Yumika Hayashi
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese AV idol
and pink film actress. She earned the title of "Japan's Original Adult Video Queen" during a 16-year career in which she starred in nearly 200 AVs and appeared in over 180 films. Also a prominent pink film actress, Hayashi was the subject of a documentary in 1997, and she was awarded Best Actress at the Pink Grand Prix
awards in 2004, and a special Career Award the following year. Her death on June 28, 2005, after celebrating her 35th birthday, ended one of the longest careers in the AV field, and made front-page news in Tokyo. Following her death, Hayashi was the subject of several theatrical retrospectives, a 382-page biography, and a second special Career Award at the Pink Grand Prix.
Hayashi made her adult video debut in the bishōjo
genre with the June 1989 h.m.p.
Miss Christine release, . She made her pink film debut the same year, and her starring debut with the Xces studio release, in October 1990. She became one of the most popular AV Actresses of the 1990s. Several of her early videos were for the V&R Planning
studio under the direction of Company Matsuo
who was also her lover.
Cult director Hisayasu Satō
chose Hayashi for a major role in his 1993
film Real Action: Drink Up!, and continued an association with the actress in several films. In his entry in the Molester's Train series, Molester's Train: Dirty Behavior aka Birthday Hayashi had a role in a film whose "austere tone" was in direct contrast to the light, comic tone of the previous films in the series, started by Academy Award-winner Yōjirō Takita
in 1982. In the role of the "gluttonous woman" who eats herself in Satō's Naked Blood
(1996) Hayashi performed what Allmovie calls "one of the most appalling scenes in Japanese horror". In 1995, Hayashi played a role in a TBS
television series featuring Taro Miyako Nishimura's fictional detective, Inspector Totsukawa, .
By mid-1996, another V&R Planning director, Katsuyuki Hirano
(who was married) had replaced Company Matsuo as Hayashi's lover and the two of them traveled to the north of Japan in July 2006 on a bike trip. Hirano produced an AV version of their trip titled Tokyo - Rebun 41-day Adultery Bicycle Touring Trip and later in 1997 edited a mainstream documentary on the trip entitled Yumika. Hayashi received credit for the shooting of the film, and Hirano was Hayashi's co-star. In 1998, she was again working in television in the NHK
TV drama Blue Fireworks (青い花火 or Aoi Hanabi) broadcast on November 28, 1998. Hayashi also appeared in director Yōichirō Takahashi's drama Nichiyōbi wa Owaranai (日曜日は終わらない) which originally aired on NHK
TV as a High-Definition satellite TV broadcast on October 21, 1999. It was subsequently shown as Sunday's Dream (1999) at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival
, and won the FIPRESCI Prize
at the Chicago International Film Festival
. In their review of the film, midnighteye.com commented, "The big surprise is that former porn star Yumika Hayashi is also very good as the happy-go-lucky Sachiko".
As one of the top erotic actresses of her day, Hayashi was invited to the Cinequint theater in Shibuya
to speak at a woman's-only night showing of pink films in March 2002. Similar events had attracted a large audience of young women. On the subject of women viewing her films, Hayashi told the weekly Shūkan Bunshun, "To be honest, I've never really thought about whether my movies were being watched by men or women. We always presume that only guys are going to turn them on... Still, this'll be a great chance for girls to get to know about the porno movie industry. I think the most enjoyable part of the night is going to be the questions asked after the films are over. I wonder what the girls are going to ask me?"
At the 17th Pink Grand Prix
awards, for the year of 2004, Hayashi won the "Best Actress" award for her performance in . Hayashi's prolific career earned her a reputation as a "iron woman" of Japanese erotic cinema, and after her death, the weekly Shūkan Taishū wrote that Hayashi's 180 filmed appearances deserved mention in the Guinness World Records
. At the Pink Grand Prix for 2005 she was given a special Career Award for Achievement as an Actress.
became concerned that Hayashi had not reported for work for a couple of days, he, another AV worker and Hayashi's mother went to her apartment on the morning of June 29, 2005, two days after Hayashi's 35th birthday. There they discovered her dead body in bed. A friend of Hayashi's described the scene to reporters, "Yumika was lying in her bed and the three people who found her thought she was sleeping. When they realized she wasn't breathing, they quickly called for an ambulance, but it was already too late, Yumika's mom was shattered, screaming, crying and going half crazy."
