Kinuyo Tanaka
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was a Japanese actress and
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...
. She had a career lasting over 50 years with more than 250 acting credits, but was best known for her 15 films with director
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, who directed about one hundred films during his career between 1923 and 1956. His most acclaimed works include ''The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums'' (1939), '' The Life of Oharu'' (1952), ''Ugets ...
, such as ''
The Life of Oharu is a 1952 Japanese historical fiction film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi from a screenplay by Yoshikata Yoda. It stars Kinuyo Tanaka as Oharu, a one-time concubine of a ''daimyō'' (and mother of a later ''daimyō'') who struggles to escape the s ...
'' (1952) and ''
Ugetsu , is a 1953 Japanese historical drama and fantasy film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi starring Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō. It is based on two stories in Ueda Akinari's 1776 book of the same name, combining elements of the '' jidaigeki'' ( ...
'' (1953). With her 1953 directorial debut, ''
Love Letter A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...
'', Tanaka became the second Japanese woman to direct a film, after Tazuko Sakane.


Biography


Early life and career

Tanaka was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the youngest of nine children of Kumekichi and Yasu Tanaka. Her family were ''
kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...
'' merchants. Although her family was originally wealthy, after her father Kumekichi died in 1912, the family began having financial troubles. She learned playing the
biwa The is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute traditionally used in narrative storytelling. The is a plucked string instrument that first gained popularity in China before spreading throughout East Asia, eventually reaching Japan sometime duri ...
at an early age and moved to
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
in 1920, where she joined the Biwa Girls' Operetta Troupe. Tanaka's first credited film appearance was in ''Genroku Onna'' (lit. "A Woman of the Genroku era") in 1924, which also marked the start of her affiliation with the
Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not al ...
Studios. She lived with director Hiroshi Shimizu after appearing in a number of his films; although they separated in 1929, she starred in some of his later films. Tanaka remained unmarried for her entire life and had no children. She became a leading actress at an early age, appearing in
Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in t ...
's '' I Graduated, But...'' in 1929. The following year she played the lead in '' Aiyoku no ki'', and in 1931 she appeared in Japan's first
sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decad ...
, ''
The Neighbor's Wife and Mine is a 1931 Japanese comedy film directed by Heinosuke Gosho. It was Japan's first feature length film to fully employ sound. Plot The comedic story depicts a playwright attempting to write a play by a strict deadline and getting distracted by h ...
'', directed by
Heinosuke Gosho was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who directed Japan's first sound film, '' The Neighbor's Wife and Mine'', in 1931. His films are mostly associated with the shomin-geki (lit. "common people drama") genre. Among his most noted works ...
. Gosho also directed her in his adaptation of the famous
Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal a ...
story, ''
The Dancing Girl of Izu is a novel by Japanese writer and Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata first published in 1926. Plot The narrator, a twenty-year-old student from Tokyo, travels the Izu Peninsula during the last days of the summer holidays, a journey which he ...
'' (1933). In the 1930s, Tanaka became so popular that the titles of many feature films used her name, as in ''Kinuyo Monogatari'' ("The Kinuyo Story"), ''Joi Kinuyo Sensei'' ("Doctor Kinuyo") and ''Kinuyo no Hatsukoi'' ("Kinuyo's First Love"). In 1938, she starred in Hiromasa Nomura's ''Aizen katsura'' with Ken Uehara, which was the highest-grossing movie of the prewar period. In 1940, she worked with
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, who directed about one hundred films during his career between 1923 and 1956. His most acclaimed works include ''The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums'' (1939), '' The Life of Oharu'' (1952), ''Ugets ...
for the first time, starring in ''Naniwa Onna'' ("A Woman of Osaka"), which is regarded as a
lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy ...
. The following year, she appeared in ''
Ornamental Hairpin is a 1941 Japanese comedy-drama film written and directed by Hiroshi Shimizu. It is based on the short story ''Yottsu no yubune'' (四つの湯槽, lit. "The four bathtubs") by Masuji Ibuse. Plot A diverse group of people is staying at a remote ...
'', directed by Shimizu, which nowadays ranks, also thanks to Tanaka's performance, as one of the director's most mature achievements. 1944 saw her first collaboration with director
Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi an ...
in the patriotic piece ''
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
''. The film became famous for its finale which, a subversion of its militarist message, showed a mother (Tanaka) desperately trying to catch a last glimpse of her son who is marching off to war.


