Actor Tsuji Died of Kidney Cancer at the age of 77

▲ Actor Tsuji Wanchang

The old drama bone of the Japanese performing arts industry, actor Tsuji Wanchang (つじ・かずなが) died of kidney cancer on the 18th. He died on December 31, 2012 at the age of 7 Born in Saga Prefecture. Funerals and farewell ceremonies are held in the form of family burials. On the 23rd, its affiliated firm announced the news. In July this year, the company announced that Tsuji Wanchang had already suffered from kidney cancer, and said that in order to concentrate on treatment, he would resign from next year's NHK Okawa drama "13 People from Kamakura Temple".

Created and starred by Yuki Mitani, the screenwriter of 13 People from Kamakura Temple, the stage play "Daichi Social Distancing Version" (performed in Osaka in August) at the PARCO Theater in Tokyo from July to August last year became a legacy of Tsuji's drama career. On the 13th of this month, the NHK final battle theme SP "How a Sentence Helpless to Get(しかたなかったと言うてはいかんのです) is his last TV series.

Miki Watanabe, chairman of Watanabe Entertainment, said, "The actor of the company, Wanchang Tsuji (aged 77), died of kidney cancer on August 18, 2021. While reporting this incident to the participating actors of the Komatsu Theater Company, as well as to the audiences who have been caring for us, and the theater, film and television related staff, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you for the deep friendship you have given during his lifetime."

After graduating from high school in 1962, Tsuji joined the actor training center of the troupe "Actors' Seat" as a 14th term student. In 1991, he joined the troupe "KomatsuZa" led by Inoue and became active in the show business as a signature actor. In addition to starring in Works such as Inoue's "Rain", "Sakura Inn PaperYacho (紙屋町さくらホテル)" and "If You Live with Your Father (Father)", he has also shined in countless stage plays, TV series and movies.

Watanabe said of Tsuji's exploits, "Tsuji is an irreplaceable and excellent actor who can serve as a pillar in various famous theatrical works. In particular, he has made great contributions to the works of the representative Japanese playwright Inoue. After in 2010, after inoue's death, he continued to convey Inoue's legacy as an actor to audiences and theater people who did not know the author. In addition, he is also an actor who can express the work on multiple levels through the role and has unique acting skills. And sometimes he can touch on aspects that the author did not intend to express and take the work to new heights." "As an indispensable presence in the creation of works, Tsuji Ishimoto is loved and trusted by many writers and performers. He has starred in many of Yukio's works, and at 2016' funeral, he said, 'I will continue to act and continue to sublimate Yukikawa's works,' and did his best to complete Yukikawa's final work, "The Book of Guilt.""

Tsuji was originally scheduled to play the role of the grandfather of the protagonist Hojo Yoshinori (Oguri Shun) in 13 People of Kamakura Temple, which would have been his 15th Okawa drama. Currently confirmed to replace Tsuji Wanchang is Kazuyuki Asano (67 years old).

The stage "Earth" is a script written by Mitani after determining the character candidate. Watanabe concludes, "Taking over the baton of the times from Inoue and others, Yuki Mitani's role tailored for Tsuji is very much in line with the end of Tsuji's acting life. "The Land" is the first stage after the resumption of performances in the theater industry after the epidemic has been suspended, and on this stage, Tsuji Wanchang's last line that points out the main theme is "no audience is no drama", and it also speaks the voices of many entertainers and audiences. Until the end of his life, he is working hard to show good acting skills, and the style of the famous actor Tsuji Wanchang will be inherited from generation to generation in the performance of his companions who create dramas together and actors in the same acting world. This is something that Tsuji Wanchang inherited from Inoue and Yukio Tsukikawa and is now to be passed on to the next generation."

In recent years, Tsuji has starred in NHK's "Showa Motoroku Rakugo Heart", the series "Summer Sky", the TBS Sunday Theater "NO SIDE GAME", and "Dangerous Venus". He also voiced the character of Mr. Potato in the CG animated films Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4.

In 1976, Tsuji received the Cultural Affairs Agency's Arts Festival Excellence Award ("Goodbye, Offenbach" (ボンソワール・オッフェンバック)) in 2001, the Yomiuri Performing Arts Award for Outstanding Actor ("Makeup Ii Question" without Object), and the 2003 Ichinaya Performing Arts Awards Individual Award ("lonesome west", "Rain"). (Fisherman's Bread/Translation)