Akiji Kobayashi
Biography
Akiji Kobayashi (小林昭二) was a Japanese male actor born on 6 September 1930 in Yodobashi ward, Tokyo, and died on 27 August 1996 at the age of 65. He enrolled in the Nihon University College of Art but left before completing his degree and joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1949. Kobayashi made his film debut in Satsujin Yogisha in 1952 and accumulated more than one hundred acting credits. He is best known in the West for portraying Captain Toshio Muramatsu in the 1966‑1967 television series Ultraman, and later appeared in the detective series Seibu Keisatsu during 1983‑84. His other notable television work includes the role of Tōbei Tachibana (“Oya‑san”) in several Kamen Rider series. He was regarded as one of director Kon Ichikawa’s favorite actors and also featured in films such as Seppuku, Lidský úděl 3.: Hrozba války, and Urutoraman: Kûsô tokusatsu shirîzu.
Career overview
Akiji Kobayashi (小林昭二) was born on 6 September 1930 in Yodobashi ward, Tokyo, Japan. After enrolling in the College of Art at Nihon University, he left the program before graduating and entered the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1949, beginning his professional acting career on stage. Kobayashi made his screen debut in the 1952 film Satsujin Yogisha, marking the start of a long‑standing presence in Japanese cinema and television.
In the mid‑1960s Kobayashi gained recognition in the West for his portrayal of Captain Toshio Muramatsu in the 1966‑1967 television series Ultraman. He later became known to domestic audiences for playing Tōbei Tachibana, often called “Oya‑san,” across several installments of the Kamen Rider franchise. From 1983 to 1984 he appeared in the popular detective series Seibu Keisatsu. Film work that contributed to his reputation includes titles such as Seppuku, Lidský úděl 3: Hrozba války, and the Ultraman tokusatsu series, as listed in his filmography. Kobayashi was regarded as one of director Kon Ichikawa’s favored actors, a testament to his versatility and reliability on screen. He continued to act until his death on 27 August 1996, leaving a legacy of more than one hundred credited performances across film and television.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Master Swordsman Hirate Miki - Duel in Tone (1997)
- Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) as Senior sergeant
- Ultraman Zearth (1996) as Fisherman
- Revive! Ultraman (1996)
- The 8-Tomb Village (1996)
- Getting Any? (1995) as Chief of World Defence Force
- Ie Naki Ko (1994)
- 47 Ronin (1994)
- Kamen Rider SD: Strange?! Kumo Otoko (1993) as Toubei Tachibana (voice)
- Kogarashi Monjirō Returns (1993)
- Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) as Yuzo Tsuchiashi
- Run, Melos! (1992) as Dionysus II (voice)
- Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) as Yuzo Tsuchiashi
- Noh Mask Murders (1991)
- Tales of the Bizarre (1990)
- Like the Clouds, Like the Wind (1990) as Konton
- Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars (1990) as Detective
- Black Rain (1989) as Katayama
- Afternoon When Flowers Fell (1989)
- The Men Who Made Ultraman (1989)
- Ultraman: Terror on Route 87 (1989) as Toshio Muramatsu
- Kamen Norider (1988) as Tobei Tachibana
- Death Shadows (1986)
- Bakumatsu seishun graffiti: Ronin Sakamoto Ryoma (1986) as Hanazuki
- Desperate Pursuit (1986) as Inoue
- The Empty Table (1985)
- Kojika Monogatari (1983) as ペニー
- The Makioka Sisters (1983) as Seitaro Jinba
- The Longest Tunnel (1982)
- Suspicion (1982) as Chief of Police, Ishihara
- Karate Cop (1982) as Asst Chief Fuji
- Ten Duels of Young Shingo: Chapter 2 (1982)
- Lady on 6th Street: Taste of Honey (1982) as Kodera
- Lonely Heart (1981)
- The Black Hood (1981)
- Yuki (1981) as Jinjii (voice)
- Shogun Assassin (1980) as Lord Kurogawa
- Koto: The Ancient City (1980)
- Attack, Jun (1979)
- The 47 Ronins of Ako (1979) as Hara Soemon
- The Tale of Jean Valjean (1979) as Jean Valjean (voice)
- Seibu Keisatsu (1979) as Minami Choutaro
- The Shogun Assassins (1979)
- Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle (1979) as Toshio Muramatsu
- The House of Hanging (1979) as Sannosuke
- Akio Jissoji's Ultraman (1979) as Captain Toshio Muramatsu
- Immortal Kamen Rider Special (1979) as Tobei Tachibana
- Queen Bee (1978) as Detective Kogure
- Island of Hell (1977) as Takezo
- Fushoku no kōzō (1977) as Detective Okawa
- Lullaby to Kill (1977) as Koreya Kusakabe (manager)
- Utamaro's World (1977)
- The Kagestar (1976) as Inspector Keibu Tonda
- The Inugami Family (1976) as Kokichi Inugami
- All Together! Seven Kamen Riders!! (1976) as Tōbei Tachibana
- The Kagestar: The Movie (1976) as Inspector Tonda
- Kamen Rider Stronger (1975) as Tobei Tachibana
- Hanuman and the Five Kamen Riders (1975) as Tobei Tachibana (archive footage)
- Kamen Rider Amazon: The Movie (1975) as Tōbei Tachibana
- Kamen Rider Stronger: The Movie (1975) as Tôbei Tachibana
- Kamen Rider Amazon (1974) as Tobei Tachibana
- Kamen Rider X (1974) as Tobei Tachibana
- Five Riders vs. King Dark (1974) as Tobei Tachibana
- Kamen Rider V3 (1973) as Tobei Tachibana
- Kamen Rider V3: The Movie (1973) as Tōbei Tachibana
- Internal Sleuth (1973)
- Kamen Rider V3 vs. Destron Mutants (1973) as Tobei Tachibana
- The Woman Who Calls for Corpses (1973)
- Professional Killers (1972)
- Daigoro vs. Goliath (1972) as Hitoshi Suzuki
- Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (1972) as Narrator
- Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972) as Ozunu Kurokuwa
- Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972) as Narrator
- Kamen Rider vs. Shocker (1972) as Tobei Tachibana
- Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (1972)
- Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell (1972) as Tōbei Tachibana
- The Pirates of Buban (1972)
- Kamen Rider (1971) as Tobei Tachibana
- Mandala (1971)
- Go Go Kamen Rider (1971) as Tobei Tachibana
- Return of Ultraman: Terror of the Waterspout Monsters (1971) as Captain Takamura
- Mysterious Thirteen Nights: Chapter 5 - The Mystery of the Skull Wife (1971)
- This Transient Life (1970)
- The Curse of the Ghost (1969) as Naosuke
- Prison Break (1969)
- Sabu and Ichi's Detective Stories (1968)
- Operation: Mystery (1968) as Taizo Machida
- The Return of the Filthy Seven (1967)
- Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature (1967) as Capt. Toshio Muramatsu
- Ultraman (1966) as Captain 'Cap' Toshio Muramatsu
- The Birth of Ultraman (1966) as Toshio Muramatsu
- The Father of Ultra Q (1966)
- 宇宙少年ソラン (1965) as ワイラー
- Kwaidan (1965) as (segment "In a Cup of Tea") (uncredited)
- Pleasures of the Flesh (1965) as Mari's pimp
- Youth of the Beast (1963) as Tatsuo Nomoto
- Fight of the Gamblers (1963)
- Intruders (1963) as Ichiro Honma
- Harakiri (1962)
- Foundry Town (1962) as Hei-san
- The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity (1959) as Nonaka Shôi