is a Japanese actress from the city of Ōita.

Biography

Yūko graduated from high school in the city of Ōita. She placed first in the 1976 Miss Salad Girl contest (the runner-up was Yūko Natori). She landed a part in a Kanebo cosmetics commercial and joined Toho Entertainment. Her sister Nobuko is also in acting. Yūko made her film debut in 1976 in ''Hoshi to Arashi'' and in 1979 appeared in '' Ah! Nomugi Toge''. She was cast in the 1983 Toho adaptation of the novel ''

The Makioka Sisters is a novel by Japanese writer Jun'ichirō Tanizaki that was serialized from 1943 to 1948. It follows the lives of the wealthy Makioka family of Osaka from the autumn of 1936 to April 1941, focusing on the family's attempts to find a husband fo ...

''. In 1991 the

Japan Academy The Japan Academy ( Japanese: 日本学士院, ''Nihon Gakushiin'') is an honorary organisation and science academy founded in 1879 to bring together leading Japanese scholars with distinguished records of scientific achievements. The Academy is ...

recognized her as the Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for portraying Noriko Kai in the 1989 Toho film '' Hana no Furu Gogo'' (or ''Afternoon when Flowers Fell''). She played Aguri (later Yōzei-in), the wife of

Asano Naganori was the '' daimyō'' of the Akō Domain in Japan (1675–1701). His title was ''Takumi no Kami'' (). He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as ''Chūshingura'' (involving the forty-seven rōnin), ...

, in the 1994 ''

Chūshingura is the title given to fictionalized accounts in Japanese literature, theater, and film that relate to the historical incident involving the forty-seven ''rōnin'' and their mission to avenge the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including th ...

Shijū-shichinin no Shikaku''. She appeared on television in 1977 as the female lead in ''Bakumatsu Miraijin'' 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 ...

. Her 1984 portrayal of Otsū, the love interest of

Miyamoto Musashi , also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...

in NHK's 45-part prime-time series based on the

Eiji Yoshikawa was a Japanese historical novelist. Among his best-known novels are revisions of older classics. He was mainly influenced by classics such as '' The Tale of the Heike'', ''Tale of Genji'', ''Water Margin'' and ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', ...

novel, was a major high point of her career. She also took the female lead in the 1993 Taiga drama '' Homura Tatsu'' opposite

Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor. To English-speaking audiences, he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in ''The Last Samurai'', for which he was nomi ...

. In 2004 NHK cast her as the leading lady in ''Jīji: Mago to ita Natsu'' with

Toshiyuki Nishida is a Japanese actor. He has won two Japanese Academy Awards for best actor, for '' The Silk Road'' (1988) and ''Tsuribaka Nisshi 6'' (1993). He has also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for '' Get Up!'' and '' Tsuribaka Nisshi 14'' (200 ...

. Meanwhile, she appeared on privately owned networks in many prominent roles. On

Tokyo Broadcasting System formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...

, Yūko played characters in series in 1980, '81, and '82, including the female lead in ''Totsuzen no Ashita''.

Asahi TV 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 Compa ...

cast her in the lead role in two 90 minute specials in the ''Onyado Kawasemi'' ''

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—'' Portrait of H ...

'' series (1988–89);

Yasuko Sawaguchi is a Japanese actress. Biography She was born in Osaka. In early 1984, the Japanese movie studio Toho Company Ltd. held their first Toho Cinderella beauty contest, and Yasuko, almost 19 at the time, was chosen as the first Toho Cinderella, beat ...

