Yoshiko Otaka
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| Yoshiko Otaka | |
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| Birth name | Yamaguchi Yoshiko |
| Born | February 12, 1920 (age 87) Fushun, Manchuria, China |
| Other name(s) | Li Xianglan, Shirley Yamaguchi |
| Spouse(s) | Isamu Noguchi (1952-1957) Hiroshi Otaka (1958 - 2001) |
Yoshiko Otaka (大鷹淑子 Ōtaka Yoshiko?), born February 12, 1920 was a China-born Japanese actress and singer who made a career in China, Japan, Hong Kong, and the United States.
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[edit] Early life
Yoshiko Otaka was born Yamaguchi Yoshiko (山口淑子) to Japanese parents, (father, Yamaguchi Fumio 山口文雄) who were then settlers in Fushun in Manchuria.
Yamaguchi Fumio was an employee at South Manchuria Railway. From an early age, Yoshiko was exposed to Mandarin Chinese. Yamaguchi Fumio had some influential Chinese acquaintances, among whom were Li Jichun (李際春) and Pan Yugui (潘毓桂). By Chinese custom for those who became sworn brothers, they as well became Yoshiko's "godfathers" and bestowed upon her two Chinese names, Li Xianglan (李香蘭) and Pan Shuhua 潘淑華. ("Shu" in Shuhua and "Yoshi" in Yoshiko are written with the same Chinese character). Yoshiko later used the former name as a stage name and assumed the latter name while she was staying with the Pan family in Beijing.
Yoshiko received her initial classical vocal education from an Italian dramatic soprano (married into Belorussian nobility). She later received schooling in Peking, polishing her Mandarin, accommodated by the Pan family.
[edit] Career in China
Yoshiko made her debut as an actress and singer in the 1938 film Honeymoon Express 蜜月快車, by Manchuria Film Productions. She was billed as Li Xianglan (Chinese: 李香蘭; pinyin: Lǐ Xīanglán), pronounced Ri Kōran in Japanese. The adoption of a Chinese stage name was prompted by the Film company's economic and political motives—a Manchurian girl who had command over both the Japanese and Chinese languages was sought after. From this she rose to be a star and Japan-Manchuria Goodwill Embassadress (日満親善大使). Though in her subsequent films she was almost exclusively billed as Li Xianglan, she indeed appeared in a few as "Yamaguchi Yoshiko". Many of her films bore some degree of promotion of the Japanese national policy (in particular pertaining to the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere ideology) and can be termed "National Policy Films" (国策映画).
The 1940 film Chinese Nights (支那の夜) also known as Shanghai Nights (上海の夜), by Manchuria Film Productions, is especially controversial. In this film, billed as Li Xianglan, Yoshiko portrayed a young woman of extreme anti-Japanese sentiment who came to fall in love with a Japanese man. In the film the young Chinese woman had been beaten by the Japanese man, but instead of hatred, she reacted with gratitude. The film was met with great aversion among the Chinese audience as they believed that the Chinese female character was sketched out to be of debasement and inferiority, whereas their contemporary Japanese audience probably viewed such beating of the woman by her mate with a certain Romantic notion. A few years later, when confronted by angry Chinese reporters in Shanghai, Yoshiko apologized and cited as pretext her inexperienced youth at the time of the filmmaking, choosing not to reveal her Japanese identity. Though her Japanese nationality was never divulged in the Chinese media until after the Sino-Japan war, it was brought to light by Japanese press when she performed in Japan under her assumed Chinese name and as the Japan-Manchuria Goodwill Embassadress.
In 1942, Yoshiko appeared in the film Leaving a good name for prosperity (萬世流芳). The film was shot in Shanghai in commemoration to the centennial of the Opium War. A few top Chinese stars in Shanghai also appeared in the film and consequently endured the repercussion of controversy. The film was of anti-British nature and a collaboration between Chinese and Japanese film companies. Nonetheless, its anti-Colonization undertone might also be interpreted as a satire to the Japanese expansion in east Asia. Regardless, the film was a hit and Yoshiko a national sensation. Her film theme songs in the curious style of coloratura soprano with jazz/pop-like instrumental, "Candy-peddling song" (賣糖歌) and "Quiting (opium) song" (戒煙歌) elevated her status to be among the top singers in all Chinese-speaking regions in Asia overnight and made her one of the "seven great singing stars." Many songs recorded by Yoshiko during her Shanghai period became evergreen classics in Chinese popular music history. Another noteworthy one is Tuberoses (夜來香).
[edit] Japan, United States, and Hong Kong
Following World War II she avoided execution after being on trial for treason by revealing her Japanese identity. And before long, in 1946, she settled in Japan and launched a new acting career there, under the name Yoshiko Yamaguchi.