Post-war career

Starting in October 1949, Tanaka made a three-month trip to the United States as one of Japan's first post-war cultural envoys. On her return, Tanaka displayed an inheritance of cultural mannerisms from America which many of her fans found distasteful. She resigned from Shochiku and announced her intention of going freelance, which would give her more scope to choose which directors she wished to work with. She subsequently worked on films with Mikio Naruse, Ozu, Kinoshita, Gosho and others. She had a close working relationship with director Kenji Mizoguchi, having parts in 15 of his films, including leading roles in ''
The Life of Oharu is a 1952 Japanese historical fiction film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi from a screenplay by Yoshikata Yoda. It stars Kinuyo Tanaka as Oharu, a one-time concubine of a ''daimyō'' (and mother of a later ''daimyō'') who struggles to escape the s ...
'' (1952), ''
Ugetsu , is a 1953 Japanese historical drama and fantasy film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi starring Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō. It is based on two stories in Ueda Akinari's 1776 book of the same name, combining elements of the '' jidaigeki'' ( ...
'' (1953) and ''
Sansho the Bailiff is a 1954 Japanese period film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Based on a 1915 short story of the same name by Mori Ōgai (usually translated as "Sanshō the Steward" in English), which in turn was based on a folktale, it follows two aristocratic ch ...
'' (1954). A recurrent topic of these films, both contemporary and historic dramas, was the fate of women mistreated by family, lovers and society. Tanaka's and Mizoguchi's involvement was the subject of much speculation, on which the actress commented in the 1975 documentary '' Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director'' that she and Mizoguchi were "married in front of the camera, but not behind it". Their working relationship ended when Mizoguchi countered a recommendation from the Directors Guild of Japan for the
Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally ...
studio to hire her as a director.


Director and actress

Tanaka was the second Japanese woman who worked as a film director, after Tazuko Sakane. Despite Mizoguchi's objection against her application, Tanaka was able to give her directing debut with ''
Love Letter A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...
'' in 1953. Scripted by Kinoshita, it was entered as a contestant in the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
in 1954. She directed five more films between 1953 and 1962, focusing on the subject of femininity; while her films received less attention from contemporary commentators and Tanaka herself downplayed them, interest in them has been revived in recent years for their unique and pioneering portrayals of Japanese women. ''The Moon Has Risen'' (''Tsuki wa noborinu'') in 1955 was scripted by Yasujirō Ozu, and ''The Wandering Princess'' (''Ruten no onna'') was scripted by Natto Wada and starred Machiko Kyō. One of Tanaka's most acknowledged films, ''
The Eternal Breasts , also titled ''Forever a Woman'', is a 1955 Japanese drama film directed by actress Kinuyo Tanaka. It is based on the life of tanka poet Fumiko Nakajō (1922–1954). Plot Unhappily married Fumiko, mother of two children, divorces her drug-ad ...
'', follows the biography of the late
tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the '' Man'yōshū'' (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short ...
poetess Fumiko Nakajo (1922–1954). In addition to her directing jobs, Tanaka continued with her acting career, appearing in Kinoshita's '' The Ballad Of Narayama'' (1958), for which she received the
Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actress The Kinema Junpo Awards for Best Actress is given by ''Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of d ...
, and in
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...
's ''
Red Beard is a 1965 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, in his last collaboration with actor Toshiro Mifune. Based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's 1959 short story collection, '' Akahige Shinryōtan'', the film takes pl ...
'' (1965). During the 1960s, she moved increasingly towards television. For her performance as an aged prostitute in
Kei Kumai was a Japanese film director from Azumino, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he began work as a director's assistant. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for his first film, '' Nihon r ...
's 1975 '' Sandakan N° 8'' she won the Best Actress Award at the
25th Berlin International Film Festival The 25th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 27 June – 8 July 1975. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Hungarian film ''Adoption'' directed by Márta Mészáros. The retrospective dedicated to Greta Garbo was shown at the ...
. Tanaka died of a brain tumor on 21 March 1977.


