anniversary of his passing. In 2000, Kinema Junpō published an article titled “Film Stars of the 20th Century: Male Actors.” Raizō placed 6th. In the same issue's “Readers’ Choice: Male Film Stars of the 20th Century" he was ranked 7th. In the 2014 list of “All Time Best Japanese Film Stars” he was ranked 3rd in the list of male actors. In a 2014 blog post, Ichikawa Ebizō XI implied that the honorific name Ichikawa Raizō was under his care, and thus it can be seen as having been returned to the Ichikawa house and line following Raizō's death. Family Raizō married Masako Nagata, daughter of Masaichi Nagata, in a private wedding ceremony in 1962. She took his name, becoming Masako Ōta, and they had three children together. Raizō had told Masako “I never want [my family] in the public eye,” when he was alive, and she continued to uphold his wishes after his death until 40 years had passed, when a special issue of Bungeishunjū was published in 2009, featuring a memoir by Masako Ōta titled “A love letter to my husband, Ichikawa Raizo, 40 years later.” Awards Data taken from “雷蔵, 雷蔵を語る” (Raizō, Raizō ga Kataru) January 1959: Kinema Junpō – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Enjō) February 1959: Blue Ribbon Award – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, NHK Film – Excellence in a Male Leading Role (Enjō, Benten Kozō) September 1959: Cinema Nuovo – Excellence in a Male Role (Enjō) November 1964: Tokyo Citizens’ Film Festival – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Ken) February 1967: NHK Film – Excellence in a Male Leading Role, Kinema Junpō – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Hanaoka Seishū no Tsuma) November 1968: Tokyo Citizens’ Film Festival – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Hanaoka Seishū no Tsuma) November 1969: Tokyo Citizens’ Film Festival – Makino Shōzō Prize Acclaim Acting The screenwriter Fuji Yahiro said of Raizō's manners, “Regardless of to whom he was speaking, he was always polite and proper, without arrogance or effusive emotion,” and that shone through in his acting style. According to Yahiro, “Even among the great number of jidaigeki actors, nobody else had his good manners – and I mean that in a good way – not a single other actor felt like a true bushi-like swordsman the