971
MovieComedy
Many persons visit the hot springs resort to try out Reiko's famous vagina with quivering walls, "the sensation of worms wiggling about"... that won her her nickname (Mimizu = earthworm).

TV Shows

Ai yori aokuAi yori aoku · 1972
Ai yori aoku
1972
SeriesDrama
The 12th NHK Asadora. Set in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, at the end of the Pacific War. Maki is the heroine, married to Shuichi who must go to war. She stays home and takes on the role of other war widows, managing business and a Chinese restaurant.
OhanahanOhanahan · 1966
Ohanahan
1966
SeriesDramaFamily
The 6th NHK Asadora. Starring Fumie Kashiyama as a woman, born in the Meiji era, who raises a family by herself.
Pro HunterPro Hunter · 1981
Pro Hunter
1981
SeriesComedy
The Roads Men TravelThe Roads Men Travel · 1976
The Roads Men Travel
8.21976
SeriesDrama
The series depicts the employees of a security company from different generations and backgrounds facing many difficult questions. It features a guard who survived a suicide mission during the war and his conflicts, rebellion, empathy and reconciliation with the younger generation born after the war.
A-UnA-Un · 1980
A-Un
1980
SeriesDrama
Senkichi Mizuta, a pharmaceutical company employee, and Shuzo Kadokura, a war profiteer, are diametrically opposed in appearance and personality, but are best friends. Kadokura secretly loves Mizuta's wife, Tami, and both Mizuta and Tami are aware of it. The drama depicts the subtle relationship between the two men and the people around them against the backdrop of the times and customs of the early Showa period, in which both are aware of each other's love, but no one speaks of it.
Kinagashi BugyōKinagashi Bugyō · 1981
Kinagashi Bugyō
1981
SeriesDrama
Koheita, a newly appointed magistrate, never shows his face in the magistrate's office, instead spending his time in the 'Horisoto', a den of evil where anything goes, from theft to prostitution to murder. However, this man is about to clean up the city in an unconventional way!