Legacy

Director
Masaki Kobayashi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, best known for the epic trilogy ''The Human Condition'' (1959–1961), the samurai films '' Harakiri'' (1962) and '' Samurai Rebellion'' (1967), and the horror anthology ''Kwaidan'' (1964). ''Sens ...
, to whom she was second cousin, initiated an award bearing her name. Since 1985, the Kinuyo Tanaka Award (田中絹代賞) for an actress' works and career is awarded at the annual Mainichi Film Concours ceremony. A wave of renewed international interest in Tanaka's work started in 2012 with a symposium and retrospective at the University of Leeds. In 2018, Irene Gonzalez-Lopez and Michael Smith published the first English-language collection on Tanaka's work and life, ''Tanaka Kinuyo: Nation, Stardom and Female Subjectivity''. In 2020, artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival Lili Hinstin announced a major retrospective dedicated to Tanaka actress and director, postponed in 2021 due to the Covid Pandemic situation and then cancelled after she left the festival. In 2021, all six of the films Tanaka directed were screened theatrically in digitally remastered versions at the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
and the Lyon Film Festival. Three of these films were presented in 4K restorations at the 34th
Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...
.


Filmography


Actress (partial)

Tanaka appeared in 258 films, not counting TV appearances. * 1929: '' I Graduated, But...'' (大学は出たけれど, Daigaku wa detakeredo) – directed by
Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in t ...
* 1930: ''I Flunked, But...'' (落第はしたけれど, Rakudai wa shitakeredo) – directed by Yasujirō Ozu * 1931: ''
The Neighbor's Wife and Mine is a 1931 Japanese comedy film directed by Heinosuke Gosho. It was Japan's first feature length film to fully employ sound. Plot The comedic story depicts a playwright attempting to write a play by a strict deadline and getting distracted by h ...
'' (マダムと女房, Madamu to nyōbō) – directed by
Heinosuke Gosho was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who directed Japan's first sound film, '' The Neighbor's Wife and Mine'', in 1931. His films are mostly associated with the shomin-geki (lit. "common people drama") genre. Among his most noted works ...
* 1932: ''Konjiki Yasha'' (金色夜叉) – directed by Hōtei Nomura * 1933: ''
The Dancing Girl of Izu is a novel by Japanese writer and Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata first published in 1926. Plot The narrator, a twenty-year-old student from Tokyo, travels the Izu Peninsula during the last days of the summer holidays, a journey which he ...
'' (恋の花咲く 伊豆の踊子, Koi no hana saku Izu no odoriko) – directed by Heinosuke Gosho * 1933: '' Woman of Tokyo'' (東京の女, Tōkyō no onna) – directed by Yasujirō Ozu * 1933: ''
Dragnet Girl is a 1933 Japanese silent gangster film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. Written by Tadao Ikeda, the film tells the story of a gangster and his girlfriend finding redemption through the actions of an innocent girl and her not-so-innocent brother. P ...
'' (非常線の女, Hijōsen no onna) – directed by Yasujirō Ozu * 1935: ''Okoto and Sasuke'' (春琴抄 お琴と佐助, Shunkinshō Okoto to Sasuke) – directed by Yasujirō Shimazu * 1935: ''Burden of Life'' (人生のお荷物, Jinsei no onimotsu) – directed by Heinosuke Gosho * 1938: ''Flower in Storm'' (愛染かつら, Aizen katsura) – directed by Hiromasa Nomura * 1941: ''
Ornamental Hairpin is a 1941 Japanese comedy-drama film written and directed by Hiroshi Shimizu. It is based on the short story ''Yottsu no yubune'' (四つの湯槽, lit. "The four bathtubs") by Masuji Ibuse. Plot A diverse group of people is staying at a remote ...
'' (簪, Kanzashi) – directed by Hiroshi Shimizu * 1944: ''
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
'' (陸軍, Rikugun) – directed by
Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi an ...
* 1944: ''The Swordsman'' (宮本武蔵, Miyamoto Musashi) – directed by
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, who directed about one hundred films during his career between 1923 and 1956. His most acclaimed works include ''The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums'' (1939), '' The Life of Oharu'' (1952), ''Ugets ...
