Joji Oka

Joji Oka

Born: May 23, 1902
Died: December 17, 1970
in Tokyo, Japan
Joji Oka, born in Tokyo, Japan, on May 25, 1902, was a renowned Japanese actor celebrated for his versatile roles in the film industry. His given name was Katsuzo Nakamizo, and he also used alternate names, including Susumu Minobe.

Oka embarked on his cinematic journey in the late 1920s, making his debut with the film "Ryuko no Maki Tora no Maki" in 1928. He rose to prominence as a leading actor in movies like "Akai Hi Aoi Hi" (Red Lights, Blue Lights) in 1929. His influence extended across silent and sound films, where he showcased his remarkable voice and talent.

In the early 1930s, Oka encountered personal and professional challenges, including a romantic involvement with actress Ran Koizumi and a subsequent disappearance incident. Later, he joined Toho Studios, further solidifying his position as a leading actor. Notable works, such as "Shiroi Kinjo" (White Robes) in 1936, featured his exceptional talents.

During World War II, Oka served in the Imperial Japanese Army while simultaneously pursuing his acting career. Following the war, he resumed his involvement in filmmaking and garnered recognition for his roles in movies like "Kanchi eizu Seiretsu" (The Ambitious Gang) in 1954.

Oka's career spanned from the late 1920s to the late 1960s, showcasing his versatility and skill in various genres, encompassing modern drama, period pieces, and action films. He passed away on December 17, 1970, at the age of 68, leaving behind a legacy of memorable performances within the realm of Japanese cinema.

Movies for Joji Oka...

