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Japanese actor

Kōji Hashimoto (橋本 広司), known professionally as Kōji Yakusho (役所 広司), is a Japanese actor. He is known internationally for his starring roles in Shall We Dance? (1996), 13 Assassins (2010), The Third Murder (2017), The Blood of Wolves (2018), Under the Open Sky (2020) and The Days (2023). For his performance in Perfect Days (2023), he was awarded the Best Actor award in the 76th Cannes Film Festival.

Yakusho was born in Isahaya, Nagasaki, the youngest of five brothers. After graduation from Nagasaki Prefectural High School of Technology in 1974, he worked at the Chiyoda municipal ward office, or kuyakusho, in Tokyo, from which he later took his stage name.

In 1976, he saw a production of Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths (Played by Tatsuya Nakadai) and was inspired, first to watch, and then later to take part in, as many plays as possible. Lawrence Van Gelder in the New York Times called his performance "unerring." A Lost Paradise, about a double suicide, was second only to Princess Mononoke at the Japanese box office.

Shall We Dance? was such a major hit in Japan that it inspired a domestic dance craze. Ballroom groups and dance schools multiplied in the country after the film's release, and people who previously would never admit to taking lessons announced that they did with pride. Director Masayuki Suo said of his lead, who until that point was known mostly for playing good looking samurai, "we thought he could play this overworked, tired Japanese businessman, and he did [H]e pulled everything off and took his dance training so seriously." Yakusho next won the Hochi Film Award for Best Actor for Bounce Ko Gals, a film which dealt with high school prostitution specifically, and money worship in general. He collaborated with horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa in Cure, Seance, Charisma, Doppelganger, Retribution, and Tokyo Sonata. Yakusho found further recognition with international audiences to some extent with roles in such films as Memoirs of a Geisha and Babel. In the latter, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, he played the father of the deaf mute played by Rinko Kikuchi.

In 2009, he debuted as director of Toad's Oil. In 2010 and 2011 he was part of both ensemble casts in Takashi Miike's samurai films, 13 Assassins and Hara Kiri: Death of a Samurai. The latter was in 3D and the first 3D film to be in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. In the 2011 war drama film Rengō Kantai Shirei Chōkan: Yamamoto Isoroku, Yakusho portrayed Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Yakusho was reportedly the only actor considered for the role; had he not accepted it, the film would have been canceled. In 2018 he was in The Blood of Wolves. For his performance in Perfect Days, directed by Wim Wenders, Yakusho won best actor at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. In the same year, he has been selected 2023 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival’s filmmaker in focus.