* 1945: ''A Tale of Archery at the Sanjusangendo'' (三十三間堂通し矢物語, Sanjūsangendō tōshiya monogatari) – directed by Mikio Naruse * 1946: '' Utamaro and His Five Women'' a.k.a. ''Five Women Around Utamaro'' (歌麿をめぐる五人の女, Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna) – directed by Kenji Mizoguchi * 1947: '' The Love of Sumako the Actress'' (女優須磨子の恋, Joyū Sumako no koi) – directed by Kenji Mizoguchi * 1948: ''Women of the Night'' (夜の女たち, Yoru no onnatachi) – directed by Kenji Mizoguchi * 1948: '' A Hen in the Wind'' (風の中の牝鶏, Kaze no naka no mendori) – directed by Yasujirō Ozu * 1949: '' Flame of My Love'' a.k.a. ''My Love Has Been Burning'' (わが恋は燃えぬ, Waga koi wa moenu) – directed by Kenji Mizoguchi * 1950: ''
Wedding Ring A wedding ring or wedding band is a finger ring that indicates that its wearer is married. It is usually forged from metal, traditionally gold or another precious metal. Rings were used in ancient Rome during marriage, though the modern prac ...
'' a.k.a. Engagement Ring (婚約指環, Kon'yaku yubiwa) – directed by Keisuke Kinoshita * 1950: ''
The Munekata Sisters is a 1950 drama film directed by Yasujirō Ozu and starring Kinuyo Tanaka and Hideko Takamine was a Japanese actress who began as a child actress and maintained her fame in a career that spanned 50 years. She is particularly known for her col ...
'' (宗方姉妹, Munekata kyōdai) – directed by Yasujirō Ozu * 1951: ''The Inner Palace Conspiracy'' (おぼろ駕籠, Oboro kago) – directed by Daisuke Itō * 1951: '' Ginza Cosmetics'' (銀座化粧, Ginza keshō) (1951) – directed by Mikio Naruse * 1951: '' Miss Oyu'' (お遊さま, Oyū-sama) – directed by Kenji Mizoguchi * 1951: ''
The Lady of Musashino is a 1951 Japanese drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It is based on the novel by Shōhei Ōoka. Plot Michiko Akiyama is married to Tadao Akiyama, a college professor but a vulgar man with a lower-class background. Towards the end of World ...
'' a.k.a. ''Lady Musashino'' (武蔵野夫人, Musashino fujin) – directed by Kenji Mizoguchi * 1952: ''
The Life of Oharu is a 1952 Japanese historical fiction film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi from a screenplay by Yoshikata Yoda. It stars Kinuyo Tanaka as Oharu, a one-time concubine of a ''daimyō'' (and mother of a later ''daimyō'') who struggles to escape the s ...
'' (西鶴一代女, Saikaku ichidai onna) – directed by Kenji Mizoguchi * 1952: ''
Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ...
'' (おかあさん, Okaasan) – directed by Mikio Naruse * 1953: ''
Where Chimneys Are Seen , also titled ''Four Chimneys'', is a 1953 Japanese comedy-drama film directed by Heinosuke Gosho. It was entered into the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival. Based on a novel by Rinzō Shiina, ''Where Chimneys Are Seen'' is regarded as one ...
'' a.k.a. Four Chimneys (煙突の見える場所, Entotsu no mieru basho) – directed by Heinosuke Gosho * 1953: ''
Ugetsu , is a 1953 Japanese historical drama and fantasy film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi starring Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō. It is based on two stories in Ueda Akinari's 1776 book of the same name, combining elements of the '' jidaigeki'' ( ...
'' a.k.a. ''Tales of Ugetsu'' (雨月物語, Ugetsu monogatari) – directed by Kenji Mizoguchi * 1954: ''
Sansho the Bailiff is a 1954 Japanese period film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Based on a 1915 short story of the same name by Mori Ōgai (usually translated as "Sanshō the Steward" in English), which in turn was based on a folktale, it follows two aristocratic ch ...
'' (山椒太夫, Sanshō dayū) – directed by Kenji Mizoguchi * 1954: '' Onna no Koyomi'' (女の暦) – directed by
Seiji Hisamatsu (20 February 1912 – 28 December 1990) was a Japanese film director. He directed 101 films between 1934 and 1965. Selected filmography * '' Jūdai no yūwaku'' (1953) * ''Keisatsu nikki'' (1955) * ''Onna no koyomi is a 1954 Japanese ...
* 1954: '' The Woman in the Rumor'' a.k.a. ''The Crucified Woman'' (噂の女, Uwasa no onna) – directed by Kenji Mizoguchi * 1956: ''
Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 199 ...
'' (嵐) – directed by
Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker best remembered for the Academy Award-winning '' Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto'', which was released in 1954. Career Born in Tokyo as the son of a shinpa actor, Inagaki appeared on stage in his childhood before joining t ...
