Kyo Machiko - Lights and Shadows of the Showa Era as Reflected by an International Actress (1924-2019)

Kyo Machiko - Lights and Shadows of the Showa Era as Reflected by an International Actress (1924-2019)

Kyo Machiko was an actress who symbolized the golden age of postwar Japanese cinema, and her appearance and acting were highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad. She did not come from Takarazuka, but was scouted while working as a dancer and made her way into the film industry. Her voluptuous, curvaceous physique, sharp, piercing eyes, and bewitching lips gave her a distinct personality that stood out among Japanese actresses of the time, and she possessed both an exotic atmosphere and Japanese sentimentality.

In 1950, she attracted the world's attention with Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and became an opportunity for Japanese films to gain international recognition. She continued to embody the confusion and moral turmoil of the postwar era in such films as Kenji Mizoguchi's "Red-light District," Kozaburo Yoshimura's "Fake Morisoko," and Yuzo Kawashima's "The Butterflies of the Night. On the other hand, in Yasujiro Ozu's "Ukigusa" and Kon Ichikawa's "Nuptials," he played enduring wives and tolerant women, evoking deep empathy in the audience.

At the time, the Japanese film industry was rapidly recovering and making inroads into foreign film festivals. Whereas Setsuko Hara's innocent, idealistic portrayal had an international flavor, Machiko Kyo presented a fleshy, raw humanity that left a strong impression on Western audiences. Compared to her contemporary Takamine Hideko, who broadened her range of acting based on the common people, Kyo was always positioned as a performer of "female karma" and "sexuality," and reportedly suffered from a disconnect with her own inner life at times.

Despite this conflict, however, Kyo's performances in "Rashomon" and "Red-light District" helped Japanese cinema make the leap from mere entertainment to a world-class art form. Kyo Machiko's achievements continue to shine, not only as a flamboyant star, but also as a symbol of the internationalization of postwar Japan.