Ken Tanaka
Birthday: Born in 1951-03-06 in Chikugo, Fukuoka, Japan
Deathday: Alive
TV Credits
素晴らしきかな人生
Character: Kunio Nagasawa
Yume (Asano) is a single mother raising a now teenage daughter, Haruka, by herself. She has trouble trusting men, as Haruka's real father Kunio left before Haruka was born, and her first marriage ended when her husband cheated on her. It is then though that she meets Kunio's younger brother, Mitsugu (played by Oda). He falls for her immediately, and sets out to win her heart despite her disbelief....
世紀末の詩
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Just when about to commit suicide after being deserted by his bride-to-be during the wedding, a man meets a university professor who is also at the point of killing himself. A woman nearby intervenes, one thing leads to another, and the three lost souls move in together. Each episode is a distinct story about the sometimes painful, sometimes warm romances between them and the people they meet while sharing an apartment....
科捜研の女
Character: Makoto Sakuma
Mariko is a forensic scientist working at the Kyoto PD Crime Lab. Her credo is “science never lies” and she delves into the truth of the case with her colleagues with their specialized skills and knowledge in forensic medicine, physics, chemistry etc. Mariko’s steadfast belief in science makes her stand against conventional institutional ethics of the police department, diehard detectives averse to scientific investigation and sometimes even with her own colleagues, but she stays faithful to her...
利家とまつ
Character: Nobumori Sakuma
The 41st NHK Taiga Drama is Toshiie to Matsu. During the turbulent Warring States Era, one man's life and career intertwined with the three great generals of Japanese history-Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu. With political savvy and the support of his fiercely loyal wife, Maeda Toshiie rose to second in power in the shogunate and built up a fiefdom that encompassed Echizen, Noto and Kaga....
新選組・池田屋の血闘
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It is said that the Shinsengumi, led by Isami Kondo, delayed the start of the Meiji restoration by 10 years. This is a large-scale historical drama that tells about their life path up to the battle of Ikedaya....
俺たちの旅
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A milestone in Japanese teen drama, representing the 1970s. It questions the meaning of life, worries, and joys....
江戸の鷹 御用部屋犯科帖
Character: Shinnosuke Wakasugi
In the 1770's, the shrewdest man of the age, Tanuma Okitsugu, had abused his political power, and the corruption of government officials and moral decay of the public were prevalent. At that time, there was a box for complaints made by the general public. It was called "Meyasubako" and was placed at the front gate of the central government's Supreme Court. The appeals went directly to the shogun who assigned the “Otakagumi” (Falconers Unit) to investigate. Led by Uchiyama Kanbei (samurai supers...
必殺仕事人2009
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Continuation of the popular series of films about the assassins in Edo. This show marks the return of the jidaigeki series "Hissatsu Shigotonin," which has had several seasons between the 1970s and the 1990s. The franchise came back in 2007 with a one-shot special, but this is its first full season since 1992. Makoto Fujita returns as the protagonist Nakamura Mondo, one of the "shigotonin," a team of hired assassins....
血の轍
Character: Kazuto Uchida
An ex-detective, Kagawa, is found dead in a park in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Swearing revenge, detectives of the #1 investigation team, including Tozawa (Shosuke Tanihara), begin to investigate Kagawa’s death. Meanwhile, Sono (Masanobu Takashima), at the public security bureau, orders his subordinate Shimizu (Taizo Harada), to uncover the truth behind the case in secret. Sono believes the maintenance of trust held by the general public for the police could be jeopardized if anything afoul is discovered ...
必殺剣劇人
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Movie Credits
Aoi sanmyaku
Character: Yasukichi Tominaga
Remake of 1949 film...
THE LAST GOZE
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A "Goze" is a blind entertainer who travels to various places singing stories while playing the shamisen (Japanese three-stringed lute). Becoming a goze due to her blindness at seven-years-old, Haru was strictly trained with a parent's affection by her once kind mother, Tome....
Sandakan No. 8
Character: Hideo Takeuchi
A young journalist interviews an elderly woman about being forced into prostitution in Borneo at a brothel called Sandakan No. 8....
13 Assassins
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In between the original 1963 13 ASSASSINS film and the 2010 remake by Miike Takashi, Fuji TV produced a version for TV. Starring Nakadai Tatsuya and Natsuyagi Isao, with strong support from Tanba Tetsuro and Tanaka Ken, this is the ultimate tale of samurai justice carried out in a historical masterpiece. The shogun’s half-brother, Matsudaira Naritsugu has been slated to join the Roju Council of Elders as a senior adviser even though he is criminally insane. His outrageous acts cause one of his t...
