Junko Yamawaki (; born 1969), known professionally as Junko Izumi () is a Japanese actress and the first woman to become a professional ''

kyōgen is a form of traditional Japanese comic theater. It developed alongside '' Noh'', was performed along with ''Noh'' as an intermission of sorts between ''Noh'' acts on the same stage, and retains close links to ''Noh'' in the modern day; there ...

'' performer.

Biography

Junko Yamawaki, known professionally as Junko Izumi, was born in 1969. She is a descendent of the 19-generation Izumi line of performers of ''

'', a Japanese comedic stage art. She began training as a performer at only 18 months old with her father and grandfather, and she began appearing onstage at age 3. Izumi also studied at

Japan Women's University is the oldest and largest of private Japanese women's universities. The university was established on 20 April 1901 by education reformist . The university has around 6000 students and 200 faculty. It has two campuses, named after the neighbo ...

, where she graduated with a degree in literature. In 1989, at age 20, Junko Izumi was the first woman to become a professional ''kyōgen'' performer. Female performers had previously been limited to playing child roles, unable to continue with ''kyōgen'' into adulthood. She is considered a pioneer in this heavily male-dominated art form, with her promotion causing conflict within the conservative world of ''

noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. It is Japan's oldest major theater art that is still regularly performed today. Noh is often based on tales from traditional literature featuri ...

'' and ''kyōgen''.{{Cite web , last=Hornyak , first=Tim , date=April 2023 , title=Pioneering Performers , url=https://www.tokyoamericanclub.org/index.php/en/intouch-magazine/item/1541-pioneering-performers , access-date=2025-04-16 , website=Tokyo American Club , language=en-gb She would go on to found the Women's Kyōgen Performers' Association in 2001. Early in her career, Izumi faced frequent rejections from the major kyogen events. Nevertheless, she continued to perform across Japan and abroad, with a career spanning over 50 years. Izumi also worked as a TV host for

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

in the late 1990s. Her sister, Tokuro Miyake the 10th, joined her in the early 1990s as another pioneering woman in ''kyōgen'', later followed by Junko's daughter Kyoko and niece Ayame Izumi. Her brother, Motoya Izumi, is also a ''kyōgen'' performer.

References

External links

Official website
(in Japanese) 1969 births Living people Japan Women's University alumni Japanese stage actresses Noh