At the time of her death, suicide
and murder
were both considered possible causes of death. Hayashi's romantic life was seen as a possible cause of foul play. A colleague in the AV industry reported that Hayashi had broken off a relationship with a younger man about three months before her death. "They'd lived together for a while. She seemed to have been pretty shocked when the relationship came to an end."
A neighbor agreed telling reporters, "About three months ago, she had a huge fight with a guy that forced the cops to be called to our apartment block. A pile of men's photos and underpants came flying out of the window of her eighth floor apartment and landed on passers-by."
Hayashi's friend and director Yumi Yoshiyuki
disagreed with the possibility of suicide, telling Friday weekly, "She was a really bright kid. She'd told me that she'd just found a new boyfriend and was really happy. I cannot believe she could possibly have committed suicide."
It was later determined that no intentional causes were involved in the actress' death. Instead Hayashi's death was the result of a night of heavy drinking while celebrating her 35th birthday. After the party, Hayashi had choked to death in her bed after vomiting in her sleep.
special on those who had recently passed away. The show, Sayonara 5, 6 tsuki hen (さよなら ５、６月編), was broadcast on August 12, 2005 and included reminiscences and some details of the day before her death.
Hayashi's last film, (2005), directed by Yumi Yoshiyuki
, was released in September 2005.
Yoshiyuki and co-star Sakurako Kaoru
participated in the memorial ceremony for Hayashi at the film's opening at the Ueno Okura theater. The film received a standing ovation. Hayashi's posthumous work was chosen as the fifth best pink release of the year 2005 at the Pink Grand Prix
. The 2006 Pink Grand Prix posthumously gave Hayashi her second special award for her work as a pink film actress. Yoshiyuki Hayashida, founder of the pink film magazine P*G and the Pink Grand Prix co-authored a 382-page biography of Hayashi in 2006 entitled . In 2009, Japanese-Korean director Tetsuaki Matsue filmed a documentary on Hayashi. Titled , the film includes appearances by Hayashi's former colleagues actress Lemon Hanazawa
and directors Company Matsuo
and Katsuyuki Hirano
.
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! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Pinky Ribbon Awards
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AV Idol
An AV idol is a Japanese idol who works in the pornographic business, often both as an actress as well as a model as the video performances have a wide range, from just the idol strolling around their house doing chores in bikinis to hardcore porn...
and pink film actress. She earned the title of "Japan's Original Adult Video Queen" during a 16-year career in which she starred in nearly 200 AVs and appeared in over 180 films. Also a prominent pink film actress, Hayashi was the subject of a documentary in 1997, and she was awarded Best Actress at the Pink Grand Prix
Pink Grand Prix
The or is an annual Japanese film award ceremony which recognizes excellence in the pink film. Known as the "Academy Awards of the Pink Film", the ceremony attracts a diverse audience of industry personnel, film scholars and the general public....
awards in 2004, and a special Career Award the following year. Her death on June 28, 2005, after celebrating her 35th birthday, ended one of the longest careers in the AV field, and made front-page news in Tokyo. Following her death, Hayashi was the subject of several theatrical retrospectives, a 382-page biography, and a second special Career Award at the Pink Grand Prix.
Life and career
Yumika Hayashi was born in Tokyo on June 27, 1970. Her parents divorced when she was in 5th grade, elementary school, and Hayashi was on her own by the time she was in high school. Hayashi's mother managed a popular ramen chain.Hayashi made her adult video debut in the bishōjo
Bishojo
is a Japanese term used to refer to young and pretty girls, usually below university age. Bishōjo is not listed as a word in the prominent Japanese dictionary Kōjien...
genre with the June 1989 h.m.p.
