Akira Takarada? Where do I even begin? A legendary titan of Japanese cinema and popular culture at large passed away a year ago today, as of this being published. Most notably remembered for his prominent leading-man status in Godzilla (1954), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1964), and King Kong Escapes (1967).
The esteemed Mr. Takarada began his career as part of Toho’s “New Face Program”. Fresh-faced young and promising actors could audition for Toho, at the time Japan’s biggest film studio, in hopes of joining this program, ultimately landing them on theater screens. Mr. Takarada was lucky enough to become part of this program and he soared right away. Akira’s greatest asset as a young, budding actor was his charming charisma handsomely good looks. Every character he portrayed in his 1950s-1970s era films were the idealistic yet kind epitome of a man’s man. The ladies liked him, and men wanted to be him.
Despite being well-known for his tokusatsu fare, Akira Takarada was extremely memorable in other non-kaiju genre work as well. For instance, Jun Fukuda’s James Bond parody, Iron Finger (1964). In this snazzy spy comedy, Takarada-San plays a man caught up in the entanglement of a lifetime. He is mistaken for a recently killed secret agent look-alike and must complete his mission! This film specifically exemplifies Akira’s charisma as a comedic actor and is highly recommended to viewers only familiar with his more fantastical fare. The film also stars Mie Hama, whom you might recognize from her co-starring in the real James Bond flick – You Only Live Twice.
Akira Takarada’s work isn’t just limited to the big screen, however. Jumping from the screen to the stage, he delivered theatrical performances of a lifetime in prestigious and classic regional theater productions such as My Fair Lady, and South Pacific.
On the international side of things, he was, somewhat ironically, the official Japanese dubbing voice of the villainous Jafar in Disney’s Aladdin, and much of it’s related media, which included reprising the role in Kingdom Hearts and its sequel. This wasn’t just a one-and-done role with Disney, though. Fittingly, he also provided Japanese dubbing for the mischievous and also cartoonishly despicable Ratigan in Japan’s version of The Great Mouse Detective.
It’s true that Takarada-San was an accomplished actor in almost every imaginable field possible, but the greatest thing about this screen legend was his unwavering character off-screen. Numerous individuals have spoken about the dedication and love that Mr. Takarada had expressed to his fans at each convention appearance. After G-FEST 2010, his first big American showing, he would return in 2012, 2016, and one more time again in 2019. That’s just G-FEST! He was also seen at events such as Anime Boston and Pensacon, cementing himself as the Godzilla Convention Special Guest, and a beloved regular to fans and admirers like myself.
Part of his dedication to the love of his fans comes from the charismatic movie star side of Akira, as he loved to put on a show and gave no less than one hundred percent of himself every time a fan said hello. No matter how long the line, or where the guest was from, Akira would remain there until he had met each single person in his line, often sparking up heartfelt conversations and deeply enjoying himself. I personally got to experience this with Akira twice, once at the pivotal age of fourteen in 2012, and once more in 2019, at the age of twenty-one, just a few short years before he passed away.
The summer of 2012 was probably the most important and formative year of being a kaiju fan for me. I had rediscovered my love for these films, and went all the way in. I bought some Godzilla figures, acquired the nice then-new blu-ray of the Heisei Gamera trilogy, and hunkered down for what remains the most profound experience of my convention going. This, to be honest, in turn also helped form who I am as a person and influenced greatly how I interact with others. Yes, he had that kind of impact on me.
I had recently found out about the online presence of Godzilla fans through Facebook groups and worked my way up to admin status in the old Toho Kaiju Union community. Through those interactions online with fellow kaiju fanatics, I made some brand-new friends, many of whom would ultimately become lifelong friends, confidants and compatriots that I remain in contact with to this very day.
We’d spend the weekends off of school gushing about kaiju films, the newest cool stuff happening during the Great Dry Spell. (No Godzilla films from 2004-2014, but some other solid monster fare was released!). Long Skype calls were made hanging out, and word was brought up about a convention called G-FEST. “An entire convention dedicated to Godzilla?” I thought to myself. “I have to be there!!!”.
