Kantarō Suga

Kantarō Suga (菅貫太郎, Suga Kantarō; born December 12, 1934, in Yuzawa, Akita - died March 22, 1994, in Yokohama) was a leading Japanese actor. His film credits span three decades, from 1960 to 1990. One of his prominent appearances was in the lead role in Pastoral: To Die in the Country. Suga also appeared in The Gate of Youth, Sword of the Beast, and Theater of Life. He also portrays Souichiro Akizuki- the father of Nobuhiko, Kyoko and also the foster father of the protagonist Kotaro Minami in the tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Black.

A frequent television guest star, Suga acted in jidaigeki and contemporary shows. Twenty appearances on Abarenbō Shōgun, thirteen on Zenigata Heiji, eleven on Momotarō-zamurai, nine on Ōoka Echizen, seven on Edo o Kiru, and numerous guest roles on various programs in the Mito Komon and Hissatsu series top his list of roles.

On the night of March 16, 1994, while returning home in Aso Ward, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, he was struck by a motorcycle at a pedestrian crossing in front of his residence and sustained a severe head injury. He was taken to Yokohama New Urban Neurosurgery Hospital in Midori Ward, Yokohama City, where he died on March 22 from a brain contusion at the age of 59.

A private burial was held on March 23, and news of his death was reported in newspapers on March 24 and widely covered on March 25. A public funeral and farewell ceremony took place on April 10 at the Yamaguchidai Kaikan in Kawasaki City, with Masao Sato, director of the Toei Kyoto Studio, serving as funeral chairperson.

• Knightly Advice (1962)
• Jûsan-nin no shikaku (1963) - Naritsugu
• Ankokugai Main Street (1964) - Katsuo Nakata
• Sword of the Beast (1965) - Daizaburo
• Gohiki no shinshi (1966)
• Eleven Samurai (1967) - Lord Nariatsu
• Confessions Among Actresses (1971) - Dr. Hata
• Mushukunin mikogami no jôkichi: Kawakaze ni kako wa nagareta (1972)
• Mushukunin Mikogami no Jôkichi: Kiba wa hikisaita (1972)
• Onsen suppon geisha (1972) - Kurajirô Hattori
• Sukeban: Tamatsuki asobi (1974) - Koike
• Pastoral: To Die in the Country (1974) - Me
• Ôoku ukiyo-buro (1977)
• Piranha-gundan: Daboshatsu no ten (1977) - Keiji Sasamoto
• Tarao Bannai: Kimen mura no sangeki (1978) - Kazuomi Ebata
• The Yagyu Conspiracy (1978) - Matsudaira Tadanao
• The Gate of Youth (1981) - Ichimura
• Tsumiki kuzushi (1983) - Teacher
• Theater of Life (1983) - Mr. Kurōma
• Renzoku satsujinki: Reiketsu (1984) - Takafumi Tatsuta
• Hakujitsumu 2 (1987) - Doctor
• Shinran: Path to Purity (1987) - Zennen
• Hanazono no meikyu (1998)
• Shaso (1989) - Hiroto, Fukamachi
• Gokudo no onna-tachi: Saigo no tatakai (1990) - Lawyer Sakurai
• Kyokutô kuroshakai (1993)

• Shinsho Taikōki (1973) - Ashikaga Yoshiaki
• Shadow Warriors (1980)
• Ōoku (1983)
• Kawaite sōrō (1984)
• Kamen Rider Black (1987, episode 1) - Souichiro Akizuki
• Mito Komon (1989, episode 18) - Ichijyo Sanyi
• The Unfettered Shogun (1989) Season 3 Episode 64 "Snow Princess Fight" (1989) - Genbu Sakurai