Background
Sawamura, whose original name was Yūichi Katō, was born in Tokyo to the kabuki actor Denzō Takeshiba.
沢村 国太郎
Sawamura, whose original name was Yūichi Katō, was born in Tokyo to the kabuki actor Denzō Takeshiba.
He studied acting under Sōjūrō Sawamura VII before taking the stage name Kunitarō Sawamura IV in 1926, appearing mostly as an onnagata.
He began his movie career at the film studio Makino Productions in 1929, and later moved to Nikkatsu, working most of the time in jidaigeki. After the war, he mainly worked as a character actor. Sawamura fathered the actors Masahiko Tsugawa and Hiroyuki Nagato, both of whom married famous actresses, Yukiji Asaoka and Yōko Minamida respectively.