A Dignified Presence and a Woman Standing on the Edge of the City - Hiroko Shino and the Image of Women in 1970s Japan (1970s-1980s)

A Dignified Presence and a Woman Standing on the Edge of the City - Hiroko Shino and the Image of Women in 1970s Japan (1970s-1980s)

Hiroko Shino (born in 1948) is an actress who symbolically portrayed "working women" and "women living between family and society" through TV dramas and films in post-high economic growth Japan. In the 1970s, when the transition from film to television was underway and women were rapidly entering the workforce, her performances presented a modern and intelligent image of women. She first gained attention for her role in "It's About Time" (1973), and later in "To Friday's Wives III" and other films, in which she delicately portrayed the complex emotions of city dwellers. Combining elegance and strength, she embodied the new image of the "independent woman" demanded by the times.

While her contemporary Mariko Kaga represented urban decadence and Chieko Matsubara purity, Hiroko Shino realistically portrayed a mature middle-class woman. This stance drew sympathy against the backdrop of current trends such as the rising divorce rate, the shift to nuclear families, and the expanding role of women in society. Although she retired from acting after her marriage, the portrayal of women she portrayed is still talked about today as a way of life in which women "stand with dignity.