--- name: "Kamatari Fujiwara" canonical: "https://film.one/person/kamatari-fujiwara" fi1m_id: "kamatari-fujiwara" imdb_id: "nm0297869" tmdb_id: 96552 wikidata_id: "Q3043193" roles: ["Actor"] born: "15 January 1905" died: "21 December 1985" reviewed_on_fi1m: 4 average_fi1m_score: 91 average_as: "actor" average_over: 4 updated: "2026-09-17T15:39:59.454932+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Kamatari Fujiwara ## Identity Kamatari Fujiwara - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/kamatari-fujiwara - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** kamatari-fujiwara - **IMDb ID:** nm0297869 - **TMDB ID:** 96552 - **Wikidata ID:** Q3043193 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamatari_Fujiwara, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3043193, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297869/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/96552 Actor. Born 15 January 1905 in Fukagawa, Koto, Tokyo, Japan. Died 21 December 1985. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 15 January 1905, Fukagawa, Koto, Tokyo, Japan - **Died:** 21 December 1985 - **Active:** 1952–1963 - **Also known as:** 藤原 釜足, Каматари Фудзивара, 藤原鶏太 - **Frequently works with:** [Akira Kurosawa](https://film.one/person/akira-kurosawa.md), [Hideo Oguni](https://film.one/person/hideo-oguni.md), [Shinobu Hashimoto](https://film.one/person/shinobu-hashimoto.md), [Sōjirō Motoki](https://film.one/person/sojiro-motoki.md), [Takashi Shimura](https://film.one/person/takashi-shimura.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 91, as actor, over 4 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 94 (2), 1960s 89 (2) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 91 to 84 across 4 titles - **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 4, Thriller 2, Action 1, Crime 1, Mystery 1 - **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $916m across 4 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamatari_Fujiwara, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3043193, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297869/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/96552 ## Streaming the US now - **HBO Max:** [*Seven Samurai*](https://film.one/film/seven-samurai.md) (95), [*Ikiru*](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md) (92), [*Yojimbo*](https://film.one/film/yojimbo.md) (88) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Kamatari Fujiwara > Kamatari Fujiwara plays suspicious, self-interested men with a comic precision that makes them worth our attention. We value him most in Akira Kurosawa's ensembles, though his taste for theatrical emphasis can sometimes labour what we have already understood. In *Seven Samurai* (1954), Kamatari Fujiwara's Manzô is a suspicious farmer trying to protect his daughter, Shino. A grand adventure could easily hurry past such a man, but Fujiwara makes his anxieties worth attending to. We laughed at his suspicion, then felt uneasy because his fear for his daughter remained credible. His comic timing lets us see how unreasonable Manzô can be without making him merely a nuisance. He contributes to the patience with ordinary people that makes this an adventure we would recommend to almost anyone. The partnership with Akira Kurosawa had begun with *Ikiru* (1952), in which Fujiwara plays Sub-Section Chief Ono. Takashi Shimura gives that film its painful fear of a wasted life, while Fujiwara takes his place in the office hierarchy. We recommend it warmly, with a reservation about satire that sometimes keeps explaining itself. Going from Ono to Manzô, Fujiwara stays close to the ordinary citizen, whose place in the world matters a great deal to him. The partnership would eventually run to 12 