Year Title Role Director Notes 1979 Hunter in the Dark Kuwano Hideo Gosha Eireitachi no oenka: saigo no sôkeisen Kihachi Okamoto 1980 Twelve Months Young soldier (voice) Kimio Yabuki 1981 Willful Murder Journalist Kei Kumai 1982 Onimasa Kondō Hideo Gosha Himeyuri no Tô Otaka Tadashi Imai The Legend of Sayo Hatsutaro Tetsutaro Murano 1985 Tampopo Man in White Suit Juzo Itami 1987 The Great Department Store Robbery Cello player Azuma Morisaki 1988 Another Way: D Kikan Joho Naoto Sekiya Kōsaku Yamashita Lead role 1990 Pod severnym siyaniyem Genzo Tamiya Toshio Gotō Lead role 1993 Gurenbana Kenzo Nakada Mamoru Watanabe Drug Connection Ryosuke Kano Shōkaku Baba Lead role 1994 Osaka Gokudo Senso: Shinoidare Ippei Yoshikawa Tatsuoki Hosono 1995 Kamikaze Taxi Kantake Masato Harada Lead role 1996 Shall We Dance? Shohei Sugiyama Masayuki Suo Lead role Sleeping Man Kamimura Kōhei Oguri Shabu Gokudo Makabe Tatsuoki Hosono Lead role 1997 Lost Paradise Shoichiro Kuki Yoshimitsu Morita Lead role The Eel Takuro Yamashita Shohei Imamura Lead role Bounce Ko Gals Oshima Masato Harada Lead role Cure Kenichi Takabe Kiyoshi Kurosawa Lead role 1998 Kizuna Takaaki Ise/Tetsuro Haga Kichitaro Negishi Tadon to chikuwa Kida Jun Ichikawa Lead role 1999 License to Live Fujimori Kiyoshi Kurosawa Charisma Goro Yabuike Kiyoshi Kurosawa Lead role Spellbound Hiroshi Kitano Masato Harada Lead role 2000 Swing Man Movie star Tetsu Maeda Dora heita Koheita "Dora heita" Mochizuki Kon Ichikawa Lead role Eureka Makoto Sawai Shinji Aoyama Lead role 2001 Pulse Ship captain Kiyoshi Kurosawa Cameo Warm Water Under a Red Bridge Yosuke Sasano Shōhei Imamura Lead role 2002 The Choice of Hercules Atsuyuki Sassa Masato Harada Lead role 2003 Doppelganger Michio Hayasaki Kiyoshi Kurosawa Lead role 2004 The Hunter and the Hunted Detective Jin Sekikawa Izuru Narushima Lead role Tokyo: Level One The Governor of Tokyo Gen Yamakawa Lead role Lakeside Murder Case Shunsuke Namiki Shinji Aoyama Lead role University of Laughs Mutsuo Sakisaka Mamoru Hoshi Lead role 2005 Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean Masami Shin'ichi Shinji Higuchi Lead role Memoirs of a Geisha Nobu Rob Marshall American film 2006 The Uchōten Hotel Heikichi Shindo Kōki Mitani Lead role Babel Yasujiro Wataya Alejandro G. Iñárritu Foreign film Over the Hedge RJ (voice) Tim & Karey Japanese version Retribution Noboru Yoshioka Kiyoshi Kurosawa Lead role 2007 I Just Didn't Do It Masayoshi Arakawa Masayuki Suo Argentine Baba Satoru Wakui Naoki Nagao Lead role Silk Hara Jubei François Girard Foreign film Walking My Life Yukihiro Fujiyama Satoshi Isaka Lead role 2008 Paco and the Magical Book Onuki Tetsuya Nakashima Lead role Tokyo Sonata The Robber Kiyoshi Kurosawa 2009 Mt. Tsurugidake Morisaku Furuta Daisaku Kimura Gelatin Silver Love Client Kazumi Kurigami Toad's Oil Takuro Yazawa Himself Lead role & director 2010 13 Assassins Shinzaemon Shimada Takashi Miike Lead role The Last Ronin Magozaemon Senoo Shigemichi Sugita Lead role 2011 Hara Kiri: Death of a Samurai Kageyu Saito Takashi Miike Isoroku Isoroku Yamamoto Izuru Narushima Lead role Chronicle of My Mother Kōsaku Masato Harada Lead role The Woodsman and the Rain Katsuhiko Shūichi Okita Lead role 2012 A Terminal Trust Shinzo Egi Masayuki Suo 2013 The Kiyosu Conference Shibata Katsuie Kōki Mitani Lead role 2014 The World of Kanako Akikazu Fujishima Tetsuya Nakashima Lead role A Samurai Chronicle Shūkoku Toda Takashi Koizumi Lead role 2015 The Emperor in August Korechika Anami Masato Harada Lead role The Boy and the Beast Kumatetsu (voice) Mamoru Hosoda Lead role Mifune: The Last Samurai Himself Steven Okazaki Documentary film 2017 Sekigahara Tokugawa Ieyasu Masato Harada Oh Lucy! Komori Atsuko Hirayanagi American Japanese film The Third Murder Misumi Hirokazu Kore eda 2018 The Blood of Wolves Shōgo Ōgami Kazuya Shiraishi Lead role Mirai Grandpa (voice) Mamoru Hosoda 2019 Wings Over Everest Jiang Yuesheng Fay Yu Lead role; Chinese film Whistleblower Kase Katsuo Fukuzawa Cameo 2021 Under the Open Sky Masao Mikami Miwa Nishikawa Lead role The Supporting Actors In Byplaywood HimselfDaigo Matsui Belle Suzu's father (voice) Mamoru Hosoda 2022 The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai Kawai Tsugunosuke Takashi Koizumi Lead role 2023 Perfect Days Hirayama Wim Wenders Lead role; Japanese German film Familia Seiji Izuru Narushima Lead role Father of the Milky Way Railroad Masajirō Miyazawa Izuru Narushima Lead role Totto Chan: The Little Girl at the Window Sōsaku Kobayashi (voice) Shinnosuke Yakuwa 2024 Hakkenden Takizawa Bakin Fumihiko Sori Lead role 2025 Snow Flower Hino Teisai Takashi Koizumi

