Actor Tatsuya Nakadai thoroughly practiced the martial art of iaido for the final duel scene of “Tsubaki Sanjuro” (“Sanjuro” in English), the 1962 period drama directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Placing himself in a cramped space, Nakadai would repeat the motions of drawing his sword rapidly without hitting the wall, and then swinging it down.
He was not told how his opponent, actor Toshiro Mifune, intended to work the scene.
“Their showdown cannot possibly be described in words,” went the stage direction in the script. You can only see for yourself by watching the film.
A sword glints and blood gushes out like a fountain from Nakadai’s chest. A film crew member thought the actor had been slashed for real.
That was one of the most memorable duel scenes in the history of Japanese cinema.
Nakadai had somewhat Caucasian facial features, with intensely luminous, piercing eyes. He was said to enjoy playing villains, noting that humans are interesting precisely because they are not just all light, they are also dark.
The many memorable characters he played included Kaji, the protagonist of “Ningen no Joken” (“The Human Condition”), and Hidetora Ichimonji, the aging warlord in “Ran.”
To get into each character completely, Nakadai wrote down all his lines on sheets of paper, which he pasted on the walls all over his home—in the toilet, kitchen, you name it. When he lay down at night and could not remember some parts, he shone a torch on the walls.
He did not let fame and success go to his head. And while constantly striving to hone his skills, he dismissed acting as a “nonessential profession.”
A cynic and a rebel who was also utterly cool and awesome, Nakadai was a superstar in every sense.
After giving dreams to many people, Nakadai died on Nov. 8. He was 92.
In his final years, he favored the coined word “sekishu,” which is written with kanji characters meaning “red autumn.” (The expression forms a contrast with “seishun,” meaning “youth,” which is written with kanji for “blue spring.”)
The flaming red leaves that dazzle the eye with their autumnal glory are bound to fade and die. But until that time comes, let us fully blaze through every remaining moment.
One leaf, still scarlet in all its glory, just fell to the ground.
—The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 13
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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