Ken Matsudaira
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese actor
from Toyohashi
, Aichi
, Japan
. His real name is Sueshichi Suzuki (鈴木 末七, Suzuki Sueshichi).
and on stage
, he also sings. Matsudaira is most widely known for jidaigeki
roles, having made his debut with Shintaro Katsu
in an episode of the television series Zatoichi
. For a quarter of a century, he starred in the series Abarenbo Shogun
as Tokugawa Yoshimune
, the title character. He also played a similar role in Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful
as Tokugawa Yoshimune.
Other noteworthy roles include Hōjō Yoshitoki
in the 1979 NHK
series Kusa Moeru, Irobe Matashiro in the 1999 NHK series Genroku Ryoran (involving the chushingura, that is, the story of the Forty-seven Ronin
), Shibata Katsuie
in the 2002 NHK series Toshiie to Matsu, Otomo Sorin
in the 2004 NHK special Ōtomo Sōrin—Kokoro no Ōkoku wo Motomete, and Oishi Kuranosuke in the 2004 TV Asahi
series Chushingura. He also played Asano Takumi no Kami
, an important (although brief) role, in an earlier chushingura, making a career of that story. In 2005, he is appearing as Benkei
in Yoshitsune, the yearlong NHK Taiga drama
. TV Asahi tapped Matsudaira to star as Tōyama no Kin-san
in the latest (2007) version of their program of the same name. He appeared in Tokugawa Fūun-roku, the annual jidaigeki spectacular which was shown on TV Tokyo on January 2, 2008.
(マツケンサンバII) was released in 2004 and became popular with his fanbase. The song gained national attention because his appearance in the likeness of a person in Edo period
with glittery kimono
and a hip-swiveling dance became the topic of some television programs, including parodying him on an idol group SMAP
's variety show, SMAP×SMAP
. The new attention of the media made Matsudaira visible to a younger fanbase, and the song became a certified hit, staying on the Oricon
Top 100 chart for over a year. A version called featuring Shu Watanabe
(Eiji Hino/Kamen Rider OOO) and Ryosuke Miura
(Ankh/Shingo Izumi) was released on August 3, 2011, as an ending theme for the movie Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
from Toyohashi
Toyohashi, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on August 1, 1906. As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 383,691 and a density of 1,468.62 persons per km². The total area is . By size, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-largest city until March 31,...
, Aichi
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. His real name is Sueshichi Suzuki (鈴木 末七, Suzuki Sueshichi).
Career
Active both in televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and on stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
, he also sings. Matsudaira is most widely known for jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
roles, having made his debut with Shintaro Katsu
Shintaro Katsu
, born Toshio Okumura was a Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director...
in an episode of the television series Zatoichi
Zatoichi
is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist . This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios and actor...
. For a quarter of a century, he starred in the series Abarenbo Shogun
Abarenbo Shogun
is a Japanese television program on the TV Asahi network. Set in the eighteenth century, it showed fictitious events in the life of Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa shogun. The program started in 1978 under the title Yoshimune Hyōbanki: Abarenbō Shōgun...
as Tokugawa Yoshimune
Tokugawa Yoshimune
was the eighth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.-Lineage:...
, the title character. He also played a similar role in Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful
Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful: The Shogun and the 21 Core Medals
is the film adaptation of the 2010 & 2011 Kamen Rider Series drama Kamen Rider OOO. The film was released on August 6, 2011, alongside the film for Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger the Movie: The Flying Ghost Ship...
as Tokugawa Yoshimune.
Other noteworthy roles include Hōjō Yoshitoki
Hojo Yoshitoki
was the second Hōjō shikken of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was the eldest son of Hōjō Tokimasa and his wife Hōjō no Maki...
in the 1979 NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
series Kusa Moeru, Irobe Matashiro in the 1999 NHK series Genroku Ryoran (involving the chushingura, that is, the story of the Forty-seven Ronin
Forty-seven Ronin
The revenge of the , also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the 18th century...