Secret Love
Title: Secret Love
Released: December 3, 1966
Type: Movie
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Hanjiro of Kusama: Bird of Passage
Title: Hanjiro of Kusama: Bird of Passage
Released: May 29, 1960
Type: Movie
A kindhearted wandering gambler named Hajiro gets involved in a crisis of a village as he passes through and decides to lend a sword in hopes to rescue them.
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Lord of Red Banner
Title: Lord of Red Banner
Released: February 14, 1960
Type: Movie
A young lord lives against the will of his father Lord Tokugawa.
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Moonlight Mask: The Last Death of the Devil
Title: Moonlight Mask: The Last Death of the Devil
Released: August 4, 1959
Type: Movie
The sixth and last Moonlight Mask film in the original series produced by Toei in the 1950s.
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Moonlight Mask: The Challenging Ghost
Title: Moonlight Mask: The Challenging Ghost
Released: July 28, 1959
Type: Movie
Fifth Moonlight Mask theatrical film.
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Planet Prince - The Terrifying Spaceship
Title: Planet Prince - The Terrifying Spaceship
Character: Ambassador Maboroshi
Released: May 25, 1959
Type: Movie
Sequel to 1959's Planet Prince
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Prince of Space
Title: Prince of Space
Character: Ambassador Maboroshi / Maboroshi taishi
Released: May 19, 1959
Type: Movie
Attracted by the report of the development of a new type of rocket fuel, the vicious dictator of Krangkor, the dark planet, descends on Earth to steal the formula from its creator, the benevolent Dr. Makin.
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Planet Prince
Title: Planet Prince
Character: Ambassador Maboroshi / Maboroshi taishi
Released: May 19, 1959
Type: Movie
A mysterious hero must intervene when a nefarious presence from outer space arrives to steal a powerful new rocket fuel.
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The Pacific War and the International Military Tribunal
Title: The Pacific War and the International Military Tribunal
Character: War Minister Anami
Released: January 3, 1959
Type: Movie
In 1941, overpopulated Japan faces an economic boycott and its armed forces push further to the south. And despite negotiations between Japan and the U. S. A. war is declared with the attack on Pearl Harbour. Victories follow for Japan on land and sea and her forces push forward to the borders of India. But gradually the tide turns in favour of the Allies and after the atom bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan is compelled to accept the Potsdam Declaration and by the order of the Emperor agrees to unconditional surrender. Under the supervision of the occupation forces the International Military Tribunal opens in Tokyo to try the Japanese war leaders. Established in the cause of justice, and to prevent future aggressive wars the trials drag on for two and a half years. And on December 23, 1948, General Tojo and six other war leaders mount the thirteen steps to the gallows at Tokyo's Sugamo prison.
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Lion Crest Part 2
Title: Lion Crest Part 2
Released: December 15, 1958
Type: Movie
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Lion Crest
Title: Lion Crest
Released: December 2, 1958
Type: Movie
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The Spider-Man
Title: The Spider-Man
Released: June 29, 1958
Type: Movie
Adaptation of Edogawa Ranpo's novel.
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Tales of Young Genji Kuro 2
Title: Tales of Young Genji Kuro 2
Released: March 11, 1958
Type: Movie
Thanks to a secret message hidden on the two sacred swords Kaen and Suien, the samurai Genji Kurô (Nakamura Kinnosuke) found the hidden treasure of Lord Yoshitsune. When he gives a piece of the treasure to a couple of poor but honest people so they can pay their debts, it attracts the unwanted attention of several dishonest people, such as pirates, greedy merchants and rebels. While the government is fighting a battle for power against rebels and royalists, all want the treasure by any means possible.
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Glorious Standard Bearer
Title: Glorious Standard Bearer
Released: December 28, 1957
Type: Movie
Hashizo Okawa in the form of a courageous firefighter who confronts unscrupulous traders who make a profit even at the cost of human lives. A fireman exposes the corrupt activities of merchants.
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The Mansion of Intrigue
Title: The Mansion of Intrigue
Released: December 28, 1957
Type: Movie
A swordsman must foil a minister's sinister plan to assassinate the shogun.
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Falcon Magistrate
Title: Falcon Magistrate
Released: November 17, 1957
Type: Movie
Toyama Kinshiro, a commissioner from northern Edo, goes undercover to unravel the mystery behind a series of murders. Kinshiro, played by Kataoka Chiezo, is most famous for the cherry blossom tattoos on his shoulder which he reveals at the moment of judgement.
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Sasaki Kojiro, Part 2
Title: Sasaki Kojiro, Part 2
Released: November 5, 1957
Type: Movie
The conclusion of the story of famed swordsman, Sasaki Kojiro. After surviving a series of daring adventures, Kojiro seems to have finally discovered the ultimate happiness in life when he is reunited with Tone, the love of his life. However, his days of happiness are overshadowed by an upcoming duel with his fateful enemy Miyamoto Musashi.
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Sasaki Kojiro
Title: Sasaki Kojiro
Released: October 22, 1957
Type: Movie
Ronin Sasaki Kojiro pursues his ultimate goal of becoming a master swordsman. Along the way he encounters another great swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi.
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Mother Peacock
Title: Mother Peacock
Released: December 5, 1956
Type: Movie
Japanese drama film.
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Appeal on the Cross
Title: Appeal on the Cross
Released: June 27, 1956
Type: Movie
Kusuo Abe stars in this kaidan.
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Case of a Young Lord 3
Title: Case of a Young Lord 3
Released: June 21, 1956
Type: Movie
Okawa Hashizo as 'Young Lord', the unlikely sleuth sets out to untangle the riddle of what went on at the Inner Palace, where a young woman who had served the Shogun came home in fear for her life. Will the Young Lord uncover the truth of what went on at the Palace, and does it relate to a series of murders that have been occurring just before the festival?
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ふり袖小天狗
Title: ふり袖小天狗
Released: November 22, 1955
Type: Movie
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The Vassal's Neck
Title: The Vassal's Neck
Released: July 26, 1955
Type: Movie
Japanese film.
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The Young Lord
Title: The Young Lord
Released: April 19, 1955
Type: Movie
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Ghost Man
Title: Ghost Man
Character: Inspector Todoroki
Released: October 13, 1954
Type: Movie
A ghost man with his face hidden entirely by bandages is killing beautiful nude models. Detective Kindaichi investigates.
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Dorodarake no seishun
Title: Dorodarake no seishun
Released: September 21, 1954
Type: Movie
Shigeki Kachi, Tosuke Satomura, and Nanako, who belong to the theater company Vuanbert around Dosa, withdrew at the indignation of the chairman Hayashi and seeked their own careers in the film industry.
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Kaiketsu kuro zukin
Title: Kaiketsu kuro zukin
Released: November 29, 1953
Type: Movie