* 1956: '' Flowing'' (流れる, Nagareru) – directed by Mikio Naruse * 1957: ''
Yellow Crow is a 1957 Japanese drama film directed by Heinosuke Gosho. Plot Kiyoshi Yoshida is a 9 years old boy. The boy loves to draw and he has some talent, but his teacher is worried because he draws only in black and yellow (that's where the title is f ...
'' (黄色いからす, Kiiroi karasu) – directed by Heinosuke Gosho * 1957: '' Stepbrothers'' (異母兄弟, Ibo kyōdai) – directed by Miyoji Ieki * 1958: ''
Equinox Flower is a 1958 color Japanese film directed by Yasujirō Ozu which is based on a novel by Ton Satomi. Plot Wataru Hirayama ( Shin Saburi) is a wealthy Tokyo businessman. When an old schoolmate Mikami (Chishū Ryū) approaches him for help concernin ...
'' (彼岸花, Higanbana) – directed by Yasujirō Ozu * 1958: '' The Ballad Of Narayama'' (楢山節考 Narayamabushi-ko) – directed by Keisuke Kinoshita * 1958: '' Sorrow is Only for Women'' (悲しみは女だけに, Kanashimi wa onna dakeni) – directed by Kaneto Shindō * 1960: ''
Her Brother is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Kon Ichikawa. The film is based on the novel ''Otōto'' by Aya Koda. It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, where it won a prize for Special Distinction. Plot 17-year-old Gen takes care ...
'' (おとうと, Otōto) – directed by
Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won ...
* 1962: ''
A Wanderer's Notebook , also known as '' Her Lonely Lane'', is a 1962 black-and-white Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse, starring Hideko Takamine. It is based on the autobiographical novel of the same title by writer Fumiko Hayashi and its stage adaptation ...
'' a.k.a. ''Her Lonely Lane'' (放浪記, Hōrōki) – directed by Naruse Mikio * 1963: '' Alone Across the Pacific'' (太平洋ひとりぼっち, Taiheiyō hitori-botchi) – directed by Kon Ichikawa * 1964: '' The Scent of Incense'' (香華, Kōge) – directed by Keisuke Kinoshita * 1965: ''
Red Beard is a 1965 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, in his last collaboration with actor Toshiro Mifune. Based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's 1959 short story collection, '' Akahige Shinryōtan'', the film takes pl ...
'' (赤ひげ, Akahige) – directed by
Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...
* 1966: ''Futari no hoshi'' (二人の星) – television drama, TBS * 1967: ''Momotarō-zamurai'' (桃太郎侍) – television drama, NTV * 1970: ''Momi no ki wa nokotta'' (樅ノ木は残った) – television drama,
NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...
* 1970: ''Asu no shiawase'' (明日のしあわせ) – television drama, NET * 1971: ''Nyonin Heike'' (女人平家) – television drama, ABC * 1973: ''Singular rebellion'' (たった一人の反乱 Tatta hitori no hanran) – television drama, NHK * 1974: ''
Sandakan No. 8 is a 1974 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai, starring Yoko Takahashi, Komaki Kurihara and Kinuyo Tanaka. It was nominated for the 1975 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It also became one of the highest-grossing Japanese fil ...
'' (サンダカン八番娼館 望郷, Sandakan hachiban shōkan: bōkyō) – directed by
Kei Kumai was a Japanese film director from Azumino, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he began work as a director's assistant. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for his first film, '' Nihon r ...
* 1974: ''Rin rin to'' (りんりんと) – television drama, HBC * 1974: ''Jaane'' (じゃあね) – television drama, NHK * 1975: '' Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director'' (ある映画監督の生涯 溝口健二の記録, Aru eiga-kantoku no shōgai Mizoguchi Kenji no kiroku) – directed by Kaneto Shindō * 1975-1977: ''Zenryaku ofukurosama'' (前略おふくろ様) – television drama, NTV * 1976: ''Kita No misaki'' (北の岬) – directed by Kei Kumai * 1976: ''Maboroshi no machi'' (幻の町) – television drama, HBC * 1976: ''Kumo no jūtan'' (雲のじゅうたん) – appeared as a narrator, television drama, NHK * 1976: ''Sekishun no uta'' (惜春の歌) – television drama, CBC * 1976: '' Lullaby of the Earth'' (大地の子守歌, Daichi no komoriuta) – directed by
Yasuzo Masumura was a Japanese film director. Biography Masumura was born in Kōfu, Yamanashi. After dropping out of a law course at the University of Tokyo he worked as an assistant director at the Daiei Film studio, later returning to university to study ph ...


