is a Japanese ''

pink film in its broadest sense includes almost any Japanese theatrical film that includes nudity (hence 'pink') or deals with sexual content. This encompasses everything from dramas to action thrillers and exploitation film features. The Western equiv ...

'' actress and striptease performer. She entered the ''pink film'' profession at the advanced age of 29, became a star in the field at 31, and won a Best Actress award for her work in this genre in 2003 at the age of 36.

Life and career

Early life

Motoko Sasaki was born on February 15, 1967. She became interested in the stage in middle school, and first began acting in her high school drama club. She had an invitation to pursue the study of acting after graduation from high school, but her father believed that a girl should not attend college. Sasaki wound up working as a civil servant in the same government district as her father. She continued acting in

community theater Community theatre refers to any theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a community with no outside hel ...

at this time, gaining acting experience in the

Shingeki was a leading form of theatre in Japan that was based on modern realism. Born in the early years of the 20th century, it sought to be similar to modern Western theatre, putting on the works of the ancient Greek classics, William Shakespeare, Moli� ...

style. She reports that the turning point in her life came when a traveling drama troupe visited her community. The director told her that if she were serious about acting, she would have to learn the basics at training school. She was 22 years of age at the time, and she decided to reject the typical life of marriage and raising children; with 1.5 million yen saved from her salary, she moved to Tokyo to pursue an acting career.

Stripping career

In Tokyo Sasaki was recruited to perform as a stripper. To cover the cost of living, Sasaki accepted the job. Since she had never seen a strip show, she attended a performance in

Ueno is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Na ...

. By the end of the performance she had determined to look at the experience as a form of "training school" in dialogue-free body acting. Performing four times a day for a relatively modest 20 million yen a month, Sasaki feels she could have made more money at a

hostess bar A hostess club is a type of night club found primarily in Japan. They employ primarily female staff and cater to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation. The modern host club is a similar type of establishment where primarily male staff atte ...

. But Sasaki stuck with this profession, as it did not require she have physical contact with the audience, and it allowed her to experiment and expand on her craft with each performance. She invested her earnings into her wardrobe and put effort into her interpretations of the songs to which she danced. For three years she studied acting during the day and stripped in the evenings. Recalling the devotion of her fans, including grandfathers who would give her gifts after the show, she remembers this career with fondness.

Film career

Sasaki made her ''pink film'' debut in 1996 at the unusually advanced age of 29. She later joked that since young actresses are not abundant in ''pink films'', she felt confident in her new line of work. Sasaki's first film was , directed by respected ''pink film'' veteran actor-director

Yutaka Ikejima is a Japanese film director, actor, and producer. Considered the most successful filmmaker in the ''pink film'' genre in the 2000s, his films are popular with traditional ''pink film'' audiences, fans of cinema, and with critics. Because of his ...

. Her second film for Ikejima, ''Beautiful Secretary: Rip Off the Panty Hose'' (1997), won Sasaki the Best New Actress, Third Place award at the

Pink Grand Prix The or is an annual Japanese film award ceremony which recognizes excellence in the pink film genre. Referred to by Miho Toda as the "Academy Awards of the Pink Film", the ceremony attracts a diverse audience of industry personnel, film schola ...

. The film was named fourth best ''pink'' release of the year. Sasaki's acting training and experience has given her versatility in her ''pink film'' career, in which she is competent in both serious and comic roles. Her sensual and charming performance style recalls that of the classic

Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally ...

''Roman Porno'' Queens. Director Sachio Kitazawa's ''The Horny Widow'' (1998) was a light erotic film starring Sasaki as the widow of a jeweler, having an affair and suffering at the hands of a rapist and blackmailer. The film became a hit in its video release, bringing Sasaki, then 31, late-comer stardom in the ''pink'' profession. In ''Nōpan Amadera: Ureta Shigemi'' (1998) Sasaki actually shaved her head for the role of a teacher who becomes a Buddhist nun. The main feature of the December 2000 issue of ''P*G'' magazine was an interview with Sasaki on the fourth anniversary of her ''pink film'' debut. Since 1994 ''P*G'' has been the leading journal on the ''pink film'', and is the host of the

, the major awards ceremony for the genre. Sasaki won the Best Actress award at the Pink Grand Prix for her performance in Yutaka Ikejima's ''Adulterous Wife's Dirty Afternoon'' (2003), which was given the Silver Prize for Best Film at the ceremony.

Bibliography

English

Japanese

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References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sasaki, Motoko 1967 births Japanese film actresses Japanese female erotic dancers Pink film actors Living people