Raizô Ichikawa

Raizô Ichikawa was born on August 29, 1931 in Kyoto, Japan as Akio Kamezaki, at the age of 6 months was adopted by his uncle Kazo Takeuchi (kabuki actor Kudanji Ichikawa III) as Yoshio Takeuchi. Started his kabuki career in 1946 as Enzo Ichikawa II. In 1951 he was both re-adopted by Shôzô Ôta (actor Jukai Ichikawa III) as Yoshiya Ôta and changed his stage name to Raizô Ichikawa VIII. He is known in cinema for Conflagration (1958), Ninja, a Band of Assassins (1962) and The Outcast (1962). Raizô Ichikawa died on July 17, 1969 in Tokyo, Japan from hepatic metastases of colon cancer.