Kinuyo Tanaka

ActorDirectorDirecting Nov 28 (died age 67) Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan 1924–2022 (98 year career)

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Biography

Kinuyo Tanaka (田中絹代 Tanaka Kinuyo, 29 November 1909 – 21 March 1977) was a Japanese actress and director. Tanaka was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. She became a leading actress at seventeen years old, appearing in Heinosuke Gosho's An Embarrassing Dream in 1927. She proceeded to take leading parts in, among others, Yasujirō Ozu's I Graduated, But... in 1929, Gosho's Aiyoku no ki in 1930, and in 1931, Japan's first talkie, The Neighbor's Wife and Mine, directed by Gosho. She…

Known For

Film

Ugetsu

Miyagi

Film

Sansho the Bailiff

Tamaki

Film

Red Beard

Madame Yasumoto

Film

The Life of Oharu

Oharu

Film

Equinox Flower

Kiyoko Hirayama

Film

The Ballad of Narayama

Orin

Film

Miss Oyu

Oyû Kayukawa

Film

A Hen in the Wind

Tokiko Amamiya

Filmography

Acting (221)

Movies (220)

Kinuyo Tanaka, a Woman We Talk About

2022

as Self (archive footage)

The Travels of Kinuyo Tanaka

2009

as Self (archive footage)

Lullaby of the Earth

Cape of the North

as Old Nun

Let's Go, Grandma!

1975

as Kiku Sasaki

Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director

as Self

Sandakan No. 8

as Old Osaki

Sanbaba

Tora-san's Dream-Come-True

1972

as the old family mistress

Red Beard

as Madame Yasumoto

The Scent of Incense

as Tsuna

Kono sora no aru kagiri

1964

Alone Across the Pacific

as Youth's Mother

Double Wedding

Bright Sea

as Nobuko Yazaki

A Legend or Was It?

1963

as Shizuko Sonobe

6.8

A Wanderer's Notebook

1962

as Kishi, Fumiko's mother

The Fencing Master

as Oharu

Mama, I Need You!

