OVERLAY REPORT

The lead actor you are likely thinking of is **Tsutomu Yamazaki** (山崎 努), who played the husband, Wabisuke Inoue, in *The Funeral* (1984). Yamazaki is one of Japan's most respected and versatile actors, known for a career spanning over six decades. He won the **Japan Academy Prize for Best Actor** for his role in this film. Because he worked frequently with director **Juzo Itami** and legendary filmmaker **Akira Kurosawa**, you have almost certainly seen him in other classics. Below are his most notable films, categorized by his major collaborations: ### 1. Collaborations with Juzo Itami If you enjoyed *The Funeral*, you likely saw him in these other satirical comedies by the same director: * **Tampopo (1985):** Yamazaki plays the lead role of **Goro**, a cowboy-hat-wearing truck driver who helps a widow perfect her ramen recipe. This "noodle western" is his most famous international role. * **A Taxing Woman (1987):** He plays **Hideki Gondo**, a ruthless and cunning tax evader who becomes the primary target of a female tax auditor (played by Nobuko Miyamoto). * **A Taxing Woman Returns (1988):** He reprises a similar role, continuing his run as a charismatic but morally flexible antagonist. ### 2. Films with Akira Kurosawa Yamazaki appeared in several of Kurosawa's most famous works, often playing intense or brooding characters: * **High and Low (1963):** In this legendary crime thriller, he plays **Goro Takeuchi**, the cold and calculating kidnapper who torments a wealthy executive. His performance is often cited as one of the best villainous roles in Japanese cinema. * **Red Beard (1965):** He has a supporting role as **Sahachi**, a tragic patient at the clinic whose backstory provides one of the film’s emotional highlights. * **Kagemusha (1980):** He plays **Takeda Nobukado**, the brother of the warlord Shingen Takeda. He is the one who discovers the "double" (the kagemusha) and oversees his training. ### 3. Modern Successes and Awards You may also recognize him from more recent internationally acclaimed films: * **Departures (2008):** He plays **Ikuei Sasaki**, the gruff but soulful owner of the funeral home who mentors the protagonist in the art of "encoffining." This film won the **Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film**, and Yamazaki won another Japan Academy Prize for his performance. * **Go (2001):** He plays **Hideyoshi**, the boxing-obsessed, fiercely strict father of the main character (a Zainichi Korean youth). This role earned him the Japan Academy Prize for Best Supporting Actor. * **Space Battleship Yamato (2010):** He took on the iconic role of **Captain Juzo Okita** in this live-action adaptation of the famous anime. * **Blade of the Immortal (2017):** He played **Kensui Ibane** in Takashi Miike’s live-action adaptation of the popular manga. ### 4. Other Notable Works * **Demon Pond (1979):** A supernatural cult classic directed by Masahiro Shinoda. * **The Guys from Paradise (2001):** Directed by Takashi Miike, where he plays a powerful inmate in a Philippine prison. * **A Long Goodbye (2019):** He portrays a retired principal struggling with Alzheimer’s, showcasing his range in his later career. **Note on the Other "Lead":** If the person you remember is the woman (the wife/daughter in *The Funeral*), that is **Nobuko Miyamoto**. She starred in almost all of Juzo Itami's films, including *Tampopo* (the ramen shop owner), *A Taxing Woman* (the auditor), and *Minbo* (the lawyer).