Director (complete)

* 1953: ''
Love Letter A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...
'' (恋文 Koibumi) * 1955: ''
The Moon Has Risen is a 1955 Japanese romantic comedy film and the second film directed by Kinuyo Tanaka. Plot Setsuko and her older sister Ayako live in their father's house in Nara. Ayako's aunt, who is worried about Ayako's marriage prospects as she grows old ...
'' (月は上りぬ Tsuki wa norinu) * 1955: ''
The Eternal Breasts , also titled ''Forever a Woman'', is a 1955 Japanese drama film directed by actress Kinuyo Tanaka. It is based on the life of tanka poet Fumiko Nakajō (1922–1954). Plot Unhappily married Fumiko, mother of two children, divorces her drug-ad ...
'' (乳房よ永遠なれ Chibusa yo eien nare) * 1960: ''
The Wandering Princess is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Kinuyo Tanaka, based on the memoir of Hiro Saga. It was Tanaka's first film in colour and CinemaScope format. Cast * Machiko Kyō as Ryuko (Hiro Saga) * Eiji Funakoshi as Futetsu (Pujie) * Yomei Ryu as ...
'' (流転の王妃 Ruten no Ouhi) * 1961: ''Girls of the Night'' (女ばかりの夜 Onna bakari no yoru) * 1962: '' Love Under the Crucifix'' (お吟さま Ogin sama)


Honours and awards

* Mainichi Film Concours For Best Actress for ''Marriage'', ''The Love of Sumako the Actress'', ''A Hen in the Wind'', ''Women of the Night'' and ''Sandakan No. 8'' * Mainichi Film Concours For Best Supporting Actress for ''Ibo kyoudai'', ''Chijo'', ''Kottaisan yori: Nyotai wa kanashiku'' and ''Her Brother'' *
Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actress The Kinema Junpo Awards for Best Actress is given by ''Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of d ...
for ''The Ballad Of Narayama'' and ''Sandakan No. 8'' *
Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress (german: Silberner Bär/Beste Darstellerin) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chos ...
for ''Sandakan No. 8'' * Medal with Purple Ribbon (1970) * Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (1977, posthumous)


See also

* :Films directed by Kinuyo Tanaka


References


External links

*
Choreography of desire: analysing Kinuyo Tanaka's acting in Mizoguchi's films by Chika Kinoshita
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaka, Kinuyo Deaths from cancer in Japan Deaths from brain tumor Japanese film actresses Japanese film directors Japanese silent film actresses Japanese women film directors People from Shimonoseki 1909 births 1977 deaths 20th-century Japanese actresses Silver Bear for Best Actress winners Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Women film pioneers