Kiyoshi Atsumi

Honestly, Kiyoshi Atsumi was one of those rare actors who basically became his character, and I mean that as the highest compliment. He played Tora-san across 48 films over almost three decades, a feat so absurd it landed in Guinness, and somehow never let the wandering peddler in the funny hat go stale. What gets me is the contrast: offscreen he was famously private, quiet, almost a recluse who guarded his real life, yet the moment the camera rolled he became this warm, motor-mouthed everyman who made the whole country laugh and cry at once. A guy who fell for Africa and kept going back, voicing Japan's most beloved drifter. That comic timing, that ache underneath the jokes, the dignity of never showing weakness right to the end, that's a magic you can't teach. Showa's national little brother, basically.

This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.

Kiyoshi Atsumi (born Yasuo Tadokoro, 1928–1996) was a Japanese actor and comedian who rose to fame as the lovable wanderer Torajiro Kuruma in the Otoko wa Tsuraiyo film series. He began his entertainment career in 1951 as a resident comedian at a strip theater in Asakusa and later joined the Asakusa France-za theater, where he established himself as a comic actor. The Otoko wa Tsuraiyo series, which ran from 1969 to 1995 across 48 installments, entered the Guinness Book of Records for the most installments in a film series. He was posthumously awarded Japan's People's Honor Award following his death from metastatic lung cancer on August 4, 1996.

Name (English)

Kiyoshi Atsumi

Name (Japanese)

渥美清

Reading

あつみ きよし

Real name

田所康雄

Born

March 10, 1928 – August 4, 1996

Origin

Shitaya, Taito, Tokyo, Japan

Height

169 cm

Occupation

Actor / Comedian / Singer

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Pisces / Dragon

Blood type

B

Active years

1946–1996

Elementary school

Itabashi Elementary School

Junior high

Shimura Elementary School

High school

Sugamo Private Middle School (former system)

University

Did not attend university

Debut

Began entertainment career in 1951 as a resident comedian at a strip theater in Asakusa's Rokku district. Moved to Asakusa France-za in 1953 and emerged as a prominent comic actor.

Awards & achievements

• 1969 Kinema Junpo Award – Best Actor (Otoko wa Tsuraiyo)
• 1969 Mainichi Film Concours – Best Actor
• 1982 Blue Ribbon Award – Best Actor (Otoko wa Tsuraiyo)
• 1988 Medal with Purple Ribbon
• 1988 Mainichi Art Award – Special Prize
• 1996 People's Honor Award (posthumous)

Timeline

1. 1928Born in Shitaya, Tokyo (present-day Taito)
2. 1951Began entertainment career as a resident comedian at a strip theater in Asakusa's Rokku district
3. 1953Transferred to Asakusa France-za
4. 1954Contracted pulmonary tuberculosis and recuperated
5. 1958Made film debut in Otora-san Daihanjō
6. 1963Established his reputation as an actor with Haikei Tenno Heika-sama (dir. Yoshitaro Nomura)
7. 1968Played Torajiro Kuruma in the TV drama Otoko wa Tsuraiyo (Fuji TV)
8. 1969First installment of the Otoko wa Tsuraiyo film series released; 48 films followed over 28 years
9. 1988Received the Medal with Purple Ribbon
10. 1996Died on August 4 of metastatic lung cancer at age 68; posthumously awarded the People's Honor Award

Spouse

Masako (née Takenaka, painter; wedding in 1969)

Children

Son: Kentaro Tadokoro (radio director); daughter: Yukie

Hobbies

• Travel to Africa
• Sweet potato cooking

Specialties

• Rakugo
• Comic acting

Motto

Press on, hold firm, but never be arrogant

Works summary

Appearances

201 (1958–2019)

By year (titles with a known year)

1958: 1, 1959: 1, 1960: 2, 1961: 12, 1962: 10, 1963: 10, 1964: 7, 1965: 4, 1966: 8, 1967: 6, 1968: 13, 1969: 8, 1970: 10, 1971: 7, 1972: 6, 1973: 3, 1974: 7, 1975: 6, 1976: 4, 1977: 8, 1978: 5, 1979: 6, 1980: 4, 1981: 4, 1982: 2, 1983: 2, 1984: 2, 1985: 3, 1986: 2, 1987: 3, 1988: 2, 1989: 2, 1990: 1, 1991: 1, 1992: 1, 1993: 2, 1994: 1, 1995: 1, 1997: 1, 2019: 1, year unknown: 22

Filmography / notable works

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B8%A5%E7%BE%8E%E6%B8%85
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1370742

Tags

• Actor
• Comedian
• Otoko wa Tsuraiyo
• Tora-san
• Asakusa
• Yamada Yoji
• Showa cinema

Last updated

November 2, 2026

Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. Works and profile fields sourced from Wikipedia reflect content as of 2026-08-26. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.