Kei Satō (佐藤 慶, Satō Kei, born December 21, 1928 in Aizuwakamatsu - May 2, 2010) was a Japanese character actor and narrator. He is known for his work with Japanese New Wave director Nagisa Oshima,[1][2] and for several films with Kaneto Shindo, such as Onibaba and Kuroneko. He won the best actor award from Kinema Junpo for the films The Ceremony and Nihon no akuryō.[3] He also worked as a narrator for many documentaries, both on television and film.

Kei Satō
佐藤 慶
Born
Keinosuke Satō (佐藤 慶之助)

(1928-12-21)December 21, 1928
DiedMay 2, 2010(2010-05-02) (aged 81)
Tokyo, Japan
Occupation(s)Actor, narrator
Years active1952–2008

Provenance

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The Sato family was an ancestral Aizu Domain samurai, and after losing the Boshin War, they ran a wholesale business of lacquerware materials. In addition, Kinuko, the wife of Zensuke Shibukawa, who participated in the February 26 incident and died in prison, is an aunt.

After graduating from the dyeing and weaving department of Fukushima Prefectural Aizu Technical School (currently Fukushima Prefectural Aizu Technical High School), while working at the Aizuwakamatsu City Hall Family Register Section

In his early days as an actor, before his success in The Human Condition, he supported himself by producing gariban hand-written mimeographs, and he maintained his interest in hand-printing to the end of his life.[4]

In 1981 he appeared in the film Daydream performing an unsimulated sex scene with actress Kyoko Aizome. The involvement of a mainstream actor in a hardcore film made good press coverage and brought audiences to the theater "in droves".[5]

Due to his physical condition, he began to refrain from working after the age of 80. He died at 4:19 p.m. on May 2, 2010 at a hospital in Tokyo due to pneumonia at the age of 81.

Filmography

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Films

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Date Title Role Notes
1959 The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity Shinjo
1960 Cruel Story of Youth Akira Matsuko
The Sun's Burial Sakaguchi
Night and Fog in Japan Sakamaki
1962 Harakiri Masakatsu Fukushima
Ningen Hachizo
Pitfall [6]
1963 Bushido, Samurai Saga
Brave Records of the Sanada Clan Ōno Harunaga
League of Gangsters Takamoto
1964 Onibaba Hachi
Kwaidan Ghost samurai Segment: "In a Cup of Tea" ("Chawan no naka")
1965 Akumyo Nobori Endo
Samurai Spy Takanosuke Nojiri, lieutenant
Pleasures of the Flesh Police inspector
1966 Violence at Noon Eisuke Oyamada
The Sword of Doom Kamo Serizawa [7]
Zatoichi's Vengeance Boss Gonzo
1967 Band of Ninja Sakagami Shuzen (voice)
Japanese Summer: Double Suicide Otoko
1968 Death by Hanging Prison warden
Kuroneko Raiko
Diary of a Shinjuku Thief Actor Kei Satō
Three Resurrected Drunkards Y Chong-iru - I Chong-il
Hymn to a Tired Man Suzuki
1970 Onna Gokuakuchō
1971 The Ceremony Sakurada Kazuomi
Inn of Evil
1973 Zatoichi's Conspiracy Magistrate
Hanzo the Razor: The Snare Shobei Hamajima
1976 Yakuza Graveyard
1978 Satsujin Yugi
Empire of Passion (uncredited)
1979 The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf Shimizu
The Man Who Stole the Sun Dr. Ichikawa
1981 Daydream Dentist
Imperial Navy Shigenori Kami
1983 International Military Tribunal for the Far East Narrator
1984 Godzilla 1985 Chief Editor Gondo
1991 No Worries on the Recruit Front [8]
1999 Spellbound Takashi Hisayama
Gohatto Narrator
2005 The Whispering of the Gods Father Togawa
2009 Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler Kazutaka Hyōdō

Television

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Year Title Role Network Notes Ref.
1965 Taikōki Akechi Mitsuhide NHK Taiga drama
1967 Shiroi Kyotō Goro Zaizen NET Lead role
1973 The Water Margin Cao Chiu NTV
1974 Unmeitōge Asahina Genzaemon KTV Episode 11
1974–75 Karei-naru Ichizoku Ataru Mima NET [9]
1983 Tokugawa Ieyasu Takeda Shingen NHK Taiga drama
1984 Sanga Moyu Ryūkichi Tanaka NHK Taiga drama
Mujaki na Kankei TBS
1985–86 Sanada Taiheiki NHK
1986 Byakkotai Tanaka Tosa NTV
1988 Takeda Shingen Abe Katsuyoshi NHK Taiga drama
1992 Nobunaga: King of Zipangu Imai Sōkyū NHK Taiga drama
1993–94 Homura Tatsu Minamoto no Yoriyoshi NHK Taiga drama
1995 Hachidai Shōgun Yoshimune Arai Hakuseki NHK Taiga drama
1996 Kenpō wa Madaka Hitoshi Ashida NHK Miniseries
2000 Aoi Mashita Nagamori NHK Taiga drama
2000–01 Honmamon NHK Asadora [10]
2007 Fūrin Kazan Seiin NHK Taiga drama

References

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  1. ^ Stephens, Chuck. "Kei Sato 1928–2010". Criterion Collection. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  2. ^ "Actor Kei Sato dies at 81". TokyoGraph. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  3. ^ "Satō Kei". Kotobank (in Japanese). Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  4. ^ Goto, Takuya. "Haiyu Sato Kei Binkon Jidai, Gariban To No Hibi" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  5. ^ Sharp, Jasper (20 March 2001). "Review of Daydream (1981)". Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  6. ^ "おとし穴(1962)". Japanese Cinema Database. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  7. ^ Stuart Galbraith IV (16 May 2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-1-4616-7374-3.
  8. ^ "就職戦線異状なし". eiga.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "華麗なる一族". Family Gekijyo. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "連続テレビ小説 ほんまもん". NHK. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
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