[KineJapan] Nakadai has passed

[Aaron Gerow]

Thanks Markus for announcing the sad news.

I was on the train when Seiko sent me a LINE text saying that Nakadai had died. He was 92, but it was still a shock. Not only was he one of the greatest of Japanese film actors—and one of my all-time favorites—but we had the splendid pleasure of bringing him to Yale in 2016 (which actually became the subject of a Jidaigeki Senmon Channel documentary). I visited his acting school Mumeijuku a couple of times as well as interviewed him for Criterion. I got to know him on screen through Kurosawa’s films, but I maybe I liked him the most in his work for Okamoto, where he could show his supreme comic skill. 

The entire interview is on the Criterion Channel, but here’s a section of our interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVvx9jQ5FcM 

At Yale, he talked about Harakiri and The Age of Assassins, but also did an acting workshop. He asked attendees to do portions of the Mumeijuku audition, and then gave a demonstration himself. The difference between him and others was significant.

Nakadai never played "Nakadai", in part, as expressed by his nickname "Moya", he had a "fuzzy" identity which enabled directors to use him in such varying ways. He was extremely devoted to pursuing the art of acting, refusing to sign a contract with a studio and instead insisting on devoting half of each year to film and half to stage. He started Mumeijuku with his wife, the actor Miyazaki Yasuko, which didn't charge students a penny and ended up training such great actors as Yakusho Koji, Maki Yoko, and Takito Ken'ichi. With my first visit to Mumeijuku, I quickly sensed that Nakadai-san had mistakenly thought I was associated with the Yale School of Drama, I place he revered since it produced one of his favorites, Paul Newman. He had his students perform sections of plays such as Hamlet and The Seagull for me, and I had to comment on them. I think I didn’t do a bad job, but he remained kind to me even after that! 

I learned of his devotion to Miyazaki, who passed away in 1996, through several stories, but it was evident at Mumeijuku, where he gave direction to students directly underneath a large portrait of her. 

I made sure to tell him this, but he is one reason I got into Japanese cinema. He will be sorely missed.

Aaron

Aaron Gerow
Alfred W. Griswold Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures and Film and Media Studies
Yale University

P.S. We have the transcripts for his talks at Yale. Sometime we have to publish those.


> 11/11/25 午後1:18、Markus Nornes via KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu>のメール:
> 
> Nakadai Tatsuya, perhaps my favorite Japanese actor of all time, has passed. Here’s Variety’s initial report: 
> 
> https://variety.com/2025/film/obituaries-people-news/tatsuya-nakadai-dead-japanese-ran-harakiri-1236574628/ - Tatsuya Nakadai, Japanese Film Legend That Starred in ‘Ran,’ ‘Harakiri’ and ‘The Human Condition’ Trilogy, Dies at 92
> 
> I know Aaron was close, so I look forward to this obit/tribute in particular. 
> 
> Markus 
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