Early life: He was born in Kyoto, son of jidaigeki film star Ichikawa Utaemon, and graduated from Waseda University School of Letters, Arts and Sciences Ⅱ in Tokyo. Acting career: Kin'ya made his debut with his father in the 1956 Toei film Oyakodaka in the role of Katsu Kaishū. He is a contemporary of, and was taken to be a rival of, Hiroki Matsukata, who was also the son of a famous actor (Jūshirō Konoe). In 1964, Kin'ya made his first appearance on stage in Cyrano de Bergerac. The 1960s and 1970s saw him in many contemporary roles. He appeared in Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima and Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode as well as Karei naru Ichizoku. The title role in the 1975 film Takehisa Yumeji was his. On television, Kitaōji portrayed Miyamoto Musashi in the Nippon Television show of the same name. A major historical role was Sakamoto Ryōma in the year-long prime-time NHK Taiga drama Ryōma ga Yuku (1968). He landed the title role in the long-running cop show Zenigata Heiji, set in the Edo period. In the 1985 twelve-hour New Year special Fūun Yagyū Bugeichō, he played Yagyū Jūbei, and in the following year's special, he portrayed both Tokugawa Yoshimune and Yagyū Shinrokurō. The role of another shogun fell to him in the following new year as TV Tokyo tapped him to play Tokugawa Iemitsu. Kin'ya returned to NHK for the 1987 Taiga drama Dokuganryū Masamune as Date Terumune, father of title character Date Masamune. Another role he took had been created by his father. Saotome Mondonosuke was the title character in the series Gozonji! Hatamoto Taikutsu Otoko. It ran from 1988 to 1994 on TV Asahi. His father, Ichikawa Utaemon, had appeared in numerous films as Mondonosuke. Kin'ya reprised the part of Miyamoto Musashi in the 1990 New Year's special. Toshirō Mifune had portrayed Musashi in the earlier film, also based on the Eiji Yoshikawa story, that had won an Academy Award. He returned to the New Year's special in 1996, again as the famous swordsman, in Tokugawa Kengōden Sore kara no Musashi. His first portrayal of Ōishi Kuranosuke was in the 1996 Chūshingura. He took up the role again in 2004 for the NHK Saigo no Chūshingura and in 2007, in the New Year special Chūshingura Yōzei-in no Inbō. Other historical roles from the Sengoku period include Azai Nagamasa, Saitō Dōsan, and Yamamoto Kansuke. In addition to historical parts, he appeared in fictional series. His portrayal of Ogami Ittō in the Lone Wolf and Cub ( Kozure 2) Which was a series for Asahi TV in Japan is representative of these appearances. In 2008, Kitaōji revisited the role of Katsu Kaishū in the Taiga drama Atsuhime. He had portrayed Katsu in his 1956 debut. He won the award for best actor at the 10th Hochi Film Award for Fire Festival and Haru no kane. Kitaōji played one of the lead roles in Hideo Nakata's psychological thriller film The Incite Mill. In recent times, Kitaōji voices the Hokkaido-inu character of "Father" in SoftBank Mobile's White Family advertising campaign.
Series | 白虎隊~敗れざる者たち | 2025 | |
Series | Alice in Wonderful Kitchen | Gojo Michitaka | 2024-01-21 |
Series | Believe -君にかける橋- | Bando Goro | 2024-04-25 |
Series | Kazama Kimichika: Kyojo Zero | Unknown | 2023-04-10 |
Movie | THE LEGEND & BUTTERFLY | Saitō Dōsan | 2023-01-27 |
Movie | さすらい署長風間昭平スペシャル 塩屋岬いわき殺人事件 | 2022-01-24 | |
Series | In His Chart | Itagaki Genzo [Director] | 2021-02-15 |
Movie | The Confidence Man JP – Episode of the Princess – | Raymond Fuu | 2020-07-23 |
Series | Alive: Dr. Kokoro, The Medical Oncologist | Kyotaro Onda | 2020-01-09 |
Movie | Castle of Sand | 2019-03-28 | |
Movie | Whistleblower | Ikuo Yakuyama | 2019-02-01 |
Series | Kioku Sousa ~Shinjuku Higashi-sho Jiken Fairu~ | 2019-01-18 | |