films. There is a more openly grotesque Fujiwara in *The Lower Depths* (1957), as a drunken Kabuki actor, and *Yojimbo* (1961), as the deranged former mayor Tazaemon. Between them, *The Hidden Fortress* (1958) pairs his peasant Matashichi with Minoru Chiaki. His comic timing is a reason to follow him into these parts, though the theatrical emphasis can make a character's shortcomings too obvious. His regular work with Mikio Naruse matters too; Fujiwara's usefulness was not confined to Kurosawa's ensembles. But *Seven Samurai* is where we would begin, with a suspicious farmer allowed space in a humane and absorbing adventure. Give Manzô time before deciding he is merely an obstacle. ## Biography Kamatari Fujiwara (藤原釜足, Fujiwara Kamatari; also credited as Keita Fujiwara) was a Japanese stage and film actor. Born Yasue Shigeo on 15 January 1905 in Tokyo, he died on 21 December 1985 in Tokyo. He appeared in over 200 films between 1933 and 1984. Fujiwara began in music and stage work, performing in Asakusa operas before joining Ken'ichi Enomoto's New Casino Folies. His film debut came in 1933 with *Ongaku kigeki – Horoyui jinsei*. He worked with directors including Akira Kurosawa, Mikio Naruse, Yasujirō Ozu and Heinosuke Gosho. He appeared in twelve Kurosawa films, beginning with *Ikiru* (1952) as Senkichi, and including *Seven Samurai* (1954) as Manzô, *The Hidden Fortress* (1958) as Matashichi, *Yojimbo* (1961) as Tazaemon, *Sanjuro* (1962) as Takebayashi, *High and Low* (1963) as the junkyard cook, *Red Beard* (1965) as Rokusuke and *Kagemusha* (1980) as the doctor. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (4) - *High and Low* (1963), Fi1m 90, as Junkyard Cook — [page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md) - *Yojimbo* (1961), Fi1m 88, as Tazaemon — [page](https://film.one/film/yojimbo.md) - *Seven Samurai* (1954), Fi1m 95, as Manzô - Father of Shino — [page](https://film.one/film/seven-samurai.md) - *Ikiru* (1952), Fi1m 92, as Sub-Section Chief Ono — [page](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md) ## Complete filmography (243) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *When Winter Comes* (1985), Actor - *W's Tragedy* (1984), Actor - *The Funeral* (1984), as Small Old Man - *Kasajiro: Truncheon versus Sword* (1982), Actor - *Sailor Suit and Machine Gun* (1981), as Ryuji Hoshi - *The Woman Next Door* (1981), Actor - *Kagemusha* (1980), as Doctor - *Ameyuki-san* (1979), Actor - *Barefoot Gen: Explosion of Tears* (1977), Actor - *Brother and Sister* (1976), as Liquor Store Owner - *The Roads Men Travel* (1976), series, as Suda - *Light of Africa* (1975), as Doctor - *Third Generation Boss* (1974), Actor - *The Blossom and the Sword* (1973), Actor - *Men and War III: The Final Chapter* (1973), as Toma's father - *Kigeki: koko kara hajimaru monogatari* (1973), Actor - *Time Within Memory* (1973), Actor - *Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice* (1972), Actor - *Onna Ikitemasu: Sakariba Wataridori* (1972), as Tatsugoro - *Wolves of the City: First to Fight* (1971), Actor - *The Battle of Okinawa* (1971), as Old Man in Tomb - *The Gift of the Fox* (1971), Actor - *Dodes'ka-den* (1970), as Suicidal Old Man - *Crescent Scarred Hatamoto* (1970), series, Actor - *The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan* (1970), Actor - *Double Suicide* (1969), as Owner of the Yamatoya - *The Day the Sun Rose* (1968), Actor - *Dorobō Sodachi Dorobōi* (1968), Actor - *Five Gents and Karate Grandpa* (1968), as Reiichi Nakagawa (Megumi's Father) - *The Homely Sister* (1967), as Shinshichi, father - *Eyes, the Sea and a Ball* (1967), Actor - *Inochi hateru hi made* (1966), Actor - *King of the Raccoon Dogs* (1966), Actor - *The Sword of Doom* (1966), as Omatsu's grandfather - *Mickey One* (1965), as The Artist - *Young Guy at Sea* (1965), as 佐平 - *Raccoon Dog Leader* (1965), Actor - *Cold Rice, Osan, Chan* (1965), Actor - *Taking the Castle* (1965), Actor - *Red Beard* (1965), as Rokusuke - *Che, Che, Che with Love* (1965), Actor - *Thief on the Run* (1964), Actor - *Three Outlaw Samurai* (1964), as Jinbei - *For Love and Money* (1963), Actor - *Duel of Blood and Sand* (1963), as Miyuki Sasa - *A Woman's Life* (1963), as Kenkichi Masuda, Nobuko's father - *Onna yajikita-tatchi ryokō* (1963), Actor - *Raised on an Island* (1963), Actor - *Women Called 'Wives'* (1963), Actor - *Tragedy of the Coolie Samurai* (1963), Actor - *The Sunshine Girl* (1963), Actor - *High and Low* (1963), as Junkyard Cook — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md) - *Cut the Shadow* (1963), Actor - *La Fée Diabolique* (1963), Actor - *Roppongi Nights: Love Me, Love Me* (1963), as Detective Uchiyama - *Chûshingura* (1962), Actor - *Mount Hakone* (1962), Actor - *A Carpenter and Children* (1962), Actor - *A Woman's Identity* (1962), Actor - *23 Steps to Bed* (1962), Actor - *Sanjuro* (1962), as Takebayashi - *Different Sons* (1961), as Shinsaburo Akagi - *Sir Galahad in Campus* (1961), Actor - *Sararīman yajikita dōchū* (1961), Actor - *Playboy President: Part II* (1961), as Kondo, the eel shop owner - *Yojimbo* (1961), as Tazaemon — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/yojimbo.md) - *Sazae-san Plays Cupid* (1961), as Sazae's father - *Happiness of Us Alone* (1961), Actor - *Sazae And Aunt Apron* (1960), as Sazae's father - *The Approach of Autumn* (1960), as Tsunekichi Yamada - *The Bad Sleep Well* (1960), as Assistant-to-the-Chief Wada - *The Sun's Burial* (1960), as Batasuke - *Sazae-san's Baby* (1960), as Sazae's father - *Beyond the Hills* (1960), as Kumakichi Furukawa - *Sazae-san, the Wayward Wife* (1959), as Sazae's father - *Leader of the Bomb Girls* (1959), Actor - *Sazae-san's Newlywed Family* (1959), as Sazae's father - *Samurai Saga* (1959), as Rakuzo the sake seller (uncredited) - *I Want to Be a Shellfish* (1959), Actor - *The Story of Iron Arm Inao* (1959), as Gentaro Matsuda - *Record of Loving Your Wife* (1959), Actor - *Sazae-san's Marriage* (1959), as Sazae's father - *The Hidden Fortress* (1958), as Matashichi - *Sazae's Engagement Trip* (1958), as Sazae's father - *Aozora yoitsu mademo* (1958), Actor - *The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Girl* (1958), as Minji-san the soba vendor - *Stakeout* (1958), as Mr. Takakura - *Teenage Sazae* (1957), as Sazae's father - *The Unbalanced Wheel* (1957), Actor - *The Blue Mountains Part 2* (1957), as Teacher Okamoto - *The Blue Mountains* (1957), as Mr. Okamoto - *The Lower Depths* (1957), as The Actor - *Schooldays* (1957), as Ōkubo Reisuke - *The Men of Toho-ku* (1957), as Hisakichi, master of Sankaku Yashiki - *Hateful Things* (1957), as Hikoichi Murai - *Tokyo Twilight* (1957), as Noodle Vendor - *Sazae-san Sequel* (1957), as Sazae's father - *The Lonely Swordsman (Part 2)* (1957), Actor - *Ujō* (1957), as Mansuke Ashiguro - *Good Luck to These Two* (1957), Actor - *The Lonely Swordsman (Part 1)* (1956), Actor - *Sazae-san* (1956), as Sazae's father - *Ohatsu's Unrequited Love* (1956), Actor - *A Brother and His Sister* (1956), as Shimura - *Employee with the Secret Savings and the Autocrat President: The Autocrat President's Pure Heart* (1956), Actor - *Kin Toyama-san's Detective Story: Man in the Shadows* (1956), Actor - *Employee with the Secret Savings and the Autocrat Company President: The Employee with the Secret Savings Fights Bravely* (1956), Actor - *Jacks and Jills* (1956), as Yoshizo (Rumiko's father) - *Symphony for Worn-Out Shoes* (1956), Actor - *Newlywed of the First Section* (1956), Actor - *Blue