Using every money-making method I knew of (all legal!), I saved up all my allowance for G-FEST that summer. I told my online kaiju buddies that I would see them there, in person for the first time! I was truly excited to meet everybody. To further enhance my experience at this brand-new convention, I looked towards their website to see the various happenings going on during the gathering of kaiju fanatics.
I looked at the SPECIAL GUESTS page, highlighted boldly. AKIRA TAKARADA. BIN FURUYA. SVENGOOLIE. Wow! What an all-star movie monster lineup! Two living legends from the Showa era, here in North America. This was a dream come true, a once in a lifetime event. Svengoolie was a new discovery at that time as I had seen some of his stuff on MeTV airing nationally, so him being there was just an extra layer of icing on the already baking and sure to be delicious cake!
The first sighting I had of Mr. Takarada, a downright religious vision, was during the opening ceremony of G-FEST 2012. This is frequently used as a mass gathering with the organizers, special guests, and fans to break down walls, and all kickoff the weekend together. Akira Takarada arrived on stage and was met with thundering applause from hundreds of fans standing around, who, like me, were beyond thrilled to be in the same room with such a legend.
A translator was with him, ensuring what he had to say was properly imparted to his English speaking fans. He was just as thrilled as we were to be here for a second convention! He gave the fans well-wishes and excitedly greeted us. We were only fans to him, but honored supporters of his long and varied career. He had also brought his dear friend, Bin Furuya, along to show him how much western fans loved both of them, and their collective work. Introducing his peer and travelling companion, out came Furuya-san in his ORIGINAL costume from Ultraseven, still fitting and all! Truly a sight to be seen. Crowd goes wild!
When the main dealer’s room opened the next morning, I had immediately made it a priority to buy an autograph ticket. Conventions are much different now, but at that time, you paid $15 and got access to 1 autograph from each guest seated in the autograph room. It kind of functioned like a normal autograph table session but was more back-to-back with meeting guests. Those of you at G-FEST in those years probably remember that very fondly, as it was much more personal, and as far as cost? You got a lot of bang for your buck, in comparison to today’s often inflated signing fees.
During my time in the dealer’s room buying tickets, figures, and overall, just exploring, I had noticed a particular man walk into the Dealer’s Room to a little bit of fanfare. In walked an older Japanese man, slicked back hair, square-rimmed glasses… and a masterfully tailored suit. It was Mr. Takarada himself! He had decided to take a stroll on the convention floor by himself and check out the convention. It was like Elvis, or some other seemingly immortal icon had arrived to grace us with their presence, and when he looked at me, I froze, paralyzed with a combination of awe, and more importantly, unbelievable joy.
A MOVIE STAR, MY MOVIE STAR, JUST WALKED IN THE DEALER’S ROOM! My mom brought me back to planet earth, and the reality of the situation kicked in. “Go ask for his picture!”, she lovingly encouraged, knowing I needed the prompt. With all the social manner I could muster, I shyly approached and said, “Excuse me, may I have a picture?” and pointed, maybe a bit timidly, at my camera. Takarada’s eyes lit up, sharing my excitement, and making me feel very comfortable, exclaiming with a huge grin “PICTURE?! YES! YES! PICTURE!”. Oh, what an experience for the longtime fan, and fourteen year old kid that I was.
This moment alone would have made my entire weekend worth the trip, but there was one more encounter that sealed the deal.
Using those autograph tickets, I had bought earlier, I was now standing in line to meet the special guests in a formal autograph session. Shaking with excitement, I was about to yet again meet the man from the ORIGINAL Godzilla film I had encountered earlier. I had the classic media booklet from their release of Gojira for him to sign, something fitting for a movie star like himself. Something optional that Mr. Takarada and his representatives had offered was paying money for him to hand paint a traditional Japanese hikishi board, and I jumped at that opportunity as well.