Reiko Takashima is a Japanese actress. Career Takashima starred in Shinji Aoyama's 1999 film, '' EM Embalming''. She has also appeared in films such as '' K-20: Legend of the Mask'', ''Railways'' and ''Space Battleship Yamato''. Filmography Film * ''Like a Ro ...

and others have played the same character. Nippon Television gave her the lead in the 1990 ''Ikenai Joshikō Monogatari'' and second billing in ''Omoide-zukuri'' in the following year. She returned to Asahi and ''jidaigeki'' in the title role in two series with the title ''

Tōyama no Kin-san is a popular character based on the historical Tōyama Kagemoto, a samurai and official of the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period of Japanese history. In kabuki and kōdan, he was celebrated under his childhood name, Kinshirō, shortened to ...

vs. Onna Nezumi'' opposite

Hiroki Matsukata , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor. He was the son of ''jidaigeki'' actor Jūshirō Konoe and actress Yaeko Mizukawa and has a younger brother, Yūki Meguro, who is also an actor. With ex-wife actress Akiko Nishina he had t ...

(1997 and 1998). A decade later, the network paired the two again, and Yūko portrayed Kikyō, the leading lady, in ''Surōnin Tsukikage Hyōgo''. A versatile actress, Kotegawa has appeared in many other formats. She is a frequent guest star, playing contemporary and period roles. She has taken the part of the criminal in shows such as ''Keibuho Furuhata Ninzaburō.'' Yūko has also appeared in several two-hour dramas. In one of these, in the ''

G.I. Samurai aka ''Time Slip'', is a 1979 Japanese science fiction/ action film focusing on the adventures of a modern-day Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) team that accidentally travels in time to the . The ...

'' (''Sengoku Jietai'') franchise, she portrayed Nene, the wife of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

. She has done voice acting, taking the part of Yolda in '' Origin: Spirits of the Past''. Yūko counts Subaru,

Tiger Corporation Tiger Corporation ( ja, タイガー魔法瓶株式会社, translit= Taigā Mahōbin Kabushiki Gaisha, lit= Tiger Vacuum Flask agic-jarCorporation) is a Japanese manufacturer that applies vacuum insulation and heat control technology to consum ...

, and Lion among her commercial clients.

Filmography

Films

* '' Imperial Navy'' (1981), Yōko Hongō * ''

'' (1983), Taeko Makioka * '' Hana no Furu Gogo'' (1989), Noriko Kai * '' Kozure Ōkami: Sono Chiisaki Te ni'' (1993) * ''

47 Ronin 47, 47 or forty-seven may refer to: *47 (number) *47 BC * AD 47 *1947 * 2047 *'47 (brand), an American clothing brand * ''47'' (magazine), an American publication * 47 (song), a song by Sidhu Moose Wala *47, a song by New Found Glory from the alb ...

'' (1994), Yōzen-in * '' Onmyōji 2'' (2003) * '' The Homeless Student'' (2008)

Television

* ''Sekigahara'' (1981), Natsu * ''Miyamoto Musashi'' (1984–85), Otsū * ''

Furuhata Ninzaburō is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from 1994 until its final episodes (specials) in 2006. It was written by Japanese playwright Kōki Mitani and is often referred to as the Japanese version of ''Columbo'' ...

'' (1994), Ari Sasayama * '' Sengoku Jieitai: Sekigahara no Tatakai'' (2006),

Kōdai-in (died October 17, 1624), formerly known as , , , was an aristocrat and Buddhist nun, founder of the temple Kōdai-ji in Kyoto, Japan. She was formerly the principal samurai wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi under the name of . Nussbaum, Louis-Frédé ...

* ''

GeGeGe no Nyōbō is an autobiography written by Nunoe Mura and published in 2008. It details her life as the wife of the manga artist Shigeru Mizuki, especially their struggles against poverty before he became successful. It has sold over 500,000 copies. In 20 ...

'' (2010), Miyako Iida

Awards

Sources

This article incorporates material from 古手川祐子 (''Kotegawa Yūko'') in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on March 9, 2008.

External links

日本アカデミー賞公式サイト
(''Nihon Academy-shō Kōshiki Site'') History page *

at JMDB
A-Team Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotegawa, Yuko 1959 births Japanese actresses Living people People from Ōita (city)