is a Japanese actress. , sponichi.co.jp; accessed September 3, 2015. Upon marrying Tsutomu Uozumi, a reputed copywriter and lyricist in 1983, her “
koseki
A or family register is a Japanese family register, family registry. Japanese law requires all Japanese households to make notifications of their vital records (such as births, adoptions, deaths, marriages and divorces) to their local Municipa ...
” name (name in Japanese family registry) became Atsuko Uozumi. She gave birth to a son in 1984.
Biography
She was invited by a production agency to try out for acting at the age of 15. She appeared on TV for the first time in 1976, playing minor roles in dramas. In 1977 her appearance in the drama ''Fumiko to Hatsu'' on the
Tokyo Broadcasting System
(formerly ) is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network TBS Television and radio network TBS Radio. It has a 28-affiliate television network called Japan News Network, as ...
(TBS) is widely considered to be her debut work on TV. Movie work started early as well, notably with a leading role in Slow Boogie (1981) which brought her acclaim. In 1983 her performance in Yokiroh (“The Geisha”) earned her a Best Supporting Actress Award from the Japan Academy Prize.
From the mid-1980s she began to gain popularity in TV dramas. Top-rated series to follow were: '' Abunai Deka'' on Nippon Television (NTV, 1986), '' Papa wa Newscaster'' (TBS, 1987) and '' Dakishimetai!'' on Fuji Television (CX, 1988), the latter being noted as a signature trendy drama in Japanese TV and a boom to her popularity. Then '' The 101st Proposal'' (CX, 1991) was another major hit. She became an icon in Japan as a top actress, lady of natural style and fashion leader. While she impressed audiences with her elegant and “weeping” role in The 101st Proposal, her enactment of the popular cartoon character
Sazae-san
is a Japanese ''yonkoma'' manga series written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the , on April 22, 1946. When the ''Asahi Shimbun'' wished to have Hasegawa draw the four-panel comic for ...
on TV (CX, 1992–96) showcased her talent for comedy. Then in contrast she performed a hard-edged role in the series Sashow the Last Case (CX, 1995), pointing to her skillful flexibility in acting.
She has appeared on the cover pages of numerous magazines. On the pages therein her live-wire personality has been noted to speak for a new generation of Japanese women, and for millions of fans. Among her awards a favorite is “Best Jeanist” (1989) from the Japan Jeans Association in recognition of her attractiveness while clad in jeans. Endorsement deals ensued with Menicon, Mercian, Mitsubishi Motors, Sony, Japan Airlines, Japan Tobacco, Meiji Ice Cream, GC Card, Mitsui Life Insurance, Lion Plain & Rich, Shiseido, Nissan Motors, MonCafe, Twinings, NEC, Parco, Vivre, Vital Rich, Loreal, and P&G Luminesse.
Her career entered another phase with more stage roles than before, from starring in Romantic Comedy in 1998. Stage work gave inspiration and tremendous influence to her. This gave rise to her project of performing "Yomigatari", storytelling stages with scenario based on “
Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
” ("Record of Ancient Matters"), the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, at shrines all around Japan since 2003. Starting at the shrines
Ise Grand Shrine
The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...
and
Izumo-taisha
, officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god , fa ...
, by 2010 she performed her storytelling stage before over 80,000 people on 64 stages. The project is ongoing. In many interviews she commented, "There are more than 80,000 shrines in Japan. I would like to visit all of them, but to do that living to the age of 200 won’t be long enough!" Her efforts in performing Kojiki-related stages earned her an appointment to the position of visiting professor at
Kokugakuin University
Kokugakuin University , abbreviated as ''Kokugakudai'' () or ''Kokudai'' (), is a Shinto-affiliated private research university in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. The university consists of undergraduate departments in humanities and social sciences and ...