was a Japanese actress who appeared in more than 100 films between 1950 and 1994. A graduate of Takarazuka Girl's Opera School, Otowa was first signed to

Daiei , based in Kobe, is one of the largest supermarket chains in Japan. In 1957, Isao Nakauchi founded the chain in Osaka near Sembayashi Station on the Keihan train line. Daiei is now under a restructuring process supported by Marubeni Corporation ...

studios, before becoming a freelance actress by the early 1950s. After starring in

Kaneto Shindo was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include ''Children of Hiroshima'', ''The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', ''Kuroneko'' and ' ...

's ''

Story of a Beloved Wife is a 1951 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindo. It was Shindo's debut film as a director. It is an autobiographical work based on Shindo's first marriage. Jūkichi Uno stars as a struggling screenwriter, and Nobuko Otowa st ...

'', she became the director's mistress and appeared in nearly all of his following films. She finally married him in 1977, after his previous wife divorced him. Although closely associated with Shindo's films, with ''

Children of Hiroshima is a 1952 Japanese drama film directed by Kaneto Shindō. It was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Takako Ishikawa ( Nobuko Otowa) is a teacher on an island in the inland sea off the coast of post-war Hiroshima. During her summer ...

'', ''

The Naked Island ''The Naked Island'' ( ja, text=裸の島, translit=Hadaka no Shima) is a Japanese black-and-white film from 1960, directed by Kaneto Shindō. The film is notable for having almost no spoken dialogue. Plot The film depicts a small family, a husba ...

'' and '' Onibaba'' being among the most well-known, Otowa also worked for noted directors such as

Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, who directed about one hundred films during his career between 1923 and 1956. His most acclaimed works include ''The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums'' (1939), ''The Life of Oharu'' (1952), ''Uget ...

Mikio Naruse was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967. Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook. He made primarily shomin-geki ("common people drama") films with female protagonists, ...

Heinosuke Gosho was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who directed Japan's first sound film, '' The Neighbor's Wife and Mine'', in 1931. His films are mostly associated with the shomin-geki (lit. "common people drama") genre. Among his most noted works ...

Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasu ...

and

Nagisa Ōshima was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. One of the foremost directors within the Japanese New Wave, his films include ''In the Realm of the Senses'' (1976), a sexually explicit film set in 1930s Japan, and ''Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence' ...

. Devoted to her profession, she frequently wrote and lectured on the art of film acting. In 1995, she was posthumously awarded as best actress in a supporting role at the 19th Japan Academy Prize for ''

A Last Note is a 1995 Japanese comedy-drama film directed by Kaneto Shindo. It was the last film of actresses Haruko Sugimura and Nobuko Otowa. Plot Yoko Morimoto, an aged but still active widowed actress, takes a rest from rehearsals and the hot temperatur ...

'', having been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer during its production. Half of her ashes are scattered on the island of Sukune in

Mihara, Hiroshima is a Cities of Japan, city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on November 15, 1936. As of July 31, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 97,324 and a population density of 206.62 persons per km2. The total area i ...

, where ''The Naked Island'' was filmed..

Filmography

Film

* ''Shojoho'' (1950) * ''Miyagi Hiroba'' (1951) * ''Arabiya monogatari'' (1951) * ''Tsuki no wataridori'' (1951) – Oichi * ''Dare ga watashi o sabaku no ka'' (1951) * ''

Miss Oyu is a 1951 black-and-white Japanese drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It is based on the 1932 novella ''The Reed Cutter'' (''Ashikari'') by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. Plot In 19th century Japan, Shinnosuke is paid a visit by Shizu and her sist ...

'' (1951) – Shizu * ''Meigetsu somato'' (1951) * ''

'' (1951) – Takako Ishikawa * '' The Tale of Genji'' (1951) – Murasaki no ue * ''Izayoi kaido'' (1951) * ''Asakusa kurenaidan'' (1952) – Maki Ayukawa * ''

Avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...