Movie | がん消滅の罠~完全寛解の謎~ | 西條征士郎(さいじょう せいしろう) | 2018-04-02 |
Series | Virtual Detective Tabito Higurashi | Wataru Enoki | 2017-01-22 |
Movie | Sayonara Debussy - Pianist Tantei Misaki Yosuke | 香月玄太郎 | 2016-03-18 |
Series | Fragile | Kaoru Nakaguma | 2016-01-13 |
Movie | Case 17 | Shuichi Itami | 2016-06-04 |
Movie | One Piece Film: GOLD | Raise Max (voice) | 2016-07-23 |
Movie | Monster Strike The Movie: To The Place of Beginnings | Kentaro Ishibashi (voice) | 2016-12-10 |
Series | Keiji 7-nin | Shuntaro Domoto | 2015-07-15 |
Series | I'm Home | Yozo Ieji | 2015-04-16 |
Movie | Seicho Matsumoto's Black Gospel | 2014-01-19 | |
Series | Sanbiki no Ossan | 清田清一 | 2014-01-17 |
Movie | Sakura Housara | 2014-01-01 | |
Movie | Legal High SP | Teshigawara Isao | 2013-04-13 |
Series | Hanzawa Naoki | Ken Nakanowatari | 2013-07-07 |
Movie | 淋しい狩人 | 2013-09-20 | |
Series | Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon | Yoshito Tendo(天堂 義人) | 2012-10-18 |
Movie | Asura | Monk | 2012-09-29 |
Series | Breathless Summer | Shusaku Natsume | 2012-07-10 |
Series | Blackboard | Shioda Akinori | 2012-04-05 |
Series | Man of Destiny | Keisaku Sahashi | 2012-01-15 |
Movie | I Don't Want to Kidnap Anyone Anymore | Hanazono Shugoro | 2012-01-03 |
Movie | The Last Revenge | Tesshu Yamaoka | 2011-02-26 |
Series | Princess Go | 2011-01-09 | |
Movie | Eternal First Love | Yuichi Makibara | 2010-09-11 |
Series | Absolute Zero | Hideo Nagashima | 2010-04-13 |
Movie | Chushingura〜Sono Otoko, Oishi Kuranosuke | 2010-12-25 | |
Movie | Sakurada Gate Incident | 2010-10-16 | |
Movie | The Incite Mill | Yoshi Ando | 2010-10-16 |
Movie | Genjuro's Deadly Sword: The Return of Shinigami | 2009-07-19 | |
Series | Triangle | Kuroki Shinzo | 2009-01-06 |
Series | 刑事シュート しゅうと&ムコの事件日誌 | 2008-10-20 | |
Movie | Sushi King Goes to New York | Gengoro | 2008-04-19 |
Series | Phantom Assassin | Koyama Genjuro | 2008-01-18 |
Series | Atsuhime | 2008-01-06 | |
Series | Kuwayama Jubei travels to eight provinces | Kuwayama Jubei | 2007-05-01 |
Series | The Family | Daisuke Manpyo | 2007-01-14 |
Series | Magistrate Ooka Echizen | 2005-04-18 | |
Series | The Story of Dominating Countries | 2005-01-02 | |
Series | 忠臣蔵 | 2004-10-18 | |
Movie | Roving Police Chief Kazama Shohei 2 - Lake Tazawa Murder Case | Shohei Kazama | 2004-02-01 |
Series | さすらい署長 風間昭平 | 2003-03-02 | |
Series | 生存 愛する娘のために | 2002-02-11 | |
Series | Lone Wolf and Cub | Ogami Ittô | 2002-10-14 |
Series | Hojo Tokimune | Sha Kokumei | 2001-01-07 |
Series | Secret magistrate Asahina | Asahina Kawachinokami Masakiyo | 1998-06-17 |
Movie | The Peking Man | Kin'ya Kitaôji | 1997-12-20 |
Series | SMAP×SMAP | Skit Guest | 1996-04-15 |
Series | Further Tales of Musashi | Miyamoto Musashi | 1996-01-02 |
Movie | Assassin's Target: Iemitsu | 1995-07-11 | |
Movie | Date Masamune: The One-Eyed Dragon | 1993-01-03 | |
Movie | Bored Hatamoto: Letter of Death | 1993-03-27 | |
Movie | Yakuza Ladies Revisited 2 | 1993-01-30 | |
Movie | Bored Hatamoto: The Kaga Conspiracy | 1993-07-12 | |
Series | The Diary of Chuji's Travels | Chuji | 1992-02-24 |
Movie | Tokugawa Ieyasu: The Conqueror of Japan | 1992-01-03 | |
Movie | Dohten | 1991-01-26 | |
Series | Miyamoto Musashi | Miyamoto Musashi | 1990-01-02 |
Movie | Sensei | Chairman of the town | 1989-04-08 |
Series | Sanada Yukimura | 1989-01-01 | |
Series | Masamune Shogun | 伊達輝宗 | 1987-01-04 |
Series | Crisis at Edo Castle - Angry Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu | 1987-01-02 | |
Series | Tokugawa Chronicles: Ambition of the 3 Branches | Genroku Kano (Tokugawa Yoshimune) | 1986-01-02 |
Movie | Spring Bell | Rokuheita Narumi | 1985-11-09 |
