About Atsumi Kiyoshi

Atsumi Kiyoshi, originally Yasuo Tadoroko, played Tora-san, a peddler of knick-knacks whose big heart won him friends wherever he went. The character became a beloved cultural icon for millions of Japanese, evoking a lost world of traditional small-town values.

 

The “Otoko wa Tsuraiyo” (“It’s Hard Being a Man”) series, which Mr. Atsumi helped create, was one of the longest-running film series in the world.

 

The first film appeared in 1969, and each one followed the pattern: Tora would storm out of his family’s house after an argument, set out for the Japanese hinterlands, and become infatuated with a woman he could never have.  Atsumi died on 4th August 1996, the cause was lung cancer.