Eternity of Love

as Michi's Mother

Her Brother

1960

as Mother

6.9

Hahakogusa

1959

as Shige Ozawa

The Three Treasures

1959

as Princess Yamato

5.3

Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka

as Myokan

Equinox Flower

as Kiyoko Hirayama

The Ballad of Narayama

1958

as Orin

7.5

Sorrow Is Only for Women

The Eternal Rainbow

as Fumi

Yellow Crow

as Yukiko Matsumoto

On This Earth

as Omitsu, Heiichiro's mother

Geisha in the Old City

1957

as Oei

Stepbrothers

1957

as Rie

7.0

Flowing

1956

as Rika Yamanaka / Oharu

The Storm

How Sorrowful

Confession

Women in Prison

as Prison Warden

Tsukiyo no kasa

The Moon Has Risen

as Yoneya

Shōnen shikeishū

Forever a Woman

as Neighbor's Wife

House of Many Pleasures

1955

as Oshige

Sansho the Bailiff

as Tamaki

Five Sisters

The Woman in the Rumor

as Hatsuko Mabuchi

Ugetsu

as Miyagi

Love Letter

as Landlady

Sincere Heart

as Kuniko

Where Chimneys Are Seen

1953

as Hiroko Ogata

6.4

An Heir's Place

1953

as Hisa Hosho

The Life of Oharu

as Oharu

Mother

as Masako Fukuhara

Sisters of Nishijin

The Ataka Family

as Kuniko Ataka

Ginza Cosmetics

as Yukiko Tsuji

The Lady of Musashino

as Michiko Akiyama

Story of Lightning

Miss Oyu

as Oyû Kayukawa

The Inner Palace Conspiracy

1951

as Onaka

The Munekata Sisters

as Setsuko Munekata

Wedding Ring

as Noriko Kuki

Yotsuya Ghost Story Part 1

1949

as Oiwa / Osode

6.5

Yotsuya Ghost Story Part 2

as Oiwa / Osode

Flame of My Love

as Eiko Hirayama

A Hen in the Wind

as Tokiko Amamiya

Women of the Night

as Fusako Owada

The Love of the Actress Sumako

as Sumako Matsui

Marriage

as Fumie Matsukawa

Phoenix

as Sayoko Aihara

Victory of Women

as Hiroko Hosokawa

Utamaro and His Five Women

as Okita

Kanojo no hatsugen

Victory Song

as Woman who sings lullaby

5.2

A Tale of Archery at the Sanjusangendo

as Okinu

Army

as Waka

Miyamoto Musashi

as Shinobu Nonomiya

The Man Who Has Returned

1944

Kaisen no Zenya

1943

Air Raid of the Enemy Plane

1943

as Kiyo

A Certain Woman

1942

Flower

1941

Let's Go in Good Spirits

1941

Record of a Woman Doctor

Ornamental Hairpin

as Emi

Okinu and Banto

Seisen aiba fu: Akatsuki ni inoru

1940

as Chiyo

Osaka Woman

Kinuyo's First Love

Spring Thunder

Zoku aizen katsura

Weeds with flowers

Okayo's Preparedness

as Okayo

Mother and Child

as Chieko

The Tree of Love

1938

as Katsue Takaishi

6.5

Song of the Flower Basket

1937

as Yoko

A Man's Recompense: Part 1

Banchō sarayashiki

Lady Doctor Kinuyo

as Kinuyo Yamaoka

A Man's Recompense: Part 2

The New Road: Akemi

The New Road: Ryota

Men vs. Women

Okoto and Sasuke

as Okoto

Burden of Life

as Itsuko Kuriyama

An Innocent Maid

as Oshige

The Genealogy of Women

1934

as Otsuta

Osayo Koi Sugata

1934

as Osayo

Constellations on Earth, Part 2: Constellations

1934

Constellations on Earth, Part One: Earth Chapter

Storm in the City

That Night's Woman

Sakura Ondo

Honeymoon

My Elder Brother

as Sumako

Mother of the East

as Taeko

The Dancing Girl of Izu

as Kaoru, a dancer

Dragnet Girl

as Tokiko

Woman of Tokyo

as Harue

Clear and Cloudy

as Fusako Kawahara

Before the Wedding

1933

as Yukiko Takada

Sôbô

1933

as Yoshiko Chō

The Road to Marriage

1933

The Bride Talks in Her Sleep

1933

as Haruko, bride

Daphne

1933

as Tamayō (Geisha)

The Cheerleading Captain's Love

1933

as Omitsu

The Loyal 47 Ronin

1932

as Yae

Shine, Japanese Women

1932

as Shigeko

Where Now Are the Dreams of Youth?

1932

as Oshige

6.5

The Golden Demon

1932

as Omiya

Storm Zone

1932

The Willows of Ginza

1932

Studio Romance: A Guide to Love

1932

The Sun Rises from the East

1932

as Miyoko

My Brother's a Fool

1932

Love in Tokyo

1932

Victory or Defeat

1932

The Tramp and His Daughter

1931

ABC Lifeline

1931

6.1

ABC Lifeline: Fujieda Chapter

1931

Sisters: Part 2

1931

The Neighbour's Wife and Mine

1931

as Wife of the playwright

Cry Cheerfully!

Woman of Suffering

Sisters: Part 1

Love, Be with Humanity: Part 2

1931

as Mayumi

Love, Be with Humanity: Part 1

1931

as Mayumi

Where Do Women Go?

1930

as Omitsu

The Beating

1930

The Tale of Kinuyo

1930

as Kinuyo

Young Lady

1930

as Kinuko

I Flunked, But...

as Cafe's Waitress

The Great Ship

Song of Youth

as Kinuko Yamada

Record of Love and Desire

1930

The Big City: Explosion

1930

Marching On

1930

as Toshiko Yamamoto

Youth, Why Do You Cry?

1930

as Kozue Uesugi

A Smiling Life

1930

Mother, Don't Tarnish Your Name

1930

Cheerful Song

1929

as Mamoko

The Father and His Son

1929

The Village Where the Skylark Sings

1929

The Model of New Women

1929

The Big City: Labor

1929

as Okimi (cleaning woman)

The Blacksmith of the Forest

1929

as Omitsu

I Graduated, But...

1929

as Machiko Nomoto

5.7

Triumphant Song of the Mountain

1929

as Yuki Matsuyama

Echigo Lion

1929

Him and Life

1929

What a Handsome Man!

1928

as Shikanyu (geisha)

Modern Warrior Training

1928

Thank You for Your Hard Work

The Village Bride

A Wife Quits

The Age of Emotion

King of the Land

as Namiko

The Eternal Heart

1928

The Glory of the Shōwa Era

1928

as Yayoi Sakurai (Shōwa chapter)

Chronicles of a Sea Country

1928

as Oaki (sister)

Immortal Love

1928

If Only She...

1928

Iron Virgin

1928

as Namiko

The Face of Humanity

1928

Symphony of Youth

1928

as Kinuko Noguchi

Yakko no Koman

Night is a Trickster

Magic

Takada no Baba

Madame Pearl

Song of the Border Patrol

1927

as Tsutae

Lovers' Suicide at Kiso

1927

The Basement

1927

The Oath of a Thousand Kills

1927

as Kaōgi (courtesan)

The Harakiri at Tennōji

1927

Sankichi the Flying Squirrel

1927

as Oshizu (Tazaemon's daughter)

Secret Struggle

1927

An Embarrassing Dream

1927

The Complete Story of Jirocho Shimizu, Part 2: Ashura's Revenge

1926

Torrent

1926

Troubled Days

1926

as Osaki (Reiko's Sister)

Young Master

1926

as Tamako (Geisha in training)

Useless Button

1926

Love and Courage

1926

Oh! Carefree, Aren't You?

Buried Youth

Flashing Blade

The Cursed Sword

as Owaka

Her

1926

Townspeople

1926

The Betrayed

1926

as O-Fumi

The Little Traveling Entertainer

1925

as Okiku

The Killing of a Hundred Men at Isshinji Temple

1925

as Otami

Brave Love

1925

Love's Snare

1925

as Osato (Thread Shop Owner)

Cry of the Raging Current

1925

as Okimi

Fallen Samurai

1925

as Omaki

Nature Is the Judge

1925

No Need for Your Opinion

1925

as Daughter

Village Pasture

1924

as Oharu

A Woman from the Genroku Era

1924

Television (1)

Mominoki wa Nokotta

1970

as Tsuta

Crew (7)

Movies (7)

Love Under the Crucifix

Director

Girls of the Night

Director

The Wandering Princess

Director

The Moon Has Risen

Director

Forever a Woman

Director

Brother and Sister

Assistant Director

Love Letter

Director