Movie | The Second Is a Christian | Eiji | 1985-09-14 |
Movie | Yume-Chiyo | 1985-06-08 | |
Movie | Fire Festival | Tatsuo | 1985-05-25 |
Movie | Kukai | Kukai | 1984-04-13 |
Movie | Zero | Jiro Horikoshi | 1984-08-11 |
Movie | The Story of a Man Among Men | 1984-11-17 | |
Movie | Shadow Conspirator | 1982-11-26 | |
Movie | Future War 198X | Wataru Mikumo (voice) | 1982-10-30 |
Movie | Lake of Illusions | Nobunaga Oda | 1982-09-11 |
Movie | The Highest Honour | Major Tachibana | 1982-05-15 |
Movie | Abandoned | 1981-06-06 | |
Movie | Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga | 1980-04-05 | |
Movie | Dog Whistle | 1978-03-31 | |
Movie | Winter's Flower | Michio Sakata | 1978-06-17 |
Movie | Monument to Holy Service | 1978-09-23 | |
Movie | Dynamite Don-Don | Ginji Tachibana | 1978-10-07 |
Movie | Glowing Autumn | 1978-12-23 | |
Movie | Mount Hakkoda | Captain Kanda | 1977-06-04 |
Movie | The Alaska Story | Frank Yasuda | 1977-01-22 |
Movie | The Corporation | 1976-08-14 | |
Movie | Love and Separation in Sri Lanka | 1976-05-29 | |
Movie | Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack | 1975-01-15 | |
Movie | Shimane Prison Riot | Yuji Kawamura | 1975-06-07 |
Movie | Gambling Den Heist | Takeshi Kiyomoto | 1975-06-21 |
Movie | Takehisa Yumeji monogatari: koi suru | Yumeji Takehisa | 1975-11-01 |
Movie | Father of the Kamikaze | 1974-09-14 | |
Movie | Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode | Tamotsu Matsumura | 1974-06-29 |
Movie | Akumyo: Notorious Dragon | 1974-04-24 | |
Movie | The Blossom and the Sword | Captain Sakagami | 1973-11-17 |
Movie | Rise, Fair Sun | 1973-10-27 | |
Movie | Men and War III: The Final Chapter | Shunsuke Godai | 1973-08-11 |
Movie | Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima | Shoji Yamanaka | 1973-04-28 |
Movie | A Woman Called En | 1971-05-29 | |
Movie | Will to Conquer | 1970-10-17 | |
Series | Mominoki wa Nokotta | Sakai Tadakiyo | 1970-01-04 |
Movie | Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor | Soji Okita | 1969-12-05 |
Movie | Admiral Borneo: Betting at the Equator | Takeo | 1969-06-28 |
Movie | One Day at Summer's End | Shigeo Ugari | 1968-11-30 |
Movie | The Day the Sun Rose | 1968-11-23 | |
Series | Ryoma ga Yuku | Sakamoto Ryoma | 1968-01-07 |
Movie | River of Forever | 1967-02-19 | |
Movie | Love on the Rainbow | Tatsuya Kitakami | 1965-03-31 |
Movie | Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu | 1965-01-03 | |
Movie | Wolves, Pigs & Men | Sabu, the third brother | 1964-08-26 |
Movie | The Navy | Shinji | 1963-08-13 |
Movie | 53 Stages of Action | 1963-01-23 | |
Movie | Tokaido Fullhouse | Okeya-no-oni | 1963-01-03 |
Movie | Knightly Advice | 1962-01-31 | |
Movie | Genkuro Yoshitsune | 1962-05-16 | |
Movie | Yoka chigo zakura Make no wakamusha | 1962-07-08 | |
Movie | Keepers of Order | 1962-08-22 | |
Movie | A Revengeful Raid | 1962-09-22 | |
Movie | Young Lord and Second Son | 1961-11-01 | |
Movie | Whistling Drifter | Tsukinowa Gentaro | 1961-09-23 |
Movie | Law in Ghost Island | Yusaku | 1961-08-13 |
Movie | The Orphan Brother | 1961-07-19 | |
Movie | Lord Mito: Struggle of Suke and Kaku | 1961-07-18 | |
Movie | Fine Man | 1961-06-11 | |
Movie | Bored Hatamoto: Island of No Return | 1960-01-09 | |
Movie | Bloody Battle at Dawn | 1959-10-10 | |
Movie | Bored Hatamoto: The Daimonji Conspiracy | 1959-06-28 | |
Movie | The Acrobats of Death | 1959-01-09 | |
Movie | Bored Hatamoto: Idle Vassal Tribute | 1958-08-12 | |
Movie | Kingdom of Youth | Yamanaka Shikanoske | 1958-05-20 |
Movie | The Mansion of Intrigue | Kirishima Kyoya | 1957-12-28 |
Movie | Shadow Over Fuji | 1957-10-29 | |
Movie | Avenging Father | Minamoto no Yoriie | 1956-10-17 |
Movie | Virtue in Spades | 1956-05-03 |