Shinichi Yanagisawa, Who Played Miyamoto in 'The X from Outer Space,' Passes Away at 89

Shinichi Yanagisawa in October 2020. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Actor Shinichi Yanagisawa, who is best known in the West for playing Miyamoto in Shochiku's The X from Outer Space (1967), passed away on March 24, 2022, from myelodysplastic syndrome. He was 89. Although he died nearly a year and a half ago, the news has just been released in Japan.

Mr. Yanagisawa was born on December 19, 1932, in Tokyo and began his career as an entertainer in the early 1950s, singing jazz and acting onstage. In the mid-1950s, he signed with Nikkatsu Studios, beginning his film career, and shortly thereafter married actress Junko Ikeuchi in October 1957. The marriage didn't last long, and the pair divorced in January 1958. The scandal cost Mr. Yanagisawa his contract at Nikkatsu, which forced him to go freelance for a few years. 

Shinichi Yanagisawa in February 2017. Photo by Brett Homenick.

(As an aside, when Yosuke Natsuki was driving me home after dinner in October 2015, I mentioned something about Mr. Yanagisawa to him. Afterward, Mr. Natsuki told me he wondered why Mr. Yanagisawa got divorced from Ms. Ikeuchi.)

Shinichi Yanagisawa in February 2015. Photo by Brett Homenick.

During his time as a freelancer, Mr. Yanagisawa would appear in the Takarazuka Eiga production The Poem of the Blue Star (a.k.a. An Orchestra Whipping Up a Storm, 1960), an all-star musical featuring Akira Takarada, Tadao Takashima, Izumi Yukimura, and Tatsuyoshi Ehara. 

In 1964, Mr. Yanagisawa would find a permanent home at Shochiku, where he would stay until the early 1970s. The year 1967 would see Mr. Yanagisawa appear in his most famous role around the world, that of the comic-relief character Miyamoto in the kaiju romp The X from Outer Space.

However, Mr. Yanagisawa would garner his greatest fame in Japan on television. He is widely remembered in his home country for providing the Japanese voices for Ricky Ricardo in I Love Lucy, Wilbur Post in Mister Ed, and Darrin Stephens in Bewitched.

Shinichi Yanagisawa in February 2015. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Aside from his pursuits in the entertainment industry, Mr. Yanagisawa was well known for his activism in humanitarian causes, which even earned him an award from the Japanese prime minister in 1981. 

In more recent years, Mr. Yanagisawa would sing jazz (as well as play drums) at the HUB Asakusa on the third Tuesday of every even month (February, April, June, etc.). Starting in October 2014, I attended just about every performance I could (the December 2019 show was the only one I missed pre-COVID, which was due to work commitments), and I believe the last one I attended with Mr. Yanagisawa was in December 2020. After that, to the best of my knowledge, he never returned to the HUB.

With Shinichi Yanagisawa in February 2020.

I was told by one of his bandmates that Mr. Yanagisawa was an extremely private person, even with them. From what I was told, even his bandmates didn't know much about Mr. Yanagisawa's private life. I was always a bit puzzled that, even though Mr. Yanagisawa studied English at university and sang English-language jazz songs very well, he never spoke English around me. So I could see the bandmate's point.

One evening, after his performance, Mr. Yanagisawa was leaving the HUB but seemed quite wobbly. He was in his late 80s even then, and, given that I wasn't sure where he was going after the show, I insisted on helping him. Of course, at first, Mr. Yanagisawa assured me that he would be all right on his own, but it quickly became clear to both of us that that certainly was not the case.

With Shinichi Yanagisawa in August 2019.

I got the same bandmate to help me as we assisted Mr. Yanagisawa to his destination. It turned out we didn't have to go very far. He booked a hotel room for the evening not that far from the venue. We assisted Mr. Yanagisawa up to his hotel room, and he thanked us for our help. All I knew was, I wasn't going to let Mr. Yanagisawa get hurt that night.

His bandmate theorized that perhaps bar patrons poured Mr. Yanagisawa a few too many drinks in between sets. (During breaks, Mr. Yanagisawa would always sit with audience members and chat with them.) That explanation certainly seemed plausible. I was concerned that no one from the bar staff intervened before I did, but I just chalked it up to the fact that Mr. Yanagisawa was a private person and that no one wanted to disturb him.

With Shinichi Yanagisawa in October 2018.

I was fortunate to interview Mr. Yanagisawa in September 2014. The interview can be read here. He gave me a great interview, and it's one I'm proud to host on Vantage Point Interviews.

Shinichi Yanagisawa in October 2018. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Rest in peace, Mr. Yanagisawa. Thank you for all the wonderful Tuesday evenings.