Koji Yakusho Video | Celebrity Interview and Paparazzi

Kōji Yakusho (役所 広司, Yakusho Kōji, born January 1, 1956) is a Japanese actor. He was born Kōji Hashimoto (橋本 広司, Hashimoto Kōji) in Isahaya, Nagasaki, the youngest of five brothers. After graduation from the Nagasaki Prefectural High School of Technology in 1974, he took employment at the Chiyoda municipal ward office or yakusho in Tokyo, from which he took his stage name. In 1976, he saw a production of Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths and was inspired, first to watch, and then later to take part in, as many plays as possible. In the spring of 1978 he auditioned for the... MORE

Kōji Yakusho (役所 広司, Yakusho Kōji, born January 1, 1956) is a Japanese actor. He was born Kōji Hashimoto (橋本 広司, Hashimoto Kōji) in Isahaya, Nagasaki, the youngest of five brothers. After graduation from the Nagasaki Prefectural High School of Technology in 1974, he took employment at the Chiyoda municipal ward office or yakusho in Tokyo, from which he took his stage name. In 1976, he saw a production of Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths and was inspired, first to watch, and then later to take part in, as many plays as possible. In the spring of 1978 he auditioned for the Mumeijyuku acting studio, and was one of four chosen out of 800 applicants. While at the school he met actress Saeko Kawatsu, whom he married in 1982. A son was born in 1985. In 1983, he landed the role of Oda Nobunaga in the year-long NHK drama Tokugawa Ieyasu and was catapulted to fame. He also appeared in a TV version of Miyamoto Musashi from 1984-85. For several years, he played Kuji Shinnosuke (or "Sengoku"), one of the title characters in the jidaigeki Sambiki ga Kiru!. In 1988, he was given a special award for work in cinema by the Japanese Minister of Education, Science, Sports and Culture. In the years 1996 LESS