Momoko Kōchi
| Momoko Kōchi | |
|---|---|
 Momoko Kōchi (1954) | |
| Native name | 河内桃子 |
| Born |
Momoko Ōkōchi 7 March 1932 Taitō, Tokyo, Japan |
| Died |
5 November 1998 (aged 66) Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan |
| Cause of death | Colorectal cancer |
| Resting place | Yanaka Cemetery, Taitō |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Other names | Momoko Hisamatsu |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1953–1998 |
| Spouse(s) | Sadataka Hisamatsu (1961–1998; her death) |
| Children | Emiko Hisamatsu |
Momoko Kōchi (河内 桃子 Kōchi Momoko) (7 March 1932 – 5 November 1998), born Momoko Ōkōchi (大河内 桃子 Ōkōchi Momoko), was a Japanese film, stage and television actress. She was born in Japan.[1]
She is best known for her roles in the original Godzilla, playing the character of Emiko Yamane (and later reprised the role in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah in 1995 for the last time), and in The Mysterians, playing Hiroko Iwamoto.[2]
Personal life
Momoko's paternal grandfather was Viscount Masatoshi Ōkōchi, the third director of RIKEN; her father, a painter, was the second son of Masatoshi.[3][4] Her husband, television producer Sadataka Hisamatsu, with whom she had a daughter, was descended from the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira clan who ruled over the Imabari Domain.[5]
Biography
After graduating from Japan Women's University's affiliated high school, Momoko worked as an office lady, but she joined Toho through their "New Face" program in April 1953, along with Akira Takarada, Kenji Sahara, Yū Fujiki, and Masumi Okada (who later moved to Nikkatsu). Her first role was in A Woman's Heart Released (女心はひと筋に Onna gokoro wa hitosuji ni) as Yaeko. Then, she starred in her fifth film, Godzilla, as Emiko Yamane. After Godzilla, she starred in other science fiction films, including Half Human and The Mysterians (she reprised her role as Emiko Yamane in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah in 1995). She left Toho in 1958.
After leaving Toho, Momoko redid her study of acting with Tsutomu Yamazaki and Kumi Mizuno. Her subsequent movie appearances have been reduced and she performed on stage and television (including her role as Shōko Tsunashi in Thank You (ありがとう Arigatō) from 1972 to 1973 with co-star Kiyoshi Kodama).
Momoko made some appearances on TBS drama specials produced by Fukuko Ishii and written by Sugako Hashida. During her later years, she appeared as Toshiko Takahashi, a woman with Alzheimer's disease, in Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari, with Kunihiko Mitamura.
On 19 July 1997, Momoko's last starring film, Ryōkan (良寛), was released. Two days later, on 21 July, she made a guest appearance in a TBS Monday Drama Special, Enka Shōtarō no ninjō jiken nisshi (演歌・唱太郎の人情事件日誌).
Later in the same year, Momoko toured the Tōhoku region for performances. During the tour, she complained about her poor health, and she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in January 1998. Her cancer spread rapidly, and there was no treatment at the time of diagnosis. One year earlier, on 15 December, her final performance was in Tsuruoka, Yamagata.
Momoko continued to perform on stage until she died on 5 November 1998 at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Hiroo, Shibuya from colorectal cancer. She was 66 years old. On 29 October, a week before her death, she was baptised into the Roman Catholic Church under her baptismal name of "Maria" by Father Masahiro Kondō of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Her grave is at Yanaka Cemetery in Taitō.[6]
Due to Momoko's roles in Catholic religious programs, she was congratulated by Pope John Paul II with some awards in 1996.
Episodes
- Since childhood, Momoko showed off her photograph, "My Lover," in which she was depicted with her grandfather Masatoshi.
- On 31 December 1957, Momoko visited São Paulo for the opening of Toho's branch in Brazil with another Toho actress, Machiko Kitagawa (who would later become the wife of Kiyoshi Kodama). She then went to New York City in the United States to participate in the Japanese cinema exhibition. On 12 February 1958, she returned to Japan. At the time, worldwide travel liberalisation was still underway, and her visit to São Paulo and New York City became very valuable.