'' (1952) – Atsuko Fujikawa * ''Atakake no hitobito'' (1952) * ''

'' (1952) – Takako Ishikawa * ''Kantarou tsukiyo-uta'' (1952) – Okyo * ''Senba zuru'' (1953) – Ayako Ohta * ''Onna to iu shiro – Mari no maki'' (1953) * ''Onna to iu shiro – Yuko no maki'' (1953) * ''Hatamoto Taikutsu Otoko 808 Chome'' (1953) * ''Mura hatibu'' (1953) * ''

Epitome An epitome (; gr, ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "t ...

'' (1953) – Ginko * ''Yokubo'' (1953) – Shizue Kitami * ''Yoake mae'' (1953) – Hanzo's Daughter * ''

Life of a Woman is a 1953 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindo was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include ''Childr ...

'' (1953) – Fujiko Shirakawa * ''Koina no Ginpei'' (1954) – Oichi * ''Utsukushī hito'' (1954) * '' An Inn at Osaka'' (1954) – Uwabami * ''

Dobu 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-butylamphetamine (DOBU) is a lesser-known psychedelic drug and a substituted Amphetamine. DOBU was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin. In his book '' PiHKAL (Phenethylamines i Have Known And Loved)'', only low dosages of 2–3 ...

'' (1954) – Tsuru * ''Dorodarake no seishun'' (1954) – Nanako * ''Ai to shi no tanima'' (1954) * ''Wakai hitotachi'' (1954) * ''Aisureba koso'' (1955) – Michie (segment 1) * ''Ginza no onna'' (1955) * ''

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

'' (1955) – Akiko Yano * ''Kabuki juhachiban: Narukami – Bijo to kairyu'' (1955) * ''

Shirogane Shinjū is a 1956 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindo. It is based on a novel of the same name by Torahiko Tamiya. Cast * Nobuko Otowa as Sakie / Umeko * Hiroyuki Nagato as Tamatarō * Jūkichi Uno as Kiichi * Chikako Hosokawa ...

'' (1956) – Sakie / Umeko * '' Ruri no kishi'' (1956) – Hagiyo, Chiho's mother * ''Shin ono ga tsumi'' (1956) * ''Yoake Asaake'' (1956) * ''

An Actress is a 1956 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindo. Cast * Nobuko Otowa as Kakuko Mori * Chikako Hosokawa as Tsukiko, Kakuko's mother * Shinsuke Ashida as Shinichirō Yagi * Sen Hara as Chiyo, Akio's mother * Sumiko Hidaka a ...

'' (1956) – Kakuko Mori * ''Aru yo futatabi'' (1956) * ''Kottaisan yori: Nyotai wa kanashiku'' (1957) – Tamasode * ''Hadairo no tsuki'' (1957) – Kumiko Uno * ''Ukifune'' (1957) – Naka-no-kimi * ''Yagyū bugeichō: Sōryū hiken'' (1958) – the Princess * ''Makeraremasen katsumadewa'' (1958) – Odama * ''Kanashimi wa onna dakeni'' (1958) – Taka * ''A Holiday in Tokyo'' (1958) – Nobuko * ''Yajikita Dochuuki'' (1958) * ''Noren'' (1958) * ''Tsuzurikata kyodai'' (1958) – Aunt * ''Mimizuku'' (1958) * ''Nora neko'' (1958) * ''Yajikita dōchū sugoroku'' (1958) – Ofutsu / maid * ''Hana noren'' (1959) * '' Lucky Dragon No. 5'' (1959) – Shizu Kuboyama * ''Aisaiki'' (1959) * ''Okaasan no yume'' (僕らの母さん) (1959) * ''Kashima ari'' (1959) * ''Ai no kane'' (1959) * ''

The Three Treasures is a 1959 Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. The film is based on the legends ''Kojiki'' and '' Nihon Shoki'' and the origins of ''Shinto''. The film was the highest-grossing film of 1959 for Toho and the second highest grossing domestic ...

