Miyagi Chikako (宮城千賀子)
Chikako MIYAGI (November 26, 1922 - August 7, 1996) was a Japanese actress. Before World War II, she retired from the Takarazuka revue and became a movie actress; after the war, she was active on stage, leading a theatrical company 'Gekidan Nadeshiko' and also appeared in various TV programs. Her real name was Yuki SATO, and she assumed the stage name of Urara KOCHI when she was in the Takarazuka revue.
Biography and Personal Profile
On November 26, 1922, she was born near the present site of Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture.
In 1935, at the age of 13, she joined the Takarazuka revue as a 23rd class member and actively played male roles under the stage name 'Urara KOCHI.'
At the beginning of 1940, at the age of 17, she retired from the Takarazuka revue and entered Nikkatsu Corporation, in which she was selected for the role 'Otsu' in "Miyamoto Musashi" with Chiezo Kataoka in the title role directed by Hiroshi INAGAKI to make her movie debut; the movie was released on March 31in the same year. On November 26, 1941, she married her beloved Shinzo MAKINO (the third son of Shozo MAKINO) who worked as an assistant director under Masahiro MAKINO and Yoshiro TSUJI at Nikkatsu Corporation.
As Yukiko TODOROKI who had played the role 'Otsu' in the previous "Miyamoto Musashi" had married Masahiro MAKINO (an elder brother of Shinzo MAKINO), her marriage made a sensation and people said 'two Otsu married into the Makino family.'
In 1942, she retired and became a housewife; her last movie was "Utau Tanuki Goten" the mega hit movie directed by Keigo KIMURA. In 1943, at the age of 21, she gave birth to her eldest son Shoichi. At the end of 1943, she made a comeback as an actress with the movie "Kaizokuki Futtobu" directed by her husband Shinzo MAKINO and Shinzo's master Yoshiro TSUJI, produced by Shinzo's elder brother Masahiro MAKINO, and she also formed a theatrical troupe 'Gekidan Nadeshiko,' becoming active on the troupe's provincial tour.
After World War II, in June 1946, she established 'Makino Geinosha' with her husband Shinzo and produced movies, on the basis of her activity in 'Gekidan Nadeshiko'; however, in October 1948, Makino Geinosha dissolved. From 1952, she started appearing in many movies; in the middle of 1953, she divorced her husband. After that, she appeared in many movies.
In October 1975, in her later middle age, she acted as mistress in an entertainment TV program "Dokusen! Onna no 60 pun" with Takiko MIZUNOE who was a first class member of Shochiku revue and others, and appeared in the program until March 1987.
On August 7, 1996, she died of pneumonia. She was 73 years old.