Selected filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | A Woman's Heart Released (女心はひと筋に Onna gokoro wa hitosuji ni) | Yaeko | |
| 1954 | Take-chan shacho zenpen (坊ちゃん社員 前篇) | Mariko | |
| Zoku Take-chan shacho (続・坊ちゃん社員) | Mariko | ||
| Mizugi no hanayome (水着の花嫁) | Chiiko | ||
| Godzilla | Emiko Yamane | ||
| 1955 | Izumi e no michi (泉へのみち) | Ume Ogawa | |
| Yuki no koi (雪の炎) | Yayoi Kōjima | ||
| Seifuku no otome tachi (制服の乙女たち) | Yukie Miyake | ||
| Sanjūsan go sha otonashi (33号車応答なし) | |||
| Half Human | Machiko Takeno | ||
| Aoi kajitsu (青い果実) | Chieko | ||
| 1956 | Okusama wa daigakusei (奥様は大学生) | Yoshiko Okamoto | |
| Ikasama shinshiroku (イカサマ紳士録) | Masako | ||
| Konyaku sanbadori (婚約三羽鳥) | Eiko | ||
| Norihei no daigaku (のり平の浮気大学) | |||
| Ano musume ga nai teru hatoba (あの娘がないてる波止場) | Maki | ||
| Ōabare cha cha musume (大暴れチャッチャ娘) | Hatsuko | ||
| Hadashi no seishun (裸足の青春) | |||
| Tenjōtaifū (天上大風) | Atsuko Shiraishi | ||
| 1957 | Hoshizora no machi (星空の街) | Kumiko Nakagawa | |
| Taian kichijitsu (大安吉日) | Michiyo Hiraoka | ||
| Goyōkiki monogatari (御用聞き物語) | Yūko | ||
| Jirochō gaiden: Ōabare Santarō gasa (次郎長意外伝 大暴れ三太郎笠) | Okyō | ||
| Nemuri kyōshirōburaihikae dainiwa madokadzuki sappō (眠狂四郎無類控 第二話 円月殺法) | Senya | ||
| `Dōbu~tsuen monogatari' yori zō (「動物園物語」より 象) | Yoshiko | ||
| A Rainbow Plays in My Heart (わが胸に虹は消えず Waga mune ni niji wa kiezu) | Ikuko Asō | ||
| Yoru no kamome (夜の鴎) | Harue | ||
| Datsugoku-shū (脱獄囚) | Ikuko Koide | ||
| The Mysterians | Hiroko Iwamoto | ||
| 1958 | The Badger Palace (大当り狸御殿 Ōatari tanuki goten) aka The Princess of Badger Palace | ||
| A Holiday in Tokyo (東京の休日 Tōkyō no kyūjitsu) | |||
| Furankī no boku wa san-ninmae (フランキーの僕は三人前) | Sayoko | ||
| O Tora-san dai hanjō (おトラさん大繁盛) | Taeko Inohara | ||
| 1959 | Date sōdō fūun roku jū ni man ishi (伊達騒動 風雲六十二万石) | Orie | |
| 1960 | Onna no saka (女の坂) | Yumi | |
| 1961 | Na mo naku mazushiku utsukushiku (名もなく貧しく美しく) | Sensei Kijima | |
| 1967 | Koto yūshū ane imō to (古都憂愁 姉いもうと) | Etowāru's mother | |
| Wakai tokei-dai (若い時計台) | Aya Koyanagi | ||
| 1969 | Yūhi ni mukau (夕陽に向かう) | Sanae Takayama | |
| 1971 | Ama kara monogatari onna no asa (あまから物語 おんなの朝) | Kinuko | |
| 1973 | Otoko janai ka tōshi manman (男じゃないか 闘志満々) | Kiku Hayakawa | |
| Tokimeki (ときめき) | Nami Sunaga | ||
| 1983 | Konnichiwa hānesu (こんにちはハーネス) | Natsu Itami | |
| 1984 | Honeymoon (蜜月 Mitsugetsu) | Mitsuko's mother | |
| 1985 | Bodaiju no oka (菩提樹の丘) | Ayako Yūki | |
| Lost Chapter of Snow: Passion (雪の断章 情熱 Yuki no danshō jōnetsu) | Kane | ||
| 1986 | Tabiji mura de ichiban no kubitsuri no ki (旅路 村でいちばんの首吊りの木) | Tomiko | |
| 1987 | Tora-san Plays Daddy | Kimiko | |
| 1993 | Gurenge (紅蓮華) | Yoshino Nakata | |
| 1995 | Godzilla vs. Destoroyah | Emiko Yamane | |
| 1997 | Kusakari jūjigun (草刈り十字軍) | Yōko Abe | |
| Ryōkan (良寛) |
TV Series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-73 | Thank You (ありがとう Arigatō) | Shōko Tsunashi | |
| 1979 | Enzen chizu (沿線地図) | Tokiko Matsumoto | |
| 1996-97 | Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari (渡る世間は鬼ばかり) | Toshiko Takahashi | |
| 1997 | Enka Shōtarō no ninjō jiken nisshi (演歌・唱太郎の人情事件日誌) |
See also
References
- ↑ Profile, allmovie.com; retrieved May 2010
- ↑ Momoko Kōchi at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ 大河内松平家（吉田藩）. Reichsarchiv. Retrieved December 2015. (Japanese)
- ↑ 大河内子爵家 吉田藩主. 直球感想文 和館. Retrieved 14 February 2016. (Japanese)
- ↑ 久松松平氏（御家門・伊予今治藩家系）. Reichsarchiv. Retrieved December 2015. (Japanese)
- ↑ 河内桃子. 谷中・桜木・上野公園裏路地ツアー. Retrieved 14 February 2016. (Japanese)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Momoko Kōchi. |
- 河内桃子 at the Japanese Movie Database (Japanese)
- 河内桃子 at allcinema (Japanese)
- 河内桃子 at KINENOTE (Japanese)
- Momoko Kōchi at the Internet Movie Database
- 河内桃子 at MovieWalker (Japanese)
- 河内桃子 at ◇テレビドラマデータベース◇ (Japanese)
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