'' (1959) – Goddess of Anenouzume * ''

Hanayome-san wa sekai-ichi is a 1959 Japanese comedy film written and directed by Kaneto Shindo and starring Frankie Sakai. Cast * Frankie Sakai * Izumi Yukimura * Nobuko Otowa * Kumi Mizuno is a Japanese actress best known for appearing in several Toho kaiju films ...

'' (1959) * ''Waga ai'' (1960) – Hideya * ''Tenka no Odorobo Shiranami Gonin Man'' (1960) * ''Chinpindō shujin'' (1960) * ''Onna no saka'' (1960) * ''Shin jōdaigaku'' (1960) * ''Bokutō kitan'' (1960) – Kyōko Yamai * ''

The Approach of Autumn is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. Plot After the death of his father, Hideo and his mother Shigeko leave Ueda, Nagano, for Tokyo, where she starts a job at a ryokan, while Hideo moves in with his uncle's family. He befrien ...

'' (1960) – Shigeko Fukatani – Hideo's Mother * ''

'' (1960) – Toyo, the mother * ''

Hunting Rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with bo ...

'' (1961) – Choko's mother * ''Mozu'' (1961) * ''Tōkyō yawa'' (1961) – Yukari * ''Kojin koujitsu'' (1961) * ''Netsuai sha'' (1961) – Tamiko * ''

Immortal Love ''Immortal Love'' ''Bitter Spirit'' ( ja, 永遠の人, Eien no hito, The eternal person) is a 1961 Japanese drama film written and directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Masakazu Tam ...

'' (1961) – Tomoko, Takashi's wife * ''Gen to fudō myō-ō'' (1961) * '' The Last War'' (1961) – Oyoshi Tamura * ''Awamori-kun Kanpai'' (1961) * ''Aijo no keifu'' (1961) * ''Neko to katsuobushi'' (1961) * ''Ashita aru kagiri'' (1962) * ''Nagashi hina'' (1962) * ''Long Way to Okinawa'' (1962) * ''Ika naru hoshi no moto ni'' (1962) – Mitoji * ''Sei Kurabe'' (1962) * ''Aobeka monogatari'' (1962) – Kimino * '' Ningen'' (1962) – Gorosuke * ''Kawa no hotori de'' (1962) – Tamako Sekiguchi * ''Kigeki ekimae hanten'' (1962) * ''Yushu Heiya'' (1963) * ''Kanojo ni mukatte tosshinsayo'' (1963) * ''Uso'' (1963) – (segment "San jyotai") * ''Shiro to kuro'' (1963) – Ochiai's Wife * ''Daidokoro taiheiki'' (1963) * ''Wanpaku tenshi'' (1963) * ''Hyakumannin no musumetachi'' (1963) * ''Miren'' (1963) – Hatsu Kakinuma * ''

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

'' (1963) – Tamiko * ''Wakai nakamatachi: uchira Gion no maikohan'' (1963) * ''Kigeki ekimae okami'' (1964) – Kyōko Yamamoto * ''Kigeki yōki-na mibōjin'' (1964) – Kume Tanabe * ''

The Scent of Incense is a 1964 Japanese drama film based on a novel by Sawako Ariyoshi and directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. Screened in two parts, it was one of Kinoshita's last cinema productions before working mainly for television. Plot Spanning in time from the Rus ...

'' (''Kōge – Nibu: Mitsumata no shō/Ichibu: Waremokō no shō'') (1964) – Ikuyo * ''Okaasan no baka'' (1964) * ''Kigeki ekimae kaidan'' (1964) * '' Onibaba'' (1964) – Kichi's Mother * ''Daikon to ninjin'' (1965) – Nobuyo Yamaki * ''Nami kage'' (1965) – Masa, Kichitaro's wife * ''Kigeki ekimae kin'yū'' (1965) * ''Daiku taiheki'' (1965) * '' Akuto'' (1965) – Jiju * ''Abare Gōemon'' (1966) – Osasa * ''Kigeki ekimae benten'' (1966) * ''

Lost Sex is a 1966 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindo. Cast * Hideo Kanze as The Master * Nobuko Otowa as The Housemaid * Eimei Esumi as Young man in the village * Daigo Kusano as Young man in the village * Nobuko Miyamoto as ...

