is a Japanese film and television actress. She was discovered by

Shōhei Imamura was a Japanese film director. His main interest as a filmmaker lay in the depiction of the lower strata of Japanese society. A key figure in the Japanese New Wave, who continued working into the 21st century, Imamura is the only director from J ...

as a newcomer and cast in the film '' Pigs and Battleships''. She went on to appear in films like Imamura's '' The Insect Woman'',

Kaneto Shindō was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include '' Children of Hiroshima'', '' The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', '' Kuroneko'' a ...

's '' Onibaba'', for which she received the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress, and

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

's ''

Dodes'ka-den is a 1970 Japanese drama film directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film stars Yoshitaka Zushi, Kin Sugai, Toshiyuki Tonomura, and Shinsuke Minami. It is based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's 1962 novel ''A City Without Seasons'' and is about a group of homeles ...

''. She retired from acting in 1970, but returned in 1980 and continues to work to this day. Yoshimura was married to actor Tetsuo Ishidate from 1968 to 1999. Her sister is actress Mari Yoshimura (1935–).

Filmography (selected)

References

External links

* * * Japanese actresses Living people 1943 births {{Japan-screen-actor-stub