way he did.” Kazuo Ikehiro said that Raizō's childhood cast a “shadow of heartlessness” over him, and because of that a “shadowed part” and a “true background part" of his life were exposed. Moreover, they were not merely exposed, but thrust forward willfully, in Ikehiro's estimation. Kazuo Mori, the director with whom Raizō produced the greatest number of films, said that Raizo carried “a human pain of which he didn’t speak to anyone” which he sublimated into each of his performances. In an interview between Mori and the film critic Sadao Yamane, the two agreed that Raizō had a “refreshing sorrow” about him. Yamane explained this further, saying “while it’s true that he played a great many tragic roles, it wasn’t simply with a dark depression or gloom; he had a very crisp presentation. There wasn’t a single other actor who was equipped with both this sorrow and this cool crispness the way that Raizō was.” Tadao Satō said of Raizō's acting, that whether in jidaigeki or in modern dramas, “whether the most miserable role or the most comedic, he acted with elegance and lent sophistication and grace to the final product.” Film critic Saburō Kawamoto said of Raizō's acting, “even when he’s here, he’s not here,” and clarified, “even in this filthy world, there was a sense of purity about him, as though he were a glimpse into a faraway place.” “Some people might take my saying ‘sense of purity’ as some sort of posturing phrase, but it's not.” Two of Raizō’s contemporaries, Sakata Tōjūrō IV and Nakamura Jakuemon IV, also attempted to change careers from kabuki to film, but failed to find success and returned to the kabuki stage. When asked his thoughts on this, Akinari Suzuki said that he felt that Raizō had found success in film because he was not steeped in kabuki in his young childhood, and thus avoided being totally stained by it. Appearance Raizō usually looked plain, not eye-catching, but when his makeup was applied for a film shoot he would completely transform. Many people in the film industry spoke about this particular quirk. According to Arashi Ichikawa, Raizō’s essence was “hardness divided by simplicity,” and in stark contrast to other stars when playing their popular characters, Raizō's unmade-up simplicity “would transform completely with makeup,” he said of this peculiar quirk. According to Akira Inoue, when given makeup Raizō's usual appearance would become