He has played both the primary antagonist and protagonist in two different films that are both based on the same novel - "Peaceful Days" by Shûgorô Yamamoto. The former was the character Hanbei in Sanjuro (1962), while the latter was Genta in Kill! (1968).
He played characters of a very different age from his own through his career. In Harakiri (1962), he played a samurai in his 50s while he was 33. In Kwaidan (1964), he played a 18-year-old woodcutter when he himself was 36. In Ran (1985) he played a nearly 80-year-old emperor when he was 56.
Though a frequent on-screen rival, he was good friends with Toshirô Mifune.