Musei Tokugawa (徳川 夢声, Tokugawa Musei, 13 April 1894 – 1 August 1971) was a Japanese benshi, actor, raconteur, essayist, and radio and television personality. Musei (as he was called) first came to prominence as a benshi, a narrator of films during the silent era in Japan. He was celebrated for his restrained but erudite narration that was popular among intellectual film fans. He concentrated on foreign films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari at high-class theaters like the Aoikan and the Musashinokan, but also performed Japanese works such as Teinosuke Kinugasa's experimental masterpiece A Page of Madness (1926). As the silent era ended, Musei switched to storytelling on stage and on radio, and also began acting and doing narrations in films. He was also famous for his essays, humorous novels, and autobiographical writings, publishing nearly fifty books in his life. With the advent of television in Japan, Musei also became a prominent presence in that medium.
Actor
1963
An Actor's Revenge as
Narrator
1961
Kyûsenman no akarui hitomi
1959
Bakushô Mito Kômon man'yûki as
Mito Kômon
1959
The Adventures of Sun Wu Kung
1958
Yajikita dôchû sugoroku as
Ikku Jippensha
1958
Yajikita dôchûki as
Ikku Jippensha
1958
Edokko matsuri as
Narrator (voice)
1956
E a Paz Volta a Reinar as
Narrator (voice)
1956
Madame White Snake as
Taoist Monk
1955
Non-chan kumo ni noru as
Old man
1954
Twelve Chapters on Women as
Heta Kure
1953
Iro go yomi: Gonkurô tabi nikki
1953
Oyabun no seishun (Short)
1952
Aa seishun ni namida ari
1952
Santa to Chiyonoyama as
Old Sen
1952
Zoku Shurajô hibun - Hiun no maki as
Narrator (voice)
1952
Girls Who Win at Pachinko
1951
Kennan jonan: Dai ni bu: Kenkô ryûsei no maki
1951
Takamine Hideko France tayori: Deko-chan sen'ichiya (Short) as
Commentary
1951
Koguma monogatari as
Narrator
1951
Matashirô gyôjôki: Onihime shigure as
Jirôemon Naitô
1950
Koguma monogatari: Yasei no mezame as
Narrator
1950
Atariya Kinpachi torimonochô: senri no tora as
Hanshirô
1950
Kaima riku o iku (voice)
1949
Nagareru hoshi wa ikiteiru as
Doctor Sakurai
1948
Yûrei akatsuki ni shisu as
Fumio Azumi
1947
Ukiyo mo tengoku as
Sôzo Sakai
1945
The Admirable Ishin Tasuke
1941
Kawanakajima kassen as
Ichibei
1941
Kodakara fûfu as
Zenjiro Hirata, the father
1941
Kinô kieta otoko as
Genzaemon Shinozaki
1941
Tie shan gong zhu (Japanese version)
1940
The Brick Factory Girl as
Baifû Shumpûtei
1940
Haru yo izuko as
His Father
1939
The Whole Family Works as
Ishimura
1938
Composition Class as
Masako's father
1935
Sanshokuki Building as
Master at France-ken
1935
Botchan as
Tanuki, Principal
1933
Ongaku kigeki horoyoi jinsei as
Principle of music school / President of record company
Writer
1951
Tenmeitarô (original work)
Music Department
1933
Ongaku kigeki horoyoi jinsei (lyrics)
Soundtrack
1933
Ongaku kigeki horoyoi jinsei (lyrics: "Sake nomi no uta")
Miscellaneous
1940
Shin Tairiku (Documentary) (narrated)
Self
-
Nippon no sumô - Dai ni shû: Futabayama jidai no kaisô (Documentary short) as
Narrator (voice)
1967
Doyô danwashitsu (TV Series) as
Self
- Imadoki no wakaimono (1967) - Self
1964
Non-fikushon gekijô (TV Series documentary short) as
Narrator
- Hankotsu no toride - Hachinosu-jô no kiroku (1964) - Narrator (voice)
1950
Nippon sangyô chiri taikei dai ippen - Kokuritsu kôen Ise Shima (Documentary short) as
Narrator (voice)
1949
Nihon yaburetaredo (Documentary) as
Narrator (voice)
1941
Nihon eiga-shi (Documentary) as
Narrator (voice)
1941
Tsuchi ni ikiru (Documentary)(voice)
1941
Shinano fudoki yori: Kobayashi Issa (Documentary short) as
Narrator
1938
Nanking (Documentary) as
Narrator (voice)
1937
Dotoû wo kete gunkan-ashiê tobei niki (Documentary) as
Narrator