He began acting at the Yoshi Hijikatas theatre Company after dropping out of Nihon University.
[1] Kusanagi made his film debut in 1953 in Yoake Mae directed by Kōzaburō Yoshimura.
[1] In 1956, he starred in Darkness at Noon,[1] which was based on the true story of an innocent man arrested, tried and executed for a crime he didn't commit.
Kusanagi appeared in over 40 films, mostly in supporting roles, in films such as Alone on the Pacific, The Sun, Bee Bop High School, and The Man Who Stole the Sun.
Kusanagi died of pneumonia on November 11, 2007, aged 78.