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Yasue Yamamoto

やまもと やすえ

Yamamoto Yasue

Pen Names: Chiyo Yamamoto（birth name）, Yasue Yamamoto（stage name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1902-10-29 （Kanda, Tokyo, Japan (born; registered in Aoki/Tanomachi, Yokohama)）
Died
1993-10-20 （Sendagi, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan (home)） age 90
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Kanda, Tokyo → Aoki/Tanomachi, Yokohama (registered) → Kioicho / Kioi-cho (Kojimachi), Tokyo (foster parents' home) → Sendagaya, Tokyo (residence) → Sendagi, Bunkyo, Tokyo (residence) → Sekiguchi, Bunkyo, Tokyo (burial site)

Career

Occupations
Actress, Reciter/Reader, Theatre instructor
Active Years
1921-1992
Affiliations
Tsukiji Little Theatre, Shin-Tsukiji Theatre Company, Budō no Kai (theatre study group), Yasue Yamamoto Association, NHK resident troupe (later Tokyo Broadcasting Troupe) – instructor
Influenced By
Kaoru Osanai, Yoshio Hijikata, Junji Kinoshita
Influenced
Sadako Sawamura, Minoru Chiaki, Michiko Kato, Reiko Nanao

Education

Kanagawa Koto Jogakko (now Kanagawa Gakuen High School)
Country: Japan
Modern Drama Actress Training Institute (organized by Ichikawa Sadanji et al.)
Period: 入所：1921年
Country: Japan
Passed newspaper recruitment and entered as youngest successful applicant
Tsukiji Little Theatre (research student / company member)
Period: 1924–1929（在籍・研究生）
Country: Japan
Participated in founding period; became a full company member

Awards

Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1951
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs
Result: 受賞
Osaka Civic Cultural Festival Honorary Award
1951
Organization: City of Osaka
Result: 受賞
NHK Broadcasting Culture Award
1952
Organization: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Result: 受賞
Osaka Prefectural Cultural Festival Award
1958
Organization: Osaka Prefecture
Result: 受賞
Asahi Culture Award
1974
Organization: Asahi Shimbun Company
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Art Award
1980
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Kurashiki Civic Theatre Special Award
1984
Organization: Kurashiki Civic Theatre
Result: 受賞
10th Performing Arts Merit Commendation
1984
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Art Award (Special Prize)
1985
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞（特別賞）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Yuzuru (The Crane Wife)

1949 Stage play (drama)

A play by Junji Kinoshita. Yamamoto famously performed the heroine 'Tsū' for decades, giving over 1,000 performances across her career.

folkloric elementssacrificehuman relationshipsfemale identity

Shigosen no Matsuri (The Meridian Ritual)

1979 Stage play

A major work by Junji Kinoshita combining Noh, kabuki, and choral recitation; Yamamoto participated in multiple productions.

historical materialchoral recitationtradition and modernity

Plain Face (Suga)

1936 Essays

A 1936 essay collection containing pieces on convalescence and theatrical experience.

autobiographical essaysbehind-the-scenes of the stageillness and recovery

The Work of an Actress

1992 Non-fiction (theatre studies)

Published in 1992 as a posthumous work in spirit; discusses acting, voice, and recitation from the author's perspective.

theory of actingvocal techniquerecitation

Bibliography

  • Plain Face (Sara Shoten, 1936)
  • The Road I Have Walked (Kobundo / Miraisha; multiple editions)
  • Days for the Crane (Nakanai Shoten, 1950)
  • Occasional Writings (Miraisha, 1969)
  • Stage, Travel and People (Miraisha, 1979)
  • New Edition: The Road I Have Walked (Miraisha, 1987)
  • The Work of an Actress (Iwanami Shinsho, 1992)
  • The Road I Have Walked (Chuko Bunko edition, 1994)

Adaptations

  • Reimei (1927, directed by Kaoru Osanai)
  • Sakura-tai Chiru (1988, appeared as a witness/testimonial)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear projection and articulationexpressive recitation-focused deliverynaturalistic acting grounded in Shingeki realism
Recurring Motifs
poverty and inner strength derived from itfemale sacrifice and renewalmodern reinterpretation of folkloric and traditional elements

Health

  • Tuberculosis
    1933（初発）および1935・1938など断続的に再発
    Required periods of convalescence and absence from the stage; recurring illness affected continuity of her career.
  • Liver metastasis (cancer) / terminal illness
    1992–1993
    Declared limited life expectancy in 1992, underwent treatment, ceased performing and died in 1993.

Legacy

Best known for performing the heroine 'Tsū' in Junji Kinoshita's Yuzuru over 1,000 times, Yamamoto is regarded as a leading postwar Japanese actress. She contributed significantly to recitation training and mentoring younger performers; her materials were donated to Waseda University's theatre museum and a Yuzuru memorial museum in Izu.

Museums

  • Yuzuru Memorial Museum (Amagi Hall, Izu City) Amagi-Yugashima area (now Izu City), Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
  • Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum (archives) Waseda, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

Archives

  • Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum (donated clipping albums, photographs, tapes)
  • Izu City Yuzuru Memorial (costumes, props, scripts and recordings)

In Popular Culture

  • Painting "A Day of Yasue" (Etsuki Kitazawa, 1967) — Kyoto City Museum collection

Quotes

  • There is no age for an actor.
    Source: Autobiography / interviews (1987)
  • The training at the Tsukiji Little Theatre was truly a happiness.
    Source: Autobiography (recollection) (1994)

Trivia

  • Her birth year was long recorded in some sources as 1906, but after her death it was confirmed she was born on 1902-10-29.
  • She performed the heroine 'Tsū' in Yuzuru more than 1,000 times (records show 1,037 performances across 37 years).
  • Per her will, no funeral or memorial service was held.