Yoko Shimada: “Shogun” star dies at 69

Yoko Shimada: “Shogun” star dies at 69





Yoko Shimada: “Shogun” star dies at 69

Japanese actress Yoko Shimada, who won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of Mariko in the classic 1980 miniseries “Shogun,” died Monday of complications from colorectal cancer in a hospital. of Tokyo. She was 69 years old.

Born in 1953 in the city of Kumamoto, on the Japanese island of Kyushu, Shimada made her film debut at the age of seven in the drama “Jûrokusai” by Eisuke Takizawa (1902-1966). With a long career as a child, she also starred in the first season of “Kamen Rider” (in 1971), one of the most famous series of the tokusatsu genre (productions with special effects, usually with monsters).

She abandoned children’s projects at the age of 21, when she screened herself internationally as the female lead in the crime thriller “The Sand Castle” (1974), by Yoshitarô Nomura, which was awarded at the Moscow International Festival. She also starred in Kon Ichikawa’s (1915-2008) horror classic “The Inugami Family” (1976), which won seven Japanese industry awards.

But it was her role as Lady Mariko in the American adaptation of James Clavelle’s novel that made her famous around the world.

Even without speaking fluent English, she played the most prominent female role in the Emmy-winning production, as a fearless samurai who had a lot to prove from a disgraced family, which also makes her a femme fatale for the hero.

In the plot, a British sailor named John Blackthorne (Richard Chamberlain) survives a shipwreck off the coast of Japan in the 17th century, faces trials to become a samurai, and becomes embroiled in the country’s complex political web, becoming a confidant of Lord. Toronaga (the legendary Toshiro Mifune), a powerful aristocrat who wants to ascend to the shogunate. His status, however, is shaken by the presence of Lady Mariko, who makes him sway and reconsider his priorities, having to choose between heart, ambition, courage and honor.

After the success of “Shogun”, she became a superstar in Japan, but only appeared in two other international productions: the thrillers “Marked to Die” (1995), starring Christopher Lambert, and “Combat: Tears of the Dead”. “, adaptation of the manga” Crying Freeman “directed by the French Christophe Gans.

Her latest work was in the romantic film “Kanon”, released in 2016.

The story of “Shogun” is currently being remake by the American pay channel FX, with an adaptation by screenwriter Justin Marks (“The Mowgli – The Wolf Boy”) and with singer Anna Sawai, member of the J-Pop group FAKY. , in the role of Mariko.

Source: Terra

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