Nobuko Otowa
Nobuko Otowa was a Japanese actress. She appeared in 134 films between 1950 and 1994. She gave up a career as a star to appear in Story of a Beloved Wife and became the mistress of the director Kaneto Shindo. She later married him in 1977 after his previous wife divorced him and then died. She posthumously won the award for best supporting actress at the 19th Japan Academy Prize for A Last Note, having been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer during its production. Half of her ashes are scattered on the island of Sukune in Mihara, Hiroshima where The Naked Island was filmed.
Selected filmography
Film
- Konyaku yubiwa
- Shojoho
- Arabiya monogatari
- Tsuki no wataridori - Oichi
- Dare ga watashi o sabaku no ka
- Miss Oyu - Shizu
- Meigetsu somato
- Story of a Beloved Wife - Takako Ishikawa
- The Tale of Genji - Murasaki no ue
- Asakusa kurenaidan - Maki Ayukawa
- Avalanche - Atsuko Fujikawa
- Atakake no hitobito
- Children of Hiroshima - Takako Ishikawa
- Kantarou tsukiyo-uta - Okyo
- Senba zuru - Ayako Ohta
- Onna to iu shiro - Mari no maki
- Onna to iu shiro - Yuko no maki
- Mura hatibu
- Epitome - Ginko
- Yokubo - Shizue Kitami
- Yoake mae - Hanzo's Daughter
- Life of a Woman - Fujiko Shirakawa
- Koina no Ginpei - Oichi
- Osaka no yado - Uwabami
- Dobu - Tsuru
- Dorodarake no seishun - Nanako
- Ai to shi no tanima
- Wakai hitotachi
- Aisureba koso - Michie
- Ginza no onna
- Wolf - Akiko Yano
- Kabuki juhachiban: Narukami - Bijo to kairyu
- Shirogane Shinjū - Sakie / Umeko
- Ruri no kishi - Hagiyo, Chiho's mother
- Shin ono ga tsumi
- An Actress - Kakuko Mori
- Aru yo futatabi
- Kottaisan yori: Nyotai wa kanashiku - Tamasode
- Hadairo no tsuki - Kumiko Uno
- Ukifune - Naka-no-kimi
- Yagyû bugeichô: Sôryû hiken - The Princess
- Makeraremasen katsumadewa - Odama
- Kanashimi wa onna dakeni - Taka
- A Holiday in Tokyo - Nobuko
- Yajikata dôchû sugoroku - Ofutsu / maid
- Tsuzurikata kyodai - Aunt
- Mimizuku
- Nora neko
- Yajikita dôchû sugoroku - Ofutsu
- Noren
- Hana noren
- Lucky Dragon No. 5 - Shizu Kuboyama
- Aisaiki
- The Three Treasures - Goddess of Anenouzume
- Hanayome-san wa sekai-ichi
- Waga ai - Hideya
- Kashima ari
- Shiranami gonin otoko: tenka no ô-dorobô
- Chinpindô shujin
- Onna no saka
- Shin jôdaigaku
- Bokutô kitan - Kyôko Yamai
- The Approach of Autumn - Shigeko Fukatani - Hideo's Mother
- The Naked Island - Toyo, the mother
- Tôkyô yawa - Yukari
- Netsuai sha - Tamiko
- Immortal Love - Tomoko, Takashi's wife
- Gen to fudômyô-ô
- The Last War - Oyoshi Tamura
- Ryôjû - Choko's mother
- Mozu
- Kojin kojitsu
- Ashita aru kagiri
- Long Way to Okinawa
- Ika naru hoshi no moto ni - Mitoji
- Ao beka monogatari - Kimino
- Ningen - Gorosuke
- Kawa no hotori de - Tamako Sekiguchi
- Kigeki ekimae hanten
- Kanojo ni mukatte tosshinsayo
- Uso -
- Shiro to kuro - Ochiai's Wife
- Daidokoro taiheiki
- Wakai nakamatachi: uchira Gion no maikohan
- Wanpaku tenshi
- Miren - Hatsu Kakinuma
- Mother - Tamiko
- Kigeki ekimae okami - Kyôko Yamamoto
- Kigeki: Yôki-na mibôjin - Kume Tanabe
- Kôge - Nibu: Mitsumata no shô - Ikuyo
- Kôge - Ichibu: Waremokô no shô - Ikuyo
- Onibaba - Kichi's Mother
- Nami kage - Masa, Kichitaro's wife
- Daikon to ninjin - Nobuyo Yamaki
- Daiku taiheki
- Akuto - Jiju
- Abare Gôemon - Osasa
- Lost Sex - The Housemaid
- Akogare
- Danshun
- Kigeki ekimae mangan
- Izu no odoriko
- Kigeki ekimae gakuen
- Zoku namonaku mazushiku utsukushiku: Haha to ko
- Chichi to ko: Zoku Na mo naku mazushiku utsukushiku - Taeko Sakai
- Sei no kigen - Wife
- Kigeki ekimae hyakku-nen
- Kuroneko - Yone
- Tsuyomushi onna to yowamushi otoko - Fumiko
- Âh himeyuri no tô - Hatsu Yonamine
- Machi ni izumi ga atta - Toki Yano
- Red Lion - Oharu
- Kagerô - Otoyo
- Shokkaku - Tamiko / Prostitute Yuki
- Live Today, Die Tomorrow! - Take Yamada
- The Ceremony - Sakurada Shizu
- Kanawa - Middle aged woman
- Sanka - Teru Kamozawa
- Kokoro - Mrs. M
- Kôkotsu no hito - Kyôko
- Shiawase
- Waga michi - Mino Kawamura
- - Herself
- Jiken
- The Strangling - Ryoko / Mother
- Haitatsu sarenai santsu no tegami - Sumie - Mitsumasa's wife
- Omoeba tôkue kitamonda
- Asshii-tachi no machi - Haru Hayasaka
- Edo Porn - Omomo, Sashichi's Wife
- Ekisutora - Kinuyo Adachi
- Mikan no taikyoku
- The Go Masters
- Chihei-sen - Hideyo, after age 40
- Location - Katsue
- Tengoku ni ichiban chikai shima - Tei Ishikawa
- Shiroi machi hiroshima
- Yasha - Ume
- Lost in the Wilderness - Yasuko Muto
- Burakkubôdo - Namie Yasui
- Tree Without Leaves - Mother
- Nijushi no hitomi - Okami
- Yumemi-dôri no hitobito
- Donmai - Toyo Murakami
- Pachinko monogatari
- Bokuto kidan - Masa
- Tsuribaka nisshi 5 - Densuke's mother
- A Last Note - Toyoko Yanagawa
- By Player - herself
Television
- Taikōki - Oetsu
- Oshin - Oshin
Awards and honors
Japan Academy Prize
- 1996 – Best Supporting Actress, A Last Note
Blue Ribbon Awards
- 1966 – Best Supporting Actress, Lost Sex
- 1953 – Best Actress, Epitome, Life of a Woman and Yokubo
Kinema Junpo Awards
- 1996 – Best Supporting Actress, A Last Note
Mainichi Film Awards
- 1996 – Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1993 – Best Supporting Actress, The Strange Story of Oyuki
- 1968 - Best Actress, Operation Negligee and Kuroneko
[36th Venice International Film Festival]
- 1979 - Pasinetti Award, The Strangling