First film of the The Black Hooded Man series.
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Lady Chatterley of Japan
Title: Lady Chatterley of Japan
Character: Nodori Takashima
Released: April 5, 1953
Type: Movie
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Dedication of the Great Buddha
Title: Dedication of the Great Buddha
Released: March 20, 1952
Type: Movie
Dedication of the Great Buddha is a 1952 Japanese film directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. It was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.
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Claws of Iron
Title: Claws of Iron
Character: Kyôsuke Tashiro
Released: February 24, 1951
Type: Movie
During the war a man is bitten by a creature which looks like a cross between a bear and an ape in the jungle. Later he starts to transform to a monster like creature who kills with his claw like fingers.
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Hyōchū no Bijo
Title: Hyōchū no Bijo
Released: March 12, 1950
Type: Movie
Based on the novel The Vampire (Kyūketsuki) by Edogawa Ranpo.
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As Long as I Live
Title: As Long as I Live
Released: August 1, 1946
Type: Movie
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音楽大進軍
Title: 音楽大進軍
Character: Ryusaku Okakura
Released: March 18, 1943
Type: Movie
A 1943 film.
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Wings of Victory
Title: Wings of Victory
Released: October 15, 1942
Type: Movie
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Musashibo Benkei
Title: Musashibo Benkei
Released: January 7, 1942
Type: Movie
A 1942 Jidaigeki by the veteran jidaigeki filmmaker Kunio Watanabe about the legendary warrior Musashibo Benkei with Hideko Takamine portraying Minamoto no Yoshitsune (who is, of course, a man). The film climaxes in the famous encounter/fight btw Benkei and Yoshitsune at the Gojo Bridge.
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Mother's Melody
Title: Mother's Melody
Released: March 3, 1937
Type: Movie
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The Crown of Life
Title: The Crown of Life
Released: June 4, 1936
Type: Movie
Two brothers run a factory canning crabs. The elder brother Kotaro is righteous and insists on honesty. The younger brother is fixated on money. They are polar opposites. When a boat sails out looking for crab and does not return one day the brothers begin to argue over how to run their facility. They had just received a large order from a foreign country and had obtained a loan from a lender that needed to be repaid.
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Great Bodhisattva Pass 2
Title: Great Bodhisattva Pass 2
Character: Toranosuke Shimada
Released: April 14, 1936
Type: Movie
The sequel to the 1935 film Great Bodhisattva Pass
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Great Bodhisattva Pass
Title: Great Bodhisattva Pass
Released: November 15, 1935
Type: Movie
1930s Japanese film.
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Sôbô
Title: Sôbô
Released: December 7, 1933
Type: Movie
Directed by Mikio Naruse. It is presumed to be lost.
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Dragnet Girl
Title: Dragnet Girl
Character: Jyoji
Released: April 27, 1933
Type: Movie
A gangster tries to find redemption with the inadvertent help of an innocent shop girl and his jealous girlfriend will do anything to keep him.
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No Blood Relation
Title: No Blood Relation
Character: Masaya Kusakabe
Released: December 16, 1932
Type: Movie
An actress returns to Tokyo after a successful stint in Hollywood to reclaim—with the help of her gangster brother—the daughter she abandoned years before.
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Chûshingura - Zempen: Akahokyô no maki
Title: Chûshingura - Zempen: Akahokyô no maki
Released: December 1, 1932
Type: Movie
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Until the Day We Meet Again
Title: Until the Day We Meet Again
Character: Man
Released: November 24, 1932
Type: Movie
A young man falls in love with a prostitute and is disowned by his family. He is then drafted, and heads off to war. Script exists - considered to be a lost film.
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Shin Yotsuya Ghost Story
Title: Shin Yotsuya Ghost Story
Released: July 29, 1932
Type: Movie
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First Steps Ashore
Title: First Steps Ashore
Character: Sakata
Released: April 14, 1932
Type: Movie
Early Japanese sound film, a remake of Josef von Sternberg’s DOCKS OF NEW YORK set in Yokohama.
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The Loyal 47 Ronin
Title: The Loyal 47 Ronin
Character: Yanagisawa
Released: March 1, 1932
Type: Movie
This 1932 adaptation is the earliest sound version of the ever-popular and much-filmed Chushingura story of the loyal 47 retainers who avenged their feudal lord after he was obliged to commit hara-kiri due to the machinations of a villainous courtier. As the first sound version of the classic narrative, the film was something of an event, and employed a stellar cast, who give a roster of memorable performances. Director Teinosuke Kinugasa was primarily a specialist in jidai-geki (period films), such as the internationally celebrated Gate of Hell (Jigokumon, 1953), and although he is now most famous as the maker of the avant-garde silent films A Page of Madness (Kurutta ichipeji, 1926) and Crossroads (Jujiro, 1928), Chushingura is in fact more typical of his output than those experimental works. The film ranked third in that year’s Kinema Junpo critics’ poll, and Joseph Anderson and Donald Richie noted that 'not only the sound but the quick cutting was admired by many critics.
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Seven Seas: Chastity Chapter
Title: Seven Seas: Chastity Chapter
Character: Takehiko
Released: February 11, 1932
Type: Movie
Part two of Shimizu's major silent Seven Seas, a family drama of the intertwining fates of the rich, decadent Yagibashis and the far less prosperous Sone family.
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Seven Seas: Virginity Chapter
Title: Seven Seas: Virginity Chapter
Character: Takehiko Yagibashi
Released: December 23, 1931
Type: Movie
The film is a lengthy work interweaving characters from different backgrounds and social strata in a narrative centered around the experiences of its heroine, Yumie Sone. Over two hours long, Seven Seas was released theatrically in two parts, with the first part entitled "Virginity Chapter" coming out in December 1931, while the second part, "Chastity Chapter," followed in March 1932. Near the beginning of the narrative, at a garden party given by the wealthy Yagibashi family in Tokyo, Yumie meets Takehiko, the Yagibashis' playboy son and the brother of Yumie's fiancé, Yuzuru. Yumie, a young middle-class woman, lives with her ailing father, a retired ministry official, an older sister, and a younger sister still a child (played by a very young Hideko Takamine). Takehiko, who has just returned from a trip to Europe, is attracted to Yumie and contrives to have her stay overnight at his family's mansion where he takes advantage of her.
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The 26 Martyrs of Japan
Title: The 26 Martyrs of Japan
Released: October 1, 1931
Type: Movie
Jesuit priests in Japan during the 17th century are persecuted by the shogunate to for trying to spread Christianity.
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The Morning Sun Shines
Title: The Morning Sun Shines
Character: (as Susumu Minobe): Hiroo Karasaki, Head of Delegation
Released: April 12, 1929
Type: Movie
The Morning Sun Shines is a fiction-documentary film by Kenji Mizoguchi and Seiichi Ina. The film is a combination of a drama about a reporter, and documentary footage about newspaper production. Only 25 minutes of footage has survived.