Japanese Literary Awards

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Sayuri Yoshinaga

よしなが さゆり

Yoshinaga Sayuri

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1945-03-13 （Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan → Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan (vacation home)

Career

Occupations
actor, singer, narrator, presenter, talent
Active Years
1957-
Affiliations
Sayuri Yoshinaga Office
Influenced By
Masashi Yoshida

Education

Waseda University, Second Faculty of Letters
Second Faculty of Letters / Western history
Period: 1965-1969
Year of Graduation: 1969
Country: Japan
Entered after passing portions of the university entrance tests; graduated 1969

Awards

Blue Ribbon Award — Best Actress
1963
Work: A Town with a Cupola
Category: 主演女優賞
Organization: Blue Ribbon Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize — Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
1985
Work: Ohan / Heaven Station
Category: 最優秀主演女優賞
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize — Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
1989
Work: Tsur u / Ran's Flowers
Category: 最優秀主演女優賞
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize — Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
2001
Work: Nagasaki Burabura Bushi
Category: 最優秀主演女優賞
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Japan Academy Prize — Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
2006
Work: Year One in the North
Category: 最優秀主演女優賞
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2006
Organization: Cabinet Office
Result: 受章
Person of Cultural Merit
2010
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs / MEXT
Result: 選出
Kikuchi Kan Prize
2015
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Kinema Junpo — Best Actress
1985
Work: Ohan / Heaven Station
Category: 主演女優賞
Organization: Kinema Junpo
Result: 受賞
Blue Ribbon Award — Best Actress
2001
Work: Nagasaki Burabura Bushi
Category: 主演女優賞
Organization: Blue Ribbon Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Blue Ribbon Award — Best Actress
2024
Work: Hello, Mother
Category: 主演女優賞
Organization: Blue Ribbon Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Town with a Cupola

1962 Film (youth/drama)

A Nikkatsu film about youth and coming-of-age, starring Sayuri Yoshinaga; the role brought her major attention early in her career.

youthcoming-of-age

Ohan

1984 Film (drama)

One of the films that showcased Yoshinaga's mature acting; performances in this film helped secure major awards including the Japan Academy Prize.

women's livesfamily

Heaven Station

1984 Film (drama)

A film exploring the inner life of an adult woman; notable for challenging scenes and acclaimed performances.

inner conflictmaturity

Bibliography

  • Kokoro no Nikki
  • Yume Itto (Autobiography)
  • Sayuri Yoshinaga: Town Stories
  • Dreaming on the Road
  • SAYURI: Sayuri Yoshinaga Album

Style & Themes

Literary Style
naturalistic actingrestrained emotional expression
Recurring Motifs
familypeacememory of war

Legacy

One of Japan's leading actresses since the 1960s. Active across film, television, radio and reading projects; noted for peace advocacy and support for atomic-bomb-related causes. Has a devoted fan base known as "Sayurists."

In Popular Culture

  • Devoted fan base known as 'Sayurists'

Quotes

  • I want nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants to be gone from the world.
    Source: Atomic-bomb poem reading (Hiroshima, 2011) (2011)

Trivia

  • Her fans are called 'Sayurists.'
  • Won the Blue Ribbon Best Actress award at age 17 (one of the youngest on record).
  • Legal name: Sayuri Okada (née Yoshinaga).
  • Reported height 155 cm; blood type O (reported).
  • Married Taro Okada in 1973; the couple had no children.
  • Longstanding peace activism including public readings of atomic-bomb poems.