A Silent Flower That Bloomed on the Silver Screen: Yoneko Sakai and the Light and Shadow of Early Japanese Cinema, 1898–1958

Born in Kanda, Tokyo, in 1898, Yoneko Sakai symbolizes the transition of Japanese cinema from the era of onnagata (male actors playing female roles) to the era of full-fledged actresses. She appeared on the Shinkigeki stage from an early age and studied acting with theater companies led by Masao Inoue and others. In 1920, she joined the Nikkatsu Mukojima Studio and made her film debut in *Before the Morning Sun Rises*, directed by Eizo Tanaka. At that time, Japanese cinema still retained the tradition of men playing female roles, so Sakai’s emergence marked a significant step toward the modernization of cinematic expression. After the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, she shifted her career to Kyoto, appearing in films such as Kenji Mizoguchi’s *The Queen of the Present*, *Women Are Strong*, and *Nihonbashi*. In 1926, she played the role of Kari-mo Tayū in director Tomihiro Ikeda’s *Jitsuroku Chūshingura* and gained popularity as a period drama actress. On the silent screen, her gaze, facial expressions, and physical movements became crucial means of conveying her characters’ inner emotions. However, in the early Shōwa period, as cinema transitioned to sound films, the acting environment for actresses changed dramatically. Sakai formed her own theater troupe and sought new opportunities through regional tours. She passed away in 1958 at the age of 59. Her life tells the story of the golden age of silent film and the era of transformation brought about by the advent of sound.