was a Japanese dancer. She was the first woman in the field of

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

to be named a Living National Treasure.

Early life

Fujima was born Kimiyo Tanaka on October 31, 1907 in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan. She was adopted by the Fujima family and began studying

traditional Japanese dance Japanese traditional dance describes a number of Japanese dance styles with a long history and prescribed method of performance. Some of the oldest forms of traditional Japanese dance may be among those transmitted through the tradition, or folk ...

under Fujima Kan'emon II as a child. She took her professional name in 1926.

Career

In 1929 Fujima managed a dance troupe. The group went on hiatus during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and restarted their activities in 1947. Her grandson, Fujima Rankoh, became the head of the group later. She also performed abroad in theaters like the Japan America Theater in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Fujima excelled at dances for male characters that are accompanied by tokiwazu music. Her most famous performances are ''Kikujido'' and ''Kagekiyo.'' The latter won the Education Minister's Theater Festival Prize in 1955. She also choreographs dances for kabuki, most notably ''Masakado'' and ''Seki no To.'' She took great care to teach her students about precise hand motions and the ways that people of different social classes and emotional states may carry themselves in a dance. Her students include several kabuki actors, and two iemoto of the Fujima school. Fujima has been awarded many prizes, including the Buto Geijutsu sho in 1956, the in 1962, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

(purple ribbon) in 1970, Japan Art Academy Prize in 1979, the in 1984. In 1985 Fujima was the first woman in the male-dominated field of kabuki to be designated a Living National Treasure in that field. She also served as the vice president of the Nihon Buto Kyokai.

Death and legacy

Fujima adopted a daughter, who followed her in Japanese dance. Her two grandsons also became Japanese dancers. Fujima died of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

in Tokyo on October 14, 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujima, Fujiko 1907 births 1998 deaths Japanese female dancers Japanese dancers Living National Treasures of Japan 20th-century Japanese women