H.m.p. (Japan)
h.m.p. is a Japanese company which is involved in adult entertainment including the production and sales of adult videos and the marketing of adult toys and sex aids.-Company information:...
Miss Christine release, . She made her pink film debut the same year, and her starring debut with the Xces studio release, in October 1990. She became one of the most popular AV Actresses of the 1990s. Several of her early videos were for the V&R Planning
V&R Planning
is a Japanese film production and distribution company based in Tokyo which specializes in adult videos .-Company information:V&R Planning was founded in April 1986 by Kaoru Adachi who had previously worked in TV, mostly as an import agent. The V&R stands for "Visual and Retail"...
studio under the direction of Company Matsuo
Company Matsuo
is an innovative Japanese adult video director, producer and entrepreneur. He is credited with popularizing the Japanese porn genre of "hamedori" where the director/actor performs sexually with the actress and also films the action. He has been called "a master of shooting pornography with...
who was also her lover.
Cult director Hisayasu Satō
Hisayasu Sato
is a Japanese exploitation film director. He has worked prolifically in the pinku eiga genre. His best known works are the pink film The Bedroom , and the V-Cinema splatter film Splatter: Naked Blood . He is known for his "sledgehammer" filmmaking style, and using his exploitation career to tackle...
chose Hayashi for a major role in his 1993
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
film Real Action: Drink Up!, and continued an association with the actress in several films. In his entry in the Molester's Train series, Molester's Train: Dirty Behavior aka Birthday Hayashi had a role in a film whose "austere tone" was in direct contrast to the light, comic tone of the previous films in the series, started by Academy Award-winner Yōjirō Takita
Yojiro Takita
Yōjirō Takita , is a Japanese filmmaker.-Career:Yōjirō Takita entered the film industry throughMukai Productions, where he served as an assistant director...
in 1982. In the role of the "gluttonous woman" who eats herself in Satō's Naked Blood
Naked Blood
is a 1996 Japanese horror film directed by Hisayasu Satō. It is a remake of Satō's 1987 film, , and, according to Allmovie, "contains one of the most appalling scenes in Japanese horror." The film is not pornographic and contains only a mild sex scene near the end of the film.- Plot :A scientist...
(1996) Hayashi performed what Allmovie calls "one of the most appalling scenes in Japanese horror". In 1995, Hayashi played a role in a TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
television series featuring Taro Miyako Nishimura's fictional detective, Inspector Totsukawa, .
By mid-1996, another V&R Planning director, Katsuyuki Hirano
Katsuyuki Hirano
is a Japanese director of adult videos and documentaries. He should be differentiated from the manga artist .-Life and career:Hirano was born in 1964 in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan and was an aspiring cartoonist until he began making amateur films from the time he was 18. Three of his early films...
(who was married) had replaced Company Matsuo as Hayashi's lover and the two of them traveled to the north of Japan in July 2006 on a bike trip. Hirano produced an AV version of their trip titled Tokyo - Rebun 41-day Adultery Bicycle Touring Trip and later in 1997 edited a mainstream documentary on the trip entitled Yumika. Hayashi received credit for the shooting of the film, and Hirano was Hayashi's co-star. In 1998, she was again working in television in the NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
TV drama Blue Fireworks (青い花火 or Aoi Hanabi) broadcast on November 28, 1998. Hayashi also appeared in director Yōichirō Takahashi's drama Nichiyōbi wa Owaranai (日曜日は終わらない) which originally aired on NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
TV as a High-Definition satellite TV broadcast on October 21, 1999. It was subsequently shown as Sunday's Dream (1999) at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival
2000 Cannes Film Festival
The 2000 Cannes Film Festival started on May 14 and ran until May 25. The Palme d'Or went to the Danish film Dancer in the Dark by Lars von Trier.-Jury:* Luc Besson, President * Jonathan Demme * Nicole Garcia...
