Kaoru Yachigusa

Kaoru Yachigusa (八千草 薫, Yachigusa Kaoru, January 6, 1931 – October 24, 2019) was a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. From 1947 to 1957, she was a member of the Takarazuka Revue. After leaving the revue, she was active in film, television, and narration.

Kaoru Yachigusa
Yachigusa in 1955
Born	(1931-01-06)January 6, 1931 Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Died	October 24, 2019(2019-10-24) (aged 88) Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1947–2019

She famously quit part way through the filming of the television series Akai Giwaku, outraged at being forced to work at times dictated by idol Momoe Yamaguchi's schedule.

Her husband, director Senkichi Taniguchi, died on October 29, 2007, in Tokyo, Japan. The couple had been married since 1957.^[1]

Yachigusa died on October 24, 2019, at a Tokyo hospital from pancreatic cancer, aged 88.^[2][3]

Awards and honours

•   Medal with Purple Ribbon (1997)
•   Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2003)
• Mainichi Film Awards: Tanaka Kinuyo Prize (2004)^[4]
• Japanese Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress for her role in Ashura no Gotoku (2004)
• Honorary citizen of Tokyo (2015)

Filmography

Film

(incomplete)

• Madame Butterfly as Cio Cio San (1954), dubbed by an Italian soprano
• Samurai Trilogy as Otsu (1954–1956)
  • Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954)
  • Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955)
  • Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)
• Rangiku monogatari (乱菊物語) (1956)
• Ikiteiru Koheiji (1957)^[5]
• Snow Country (1957)
• Nuregami kenpo (1958)
• The Human Vapor (Toho, 1960)
• With Beauty and Sorrow (1965)
• Dai Satsujin Orochi - The Betrayal (1966)
• Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajirō no Yumemakura as the "Madonna" (1972)
• Pastoral: To Die in the Country (1974)
• Blue Christmas (film) (1978)
• Hachiko Monogatari (1987)
• Calling You (2007)
• Dear Doctor (2009)
• The Great Passage (2013)
• Giovanni's Island (2014)^[6]
• Mifune: The Last Samurai (2015)

Television

(incomplete)

• Hana no Shōgai (1963) (Taiga drama)
• Zenigata Heiji (Fuji Television, 1966), Oshizu
• Akai Giwaku (episodes 1–6)
• Ashura no Gotoku (1979,1980)
• The Tale of Genji (TBS, 1980), both Kiritsubo and Fujitsubo
• Dokuganryū Masamune (Taiga drama, NHK, 1987), Nene
• Yanchakure (morning drama, NHK, 1998)
• Tokyo Story (Fuji Television, 2002)
• Arifureta Kiseki (Fuji Television, 2009)
• Kidnap Tour (NHK, 2016)
• Itsuka Kono Koi o Omoidashite Kitto Naite Shimau (Fuji Television, 2016), Shizue Sendō
• Yasuragi no Sato (TV Asahi, 2017), Setsuko
• Honjitsu wa, Ohigara mo Yoku (WOWOW, 2017)
• Yasuragi no Toki Michi (TV Asahi, 2019), Setuko (Her final work)

Anime

• Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple as Miss Marple (NHK 2004)

References

1. Blair, Gavin J. (2007-11-01). "Director Senkichi Taniguchi dies at 95". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2012-12-08. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
2. 女優の八千草薫さん死去 88歳 2019-10-28 at the Wayback Machine at NHK (in Japanese)
3. Blair, Gavin J. (28 October 2019). "Kaoru Yachigusa Dead: Actress in Oscar-Winner 'Samurai, the Legend of Musashi,' Dies at 88". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
4. "田中絹代賞とは". Tanaka Kinuyo Memorial Association. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
5. "生きている小平次". eiga.com. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
6. "Full Trailer for I.G's Hand-Drawn Anime Film Giovanni's Island Posted". Anime News Network. 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2013-12-21.

External links

• Official agency profile (in Japanese)
• Kaoru Yachigusa at IMDb