Country Year Honor Ref. (References) 2012 Medal with Purple Ribbon

Organizations Year Category Work Result Ref. (References) Agency for Cultural Affairs 1998 Art Encouragement Prizes The Eel, Lost Paradise, Bounce Ko Gals, Cure Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2017 Best Performance by an Actor The Third Murder 2023 Best PerformancePerfect Days Asia Pacific Film Festival 2023Best Actor in a Leading Role Asian Film Awards 2011Best Actor in a Leading Role13 Assassins 2012Chronicle of My Mother 2019The Blood of Wolves Excellence In Asian Cinema Award Honored 2021Best Actor in a Leading RoleUnder the Open Sky 2024Perfect Days Blue Ribbon Awards 1997Best ActorShall We Dance?, Sleeping Man, Shabu gokudo 1998The Eel, Lost Paradise, Cure 2016The Emperor in August 2018Best Supporting ActorThe Third Murder, Sekigahara 2019Best ActorThe Blood of Wolves 2022Under the Open Sky 2024 Perfect Days Cannes Film Festival 2023Best Actor Chicago International Film Festival 2001 Silver Hugo – Best ActorWarm Water Under a Red Bridge 2020 Silver Hugo – Best PerformanceUnder the Open Sky Chlotrudis Award 1998 Best Actor Shall We Dance? Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2007 Best Acting Ensemble Babel Deauville Asian Film Festival 2008 Tribute Dubai International Film Festival 2011 Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature – Best ActorThe Woodsman and the Rain Elan d'or Awards 1984Newcomer of the Year Gold Derby Awards 2007 Best Ensemble Cast Babel Gotham Awards 2006 Best Ensemble Cast GQ Japan 2021 Men of the Year Best Actor Hawaii International Film Festival 2012 Career Achievement Award Honored Hochi Film Award 1996Best Actor Shall We Dance?, Sleeping Man, Shabu gokudo 1997The Eel, Lost Paradise, Bounce Ko Gals 2017 Best Supporting ActorThe Third Murder, Sekigahara 2018Best ActorThe Blood of Wolves 2021Under the Open Sky Japan Academy Film Prize 1991Best Actor in a Leading Role Pod severnym siyaniyem 1997Shall We Dance? 1998The Eel 1999Kizuna 2000Spellbound 2001Dora heita 2002Warm Water Under a Red Bridge 2003The Choice of Hercules 2005University of Laughs 2007The Uchōten Hotel 2008Walking My Life 2009Paco and the Magical Book 201113 Assassins 2012The Last Ronin 2013Chronicle of My Mother Isoroku 2015A Samurai Chronicle 2016The Emperor in August 2018Best Actor in a Supporting RoleThe Third Murder Sekigahara 2019Best Actor in a Leading RoleThe Blood of Wolves 2022Under the Open Sky 2024Perfect Days Japan Cuts 2012 Excellence in Film Honored Japanese Movie Critics Awards 1996Best Actor Shall We Dance?, Sleeping Man, Shabu gokudo Kinema Junpo Awards 1997Best Actor Shall We Dance? 1998The Eel, Lost Paradise 2022Under the Open Sky 2024Perfect Days, Familia and Father of the Milky Way Railroad Kyoto International Film and Art Festival 2014Toshiro Mifune Award Honored Mainichi Film Awards 1996Best ActorKamikaze Taxi 1997Shall We Dance?, Sleeping Man, Shabu gokudo 2018Best Supporting ActorThe Third Murder 2019Best ActorThe Blood of Wolves 2022Under the Open Sky Monte Carlo Television Festival 2013 Golden Nymph for Outstanding ActorsEarly Autumn Nikkan Sports Film Award 1996Best ActorShall We Dance? 2017Best Supporting ActorThe Third Murder, Sekigahara 2018Best Actor The Blood of Wolves Nippon Connection 2017 Nippon Honor Award Honored Osaka Cinema Festival 2019Best Actor The Blood of Wolves Palm Springs International Film Festival 2007 Best Ensemble Cast Babel San Diego Film Critics Society 2006 Best Ensemble Screen Actors Guild Awards 2007 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Singapore International Film Festival 2017Cinema Legend Award Honored Sitges Film Festival 2014Best ActorThe World of Kanako TAMA Film Awards 2012 Best Actor Isoroku, Chronicle of My Mother, The Woodsman and the Rain 2021 Best Actor Under the Open Sky, The Supporting Actors, Belle Television Drama Academy Awards 2018 Best Actor Rikuoh The Men's Fashion Unity 2007 Best Dresser Award Tokyo International Film Festival 1997Best ActorCure Tokyo Sports Film Award 2018Best Supporting ActorThe Third Murder 2019Best ActorThe Blood of Wolves Yokohama Film Festival 1997Best ActorShall We Dance?, Sleeping Man, Shabu gokudo 2005University of Laughs, Yudan Taiteki, Tokyo Genpatsu 2019The Blood of Wolves Zenkoku Eiren Awards 1997 Best ActorShall We Dance? 2013 Chronicle of My Mother 2018 Best Supporting ActorThe Third Murder 2022 Best ActorUnder the Open Sky