Finally, I was able to sit down with Akira Takarada. This was my first “celebrity”, so I was super nervous to meet him. I knew that some celebrities wanted their space and weren’t so “interactive” with fans, so as he signed my items, I sat in the chair and gave him about my arm’s length for space. After signing, he looked at me with a smile, and said “Picture!” I shyly went to smile, and he glanced at me again and said “Closer”, extending his arm out to me, and gesturing for my mom to enter the picture. Putting his whole arm around my shoulder, he pointed at the photographer and said “Okay! Picture!”.
This solidified my adoration and love for Mr. Takarada, and he was immortalized on my Mr. Rushmore of heroes alongside Ishiro Honda
Mr. Takarada was a bit busy with the influx of shikishi requests (a traditional Japanese calligraphy canvas used for things like art and treasured signatures), so I was politely told to come back later and pick mine up. I thanked Mr. Takarada, shook his hand, and went on with my weekend. Later in the evening was the screening of Godzilla Vs Destoroyah, at the legendary and historic Pickwick Theater, so I had time to kill before I got my autograph, really a piece of art, from Takarada back in my hands. I took that time to mingle with my friends, buy some cool figures, and catch a screening of Destoroyah with a literal thousand Godzilla fanatics filling up the single-screen venue.
The next morning, I approached the convention staff about my shikishi board. “Jacob? Oh yes, right here!”, the gentleman said as he slowly uncovered my piece from the stack. “Here you go! Please enjoy”, he added. I looked at the gorgeously inked piece in front of me. Wow! This will remain with me, in an honored place on my wall, forever. I overheard the convention staff member one more time, as he said, “Flip it over, too”.
As I carefully turned over this treasure, my 14-year-old jaw hit the floor. On the back was written “YuJo”, and underneath the kanji/word, the words English translation: “Friendship”. What?! AKIRA TAKARADA CALLED ME HIS FRIEND?! I was stunned. I almost cried right there, amazed by what I saw, and truly moved. The theme of G-FEST 2012 was perfectly exemplified by this one incredibly powerful and apropos word. Did he know I was with my new friends? He couldn’t have, right? But somehow, Mr. Takarada had beautifully written the perfect noun to describe my weekend. Friendship. Not only with my newfound buddies that, again, remain at my side to this day, but also this eventful and influential meeting with Takarada-San himself, which also truly felt like making a new buddy.
.
This was my first G-FEST of several, as I’d return in 2013, 2015, and 2017. Each year was met with meeting new guests, making new friends, and having a great time overall. I’d miss a few years, such as 2016, when my friends and I took the summer to make our own monster film that never came out. Akira Takarada returned that year, and I was a little bummed I didn’t get to meet him. However, I knew deep down that one day I would meet him again, and that I would get to tell him how much this interaction meant to me.
And so that time came. G-FEST 2019 was announced to have Akira Takarada back, along with Gamera Trilogy/GMK director Shusuke Kaneko, and The X From Outer Space actress, Peggy Neal. Neat lineup! But deep down, I was most excited to see Akira Takarada again. This time I had planned out how I was going to meet him. I had bought a full suit and tie to wear, so that we’d both be wearing suits for the picture, and I’d FOR SURE want another hikishi board done. Flying out to this convention a seasoned veteran of G-FEST, I had felt that it would be a great final Godzilla Fest to attend. I was twenty, a week away from twenty-one, and had grown into a young man with this convention.
Meeting Akira Takarada the second time around was my priority this convention, and so I did that on Saturday morning. I woke up early, ironed my suit, and got my autograph items ready. Somehow by miracle, I was the very first person in line. I think most people had chosen to attend Takarada-San’s interview panel that was right before this autograph signing.
