Takako Irie
Takako Irie (入江 たか子 Irie Takako, 7 February 1911 – 12 January 1995) was a Japanese film actress. Born in Tokyo into the aristocratic Higashibōjō family (her birth name was Hideko Higashibōjō (東坊城 英子 Higashibōjō Hideko)), she graduated from Bunka Gakuin before debuting as an actress at Nikkatsu in 1927. She became a major star, even starting her own production company, Irie Productions, in 1932. One of Kenji Mizoguchi's silent film masterpieces, The Water Magician, was produced at that company with Irie starring. She appeared in many advertisements, as well as on fans and other commercial goods. Irie was also the subject of a folding screen painting by Nihonga artist Nakamura Daizaburō, which appeared in the 1930 Teiten (Imperial Exhibition), and which is today in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art; toy dolls were also produced based on this image. In the postwar period, Irie became known as a "ghost cat actress" (bakeneko joyū) for appearing in a series of kaidan (ghost story) movies. One of her late memorable roles was in Akira Kurosawa's Sanjuro, where she plays Mutsuta's wife, the lady who warns Sanjuro (Toshirō Mifune) that "the best sword stays in its scabbard".
Sanjuro
(Mutsuta's wife)
The Little Girl Who Conquered Time
(Tatsu Fukamachi)
The Morning Sun Shines
(girl in the elevator)
The Most Beautiful
(Noriko Mizushima, dorm mother)
Judge of the Ashuras
The Dawn of Manchuria and Mongolia
(Shiho Hime)
Yoshie Fujiwara's Hometown
(Workwoman)
Matenro sôtohen
The Deserted City
(Shino)
The Water Magician
(Taki no Shiraito)
Tojuro's Love
Nage Utasamon niban tegara: Tsuri tenjô no semushi otoko
A Husband's Chastity: If Spring Comes & Fall Once Again
White Heron
Green Earth
Learn from Experience, Part One
(Toyomi)
Learn from Experience, Part Two
(Toyomi)
人生とんぼ返り
Kagebōshi
(千賀)
続影法師
Koyoi Tsuma to Narinu
Enoken’s Shrewd Period
Ghost-Cat of Arima Palace
Ghost of Saga Mansion
(Otoyo-no-kata)
Terrible Ghost Cat of Okazaki
Ghost-Cat of Gojusan-Tsugi
(Court Lady Fujinami)
Ghost-Cat of Yonaki Swamp
The Ghost Cat of Ouma Crossing
Karisome no kuchibeni
(Akiko)
Jean Valjean: Part One
Odoroki ikka
Blue Sky Angel
The House of Hanging
(Chizu Igarashi)
Jean Valjean: Part Two
Sincerity
(Tobiko Haseyama)
Kokoro no jitsugetsu: Retsujitsu hen - Gekko hen
Karuma Tengu: The Fire Festival
壮士劇場
Love Letter
The Snake Princess
Karayuki-san
A Woman's Sorrows
Mother Never Dies
Yukiko and Natsuyo
(Yukiko)
Behold This Mother
Lord Mito
Great Bodhisattva Pass 2
(Ohama)
Wings of Victory
Omokage no machi
The Battle of Kawanakajima
(Chiyono - widow)
Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director
Great Bodhisattva Pass
A Living Puppet
(Hiroko Kumikawa)
Tokyo March
(早百合)
Four Marriages
Metropolitan Symphony
(Reiko Yamada)
Dancers of Awa
The Great White Tiger Platoon
Legend of the Cat Monster
(Akiko Ryuzoji)
Tsuki yori no shisha
(Michiko Nonoguchi, nurse)
Tales of a Drifter
Mother's Melody
The Roar of The Lion
Matashirō Fighting Journey
Invitation to Happiness
Fighting Letter for 29 People
Sky of Hope
(Makiko)
Kuriyama Daizen
Notebooks of Heiji Zenigata: Spider on the Skin