, and won the FIPRESCI Prize
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
at the Chicago International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
. In their review of the film, midnighteye.com commented, "The big surprise is that former porn star Yumika Hayashi is also very good as the happy-go-lucky Sachiko".
As one of the top erotic actresses of her day, Hayashi was invited to the Cinequint theater in Shibuya
Shibuya, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....
to speak at a woman's-only night showing of pink films in March 2002. Similar events had attracted a large audience of young women. On the subject of women viewing her films, Hayashi told the weekly Shūkan Bunshun, "To be honest, I've never really thought about whether my movies were being watched by men or women. We always presume that only guys are going to turn them on... Still, this'll be a great chance for girls to get to know about the porno movie industry. I think the most enjoyable part of the night is going to be the questions asked after the films are over. I wonder what the girls are going to ask me?"
At the 17th Pink Grand Prix
Pink Grand Prix
The or is an annual Japanese film award ceremony which recognizes excellence in the pink film. Known as the "Academy Awards of the Pink Film", the ceremony attracts a diverse audience of industry personnel, film scholars and the general public....
awards, for the year of 2004, Hayashi won the "Best Actress" award for her performance in . Hayashi's prolific career earned her a reputation as a "iron woman" of Japanese erotic cinema, and after her death, the weekly Shūkan Taishū wrote that Hayashi's 180 filmed appearances deserved mention in the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
. At the Pink Grand Prix for 2005 she was given a special Career Award for Achievement as an Actress.
Death
When director Katsuyuki HiranoKatsuyuki Hirano
is a Japanese director of adult videos and documentaries. He should be differentiated from the manga artist .-Life and career:Hirano was born in 1964 in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan and was an aspiring cartoonist until he began making amateur films from the time he was 18. Three of his early films...
became concerned that Hayashi had not reported for work for a couple of days, he, another AV worker and Hayashi's mother went to her apartment on the morning of June 29, 2005, two days after Hayashi's 35th birthday. There they discovered her dead body in bed. A friend of Hayashi's described the scene to reporters, "Yumika was lying in her bed and the three people who found her thought she was sleeping. When they realized she wasn't breathing, they quickly called for an ambulance, but it was already too late, Yumika's mom was shattered, screaming, crying and going half crazy."
At the time of her death, suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
were both considered possible causes of death. Hayashi's romantic life was seen as a possible cause of foul play. A colleague in the AV industry reported that Hayashi had broken off a relationship with a younger man about three months before her death. "They'd lived together for a while. She seemed to have been pretty shocked when the relationship came to an end."
A neighbor agreed telling reporters, "About three months ago, she had a huge fight with a guy that forced the cops to be called to our apartment block. A pile of men's photos and underpants came flying out of the window of her eighth floor apartment and landed on passers-by."
Hayashi's friend and director Yumi Yoshiyuki
Yumi Yoshiyuki
is a Japanese film director, actress, and screenwriter best known for her work in the pink film genre.-Life and career:While studying economics at Dokkyo University, Yoshiyuki developed a love of film. She debuted as an actress in the pink film genre in 1993 in director Toshiki Satō's...
disagreed with the possibility of suicide, telling Friday weekly, "She was a really bright kid. She'd told me that she'd just found a new boyfriend and was really happy. I cannot believe she could possibly have committed suicide."
It was later determined that no intentional causes were involved in the actress' death. Instead Hayashi's death was the result of a night of heavy drinking while celebrating her 35th birthday. After the party, Hayashi had choked to death in her bed after vomiting in her sleep.
Legacy
Hayashi was remembered as part of a TV AsahiTV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
special on those who had recently passed away. The show, Sayonara 5, 6 tsuki hen (さよなら ５、６月編), was broadcast on August 12, 2005 and included reminiscences and some details of the day before her death.
