Movie actor and director. Under the direction of Gosho Heinosuke, she played memorable roles in Kenji Mizoguchi’s films, including “Saikaku ichidai onna” (1952), “Ugetsu monogatari” (1953),  and “Sansho daiyu” (1954). She became the first Japanese woman to direct a film, “Koibumi,” in 1953. She also played many roles on television and earned the Best Actress (Kinema Jumpo) Award in 1974. (bio by: Warrick L. Barrett)