'' (1966) – The Housemaid * ''Akogare'' (1966) * ''Kigeki ekimae keiba'' (1966) * ''Danshun'' (1966) * ''Kigeki ekimae mangan'' (1967) * ''Izu no odoriko'' (1967) * ''Kigeki ekimae gakuen'' (1967) * ''Zoku Na mo naku mazushiku utsukushiku: Chichi to ko'' (1967) – Taeko Sakai * ''Sei no kigen'' (1967) – Wife * ''Kigeki ekimae hyakku-nen'' (1967) * ''

Kuroneko Galbraith IV, Stuart (1994). ''Japanese Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Films''. McFarland & Company. is a 1968 Japanese horror film directed by Kaneto Shindo, and an adaptation of a supernatural folktale. Set during a civil war in feudal J ...

'' (1968) – Yone (Mother) * ''Tsuyomushi onna to yowamushi otoko'' (1968) – Fumiko * ''Āh himeyuri no tō'' (1968) – Hatsu Yonamine * ''Machi ni izumi ga atta'' (1968) – Toki Yano * '' Red Lion'' (1969) – Oharu * ''

Heat Wave Island is a 1969 Japanese drama film directed by Kaneto Shindo and starring Nobuko Otowa. Plot Otoyo is a former Seto Inland Sea island farmer who has moved to the mainland in order to find work, but instead ends up dead. The film begins with the disco ...

'' (1969) – Otoyo * ''Shokkaku'' (1970) – Tamiko / Prostitute Yuki * ''

Live Today, Die Tomorrow! is a 1970 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. It is based on the true story of spree killer Norio Nagayama. Plot Michio Yamada, a recent school graduate from Hokkaido, is sent to Tokyo to work as a fruit packer in a depar ...

'' (1970) – Take Yamada * '' The Ceremony'' (1971) – Sakurada Shizu * ''Kanawa'' (1972) – Middle aged woman * ''

Sanka Sanka is a brand of instant decaffeinated coffee, sold around the world, and was one of the earliest decaffeinated varieties. Sanka is distributed in the United States by Kraft Heinz. History Decaffeinated coffee was developed in 1903 by a team ...

'' (1972) – Teru Kamozawa * '' The Heart'' (1973) – Mrs. M * ''Kōkotsu no hito'' (1973) – Kyōko * ''Shiawase'' (1974) * ''Waga michi'' (1974) – Mino Kawamura * '' Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director'' (documentary) (1975) – Herself * ''Kyukei no Koya'' (1975) * ''

The Life of Chikuzan is a 1977 Japanese biographical film directed by Kaneto Shindo based on the life of shamisen player Takahashi Chikuzan. It is a coproduction of Kindai Eiga Kyokai and Chikuzan's company "Jean-Jean". Plot The real Chikuzan appears on a stage in a ...

'' (1977) * ''The Incident'' (1978) * ''The Strangling'' (1979) – Ryoko, Mother * ''Haitatsu sarenai santsu no tegami'' (1979) – Sumie, Mitsumasa's wife * ''Kangofu no oyaji ganbaru'' (1980) * ''Omoeba tōkue kitamonda'' (1980) * ''Asshii-tachi no machi'' (1981) – Haru Hayasaka * ''Ore to aitsu no monogatari'' (1981) * ''

Edo Porn ''Edo Porn'' ( ja, 北斎漫画, Hokusai manga) is a 1981 Japanese biographical drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. It is based on Seiichi Yashiro's stage play on the life of Japanese artist Hokusai. Plot Tetsuzō is an unsuccess ...