Godzilla 1985
Character: Goro Maki
Originally released in Japan as "The Return of Godzilla" in 1984, this is the heavily re-edited, re-titled "Godzilla 1985". Adding in new footage of Raymond Burr, this 16th Godzilla film ignores all previous sequels and serves as a direct follow-up to the 1956 "Godzilla King of the Monsters", which also featured scenes with Burr edited into 1954's "Godzilla". This film restores the darker tone of the original, as we witness the nuclear destruction of giant lizard terrorizing Japan....
In the City of Dawn
Character: Manager
By chance, Watabe (Goro Kishitani) meets subordinate worker Nakanishi (Kyoko Fukada) at a batting center. A friendship occurs which leads to a heated love affair. Watabe then learns that Nakanishi is the prime suspect of a murder case that occurred 15 years - the murder of her father's ex-lover. The statue of limitations for that murder case is soon to expire .....
The Setting Sun
Character: Wada
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Great evil does not go to sleep: The counterattack of the special investigation unit prosecutor
Character: Ippei Komatsu
Shinichi Tominaga is a prosecutor, newly appointed to the special investigation division for the Tokyo district prosecutors' office. He is currently busy with a case involving suspicious donations to powerful politician Yohei Tachibana. Shinichi then receives a mysterious message from his friend Samon Kondo. His friend is in charge of space development at The The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The message talks about a scandal related to space development. Samon ...
The King and His Vassal
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This is a story of "Takechiyo," the previous name of Iemitsu Tokunaga, the third Shogun (General). Takechiyo got sick of daily run-of-the-mill tasks, and it put him off being the Shogun, saying "there is no truth". Then, Hikozaemon Ookubo took him to Tasuke Isshin to bring him up into a full-fledged and admirable man....
The King and His Vassal 2 - The Great Riot of Edo
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The fish market is to be moved to Shinagawa, and Tasuke Isshin (Jun Inoue) got in trouble. Hikosaemon Ookubo (Eijiro Tono) heard of it from Tasuke, and ask about it to Iemitsu (Ken Tanaka). However, on the contrary, Hikosaemon received penitence for a bribe that he doesn't know....
Oh, My Son!
Character: Takeshi Kawase
A man whose son has been murdered pushes to create laws to financially protect victims' families....
America ni Makenakatta Otoko - Bakayaro Souri Yoshida Shigeru
Character: Takeshi Yamazaki
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ママ母戦争
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F2 Grand Prix
Character: Imoto
Drama set in the world of Formula 2 motor racing in Japan....
Monument to Holy Service
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A rural high school takes part in a mountain-climbing exercise and are caught in a sudden typhoon....
Oh Seagull, Have You Seen the Sparkling Ocean? An Encounter
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Fujishita Kumi is an ordinary office lady. Longing to escape her poor fishing village for a life in the city, she came to Tokyo. One day while alone in the office, she's spotted rolling up her pantyhose by the window cleaner Kurata Katsuo. This was to be their first encounter. Completely enchanted by Kumi, Katsuo does everything he can to get close to her. Katsuo is a man with a terrible past. With the death of his coal miner father, his family was broken up and he was forced to follow in his fa...
Kaibyō Koi-ga-fuchi
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The sisters lived near a pond called Koigafuchi, near Edo, and kept a father-and-son cat named Tama and Kaze. The elder sister, Oichi, was discovered by a samurai named Kazuma who rescued her when she had fallen ill, and she was sent to serve him at his mansion in Edo, but this was the beginning of her misfortune....
The Gate of Youth
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Mainly the story of Shinsuke and his stepmother, ranging from Shinsuke's infanthood to his mid-teens. Coal workers and the mines dominate nearly every aspect of the life of the characters. Shinsuke's father dies while bravely using dynamite to rescue a group of trapped Korean miners. Several older men attempt to help he and his mother cope, including a kind Korean and a Harley-riding yakuza....
The Gate of Youth Part 2
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Mid 50s: the trials and tribulations of Shinsuke Ibuki, freshly arrived in Tokyo from Kyushu....
Hotel Rose
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Bokyo
Character: Kunimitsu
In 1940, Kubota Shoten, which has been in business for generations, goes bankrupt due to the debauched lifestyle of its president, Kunimitsu Kubota. Subsequently, Kunimitsu moves back to his hometown and his children are sent to live with other relatives....