Buds* (1956), as Noriko’s father - *Radioactivity Plays the Game: Crafty Gentleman Sequel* (1956), Actor - *Record of a Crafty Gentleman* (1956), Actor - *The Wife is a University Student* (1956), as Matsunosuke Hiyoshi (Noboru’s Father) - *The Invisible 108th Unit* (1956), Actor - *The Maiden Courtesan* (1956), Actor - *The Bride Carries On* (1956), Actor - *All Sold Out* (1956), Actor - *Hanayome no tameiki* (1956), Actor - *Utae! Seishun Harikiri Musume* (1955), as Yayoshi (Father) - *I Live in Fear* (1955), as Okamoto - *Shichinin no ani imōto* (1955), Actor - *The Lone Journey* (1955), as Gorosaku - *School Girls* (1955), Actor - *A Song of Memory* (1955), Actor - *House of Many Pleasures* (1955), as Old Man - *New Tengu Kurama: Samurai in the Pouring Rain* (1955), as Kichibee - *Mother and Son* (1955), as Tokugoto Izumi - *School Girls in Costume* (1955), Actor - *The Rookie Managers* (1955), Actor - *Love Never Fails* (1955), as Saito - *Cheers to the Jazz Girl* (1955), as Dr. Yoshida - *The Immortal Pitcher* (1955), Actor - *All is Well* (1955), Actor - *Lovetide* (1955), as Sano - *Invisible Man* (1954), as Mariko's grandfather - *Anmitsu Princess: Story of the Magic Competition* (1954), Actor - *New Tengu Kurama Part II: Duel at Toji Temple* (1954), Actor - *Anmitsu hime: Amakara shiro no maki* (1954), Actor - *New Tengu Kurama: Tengu Appears* (1954), Actor - *The Happy and the Shy Draw* (1954), Actor - *Ditch* (1954), Actor - *Mako Osorubeshi* (1954), Actor - *All of Myself* (1954), as Jiretsuken Shujin - *Seven Samurai* (1954), as Manzô - Father of Shino — Fi1m 95, [page](https://film.one/film/seven-samurai.md) - *An Inn at Osaka* (1954), as Ossan - *Kokoro no nichigetsu* (1954), Actor - *Their Father's Wife* (1953), as Kimura - *Mr. Pu* (1953), Actor - *Yasugorō shusse* (1953), Actor - *The End of the Night* (1953), Actor - *Murahachibu* (1953), Actor - *Husband and Wife* (1953), Actor - *My Wonderful Yellow Car* (1953), as Drunken man B - *Haha no hitomi* (1953), Actor - *Town of Seven Colors* (1952), Actor - *The Man Who Came to Port* (1952), as Takasaki-Shochou - *The Woman Who Touched the Legs* (1952), Actor - *武蔵と小次郎* (1952), as 万九郎 - *Ikiru* (1952), as Sub-Section Chief Ono — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md) - *A Guide to Marriage* (1952), Actor - *Daigaku no kotengu* (1952), Actor - *Tokyo Sweetheart* (1952), as Aoyama - *Forty-Eight Man* (1952), as Isaburo - *Kin no tamago: Golden Girl* (1952), Actor - *Love's Zephir Along the Tokaido* (1952), as Innkeeper of Oiso no Yado - *Okuni and Gohei* (1952), as Doctor - *The Skin of the South* (1952), as Shunpei Goto - *Mabuta no haha* (1952), Actor - *Sasaki Kojiro* (1951), Actor - *Wakôdo no uta* (1951), as Old man Omura - *The Bitch* (1951), Actor - *Meeting of the Ghost of Apres-Guerre* (1951), Actor - *Nanatsu no seiza* (1951), Actor - *The Love Letter Trial* (1951), Actor - *The Den of Beasts* (1951), Actor - *Weeping Doll* (1951), as Kawashima - *Freedom School* (1951), Actor - *Doro ni mamirete* (1951), Actor - *Wakai musumetachi* (1951), Actor - *Zoku Sasaki Kojiro* (1951), Actor - *The End of the War* (1950), Actor - *The Munekata Sisters* (1950), as Sangin's Master - *Crazy Uproar* (1950), Actor - *Beyond the Hills* (1950), Actor - *When We Came Back* (1950), Actor - *Asakusa no hada* (1950), Actor - *Mado Kara Tobidase* (1950), as Shôjirô - *Four Seasons of Women* (1950), as Tokunaga - *Kare to kanojo to mei tantei* (1950), Actor - *Conduct Report on Professor Ishinaka* (1950), as Takezo Yamada - *Haha tōdai* (1949), Actor - *Hakuchō wa kanashikarazuya* (1949), Actor - *The Blue Mountains: Part II* (1949), as Mr. Okamoto - *Full Moon* (1949), Actor - *The Blue Mountains: Part I* (1949), as Mr. Okamoto - *Jakoman and Tetsu* (1949), as