), Shibata Katsuie
Shibata Katsuie
or was a Japanese military commander during the Sengoku Period who served Oda Nobunaga.-Biography:Katsuie was born in the Shibata family, a branch of the Shiba clan . Note the differences between , , and the .Katsuie was the retainer of Oda Nobukatsu...
in the 2002 NHK series Toshiie to Matsu, Otomo Sorin
Otomo Sorin
, also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige and Ōtomo Yoshishige , was a Japanese feudal lord of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Christianity. The eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, he inherited the domain of Funai, on Kyūshū, Japan's southernmost main island, from his father...
in the 2004 NHK special Ōtomo Sōrin—Kokoro no Ōkoku wo Motomete, and Oishi Kuranosuke in the 2004 TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
series Chushingura. He also played Asano Takumi no Kami
Asano Naganori
was the daimyo of the Akō Domain in Japan . His title was Takumi no Kami . He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as Chushingura, one of the favourite themes of kabuki, joruri and Japanese books and films.He was born in Edo as the eldest son of Asano...
, an important (although brief) role, in an earlier chushingura, making a career of that story. In 2005, he is appearing as Benkei
Saito Musashibo Benkei
, popularly called Benkei, was a Japanese warrior monk who served Minamoto no Yoshitsune. He is commonly depicted as a man of great strength and loyalty, and a popular subject of Japanese folklore.-Biography:...
in Yoshitsune, the yearlong NHK Taiga drama
Taiga drama
is the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shōroku and Takarazuka star Awashima Chikage, the network has hired a producer, director, writer, music...
. TV Asahi tapped Matsudaira to star as Tōyama no Kin-san
Toyama no Kin-san
is a popular character based on the historical Tōyama Kagemoto, a samurai and official of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo Period of Japanese history. In kabuki and kōdan, he was celebrated under his childhood name, Kinshirō, shortened to Kin-san. He was said to have left home as a young man,...
in the latest (2007) version of their program of the same name. He appeared in Tokugawa Fūun-roku, the annual jidaigeki spectacular which was shown on TV Tokyo on January 2, 2008.
Matsuken Samba
Matsudaira is also famous as a singer; his most popular song Matsuken Samba IIMatsuken Samba II
Matsuken Samba II is one of a song series named Matsuken Samba performed by a Japanese taiga drama actor and singer Ken Matsudaira who is popular in Japan.- Overview :The song was made in 1994 and is performed in theaters since then...
(マツケンサンバII) was released in 2004 and became popular with his fanbase. The song gained national attention because his appearance in the likeness of a person in Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
with glittery kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
and a hip-swiveling dance became the topic of some television programs, including parodying him on an idol group SMAP
SMAP
SMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the current group members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori...
's variety show, SMAP×SMAP
SMAP×SMAP
SMAP×SMAP is an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it airs from 22:00 to 22:54 every Monday...
. The new attention of the media made Matsudaira visible to a younger fanbase, and the song became a certified hit, staying on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
Top 100 chart for over a year. A version called featuring Shu Watanabe
Shu Watanabe (actor)
-TV series:*2010 : Flunk Punk Rumble *2010 : Kamen Rider OOO as Eiji Hino / Kamen Rider OOO-Films:*2010 : Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate as Eiji Hino / Kamen Rider OOO...
(Eiji Hino/Kamen Rider OOO) and Ryosuke Miura
Ryosuke Miura
is a Japanese actor.-TV series:* 3 nen B gumi Kinpachi Sensei * Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho * Lion Sensei * Gokusen as Ryosuke Muto...
(Ankh/Shingo Izumi) was released on August 3, 2011, as an ending theme for the movie Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful.
films
- Baruto no GakuenBaruto no Gakuenis a Japanese film released in 2006 and based on the true story of the Bandō Prisoner of War camp in World War I. It depicts the friendship of the German POWs with the director of the camp and local residents at the stage of Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture in Japan....
(2006) - Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful: The Shogun and the 21 Core MedalsKamen Rider OOO Wonderful: The Shogun and the 21 Core Medalsis the film adaptation of the 2010 & 2011 Kamen Rider Series drama Kamen Rider OOO. The film was released on August 6, 2011, alongside the film for Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger the Movie: The Flying Ghost Ship...
(2011)