was a Japanese
AV idol
An or is a type of pornographic film actress in Japan. It is a sub-category of the idol culture in Japanese pop entertainment. AV idols work in the pornographic business, often both as an actress as well as a model as the video performances ...
and ''
pink film'' actress. She earned the title of "Japan's Original Adult Video Queen" during a 16-year career in which she starred in nearly 200 AVs and appeared in over 180 films.
Hayashi was also a prominent ''pink film'' actress; she was the subject of a 1997 documentary
and the recipient of the Best Actress 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 scholar ...
ceremony in 2004 as well as receiving the Special Career Award the following year.
Her death on June 28, 2005, one day after her 35th birthday, ended one of the longest careers in the AV field
and made front-page news in Tokyo.
Following her death, Hayashi was awarded a second Special Career Award at the 2006 Pink Grand Prix ceremony and became the subject of several theatrical retrospectives and a 382-page biography.
Life and career
Yumika Hayashi was born in Tokyo on June 27, 1970. Her parents divorced when she was in 5th grade, elementary school, and Hayashi was on her own by the time she was in high school. Hayashi's mother managed a popular ''ramen'' chain.
Hayashi made her adult video debut in the ''
bishōjo
In Japanese popular culture, a , also romanized as ''bishojo'' or ''bishoujo'', is a cute girl character. ''Bishōjo'' characters appear ubiquitously in media including manga, anime, and computer games (especially in the ''bishojo'' game genre) ...
'' genre with the June 1989
h.m.p. Miss Christine release, .
She made her ''pink film'' debut the same year, and her starring debut with the Xces studio release, in October 1990.
She became one of the most popular AV Actresses of the 1990s.
Several of her early videos were for the
V&R Planning
is a Japanese film production and distribution company based in Tokyo which specializes in adult videos (AV).
Company information
V&R Planning was founded in April 1986 by Kaoru Adachi (安達かおる) who had previously worked in TV, mostly a ...
studio under the direction of
Company Matsuo who was also her lover.
Cult director
Hisayasu Satō
is a Japanese exploitation film director. He has worked prolifically in the genre of '' pinku eiga'' films, which refers to Japanese films that prominently feature nudity or sexual content. His best-known works are the 1992 pink film ''The Bedr ...
chose Hayashi for a major role in his
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
film ''Real Action: Drink Up!'', and continued an association with the actress in several films. In his entry in the ''
Molester's Train
is a Japanese pink film series. Academy Award–winning director Yōjirō Takita started the series in 1982. By 1997, there had been 25 films made in the series. In their pioneering English-language work on Japanese erotic cinema, the Weissers w ...
'' series, ''Molester's Train: Dirty Behavior'' aka ''Birthday'' Hayashi had a role in a film whose "austere tone" was in direct contrast to the light, comic tone of the previous films in the series, started by
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-winner
Yōjirō Takita
Yōjirō Takita (滝田 洋二郎 ''Takita Yōjirō'', born December 4, 1955) is a Japanese filmmaker. Takita received an Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, Best Foreign Language Film for his 2008 drama '' ...
in 1982.
In the role of the "gluttonous woman" who eats herself in Satō's ''
Naked Blood
, literally, ''Naked Blood: Mischief'', is a 1996 Japanese horror film directed by Hisayasu Satō. It is a remake of Satō's 1987 film, , and, according to AllMovie, "contains one of the most appalling scenes in Japanese horror."
Plot
A scient ...
'' (1996) Hayashi performed what
Allmovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...
calls "one of the most appalling scenes in Japanese horror", in which her character cooks, then consumes various parts of her body. In 1995, Hayashi played a role in a
TBS television series featuring Taro Miyako Nishimura's fictional detective, Inspector Totsukawa, .
By mid-1996, another V&R Planning director,
Katsuyuki Hirano (who was married) had replaced Company Matsuo as Hayashi's lover
and the two of them traveled to the north of Japan in July 1996 on a bike trip. Hirano produced an AV version of their trip titled ''Tokyo - Rebun 41-day Adultery Bicycle Touring Trip'' and later in 1997 edited a mainstream documentary on the trip entitled ''Yumika''. Hayashi received credit for the shooting of the film, and Hirano was Hayashi's co-star.
In 1998, she was again working in television in the
NHK
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestr ...
TV drama ''Blue Fireworks'' (青い花火 or Aoi Hanabi) broadcast on November 28, 1998. Hayashi also appeared in director
Yōichirō Takahashi's drama ''
Nichiyōbi wa Owaranai'' (日曜日は終わらない) which originally aired on
NHK
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestr ...
TV as a High-Definition satellite TV broadcast on October 21, 1999. It was subsequently shown as ''
Sunday's Dream
is a Japanese drama film directed by Yōichirō Takahashi. Originally broadcast in 1999 as an NHK Hi-Vision drama, it was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. It was screened theatrically in October 2005 ...
'' (1999) at the
53rd Cannes Film Festival,
and won the
FIPRESCI Prize
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
at the
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
. In their review of the film, midnighteye.com commented, "The big surprise is that former porn star Yumika Hayashi is also very good as the happy-go-lucky Sachiko".
As one of the top erotic actresses of her day, Hayashi was invited to the Cinequint theater in
Shibuya
Shibuya ( 渋谷 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station.
