, also billed as Mieko Mochizuki, was a Japanese stage and film actress who appeared in films of directors such as

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 ...

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 Shoshimin-eiga, shōshimin-eiga ("common people drama") films with f ...

and

Tadashi Imai was a Japanese film director known for social realist filmmaking informed by a left-wing perspective. His most noted films include '' An Inlet of Muddy Water'' (1953) and '' Bushido, Samurai Saga'' (1963). Life Although leaning towards left-win ...

Biography

Mochizuki left the Tokyo Municipal Oshioka Girls' High School prematurely in 1930 and gave her stage debut the same year with

Ken'ichi Enomoto was a popular Japanese singing comedian, mostly known by his stage name Enoken (エノケン). A major innovator during his heyday, Enoken's stage shows, radio appearances, and film roles were a major influence within Tokyo theatre before Worl ...

's Casino Folies in

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known for Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as . History The development of Asaku ...

. She continued with engagements such as the Shinjuku Moulin Rouge and the Shinsei Shinpa, first with light comedies, later with dramatic roles, before signing with the

Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...

film studio in 1950. Her first major role was in Kinoshita's 1953 ''

A Japanese Tragedy , also known as ''Tragedy of Japan'', is a 1953 Japanese drama film written and directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. The film tells the story of a widowed mother who turns to prostitution to raise two children during and after World War II, but her c ...

''. Other notable appearances include Naruse's ''

Late Chrysanthemums is a 1954 Japanese drama film directed by Mikio Naruse. It follows four retired geisha and their struggles to persevere in post World War II Tokyo. The film is based on three short stories by writer Fumiko Hayashi. Plot ''Late Chrysanthemums'' ...

'', Imai's ''

The Rice People is a 1957 Japanese drama film directed by Tadashi Imai. It was entered into the 10th Cannes Film Festival. It is also known by the title ''The Rice People''. Plot Two young men, Tsuguo and Senkichi, return to their small home town during th ...

'' and

Satsuo Yamamoto was a Japanese film director. Yamamoto was born in Kagoshima, Kagoshima City. After leaving Waseda University, where he had become affiliated with Left-wing politics, left-wing groups, he joined the Shochiku film studios in 1933, where he worke ...

's ''

Ballad of the Cart is a 1959 Japanese drama film directed by Satsuo Yamamoto. It was written by Yoshikata Yoda, based on a novel by activist Tomoe Yamashiro. Plot In Hiroshima Prefecture during the Meiji era, simple housemaid Seki accepts the proposal of Moichi ...

''. She also had small roles in two films by

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese filmmaker. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. The most pr ...

, ''

The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice is a 1952 Japanese film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. The screenplay concerns a wealthy middle-aged couple (played by Shin Saburi and Michiyo Kogure) who have marital difficulties, and their niece who uses the couple's troubles as her excuse for ...

'' and ''

The End of Summer is a 1961 Japanese film directed by Yasujirō Ozu for Toho Films. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was his penultimate; only ''An Autumn Afternoon'' (1962) followed it, which he made for Shochiku Films. P ...

'' – the latter came into being because she wanted another role in an Ozu film. In 1960, Mochizuki directed the children's short film ''海を渡る友情'' (''Umiwowataru yūjō'', lit. "Friendship across the sea") for the Toei Educational Film Department. In addition to her stage and film work, she also appeared on television. In 1971 and 1977, Mochizuki ran for the

House of Councilors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or ...

election for the

Japan Socialist Party The was a major socialist and progressive political party in Japan which existed from 1945 to 1996. The party was the primary representative of the Japanese left and main opponent of the right-wing Liberal Democratic Party for most of its ex ...

. She died of breast cancer in 1977.

Selected filmography

* ''

Carmen Comes Home is a 1951 Japanese comedy film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. It was Japan's first feature length colour film. Plot Due to the renovation of the Tokyo based venue where she works, Okin, stage name Lily Carmen, and her lovesick friend Maya pay h ...

'' (1951) – director Keisuke Kinoshita * ''Honjitsu kyūshin'' (1952) – director Minoru Shibuya * ''

Gendai-jin is a 1952 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Minoru Shibuya. It was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Ryō Ikebe * Isuzu Yamada * So Yamamura * Toshiko Kobayashi * Yūko Mochizuki * Shinsuke Ashida was a Japanese a ...

'' (1952) – director Minoru Shibuya * ''

'' (1952) – director Yasujirō Ozu * '' Carmen's Pure Love'' (1952) – director Keisuke Kinoshita * ''

'' (1953) – director Keisuke Kinoshita * '' The Garden of Women'' (1954) – director Keisuke Kinoshita * ''

'' (1954) – director Mikio Naruse * '' Growing Up'' (1955) – director Heinosuke Gosho * ''The Tale of Jiro'' (1955) – director Hiroshi Shimizu * '' Farewell to Dream'' (1956) – director Keisuke Kinoshita * ''

The Thick-Walled Room is a 1953 Japanese war drama film directed by Masaki Kobayashi. The film was completed in 1953, but not released before 1956. Plot A group of former Japanese World War II soldiers, interned in Sugamo Prison as Class B and C war criminals, memo ...

'' (1956) – director Masaki Kobayashi * ''

'' (1957) – director Tadashi Imai * ''Unagitori'' (1957) – director Sotoji Kimura * '' Sorrow Is Only for Women'' (1958) – director Kaneto Shindō * '' The Ballad of Narayama'' (1958) – director Keisuke Kinoshita * ''

'' (1959) – director Satsuo Yamamoto * ''

A Town of Love and Hope A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...

'' (1959) – director Nagisa Ōshima * ''

'' (1961) – director Yasujirō Ozu * ''

Kwaidan is a Japanese word consisting of two kanji: 怪 (''kai'') meaning "strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching apparition" and 談 (''dan'') meaning "talk" or "recited narrative". Overall meaning and usage In its broadest sense, ''kaidan'' refer ...

'' (1964) – director Masaki Kobayashi

Awards

* 1953

Mainichi Film Award The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by ''Mainichi Shimbun'' (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of t ...

for Best Actress for ''A Japanese Tragedy'' * 1954 Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Late Chrysanthemums'' * 1957 Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress for ''The Rice People'' and ''Unagitori''

Notes

References

External links

* * *

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mochizuki, Yuuko 1917 births 1977 deaths Japanese film actresses 20th-century Japanese actresses Actresses from Kanagawa Prefecture Japanese actor-politicians