Shima Iwashita: From Purity to Intelligence, an Actress in Transition (1960s-1980s)

Shima Iwashita: From Purity to Intelligence, an Actress in Transition (1960s-1980s)

Shima Iwashita was born in 1941. She grew up in the Showa era (1926-1989), a period of transition from postwar reconstruction to rapid economic growth. In 1958, she made her debut in the NHK drama "Bus Dori Uraku," and in 1960, she signed a contract with Shochiku and made her first film appearance in "Dry Lake" directed by Masahiro Shinoda. In the same year, she appeared in a minor role in Yasujiro Ozu's "Autumn Sun", and in his last film "The Taste of Autumn Fishes", her sensitive portrayal of the emotions between a father and daughter brought her into the limelight and set her on the path to becoming a great actress. Yoshinaga became a symbol of purity. While Yoshinaga gained national popularity as a symbol of the purist movement, Baisho gained popularity for her folksy charm, and Asaoka exuded an urban appeal, Iwashita established her own unique position from her innocent beginnings by adopting an intellectual and bewitching style. In 1969, she broke new ground in "Shinju:
Shinju", in which she played a complicated heroine who betrays her father. In 1988, she played the role of Akiko Yosano in "Hana no ran" and embodied the image of a woman living through the upheavals of the Taisho period (1912-1926). Iwashita's career symbolized the era in which actresses were transformed from stars to performers, and reflected the transition of Japanese cinema itself.