Hayashi's last film, (2005), directed by Yumi Yoshiyuki
Yumi Yoshiyuki
is a Japanese film director, actress, and screenwriter best known for her work in the pink film genre.-Life and career:While studying economics at Dokkyo University, Yoshiyuki developed a love of film. She debuted as an actress in the pink film genre in 1993 in director Toshiki Satō's...
, was released in September 2005.
Yoshiyuki and co-star Sakurako Kaoru
Sakurako Kaoru
is a Japanese gravure model, AV idol and pink film actress. First coming to prominence as an award-winning AV actress, Kaoru successfully made the transition to the theatrically released softcore pink film genre...
participated in the memorial ceremony for Hayashi at the film's opening at the Ueno Okura theater. The film received a standing ovation. Hayashi's posthumous work was chosen as the fifth best pink release of the year 2005 at the Pink Grand Prix
Pink Grand Prix
The or is an annual Japanese film award ceremony which recognizes excellence in the pink film. Known as the "Academy Awards of the Pink Film", the ceremony attracts a diverse audience of industry personnel, film scholars and the general public....
. The 2006 Pink Grand Prix posthumously gave Hayashi her second special award for her work as a pink film actress. Yoshiyuki Hayashida, founder of the pink film magazine P*G and the Pink Grand Prix co-authored a 382-page biography of Hayashi in 2006 entitled . In 2009, Japanese-Korean director Tetsuaki Matsue filmed a documentary on Hayashi. Titled , the film includes appearances by Hayashi's former colleagues actress Lemon Hanazawa
Lemon Hanazawa
, aka Remon Hanazawa, is a Japanese pink film and AV actress. She has appeared in award-winning pink films such as Lunch Box and Molester's Train: Sensitive Fingers . She was named "Best New Actress" for her work in this genre in 2004, and "Best Actress" second place in 2005 at the Pink Grand Prix...
and directors Company Matsuo
Company Matsuo
is an innovative Japanese adult video director, producer and entrepreneur. He is credited with popularizing the Japanese porn genre of "hamedori" where the director/actor performs sexually with the actress and also films the action. He has been called "a master of shooting pornography with...
and Katsuyuki Hirano
Katsuyuki Hirano
is a Japanese director of adult videos and documentaries. He should be differentiated from the manga artist .-Life and career:Hirano was born in 1964 in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan and was an aspiring cartoonist until he began making amateur films from the time he was 18. Three of his early films...
.
Photobooks
| Title | Release date | Publisher | Photographer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madonna Mate: Yumika Hayashi |
1990-03-25 | Madonna | ||
| Touch Me | 1990-08-15 | Sanwa Mook | Norio Sugiura | |
| YUMIKA . H | 1996-08 | Urabon | ||
| Love Shadow Ai Shadow |
2002-06 | Urabon | ||
| New Wave |
Further reading
|accessdate=2009-03-15|publisher=P*G Website|language=Japanese}}- Takatoshi, Naoi; Hayashida, Yoshiyuki; Yanashita, Kiichiro (2006). Yumika Hayashi: A Portrait of the Actress as a Young Woman (女優 林由美香 Joyu Hayashi Yumika). Tokyo: Yosensha. ISBN 9784862480729.|accessdate=2009-03-15|publisher=P*G Website|language=Japanese}}
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! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Pink Grand Prix
Pink Grand Prix
The or is an annual Japanese film award ceremony which recognizes excellence in the pink film. Known as the "Academy Awards of the Pink Film", the ceremony attracts a diverse audience of industry personnel, film scholars and the general public....
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! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Pinky Ribbon Awards
Pinky Ribbon Awards
The are a Japanese cinema awards ceremony which recognizes excellence in the pink film genre. The award is held by , a Kansai region paper covering the pink film industry. Readers of the paper elect the winners of the awards, which have been held annually since 2004. Honors go to the best three...
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