'' (1981) – Omomo, Sashichi's Wife * ''Ekisutora'' (1982) – Kinuyo Adachi * ''Mikan no taikyoku'' (1982) * ''

The Go Masters ''The Go Masters'' (Japanese: 未完の対局, Mikan no taikyoku) is a 1982 Japanese-Chinese co-production film directed by Junya Sato was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His son is a fellow film director . Career Born in Tokyo, Sa ...

'' (1983) * ''The Horizon'' (1984) – Hideyo, after age 40 * ''Location'' (1984) – Katsue * ''Tengoku ni ichiban chikai shima'' (1984) – Tei Ishikawa * ''Shiroi machi hiroshima'' (1985) * ''Yasha'' (1985) – Ume * ''Lost in the Wilderness'' (1986) – Yasuko Muto * ''

Burakkubōdo is a 1986 Japanese drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. Plot Takeshi Yasui, a junior high school student, is found dead in the river. The police investigate it as a murder related to bullying. The dead boy turns out to have been m ...

'' (1986) – Namie Yasui * '' Tree Without Leaves'' (1986) – Mother * ''Nijushi no hitomi'' (1987) – Okami * ''

Sakura-tai Chiru is a 1988 Japanese documentary film and docudrama written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. Based on a nonfictional story by Hagie Ezu, it depicts the fate of the Sakura ("cherry blossom") theatre troupe, whose members were killed in the atomic ...

'' (1988) – Narration * ''Yumemi-dōri no hitobito'' (1989) * ''Donmai'' (1990) – Toyo Murakami * ''Pachinko monogatari'' (1990) * ''Bokuto kidan'' (1992) – Masa * ''Tsuribaka nisshi 5'' (1992) – Densuke's mother * ''

'' (1995) – Toyoko Yanagawa * ''

By Player is a 2000 Japanese biographical film directed by Kaneto Shindo based on the life of actor Taiji Tonoyama. The film is a series of vignettes from Taiji Tonoyama's life and film clips, interspersed with a dialogue to camera by Nobuko Otowa, addre ...

'' (2000) – herself

Television (selection)

* ''Tadaima'' (1964–1967) * ''

Taikōki The is a biography of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who rose to the office of '' taikō'' during the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japanese history. The Confucian scholar (1564–1640) published the work in 1626 during the rule of the third Tokugawa shōgu ...

'' (1965) – Oetsu * ''Saigo no jigazō'' (1977) * ''Yokomizo Seishi Shirīzu'' (1977–1978) * ''Nagisa no onna'' (1980) * ''Kazunomiya sama otome'' (1981) * ''

Oshin is a Japanese serialized morning television drama (''asadora''), which originally aired on NHK from 4 April 1983 to 31 March 1984; it is the 31st ''asadora'' overall to be produced. The 297 15-minute episodes follow the life of during the Mei ...

'' (1983–1984) – Oshin * ''Shinju yoi goshin'' (1984) * ''The Asami Mitsuhiko Mystery'' (1987–1990) * ''Ōinaru gen'ei'' (1989) * ''Haha: Inochi yomigaeru hi'' (1992) * ''Asahina Shūhei misuterī 3: Tangoji satsujin jiken'' (1992) * ''Ude ni oboe ari'' (1992–1993)

Awards and honors

Japan Academy Prize * 1996: Best Supporting Actress, ''

'' Blue Ribbon Awards * 1966: Best Supporting Actress, ''

'' * 1953:

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

, ''

'', ''

'' and ''Yokubo'' Kinema Junpo Awards * 1996: Best Supporting Actress, ''

'' Mainichi Film Awards * 1996: Lifetime Achievement Award * 1993: Best Supporting Actress, ''The Strange Story of Oyuki'' * 1968:

, ''Operation Negligee'' and ''

'' 36th Venice International Film Festival * 1979: Pasinetti Award (Best Actress), ''The Strangling''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Otowa, Nobuko 1924 births 1994 deaths Japanese film actresses Asadora lead actors Actors from Tottori Prefecture Deaths from liver cancer 20th-century Japanese actresses Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon People from Yonago, Tottori