Famed actor Tokita Fujio (常田 富士男) has passed away at the age of 81. Though he had appeared in many Kurosawa films, he was best known for voicing “Manga Nippon Mukashibanashi” (まんが日本昔ばなし, Animated Japanese Fables) along with actress Etsuko Ichihara (市原悦子). This delightful series of short animations was broadcast for two decades from 1975 and invariably began with Tokita-san intoning, 「むかーし、むかしのことじゃったぁ」(“This is a tale from long, long ago.”)
Born in Nagano, Tokita-san moved to Minami Oguni as a child, which no doubt left a deep impact on his imagination and is likely reflected in the series. He then attended Seseko High School before moving to Tokyo to pursue his acting career but most certainly always remained a Higokko (肥後っ子, Kumamotoite).
On a personal note, I often watched reruns of the show with my children when they were young and my knowledge of Japan was poor and remember them quite fondly - I even bought a set of VHS tapes. Fortunately, many episodes are available on Youtube; just copy-paste まんが日本昔ばなし for some classic summer entertainment. Below is a clip of Mukashibanashi’s theme song.
Sayonara, Tokita-san, and arigatou. - William
P.S. - link to your favorite episodes in the comments section if you’d like.
