Hideko Takamine
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
actress who began as a child actor
and maintained her fame in a career that spanned nine decades.
Born in Hakodate
, Hokkaidō
, Japan
, Takamine's first role was in the Shochiku
studio's 1929 film Mother (Haha), which brought her tremendous popularity as a child actor. Soon she was billed as Japan's Shirley Temple
. After moving to Toho
in 1937, her dramatic roles in Kajirō Yamamoto
's Tsuzurikata kyōshitsu and Uma brought her added fame as a girl star. Some of her film appearances from the 1930s and 1940s were lost during the Second World War when Japan's film archives suffered from bombing and fires.
In 1950, she made what was considered a very daring move by breaking with the Japanese studio system, leaving the Shin Toho Studio and becoming a much sought-after freelance actress. Her films with directors Keisuke Kinoshita
and Mikio Naruse
during the 1950s and early 1960s made her Japan's top star. Her performance as a dedicated small town teacher observing her students' lives over several decades in Kinoshita
's The Twenty-four Eyes
(1954) is credited with that film's tremendous success and enduring popularity in Japan. Another powerful performance was as a tenant farmer's daughter who is raped and forced to marry the cruel landlord's crippled son in Immortal Love
(1961).
Takamine was especially favored by director Mikio Naruse
, starring in a dozen of his films and portraying strong-willed, hardworking women struggling in poverty or lowly positions, and often held down by the traditional family system. Some of her more moving roles include the tragic, love-struck heroine in Floating Clouds
(1955) and an aging Ginza
bar hostess desperate to escape her circumstances in When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
(1960). Naruse was shy, few of his closest collaborators knew him well and Hideko Takamine remembered - "Even during the shooting of a picture, he would never say if anything was good, or bad, interesting or trite. He was a completely unresponsive director. I appeared in about 20 of his films, and yet there was never an instance in which he gave me any acting instructions.'
She married director-writer Zenzo Matsuyama in 1955, but set a precedent by choosing not to give up her acting career. She made many of her most memorable films in the 1960s and retired from making movies in 1979.
After retiring as an actress, she gained renown as a witty essayist. She died of lung cancer on 28 December 2010 at the age of 86.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
actress who began as a child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
and maintained her fame in a career that spanned nine decades.
Life and career
Hakodate, Hokkaido
is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture.Hakodate was Japan's first city whose port was opened to foreign trade in 1854 as a result of Convention of Kanagawa, and used to be the most important port in northern Japan...
, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Takamine's first role was in the Shochiku
Shochiku
is a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...
studio's 1929 film Mother (Haha), which brought her tremendous popularity as a child actor. Soon she was billed as Japan's Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
. After moving to Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
in 1937, her dramatic roles in Kajirō Yamamoto
Kajirō Yamamoto
was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor who was known for his war films and comedies and as the mentor of Akira Kurosawa.-Early life:Born in Tokyo, Yamamoto attended Keio University where he helped form a film appreciation society...
's Tsuzurikata kyōshitsu and Uma brought her added fame as a girl star. Some of her film appearances from the 1930s and 1940s were lost during the Second World War when Japan's film archives suffered from bombing and fires.
In 1950, she made what was considered a very daring move by breaking with the Japanese studio system, leaving the Shin Toho Studio and becoming a much sought-after freelance actress. Her films with directors Keisuke Kinoshita
Keisuke Kinoshita
was a Japanese film director.Although lesser known internationally than his fellow filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa , Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu , Keisuke Kinoshita was nonetheless a household figure at home beloved by audience and critics alike, especially in the forties through the sixties...
and Mikio Naruse
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...
during the 1950s and early 1960s made her Japan's top star. Her performance as a dedicated small town teacher observing her students' lives over several decades in Kinoshita
Keisuke Kinoshita
was a Japanese film director.Although lesser known internationally than his fellow filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa , Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu , Keisuke Kinoshita was nonetheless a household figure at home beloved by audience and critics alike, especially in the forties through the sixties...