The Goblin of Mt. Kurama
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The year 1864: The Shinsengumi, the shogun’s armed force in Kyoto ripped the city apart, with blades in hand, searching for pockets of resistance, slaughtering the samurai who sought to bring down the shogunate and restore Japan’s emperor to power. By chance, Murao Mayumi and his sister Shiho, meet samurai Kurata. Murao, seeking his fortune with his sword-arm, will join Shinsengumi, never suspecting his friend Kurata is secretly Kurama Tengu, who hides his face in a black hood, and who will tear...
The Phoenix
Character: Takeru
This extraordinarily complex film is not only a send-up of every samurai film ever made, it is also an extrapolation of the value of life. The Yamatai, represented by Prince Susano-O and elderly advisor Sumuke, hire Yumihiko of Matsuro to hunt the phoenix so that Queen Himiko, sister of Susano-O can have eteranal life....
There Goes Benio, the Smart Girl
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Benio, a peppy tomboy, is surprised to learn that she has been secretly betrothed by her grandfather to a young officer named Shinobu Ijuin. Because of his family’s noble status, Benio must first undergo rigorous training to learn how to be a proper bride and wife before she can marry. However, because of her vivacious personality, this proves to me more challenging than anyone imagined....
Silence of the Sea
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The day before his exhibition, world-renowned painter Tamura discovers that his own work contains a forgery. Meanwhile, the body of a woman with countless ukiyo-e tattoos is discovered at the sea. From the two incidents, the name of Ryuji emerges....
Tomorrow in the Finder
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Takeharu Samejima is a reticent photographer who runs a deserted photo studio. Taiichi Igarashi, a talented photographer captivated by his photos, gives up his brilliant career to become his apprentice. Taiichi, who has even avoided communication with his family, cannot hide his ......
The Return of Godzilla
Character: Goro Maki
After a fishing boat is attacked, the sole surviving crew member realizes it is none other than a resurrected Godzilla. However, efforts to bring the story to light are suppressed by the Japanese government amid growing political tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, who are both willing to bomb Japan to stop the monster....
Saito Dosan: Rage of Power
Character: Yoriaki Toki
During the age of warring clans (Sengoku Jidai), many samurai lords sought to unite the country under their banners by becoming the supreme leader. One of the first to vie for power in this way was Saito Dosan, the 'Viper'. His son-in-law, Oda Nobunaga, did in fact unite the nation after subduing all of his enemies, yet falling at last to the treachery of one of his most trusted generals. This story is a pre-cursor to those later events as the brilliant military strategist Saito Dosan rises to ...
Taxi Driver's Mystery Diary 37 - Mystery of Double Homicides from Tokyo to Hamamatsu
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A Tale of Young Elopement
Character: Saotome
A 30-year-old man's life gets up-ended when his girlfriend accepts an arranged marriage meeting with a more successful man....
Bonds
Character: Haga
Tetsuro Haga is a troubled gangster, living under the assumed identity Ise for ten years, to escape jail for gunning down his cruel adoptive father. His life begins to unravel when a journalist following him takes an interest in the wife of a boyhood chum, and the wife of another close friend takes an interest in Ise. A couple of murders later, Ise/Haga goes on the run and also sets out for revenge....
Aspiration
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Tax Inspector Madogiwa Taro: Case File 29
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Yakuza Ladies 10
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Itsukaichi Story
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Yuri, who works for a company that specializes in collecting information for television programs, visits Akiruno city in Tokyo, where Itsukaichi-cho and Akikawa-shi merged at the request of the station, and it is now only fifteen years after the merger Start to find out how it changed. Yuri who started interviewing reluctantly, but continues to meet calm land pattern and people, and gradually begins to be interested....
Heaven and Earth: Dawn Episode
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Some of the greatest battles during the Age of Civil Wars were fought between the Uesugi and Takeda clans. Leading up to them was the incredible life of Uesugi Kenshin, who rose from a son out of favor with his......
Violent Fighters
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In 1979 Toei president Shigeru Okada saw the future. More precisely, he saw Walter Hill's The Warriors in the US prior to its Japanese opening. Okada rushed back to make his own version. "Towards the 80! Our era! Now filming!" the trailer exclaimed. The plot is roughly the same as in The Warriors except this time the chased gang has to make it from Kobe to Tokyo and the leader's got the enemy's sister handcuffed to him. Hardly great cinema, but undeniably entertaining with frantic pacing, loads ...
Pink Lady's Motion Picture
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The Japanese pop music duo Pink Lady are circus performers who show kindness toward a captured "monster," a sad, furry being (played by a man in a bulky, over-sized pink acrylic costume) who suffers acts of unusual cruelty by the keeper and ringmaster before the girls escape with the creature in a circus trailer....
Toyama Shōgawa kai satsujin jiken
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