Soutaro - *Kaze no ko* (1949), Actor - *The Portrait* (1948), as Tamai - *A Second Life* (1948), Actor - *Umi o yobu koe* (1945), Actor - *Tōkai suikoden* (1945), Actor - *General Kappa* (1944), Actor - *Kokusai Mitsuyudan* (1944), Actor - *Monpe-san* (1944), Actor - *Kekkon meirei* (1943), Actor - *Mother Never Dies* (1942), Actor - *The Man Who Waited* (1942), Actor - *Young Teacher* (1942), as Senzo's father - *Sky of Hope* (1942), as Kamezo - *Hideko the Bus Conductor* (1941), as Sonoda - the bus driver - *Horse* (1941), as Jinjiro Onoda, Ine's father - *Travelling Actors* (1940), as Hyoroku Ichikawa - the Forelegs - *A Gentle Breeze With Father* (1940), Actor - *Keshô yuki* (1940), Actor - *Travels to the East* (1940), as Cosmetics' Company Marketing Man - *China Night* (1940), Actor - *Easy Alley* (1939), Actor - *Chocolate and Soldiers* (1938), Actor - *Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro* (1938), as Sahei - *Children of the Sun* (1938), Actor - *Tojuro's Love* (1938), Actor - *Chorus of the Century--Patriotic March* (1938), as conductor Saitō - *Ushidure Express* (1937), as Kaita - *The Kingdom of Spectacles* (1937), Actor - *Harikiri Boy* (1937), Actor - *The Road I Travel with You* (1936), Actor - *Man of the House* (1936), as Shogetsu - *I Am a Cat* (1936), as Ochi Tofu - *The Girl in the Rumor* (1935), as Uncle - *Five Men in a Circus* (1935), as Tadakichi - *Tokai no kaii 7-ji 03-bu* (1935), Actor - *Wife! Be Like a Rose!* (1935), as Shingo (Kimiko's uncle) - *Radio Queen* (1935), Actor - *Drifting* (1935), Actor - *The Actress and the Poet* (1935), as Baido Noso - *Botchan* (1935), as Uranari - *Three Sisters with Maiden Hearts* (1935), as Yopparai - the Drunkard - *Enoken's The Magician* (1934), Actor - *Romantic and Crazy* (1934), Actor - *Odoriko nikki* (1934), Actor - *Tadano Bonji: Jinsei Benkyô* (1934), Actor - *Tipsy Life* (1933), Actor ## Gallery - ![Hideko Takamine, Daijirō Natsukawa and Kamatari Fujiwara in Hideko no shashō-san (秀子の車掌さん) directed by Mikio Naruse, 1941](https://film.one/media/person/59912/gallery-52334b7a4ee3.jpg) Hideko Takamine, Daijirō Natsukawa and Kamatari Fujiwara in Hideko no shashō-san (秀子の車掌さん) directed by Mikio Naruse, 1941 — Nan'ō Eiga, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Hideko_no_shash%C5%8D-san%2C_1941.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Kamatari Fujiwara](https://film.one/media/person/59912/gallery-7240e517f50c.jpg) Kamatari Fujiwara — PCL (vanished film company in 1937), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Ongaku_kigeki_horoyoi_jinsei.jpg/1280px-Ongaku_kigeki_horoyoi_jinsei.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Sachiko Chiba, Ryūko Umezono and Kamatari Fujiwara in Uwasa no musume (1935)](https://film.one/media/person/59912/gallery-94ba9d7212f6.jpg) Sachiko Chiba, Ryūko Umezono and Kamatari Fujiwara in Uwasa no musume (1935) — P.C.L., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Uwasa_no_musume_%281935%29_2.jpg/1280px-Uwasa_no_musume_%281935%29_2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![From left to right: Sachiko Chiba, Chikako Hosokawa and Kamatari Fujiwara in Tsuma yo bara no yo ni (1935) directed by Mikio Naruse](https://film.one/media/person/59912/gallery-83cc11169adf.jpg) From left to right: Sachiko Chiba, Chikako Hosokawa and Kamatari Fujiwara in Tsuma yo bara no yo ni (1935) directed by Mikio Naruse — P.C.L., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Wife%21_Be_Like_a_Rose%21_%281935%29_2.jpg/1280px-Wife%21_Be_Like_a_Rose%21_%281935%29_2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Kamatari Fujiwara](https://film.one/media/person/59912/gallery-d276115970d6.jpg) Kamatari Fujiwara — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/kamatari-fujiwara