's The Twenty-four Eyes
Twenty-Four Eyes
, based on the novel by Sakae Tsuboi, is a 1954 Japanese film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita.-Synopsis:The movie follows the career of a schoolteacher named Ōishi in Shōdoshima during the rise and fall of Japanese ultra-nationalism in the beginning of the Shōwa period...
(1954) is credited with that film's tremendous success and enduring popularity in Japan. Another powerful performance was as a tenant farmer's daughter who is raped and forced to marry the cruel landlord's crippled son in Immortal Love
Immortal Love
Immortal Love is a 1961 Japanese drama film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.- Cast :*Hideko Takamine as Sadako*Keiji Sada as Takashi...
(1961).
Takamine was especially favored by director Mikio Naruse
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...
, starring in a dozen of his films and portraying strong-willed, hardworking women struggling in poverty or lowly positions, and often held down by the traditional family system. Some of her more moving roles include the tragic, love-struck heroine in Floating Clouds
Floating Clouds
is a 1955 black-and-white Japanese film drama directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on the novel of the same name by Japanese author and poet Fumiko Hayashi....
(1955) and an aging Ginza
Ginza
is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi.It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is recognized as one of the most...
bar hostess desperate to escape her circumstances in When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse.Keiko, a young widow, becomes a bar hostess in Ginza to make ends meet. The story recounts the struggles to maintain her independence in a male-dominated society...
(1960). Naruse was shy, few of his closest collaborators knew him well and Hideko Takamine remembered - "Even during the shooting of a picture, he would never say if anything was good, or bad, interesting or trite. He was a completely unresponsive director. I appeared in about 20 of his films, and yet there was never an instance in which he gave me any acting instructions.'
She married director-writer Zenzo Matsuyama in 1955, but set a precedent by choosing not to give up her acting career. She made many of her most memorable films in the 1960s and retired from making movies in 1979.
After retiring as an actress, she gained renown as a witty essayist. She died of lung cancer on 28 December 2010 at the age of 86.
Filmography
(incomplete)- Tokyo ChorusTokyo Choruswas a 1931 silent movie produced by Shochiku Company, directed by acclaimed and influential Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu and starring Tokihiko Okada and Emiko Yagumo. It was based on various stories in the Shoshimin-gai series and also shares influences with King Vidor's The Crowd...
(東京の合唱 Tokyo no kōrasu) (1931) - Hideko the Bus-ConductorHideko the Bus-Conductor, based on the short story Okomasan by Masuji Ibuse, is a 1941 Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse. It is a short film of 54 minutes.-Synopsis:Hideko, a young lady working as a conductor with a bus company in Kofu, Yamanashi, has an idea for her bus that could avert the dwindling number of...
(Hideko no shasho-san) (1941) - Ahen sensoAhen sensoaka The Opium War is a 1943 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Masahiro Makino."Ahen senso" in Japan refers to the First Opium War...
(阿片戦争) (1943) - Those Who Make TomorrowThose Who Make Tomorrowis a 1946 film written by Yusaku Yamagata and Kajiro Yamamoto and directed by Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto. Kurosawa would later leave the film out of his credits.-External links:* at the Japanese Movie Database...
(明日を作る人々, Asu o tsukuru hitobito) (1946) - (銀座カンカン娘 Ginza kankan musumeGinza kankan musumeis a 1949 black and white Japanese film directed by Koji Shima....
) (1949) - The Munekata Sisters (Munekata kyoudai) (1950)
- Carmen Comes HomeCarmen Comes Homeis a 1951 color Japanese film comedy directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. Filmed using Fujicolor, it was Japan's first color film.- Cast :* Hideko Takamine as Lily Carmen, Aoyama Kin* Shūji Sano as the blind man Haruo Taguchi* Chishu Ryu as schoolmaster...
(カルメン故郷に帰る, Karumen kokyō ni kaeru) (1951) - LightningLightning (film)is a 1952 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse.The film won 1953 Blue Ribbon Awards for best director , best film and for best supporting actress Chieko Nakakita. It also won Mainichi Film Concours for best film score by Ichirō Saitō and again for best supporting actress Chieko...
