Masako Natsume

was a Japanese actress from Tokyo. Widely popular in Japan, she gained worldwide recognition for her portrayal of Tripitaka in the TV series Monkey, which is now considered a cult classic.

Early life Masako was born Masako Odate at Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Hiroo, Shibuya, Tokyo, the only daughter of Sue and Kazu Odate. Raised in Naka-ku, Yokohama, while in junior college in 1976 she auditioned for the lead role in Nihon TV's drama Ai ga miemasu ka ("Can you see love?"). Chosen from 4,000 applicants, she dropped out of school to pursue an acting career, playing the part under her real name Masako Odate. Masako's mother initially objected to her choice of career and requested that she not use the Odate family name if she gained further work. In 1977, she changed her name to Natsume.

In 1977, she was chosen to represent , achieving great popularity after appearing topless as the "Kooky Face" girl in an ad for sunscreen. This popularity led to her recording a song later that year called "Oh! Cookie Face." Many bit parts and a few leads in movies followed, but she continued in television.

Acting In 1978-79, she played the male part of Tripitaka (Sanzō-hōshi, Japanese translation of Sanzang-fashi) in the 1970s Japanese TV program Saiyūki, which proved popular in many English-speaking countries in the 1980s, when dubbed by the BBC and titled Monkey. Masako won the part as she had matched contemporary descriptions of Sanzō-hōshi's appearance more closely than male actors who auditioned.

Specialising as well-bred but shy heroines in her movies, she was regularly criticized by the public and media for her poor acting. However, this changed in 1982 after appearing as an ambitious and immoral woman in the TV drama Shousha and as the daughter of a yakuza leader in the movie Onimasa. One of her lines from this movie, , became a very popular catchphrase in Japan.

She won the award for best actress at the 8th Hochi Film Award for The Catch and Time and Tide.

Death In 1984, she married Japanese author Tadaki Nishiyama, known under the pen name Shizuka Ijūin. But after only a year, she died from acute leukemia at the age of 27 in 1985, and is buried in Hōfu, Yamaguchi under the married name Masako Nishiyama.

Legacy In 1997, Canon produced a television commercial for a copy machine, featuring her photocopied images, which offered 100 free compilations of the images in a book. Canon received 230,000 applications. Masako Natsume picture books and calendars are still popular in Japan today.

In 2007, TBS broadcast a documentary on Masako's life entitled Himawari – Natsume Masako 27-nen no shōgai to haha no ai ("Sunflower: Masako Natsume, a 27-year life and a mother's love") based on the book Futari no Masako written by her mother, Sue Odate. Yagi Yūki played the part of the young Masako and Nakama Yukie portrayed her as an adult.

Filmography

Films Year Title Role Director Notes 1977 Ore no Sora (My Sky) Masashi Matsumoto Truck Yaro: Otoko Ippiki Momojiro The title Torakku Yaro means "truck guys" or "truck rascals"{translation required} Masako Norifumi SuzukiThe title Torakku Yaro means "truck guys" or "truck rascals", and the films involve two truckers and their various escapades as they travel around Japan in highly decorated trucks. The plot formula is similar to the Otoko wa Tsurai yo films. Each time Momojiro falls in love with a woman (the "Madonna") and then ends up having to help her romance with another man. The stories end with Momojiro having to race his truck to meet a deadline to rejoin the couple. 1980 The Battle of Port Arthur Sachi Matsuo Toshio Masuda A Russo-Japanese War Drama about the Siege of Port Arthur. Masako plays the role of an Imperial Japanese Army officer's girlfriend who stays in Japan. 1981 Masho no Natsu (The Summer of Evil Spirits) Sode Yukio Ninagawa 1982 Onimasa Matsue Kiryuin Hideo Gosha It was Japan's submission to the 55th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film but was not accepted as a nominee. (The Great Japanese Empire) Kyōko / Maria Toshio Masuda A WW2 drama where Masako plays two roles. A terminally ill Japanese student striving to become a painter and a Filipino woman. Future War 198X Laura Gain Tomoharu Katsumata / Toshio Masuda Voice, An animated film with Masako providing the voice for a pilot in the United States Airforce. 1983 Time and Tide Mayumi / Misato Azuma Morisaki Jidai-ya is the name of a shop. Masako plays two roles. The wife of the shops owner who walks out on him and the customer he falls in love with because she looks like his wife. Antarctica Keiko Kitazawa Koreyoshi Kurahara Shōsetsu Yoshida Gakkō (Yoshida School) Kazuko Asō Shirō Moritani The Catch Tokiko Kohama Shinji Sōmai 1984 MacArthur's Children Komako Nakai Masahiro Shinoda Fireflies in the North Narrator Hideo Gosha (final film role)

Television

Awards Year Award Category Work(s) Result 1981 4th Japan Academy Prize Best Supporting Actress Port Arthur 1982 6th Elan d'or Awards Newcomer of the Year Herself 1983 4th Yokohama Film Festival Best Supporting Actress Dai Nippon Teikoku 25th Blue Ribbon Awards Best Actress Onimasa 8th Hochi Film Award Best Actress The Catch and Time and Tide 1984 7th Japan Academy PrizeBest Actress 1985 8th Japan Academy Prize MacArthur's Children