Yuko Kotegawa
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
actress from the city of Ōita
.
. Her sister Nobuko is also in acting.
Yūko made her film debut in 1976 in Hoshi to Arashi. She was cast in the 1983 Toho adaptation of the novel The Makioka Sisters
. In 1991 the Japan Academy recognized her as the Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for portraying Noriko Kai in the 1989 Toho film Hana no Furu Gogo (or Afternoon when Flowers Fell). She played Aguri (later Yōzei-in), the wife of Asano Naganori
, in the 1994 Chūshingura
Shijū-shichinin no Shikaku.
She appeared on television in 1977 as the female lead in Bakumatsu Miraijin on NHK
. Her 1984 portrayal of Otsū, the love interest of Miyamoto Musashi
in NHK's 45-part prime-time series based on the Eiji Yoshikawa
novel, was a major high point of her career. She also took the female lead in the 1993 Taiga drama
Homura Tatsu opposite Ken Watanabe
. In 2004 NHK cast her as the leading lady in Jīji: Mago to ita Natsu with Toshiyuki Nishida
.
Meanwhile, she appeared on privately owned networks in many prominent roles. On Tokyo Broadcasting System
, Yūko played characters in series in 1980, '81, and '82, including the female lead in Totsuzen no Ashita. Asahi TV cast her in the lead role in two 90 minute specials in the Onyado Kawasemi jidaigeki
series (1988-89); Yasuko Sawaguchi
, Reiko Takashima
and others have played the same character. Nippon Television
gave her the lead in the 1990 Ikenai Joshikō Monogatari and second billing in Omoide-zukuri in the following year. She returned to Asahi and jidaigeki in the title role in two series with the title Tōyama no Kin-san
vs. Onna Nezumi opposite Hiroki Matsukata
(1997 and 1998). A decade later, the network paired the two again, and Yūko portrayed Kikyō, the leading lady, in Surōnin Tsukikage Hyōgo.
A versatile actress, Kotegawa has appeared in many other formats. She is a frequent guest star, playing contemporary and period roles. She has taken the part of the criminal in shows such as Keibuho Furuhata Ninzaburō. Yūko has also appeared in several two-hour dramas. In one of these, in the G.I. Samurai (Sengoku Jietai) franchise, she portrayed Nene
, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
. She has done voice acting, taking the part of Yolda in Origin: Spirits of the Past. Yūko counts Subaru
, Tiger Corporation
, and Lion
among her commercial clients.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
actress from the city of Ōita
Oita, Oita
is the capital city of Ōita Prefecture located on the island of Kyushu, Japan.- Demographics and geography :Ōita is the most populous city in Ōita Prefecture...
.
Biography
Yūko graduated from high school in the city of Ōita. She placed first in the 1976 Miss Salad Girl contest (the runner-up was Yūko Natori). She landed a part in a Kanebo cosmetics commercial and joined Toho EntertainmentToho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
. Her sister Nobuko is also in acting.
Yūko made her film debut in 1976 in Hoshi to Arashi. She was cast in the 1983 Toho adaptation of the novel The Makioka Sisters
The Makioka Sisters (novel)
is a Japanese novel written by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō. It has been called, “the greatest cosmopolitan novel since the Meiji Restoration”.The novel follows the lives of the Makiokas, a wealthy Osaka family, from the autumn of 1936 to April, 1941, focusing on the family’s attempts to find a husband for...
. In 1991 the Japan Academy recognized her as the Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for portraying Noriko Kai in the 1989 Toho film Hana no Furu Gogo (or Afternoon when Flowers Fell). She played Aguri (later Yōzei-in), the wife of Asano Naganori
Asano Naganori
was the daimyo of the Akō Domain in Japan . His title was Takumi no Kami . He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as Chushingura, one of the favourite themes of kabuki, joruri and Japanese books and films.He was born in Edo as the eldest son of Asano...
, in the 1994 Chūshingura
Chushingura
is the name for fictionalized accounts of the historical revenge by the Forty-seven Ronin of the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including the early , the story has been told in kabuki, bunraku, stage plays, films, novels, television shows and other media...
Shijū-shichinin no Shikaku.