As of April 1 ...
to speak at a woman's-only night showing of ''pink films'' in March 2002. Similar events had attracted a large audience of young women. On the subject of women viewing her films, Hayashi told the weekly ''Shūkan Bunshun'', "To be honest, I've never really thought about whether my movies were being watched by men or women. We always presume that only guys are going to turn them on... Still, this'll be a great chance for girls to get to know about the porno movie industry. I think the most enjoyable part of the night is going to be the questions asked after the films are over. I wonder what the girls are going to ask me?"
At the 17th
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 scholar ...
awards, for the year of 2004, Hayashi won the "Best Actress" award for her performance in .
Hayashi's prolific career earned her a reputation as an "iron woman" of Japanese erotic cinema,
and after her death, the weekly ''Shūkan Taishū'' wrote that Hayashi's 180 filmed appearances deserved mention in the ''
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
''.
At the Pink Grand Prix for 2005 she was given a special Career Award for Achievement as an Actress.
Death
When director
Katsuyuki Hirano became concerned that Hayashi had not reported for work for a couple of days, he, another AV worker and Hayashi's mother went to her apartment on the morning of June 29, 2005, two days after Hayashi's 35th birthday. There they discovered her dead body in bed.
A friend of Hayashi's described the scene to reporters, "Yumika was lying in her bed and the three people who found her thought she was sleeping. When they realized she wasn't breathing, they quickly called for an ambulance, but it was already too late, Yumika's mom was shattered, screaming, crying and going half crazy."
At the time of her death,
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
and
murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
were both considered possible causes of death.
Hayashi's romantic life was seen as a possible cause of foul play. A colleague in the AV industry reported that Hayashi had broken off a relationship with a younger man about three months before her death. "They'd lived together for a while. She seemed to have been pretty shocked when the relationship came to an end."
A neighbor agreed telling reporters, "About three months ago, she had a huge fight with a guy that forced the cops to be called to our apartment block. A pile of men's photos and underpants came flying out of the window of her eighth floor apartment and landed on passers-by."
Hayashi's friend and director
Yumi Yoshiyuki
is a Japanese film director, actress, and screenwriter best known for her work in the ''pink film'' genre.
Early life and education
Yoshiyuki studied economics at Dokkyo University.
Career
During her studies at Dokkyo University, Yoshiyuki deve ...
disagreed with the possibility of suicide, telling ''Friday'' weekly, "She was a really bright kid. She'd told me that she'd just found a new boyfriend and was really happy. I cannot believe she could possibly have committed suicide."
It was later determined that no intentional causes were involved in the actress' death. Instead Hayashi's death was the result of a night of heavy drinking while celebrating her 35th birthday. After the party, Hayashi had choked to death in her bed after vomiting in her sleep.
Legacy
Hayashi was remembered as part of a
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...
special on those who had recently died. The show, ''Sayonara 5, 6 tsuki hen'' (さよなら 5、6月編), was broadcast on August 12, 2005 and included reminiscences and some details of the day before her death.
Hayashi's last film, (2005), directed by
Yumi Yoshiyuki
is a Japanese film director, actress, and screenwriter best known for her work in the ''pink film'' genre.
Early life and education
Yoshiyuki studied economics at Dokkyo University.
Career
During her studies at Dokkyo University, Yoshiyuki deve ...
, was released in September 2005.
Yoshiyuki and co-star
Sakurako Kaoru
is a Japanese gravure model, AV idol and ''pink film'' actress. First coming to prominence as an AV actress, Kaoru successfully made the transition to the theatrically released softcore ''pink film'' genre. She has appeared in award-winning ''pi ...
participated in the memorial ceremony for Hayashi at the film's opening at the Ueno Okura theater. The film received a standing ovation. Hayashi's posthumous work was chosen as the fifth best ''pink'' release of the year 2005 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 scholar ...
.
The 2006 Pink Grand Prix posthumously gave Hayashi her second special award for her work as a ''pink film'' actress.
Yoshiyuki Hayashida, founder of the ''pink film'' magazine ''P*G'' and the Pink Grand Prix co-authored a 382-page biography of Hayashi in 2006 entitled .
In 2009, Japanese-Korean director Tetsuaki Matsue filmed a documentary on Hayashi. Titled , the film includes appearances by Hayashi's former colleagues actress
Lemon Hanazawa
, a.k.a. Remon Hanazawa, is a Japanese ''pink film'' actress who has also performed in adult videos (AV). She has appeared in award-winning ''pink films'' such as '' Lunch Box'' (2004) and '' Molester's Train: Sensitive Fingers'' (2007). She was ...
and directors
Company Matsuo and
Katsuyuki Hirano.
References
Bibliography of cited sources
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
* Takatoshi, Naoi; Hayashida, Yoshiyuki; Yanashita, Kiichiro (2006). ''Yumika Hayashi: A Portrait of the Actress as a Young Woman'' (女優 林由美香 ''Joyu Hayashi Yumika''). Tokyo: Yosensha. .
*
, -
! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" ,
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 scholar ...
, -
, -
! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" ,
Pinky Ribbon Awards
The are a Japanese cinema awards ceremony which recognizes excellence in the '' pink film'' genre. The award is held by , a Kansai region paper covering the ''pink film'' industry. Readers of the paper elect the winners of the awards, which have ...
, -
, -
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayashi, Yumika
1970 births
2005 deaths
Alcohol-related deaths in Japan
Deaths from choking
Japanese pornographic film actresses
Pink film actors
Japanese female adult models
Actresses from Tokyo