In the 1950s she established her acting career as Shirley Yamaguchi in Hollywood and on Broadway in the U.S., and appeared in several films made in Hong Kong. She returned to Japan, and after retiring from the world of film in 1958, she appeared as a hostess and anchorwoman on TV talk shows.
In 1967 she became the host of The Three O'Clock You (Sanji no anata) TV show, reporting on Palestine as well as the Vietnam War.
In 1974, she was elected to the House of Councilors (the upper House of the Japanese parliament), where she served for 18 years (three terms). She co-authored the book, Ri Koran, Watashi no Hansei (Half My Life as Ri Koran). She now serves as a Vice-President of the Asian Women’s Fund.
A two-part TV movie "Ri Kouran" starring Aya Ueto was made about her early life in China in 2006. The movie was broadcast in Japan by TV Tokyo on Feburary 11th and 12th in 2007. Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda is also planning a feature film based on her story.
[edit] Names
Credited as Shirley Yamaguchi in Hollywood movies House of Bamboo (1955) and Japanese War Bride (1952). Once nicknamed The Judy Garland of Japan.
Other names used as movie actress:
- Li Hsiang-lan
- Li Hsiang Lan
- Ri Koran
- Li Xiang Lan
- Hsiang-lan Li
- Xianglan Li
- Li Xianglan
- Yoshiko Yamaguchi
[edit] Filmography
- The Unforgettable Night (1958) as Ge Qiuxia
- A Holiday in Tokyo (1958) as May Kawaguchi
- Ankoru watto monogatari utsukushiki aishu (1958)
- The Lady of Mystery (1957)
- Robert Montgomery Presents as Hana
- The Enemy (1957) as Hana
- The Legend of the White Serpent (1956) as Madam White
- Navy Wife (1956) as Akashi
- House of Bamboo (1955) as Mariko
- Jin ping mei (1955) as Pan Jinlian
- The United States Steel Hour (1954) as Presento
- The Last Embrace (1953) as Yukiko Nogami
- Fuun senryobune (1952)
- Shanhai no onna (1952) (as Yoshiko Yamaguchi) .... Li Lili (Singer)
... aka Woman of Shanghai (International: English title)
- Sengoku burai (1952) (as Yoshiko Yamaguchi) .... Oryo
... aka Sword for Hire ... aka Vagabonds in a Country at War (Japan: literal English title)
- Muteki (1952) (as Yoshiko Yamaguchi)
... aka Foghorn (USA) ... aka Kiribue (Japan)
- Japanese War Bride (1952) .... Tae Shimizu
- Shubun (1950) (as Yoshiko Yamaguchi) .... Miyako Saijo
... aka Scandal ... aka Shubun - Sukyandaru (Japan)
- Akatsuki no dasso (1950) (as Yoshiko Yamaguchi) .... Harumi
... aka Escape at Dawn
- Kikoku (Damoi) (1949)
... aka Repatriation (International: English title)
- Ningen moyo (1949) (as Yoshiko Yamaguchi)
... aka Design of a Human Being ... aka Human Patterns (USA)
- Waga shogai no kagayakeru hi (1948) (as Yoshiko Yamaguchi)
... aka The Bright Day of My Life (International: English title)
- Koun no isu (1948) (as Yoshiko Yamaguchi)
- Yasen gungakutai (1944) (as Ri Koran) .... Ai Ran
- Watashi no uguisu (1944) (as Ri Koran)
... aka Unmei no utahime (Japan: reissue title)
- Chikai no gassho (1943) (as Ri Koran)
- Sayon no kane (1943) (as Ri Koran) .... Sayon
... aka Sayon's Bell (International: English title)
- Tatakai no machi (1943)
... aka Fighting Street (International: English title)
- Ying chun hua (1942) (as Li Xiang Lan)
- Wan shi liu fang (1942) (as Li Xiang Lan)
- Soshu no yoru (1941) (as Ri Koran)
... aka Suchow Night (International: English title)
- Kimi to boku (1941) (as Ri Koran)
- Tie xie hui xin (1941) (as Li Xiang Lan)
... aka Utsukushiki gisei (Japan)
- Nessa no chikai (1940) (as Ri Koran) .... Li Fangmei
... aka Vow in the Desert (International: English title)
- Enoken no songokû: songokû zenko-hen (1940) .... Oriental Woman
... aka Monkey Sun ... aka Songokû (Japan: short title) ... aka Songoku (Volume 1) (first part title) ... aka Songoku (Volume 2) (second part title)
- Shina no yoru (1940) (as Ri Koran) .... Japanese orphan
... aka China Night (International: English title)
- Toyuki (1940) (as Ri Koran) .... Liqin, typist
- Byakuran no uta (1939) (as Li Hsiang-lan) .... Li Xue Xiang
- Mi yue kuai che (1938) (as Li Xiang Lan) .... Bride