(稲妻 Inazuma) (1952) - Entotsu no mieru bashoEntotsu no mieru bashoEntotsu no mieru basho is a 1953 Japanese drama film directed by Heinosuke Gosho. It was entered into the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Ken Uehara - Ryukichi Ogata* Kinuyo Tanaka - Hiroko Ogata* Hiroshi Akutagawa - Kenzo Kubo...
(1953) - Twenty-four EyesTwenty-Four Eyes, based on the novel by Sakae Tsuboi, is a 1954 Japanese film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita.-Synopsis:The movie follows the career of a schoolteacher named Ōishi in Shōdoshima during the rise and fall of Japanese ultra-nationalism in the beginning of the Shōwa period...
(Nijū-shi no hitomi) (1954) - Floating CloudsFloating Cloudsis a 1955 black-and-white Japanese film drama directed by Mikio Naruse. It is based on the novel of the same name by Japanese author and poet Fumiko Hayashi....
(Ukigumo) (1955) - Flowing (NagareruNagareruis a 1956 Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse. The black-and-white drama starred Kinuyo Tanaka, Isuzu Yamada, Hideko Takamine, Mariko Okada, Haruko Sugimura, Sumiko Kurishima, Chieko Nakakita, Natsuko Kahara, Seiji Miyaguchi, Daisuke Katō, Nobuo Nakamura, Kumeko Otowa and others....
) (1956) - A Wife's HeartA Wife's Heartis a 1956 black and white Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse.-External links: http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1956/cf002010.htm...
(Tsuma no kokoro) (1956) - Untamed Woman (Arakure) (1957)
- (喜びも悲しみも幾歳月 第一部第二部 Yorokobi mo kanashimi mo ikutoshitsukiYorokobi mo kanashimi mo ikutoshitsukiaka The Lighthouse or Times of Joy and Sorrow or Years of Joy and Sorrow, is a 1957 color Japanese film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita....
) aka The Lighthouse or Times of Joy and Sorrow or Years of Joy and Sorrow (1957) - (無法松の一生 Muhomatsu no issho The Life of Wild Matsu) aka Rickshaw ManRickshaw ManRickshaw Man is a 1958 color Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. Its original Japanese title is . It tells the story of a Matsugoro, a rickshaw man who becomes a surrogate father to the child of a recently widowed woman....
(1958) - When a Woman Ascends the StairsWhen a Woman Ascends the Stairsis a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse.Keiko, a young widow, becomes a bar hostess in Ginza to make ends meet. The story recounts the struggles to maintain her independence in a male-dominated society...
(Onna ga kaidan o agaru toki) (1960) - Daughters, Wives and a Mother (Musume tsuma haha) (1960)
- Immortal LoveImmortal LoveImmortal Love is a 1961 Japanese drama film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.- Cast :*Hideko Takamine as Sadako*Keiji Sada as Takashi...
(Eien no hito) (1961) - A Wanderer's NotebookA Wanderer's Notebook, also known as Her Lonely Lane is a 1962 black-and-white Japanese film drama directed by Mikio Naruse, starring Hideko Takamine. The film is based on the autobiography of author Fumiko Hayashi, whose work the director often adapted for the screen.-Plot:...
(Hourou-ki) (1962) - A Woman's Life (Onna no rekishi) (1963)
- YearningYearning (1964 film)is a 1964 black-and-white Japanese film drama directed by Mikio Naruse, starring Hideko Takamine and Yūzō Kayama. The film is based on the short story by Naruse and screenplay authored by the lead actress's husband, Zenzo Matsuyama...
(Midareru) (1964)
External links
- Eiga Stars IV :: Hideko Takamine Eiga Stars: Portraits of Japanese Divas in Fan Magazines of the 1950s photo gallery
- University of WaterlooUniversity of WaterlooThe University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
, Spring 1994 KINEMA profile - San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, "Director Mikio Naruse retrospective takes insightful plunge into a postwar Japan in flux", December 28, 2005.