The Rumbling Guitarist

In the nine part Wataridori series (1959-1962), Kobayashi played a wanderer on Japan’s back roads with most of the accoutrements of a Western hero, from a horse to fringes, guitar and even a trusty bullwhip. He moseys into a town or ranch, sides with the good local folk against gangsters and other evildoers, and wins the affection of a local maid, played in all but one installment by Asaoka. He also finds a rival in Joe Shishido, playing his usual role as a scapegrace with a good heart.