Kohji Moritsugu is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is best known for playing Dan Moroboshi, the protagonist and human form of the titular character of Ultraseven. His birth name is "森次 浩三" and prior to 1973, he used stage name "森次 浩司", both of which are pronounced the same as his current stage name.
Career
After graduating from high school in 1961, Kohji Moritsugu moved to Tokyo, wanting to become a fashion designer or painter,[1][2] but worked part-time jobs and as a model before making his acting debut in the 1965 television drama Seishun o Buttsukero.[3]
In 1967, while on the set of Tenka on Seinen, he was scouted by a Tsuburaya Productions employee to play the lead role in Ultraseven,[3][1][4] and was selected out of fifty candidates. Following this success, he frequently appeared in various television dramas and films, including period dramas.[5] In 1969, he signed an exclusive contract with Shochiku and appeared in his first film, Yūhi no Koibito, directed by Umetsugu Inoue.
In 1974, Moritsugu was offered to play the captain in Ultraman Leo. However, he felt that children would be confused by him playing someone other than Dan, so he accepted when Tsuburaya turned the character into Dan and came up with a reason why he could not transform into Ultraseven.[5] He also reprised his role in Heisei Ultraseven from 1994 to 1999.
Since 1987, Moritsugu has owned a café-restaurant called JOLI CHAPEAU in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, with his family. Occasionally, he personally prepares dishes at the café. The café sells Ultraseven merchandise, hosts jazz live performances, and organizes fan meet-and-greet events related to the Ultraman Series.[6][7][8]
In September 1997, Moritsugu established a private office in Kanagawa Prefecture, which operates alongside a talent agency to produce and sell Ultraseven-related merchandise and manage events. Through a business alliance with Tsuburaya Productions, the office frequently engages in organizing and managing Ultraman performances, attractions, and events.
In 2006, Moritsugu appeared in Ultraman Mebius and its film alongside other Showa Ultraman leading actors Susumu Kurobe, Jiro Dan, and Keiji Takamine, who are collectively nicknamed the "Dandy 4."
In 2011, Moritsugu stated in an interview with the Peruvian website El Comercio that the Ultraseven series "changed his life due to its profound message. When I started working on the recordings, I never imagined it would have such a lasting impact on my life. I never tire of watching the series; it is a great series for all generations."[9]
In 2022, in conjunction with he 55th anniversary of Ultraseven, Moritsugu appeared in numerous events,[10] including a red-carpet appearance with Ultraseven at the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival.[11][12][13]
Personal Life
Moritsugu is the second son of the former member of civil engineering worker of the Takikawa Town Council in Takikawa City.
In 2013, Mortisugu showed off his house in an interview, which was filled with Ultraseven memoribillia like Ultraseven masks and photos of himself and UG team. He also said his Ultra Guard co-stars were like a family at the time of filming and still sometimes go out together, and also everyone calls him "Dan" instead of his real name.[9]
Roles
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Ultraman Festival 2001 Live Stage Part 1 | Ultraseven | Voice |
| Ultraman Festival 2001 Live Stage Part 2 | |||
| 2007 | Ultraman Premier Stage | Dan Moroboshi/Ultraseven[18] | Voice (Ultraseven) |
| 2008 | Ultraman Premier Stage 2 | ||
| Hida Takayama: Ultra Hero Legend Stage | |||
| 2009 | Ultraman Premier Stage 3 | ||
| 2011 | Ultraman Premier 2011 | ||
| 2012 | Ultraman Festival 2012 Live Stage Part 1 | Ultraseven | Voice |
| Ultraman Festival 2012 Live Stage Part 2 | |||
| 2013 | The Earthling All Alone feat. ULTRASEVEN | Security Guard[19][20] | |
| 2014 | 3 Major Tokusatsu Hero Festival | Ultraseven[21] | Voice |
| 2016 | Ultra Heroes EXPO 2017 Battle Stage | Ultraseven | |
| 2017 | Ultraman Festival 2017 Live Stage Part 1 | ||
| Ultraman Festival 2017 Live Stage Part 2 |
Stock grunts
This section refers to Moritsugu's grunts being reused per stock audio in other Ultraman Series media:
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Ultraseven | Imit-Ultraseven | Episode 46 "The Showdown of Dan vs Seven |
| 1981 | Ultraman 80 | Delusion Ultraseven | Episode 44 "Duel! 80 vs Seven" |
| 2006 | Ultraman Mebius Side Story: Hikari Saga | Ultraseven | SAGA 1: Arb's Tragedy |
| 2007 | Ultraman Mebius | Episode 50 "Words from the Heart -Final Trilogy III-" | |
| 2010 | Ultra Galaxy Legend Side Story: Ultraman Zero VS Darklops Zero | Imit-Ultraseven (SR) | |
| 2013 | Ultraman Ginga | Ultraseven | Dark Spark War flashbacks in episodes 1, 7, 11 Episode 10 "Darkness and Light" |
| Ultraseven Dark | Distorted grunts Episode 9 "The Jet Black Ultra Brothers" | ||
| 2017 | Ultraman Geed | Ultraseven | Ultra Capsule |
| 2020 | Ultraman Z | Ultra Medal | |
| Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy | Chapter 2 "The Divergence" | ||
| 2021 | Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga | Ultra Medal Episode 8 "The Propagating Invasion" | |
| 2022 | Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad | Grunts from Ultraman Mebius |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Ultraman Fighting Evolution | Ultraseven | |
| 2002 | Ultraman Fighting Evolution 2 | ||
| 2004 | Ultraman Fighting Evolution 3 | ||
| 2005 | Ultraman Fighting Evolution Rebirth | ||
| 2006 | Ultraman Fighting Evolution 0 | ||
| 2010 | Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Coliseum DX: The Gathering of The Ultra Heroes! | Ultraman Zero | |
| 2015 | Lost Heroes | Ultraseven | BONUS EDITION |
| Lost Heroes 2 |
Other Roles
- Kamen Rider Blade - Hiroshi Tennoji/Kerberos II
Gallery
Miscellaneous
![A group photo of the Ultraseven cast, taken in 1987[22]](/wiki/File:UG_20th.jpg "UG 20th.jpg (243 KB)")
![A group photo of the Ultraseven cast, taken in 2011[23]](/wiki/File:UG_44th.jpg "UG 44th.jpg (116 KB)")
![Kohji doing his transformation pose with Ryu Manatsu, Jiro Dan, Susumu Kurobe and Keiji Takamine at Ultraman Festival 2014[24]](/wiki/File:6777_623729991080196_560273325271993382_n.jpg "6777 623729991080196 560273325271993382 n.jpg (26 KB)")
![Kohji Moritsugu and other Ultraseven actors participate in Ultraseven 55th: Grand Finale at TSUBURAYA CONVENTION 2023.[25]](/wiki/File:UG_2023.jpg "UG 2023.jpg (1.49 MB)")
Trivia
Kohji Moritsugu and the stolen Ultraseven mask.
- In 1993, Kohji Moritsugu received an Ultraseven mask used during the filming of Ultraseven as a gift from actor Masaki Kyomoto. The mask was appraised at a value of 5 million yen and in September 2007, Moritsugu had the mask evaluated on the local television program Weekly Emmy SHOW, broadcast by Yomiuri TV in Osaka, where it received the highest appraisal.[26][27]
- On July 25, 2011, the Ultraseven mask was stolen from Moritsugu's restaurant. The Kanagawa Prefectural Police investigated the theft as a case of burglary.[26] Moritsugu appealed to fans through an official blog, requesting information and assistance in recovering the stolen mask,[28] however it was ultimately not found. In 2021, Moritsugu uploaded an interview about the theft to his YouTube channel.[29]
- Like Susumu Kurobe, Kohji played a villain in one of Toei's works, Hiroshi Tennoji in Kamen Rider Blade.
- Mortisugu was one of many tokusatsu actors who narrated an episode of Miss Kuroitsu from the Monster Development Department in 2022.[30] He narrated the seventh episode as a reference to Ultraseven.
- In 2004, Moritsugu appeared as a guest in Ultra Heroine Legend: From Anne to Seven, where he participated in a retrospective discussion about Ultraseven alongside Yuriko Hishimi and Kazuho Mitsuta.
External Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASRB55SJPRB5UPQJ00C.html
- ↑ https://www.sankei.com/article/20150929-2AF6DGZKJJIQXGW4YWIKRKGMEQ/?outputType=theme_portrait
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.sankei.com/article/20150928-2F6HIWKSMJOHXMIHJTY7Y75JH4/?outputType=theme_portrait
- ↑ https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/220724
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://www.sankei.com/article/20150930-H6U3XC7JBJK2FMC5REJ76PPFVQ/?outputType=theme_portrait
- ↑ https://www.jolichapeau.com/
- ↑ https://www.sankei.com/article/20151001-IGYNHEXOTBIGJBYLD7XJQZ33II/?outputType=theme_portrait
- ↑ https://www.sankei.com/article/20151002-I3IDPD7AMZKF3KR3Z43YEJJQUI/?outputType=theme_portrait
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://archivo.elcomercio.pe/amp/tvmas/television/conozca-kohji-moritsugu-hombre-que-encarno-ultrasiete-noticia-702818
- ↑ https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0132666
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/post-6526
- ↑ https://hochi.news/articles/20221107-OHT1T51132.html?page=1
- ↑ https://hochi.news/articles/20221107-OHT1T51134.html?page=1
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20161112035404/http://blog.m-78.jp/2013/06/26/次回よりスタート！%E3%80%80「新」ウルトラマン列伝/
- ↑ https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/111892
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/post-6729
- ↑ http://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/6096
- ↑ https://ultra.hida-ch.com/
- ↑ https://www.due-pro.com/ultra/
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-2107
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-2661
- ↑ https://x.com/ichikawakon/status/1591039316486422531
- ↑ https://hochi.news/articles/20221207-OHT1T51167.html?page=1
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-2642
- ↑ https://x.com/tsuburayaprod/status/1728705190575092040
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/p-et-tp0-20110727-811234.html
- ↑ https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASDG2704T_Y1A720C1CC0000/
- ↑ https://beamie.jp/?m=user&a=blog&k=detail&target_c_diary_id=64398
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO04PMdtCh0
- ↑ https://akiba-souken.com/article/55820/