[JAPAN] Chikage Awashima Tribute - Legendary Actress

This video is dedicated to Ms. Keiko Nakagawa (aka Chikage Awashima). Chikage was a member of the Takarazuka Revue, where she was a top star. She was a member of the 29th class of the Takarazuka Revue. She had one younger brother, Yusaku Nakagawa, who worked under the pseudonym Steve Nakagawa for Hanna-Barbera Productions and Rankin-Bass Productions in the United States.
Born in Tokyo, Chikage's family owned a cloth shop in Nihonbashi in Tokyo. In 1936, Chikage entered Seikei Girls' High School. After graduating from the high school, she entered the Takarazuka Music et Dance School in 1939. She then joined the Takarazuka Revue from 1941 to 1950.
She was named "Chidori Awaji" after the poem "How many nights have I been awakened by the cries of the plovers passing through Awaji Island, Suma no Barrier Guard" (Minamoto no Kanemasa) from the Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poems). However, due to the presence of another troupe member with the same stage name, she changed her stage name to "Chikage Awashima."
During her time with the troupe, Chikage supported the Takarazuka Revue as a leading female lead with exceptional beauty during and after the World War II, and was called "one of the three Musketeers of Tokyo" along with Asami Kuji and Yuko Minami. She gained popularity as a female lead star, beloved by the world's famous manga writer, Osamu Tezuka, who was a big fan of Chikage. Tezuka's manga, Princess Sapphire in "Princess Knight" was modeled after Chikage.
After Takarazuka, Chjikage turned to the film industry, apparently influenced by her senior,
Yumeji Tsukioka. Chikage joined Shochiku and made her debut in "Tenyawan'ya." She won the first Blue Ribbon Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress; she received the Technical Award. She went on to star in films such as "Bakushu," "Closed Today," and "Your Name," becoming a leading actress for Shochiku. She played an Americanized postwar woman, earning her the nickname "Apres Girl" (postwar woman) of the silver screen. Her performance in "Jiyu Gakko" coined the catchphrase "Tondemo Happun" (Unbelievable Happen). In 1955, she was invited by Toho, where she co-starred with Hisaya Morishige in "Fufu Zenzai" (6th Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress), playing a woman who gazes motherly at a lazy man. Her charm as a comedienne blossomed, and she was one of the silver screen stars who supported the heyday of postwar Japanese cinema.
Chikage became a freelancer in 1956, and since then has appeared in films for various companies. She was particularly active at Toho, appearing in films such as "The Station Series,"
"As a Wife, As a Woman," and "Black & White," becoming one of the company's leading actresses.
Chikage met the Oriental Witches while attending a newspaper-sponsored event at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. She created the "Fuji Club" for them, with Awashima as its owner. Awashima's manager, Tatsuru Kakiuchi, served as the team's manager. The team won the volleyball competition at the 20th National Athletic Meet in 1965. Later, she hired one of the team members, Kinuko Tanida, as an employee at Awashima's office.
In 1955, Chikage received the Kan Kikuchi Award; she was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1988, the Order of the Precious Crown, 4th Class in 1995, the Shozo Makino Prize in 2004, and the NHK Broadcasting Culture Award in 2005.
In the spring of 2011, Chikage readily accepted an offer to appear in the TBS drama Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari, which would become the final work of Chikage's acting career spanning over 70 years. She was to play the role of the head hostess of an inn, where Chikage exuded refined grace, but after falling ill during filming in the summer and undergoing tests at a hospital, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which had progressed to stage four. Chikage was able to make it through the New Year, spending time with her relatives until around New Year's Day in 2012. Her condition then worsened, and she was admitted to a hospital in Tokyo.
Chikage (87) died 16 Feb 2012. She remained single all her life.

Major Awards and Honors:
1950: 1st Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress "Tenyawanya"
1955: 6th Blue Ribbon Awards, Best Actress Award for "Fufu Zenzai"
1956: 4th Kikuchi Kan Award
1959: 13th Mainichi Film Awards, Best Actress Award for "Hotaru no Hi" and "Noren"
1984: Kikuta Kazuo Drama Award
1988: Medal with Purple Ribbon
1995: Order of the Precious Crown, Fourth Class
1995: 4th Japan Film Critics Awards, Golden Glory Award
1998: 52nd Mainichi Film Awards, Kinuyo Tanaka Award
1998: 7th Japan Film Critics Awards, Special Actress Award
2004: 42nd Makino Shozo Award
2005: 56th Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) Broadcasting Culture Award
2010: 34th Yamaji Fumiko Film Awards, Film Achievement Award


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