Before the panel began, Akira Takarada stopped by his table. It was so great to see him again face-to-face. He looked older, for sure, but that tailored suit, charming smile, and perfect charisma remained wholeheartedly. As he approached, I excitedly told him good morning, and to my surprise, he said, “Good morning!” and came over to shake my hand. My smile was bigger than the Grand Canyon at this point, and I was beyond ecstatic to see my hero yet again. Whilst shaking my hand, he asked “See you soon?”, to which I excitedly agreed. “OK! See you soon!” he replied, as he waved goodbye to enter his panel room.
I was bummed out that I had to miss his panel, but I had a friend record the entire thing for later viewing. Plus, it was in earshot in the panel room adjacent to where I was standing, so I could catch most of it. Several important things about Akira’s life were discussed in this panel, such as growing up in Soviet-occupied Korea for a short time before moving back to Japan as a younger man, to getting his start at the Toho New Face Program. His life story is truly incredible, and one to be discussed at large in its own piece.
After the panel got out, Takarada calmly walked over and got seated. It was time to begin. Joining his side was his son Tetsuya, and his wife, Maki. They had joined Tetsuya’s father in the North American convention appearances. It was nice seeing the entire Takarada family out for this convention. I let Maki and Tetsuya know that I would like a hikishi board done and told her that I got one in 2012 when I first met him, and how much it meant to me. She told Takarada, and he smiled. It genuinely warmed my heart to see him so happy. This time around I had a beautiful Gigabrain 1964 Godzilla figure to get signed. As he inspected the figure to sign, he looked a bit puzzled, perhaps looking for a place to sketch his signature on the rough ridges of Godzilla’s leg.
To my surprise, after the autograph, he went to work immediately on the hikishi board. I didn’t have to wait until tomorrow! His brush strokes were bigger, more eloquent, and just as beautiful as before. Maki told me that he was signing his name, and then what I can describe as the “Family Symbol”, much like a western Europe family shield. I thought that was incredible, and thoughtful. He was sharing his family with me. Takarada finished and guestered for Maki and myself to join him. He spoke with her a bit, and she told me that he wanted to say that I was a young man, and that my journey was just beginning. The Reiwa era had just begun in Japan, and so had my time. I had lots to look forward to. Inscribed on the back where “Friendship” was last time, was “LEAP”.
He said the words, and motioned forward to me, and Maki said, “Leap forward into your new era”. I was floored by this. It was the truest representation of where I was in life currently. I was 30 lbs lighter, finally escaped working overnights at my job at the time and was looking to finally find myself. Things were looking fantastic as I was approaching 21, and that really kicked off becoming a young man in life. The wisdom of Mr. Takarada continues to astound me. I don’t know how he knew how to perfectly illustrate both crucial times in my life, but here I was standing with him once more, grinning ear-to-ear with true happiness.
One of my best friends was up next, and I stood off to the side whilst she met Akira. He had asked me previously, “Where are you from?”. Sadly, I don’t think Takarada knew what “Utah” was, but his eyes lit up when my friend had told him Washington. Takarada passionately spoke about his trip to Washington D.C., and excitingly told us about how gorgeous the cherry blossoms were there. They were a must see, just as beautiful as Japan’s. He told us to visit Japan for the cherry blossoms one day. He added that they were the most beautiful sight on the planet. That conversation really stuck with me as well. Taking an entire trip just to stop and watch the cherry blossoms? I realized after that it was another wise man’s way of telling the young people to stop and smell the roses occasionally.
Akira Takarada was an essential and profound influence in my life. As a young teenager, to me he was the living legend from the original Godzilla film. As a young man, to me he was charming, charismatic, and handsome, something I wanted to embody myself as well, as I entering into adulthood. I’m now twenty-four years old, and it’s been a year since Takarada-San has left us. Digging even deeper now through his extensive library of work I have come to appreciate his talent even more profoundly, which is really saying something. An incredible performer, he understood charisma as a leading man, but also had a mastery of comedic timing, and an innate ability to let his real life kindness shine through his roles on-screen. He was a truly funny man. A truly caring man. And to me, a truly important man.