She appeared on television in 1977 as the female lead in Bakumatsu Miraijin on NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
. Her 1984 portrayal of Otsū, the love interest of Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age...
in NHK's 45-part prime-time series based on the Eiji Yoshikawa
Eiji Yoshikawa
was a Japanese historical novelist, probably one of the best and most famous authors in the genre. Among his most well-known novels, most are revisions of past works. He was mainly influenced by classics such as The Tale of the Heike, Tale of Genji, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three...
novel, was a major high point of her career. She also took the female lead in the 1993 Taiga drama
Taiga drama
is the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shōroku and Takarazuka star Awashima Chikage, the network has hired a producer, director, writer, music...
Homura Tatsu opposite Ken Watanabe
Ken Watanabe
is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best...
. In 2004 NHK cast her as the leading lady in Jīji: Mago to ita Natsu with Toshiyuki Nishida
Toshiyuki Nishida
is a Japanese actor. Outside of Japan, Nishida is best known for his portrayal of Pigsy in the TV series Monkey.Toshiyuki Nishida has received ten Japanese Academy Award nominations, winning twice, for Dun-Huang in 1988 and Gakko and Tsuribaka Nisshi 6 in 1993...
.
Meanwhile, she appeared on privately owned networks in many prominent roles. On Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
, Yūko played characters in series in 1980, '81, and '82, including the female lead in Totsuzen no Ashita. Asahi TV cast her in the lead role in two 90 minute specials in the Onyado Kawasemi jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
series (1988-89); Yasuko Sawaguchi
Yasuko Sawaguchi
, is a Japanese actress.-Biography:She was born in Osaka, Japan to a Japanese mother, and a British father.In early 1984, the Japanese movie studio Toho Company Ltd...
, Reiko Takashima
Reiko Takashima
Reiko Takashima is a Japanese actress.Active in television series, movies, and commercials, her roles have included ninja in jidaigeki such as Abarembō Shōgun and Abare Hasshū Goyō Tabi, the wife Oeyo of the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, Lady Fujitsubo in a special with characters based on The Tale of...
and others have played the same character. Nippon Television
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
gave her the lead in the 1990 Ikenai Joshikō Monogatari and second billing in Omoide-zukuri in the following year. She returned to Asahi and jidaigeki in the title role in two series with the title Tōyama no Kin-san
Toyama no Kin-san
is a popular character based on the historical Tōyama Kagemoto, a samurai and official of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo Period of Japanese history. In kabuki and kōdan, he was celebrated under his childhood name, Kinshirō, shortened to Kin-san. He was said to have left home as a young man,...
vs. Onna Nezumi opposite Hiroki Matsukata
Hiroki Matsukata
, real name is a Japanese actor. He is the son of jidaigeki actor Jūshirō Konoe and actress Yaeko Mizukawa and has a younger brother Yūki Meguro who is also an actor....
(1997 and 1998). A decade later, the network paired the two again, and Yūko portrayed Kikyō, the leading lady, in Surōnin Tsukikage Hyōgo.
A versatile actress, Kotegawa has appeared in many other formats. She is a frequent guest star, playing contemporary and period roles. She has taken the part of the criminal in shows such as Keibuho Furuhata Ninzaburō. Yūko has also appeared in several two-hour dramas. In one of these, in the G.I. Samurai (Sengoku Jietai) franchise, she portrayed Nene
Nene
Nene may refer to:*River Nene, a river in England*Rolls-Royce Nene, a jet engine*Nene , also called Nēnē and Hawaiian Goose, Branta sandvicensis, a rare goose*Nene , a Seminole Indian word meaning "street"...
, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
. She has done voice acting, taking the part of Yolda in Origin: Spirits of the Past. Yūko counts Subaru
Fuji Heavy Industries
, or FHI, is a Japanese transportation conglomerate most known for being the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles. It traces its roots to the Nakajima Aircraft Company, a leading supplier of airplanes to the Japanese government during World War II...
, Tiger Corporation
Tiger Corporation
Tiger Corporation is a Japanese multinational manufacturer and marketer of vacuum flasks and consumer electronics including electric water boilers and rice cookers. It has subsidiaries in China, Taiwan, and the United States. -History:...
, and Lion
Lion (company)
Not to be confused with Lion Group of Malaysia is a manufacturer of detergent, soap, medications, and oral hygiene products and other toiletries. The company also has a chemical engineering research division which works on developing new products....
among her commercial clients.
External links
- 日本アカデミー賞公式サイト (Nihon Academy-shō Kōshiki Site) History page
- Yûko Kotegawa at IMDB
- 古手川祐子 at JMDB
- A-Team Official Website