Kaoru Yachigusa

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

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.

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

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

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)