As we come to a year since his passing, I find myself reflecting on my own future. Takarada was 87. I am 24. I hopefully also have a long, rewarding life ahead of me, full of new eras, and friends yet unmade. Even with the tumult in the world these days, there is still a lot to look forward to. And it’s thanks to FRIENDSHIP that I can LEAP into one of these new eras, with the lessons and wisdom brought to me by my favorite Japanese movie star.
Coming from nothing in war-occupied Korea to becoming one of Japan’s greatest stars, Akira Takarada approached everything with his humble demeanor and grace. He knew people were paying to see him, so he demanded 110% each time he would meet a fan. Of course, you got to meet the fans as a movie star, but I think Takarada-San took it to the next level. Everywhere he went, he promoted his disgust for war, and his true love for peace. Peace was the number one thing that Akira Takarada wished for. I just hope one day the world can be as peaceful as Akira Takarada dreams it to be. Perhaps we all need to stop and admire those cherry blossoms much more.
Thank you for everything, Akira Takarada. Or should I say, Takarada-sama.
Image Credentials: 朝日新聞社 (Asahi Shinbun) – “Eiga to Engei (Movie and Entertainment)“, Asahi Shinbun, 1956, p.64 『アサヒグラフ別冊 夏の特大号 映画と演芸』朝日新聞
Selected Filmography
| Year | Film Title | Role |
| 1954 | And Then The Liberty Bell Rang | Sōtarō Masuda |
| 1954 | Bride in a Bathing Suit | Masao Sakurai |
| 1954 | Godzilla | Hideto Ogata |
| 1955 | Half Human | Takeshi Iijima |
| 1956 | Romantic Daughters | Kubota |
| 1957 | Ōatari Sanshoku Musume | Narrator |
| 1957 | Aoi Sanmyaku | Tamao Memata |
| 1957 | A Rainbow Plays in My Heart | Tatsuo Itō |
| 1958 | A Holiday in Tokyo | |
| 1959 | The Three Treasures | Prince Wakatarashi |
| 1959 | Life of an Expert Swordsman | |
| 1960 | Hawaii Midway Daikai Kūsan: Taiheiyō Noarashi | Communications Officer |
| 1960 | Daughters, Wives, and a Mother | |
| 1961 | The Last War | Takano |
| 1961 | The End of Summer | Tadashi Teramoto |
| 1962 | A Wanderer’s Notebook | Kō Fukuchi |
| 1964 | Mothra Vs Godzilla | News Reporter Ichirō Sakai |
| 1965 | Ironfinger | Andrew Hoshino |
| 1965 | Invasion of Astro-Monster | Astronaut K. Fuji |
| 1966 | Ebirah, Horror of the Deep | Yoshimura |
| 1967 | King Kong Escapes | Lieutenant Commander Jirō Nomura |
| 1968 | Fancy Paradise | Kō Maeno |
| 1969 | Latitude Zero | Doctor Ken Tashirō |
| 1990 | Tales of a Golden Geisha | Inukai |
| 1992 | Minbo | |
| 1992 | General Manager Kobayashi | |
| 1992 | Godzilla Vs. Mothra | Jōji Minamino |
| 1996 | Hissatsu! Mondo Shisu | Mizuno Tadakuni |
| 1997 | Marutai no Onna | Police Commissioner |
| 2000 | Tales of the Unusual | |
| 2004 | Godzilla: Final Wars | Natarō Daigo (Secretary General) |
| 2005 | Fantastipo | Kintarō Koinobori |
| 2007 | Glory to the Filmmaker! | |
| 2014 | Godzilla | Immigration Agent (Deleted Scene) |
| 2018 | Ashita ni Kakeru Hashi | |
| 2018 | The Great Buddha Arrival | Storyteller |
| 2019 | Dance With Me | Machin Ueda |
| 2022 | Life in Bloom | Keizō |
