My Take
Yoshio Inaba is one of those actors who might not ring a bell by name, but the moment you picture Seven Samurai — that lean, coiled figure playing Gorobei, the warrior who laughs at danger right up until he joins the cause — you realize you've known him all along. Born in Narita, Chiba in 1920, he came up through the Haiyuza Theatre Company, and that stage discipline shows: even in the chaos of Kurosawa's battle scenes he's never mugging, never wasting a move. He kept working across four decades, turning up in Throne of Blood, Harakiri, and more, always the kind of reliable presence that holds a scene together without demanding the spotlight. That's a rare gift, and honestly an underrated one.
Overview
Yoshio Inaba (July 15, 1920 – April 20, 1998) was a Japanese actor born in Narita, Chiba Prefecture. He attended Nihon University. Details of his active career period and specific works are not publicly documented in available records.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Yoshio Inaba
- Name (Japanese)
- 稲葉義男
- Reading
- いなば よしお
- Born
- July 15, 1920 – April 20, 1998
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Monkey (申)
- Origin
- Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Active years
- Unknown
- Occupation
- Actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Nihon University
- Debut
- Unknown
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A8%B2%E8%91%89%E7%BE%A9%E7%94%B7
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.