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Top 10 Interesting Facts about Sachiko Hidari

Hidari Sachiko. Photo by Asahi Shinbun.

Hidari Sachiko was born in Asahi, Toyama on 29 June 1930. She was a Japanese actress and film director.

She was the first born of 8 children. Her real name was Sachiko Nakuruma. Her sister is actress Tokie Hidari.

She started her career in film in 1952 I Wakaki hi no ayamachi. Sachiko acted in more than 90 films between 1952 and 1995.

She was under the direction of filmmakers such as Tadashi Imai, Paul Schrader and Shohei Imamura.

Her roles in she and He and the Insert Woman got her win the silver Bear for the best actress. She was awarded the award at the 14th Berlin international film festival.

Sachiko was the first woman director since kinuyo Tanaka. She directed and acted in The far Road. This was the film that made her the first director.

It led her to participate in the 28th international film festival. She also appeared on stage and on television. She graduated from Tokyo Women’s College of Physical Education.

Let’s learn more interesting facts about Sachiko Hidari.

1. One of her Siblings is a Renowned Actress in Japan

Hidari Sachiko. Photo by: Sankei Shinbun.

Her sister Tokie Hidari is an actress. She is known for the Ponyo film, the Reason and the lone wolf and cub.

2. She was a Teacher of Music and Gymnastics

Firstly, Hidari worked as a high school teacher for music and gymnastics before the start of her actress and director career.

After her teaching career, she signed with the independent Sogo Geijutsu company to debut her actress career in 1952. Her first appearances were in two of Heinosuke Gosho’s 1954 films.

3. Hidari was Married to One Husband 

She was married to Susumu Hani From 1959 to 1977. They had one daughter, Mio Hani.

Hidari’s husband was a Japanese film director. He was ranked as the best representative of the 1960 Japanese new wave.

Japanese new wave was a group of loosely connected Japanese filmmakers.

4. Hidari’s most Acclaimed Role was Tome Matsuki

Hidari’s most praised role by the public was the Tome Matsuki. She acted in this role in the ‘The insect woman film’.

The film was directed by Shohei Imamura and released in Japan on 16 November 1963.
In a 1977 interview, director Imamura said that he selected Hidari to play this role due to her vibrancy and energy, which had impressed him in the film The Maid’s kid.

Hidari portrayed the role of a defiant rural woman born to a lower-class family in the Tohoku region. Nevertheless, the woman rises to a higher status of a madam in the post-war era.

The film won 14 awards in Japan. It won the Blue Ribbon Award for best film and the kinema Junpo award for best film of the year. The film was entered in the 14th Berlin international film festival, and Hidari won the silver Bear for Best Actress award.

5. Hidari was an Out-Spoken Advocate of Women’s Rights

Sachiko Hidari showed interest in issues facing women both on and off-screen. In most of her roles in various films, she portrayed the image of women in Japan as independent and open-minded.

In her and He film she acts the role of Naoko. A housewife who questions the traditional expectations of a wife.

In this film, the husband is more entangled in his life as a businessman. Nevertheless, Naoko finds ways to expand her own life even as her husband’s life shrinks in scope and intimacy.

She finally manages to find new interests, new love, and a greater sense of her place in the world. Additionally, in The insect woman film, Sachiko acted the role of a defiant impoverished woman who flies Tokio to become a successful madam.

Off the screen, Hidari talked about the inequality between women and men in Japan. During her 1975 interview with Mellen, she said that many Japanese men don’t like to have independent wives.

They were not ready to admit that men and women are equal. She also stated that Japanese Women are about one hundred years behind Western women, and Japanese women have to insist so that their voices are heard.

6. She was the First Japanese Woman to Plan, Produce, Direct and Star in her Film

Hidari is significant as the first Japanese woman to direct and produce her film. She directed and acted in The far road Film.

Hidari was commissioned by the Japan National Railway union to make The Far Road. The film is about a working-class wife of a retired railroad worker who grapples with a society that persists in making women second-class citizens.

7. Sachiko acted in a Film that Depicted Women’s Struggles to Success

Sachiko acted in A Woman’s Testament film and played the role of Satsuki. This film outlines different types of work and the struggles women go through to succeed.

This is a series of three stories that talks about the struggles of women. The first story is about a young woman working in a Tokyo nightclub. The woman has plans for her future by investing in a company.

The second story is about a young woman working as a real estate agent. The woman baths with male clients to convince them in investing in worthless property.

The last story that also portrays the struggles women go through in this series is about a widowed geisha. The woman has no financial worries, she falls in love with a forger who is later prisoned. She decides to wait for him but her family and society cause trouble.

8. Sachiko’s Film was Selected for Best Foreign Language Film

Sachiko acted in the Film Under the Flag of the Rising Sun. The film was directed by Kinji Fukasaku. She played the role of Sakie.

The film was released in the United States with English subtitles. At the 45th Academy, the movie was selected as the Japanese entry for Best foreign language, unfortunately, it was not accepted as a nominee.

9. Sachiko Received Multiple Awards during her Career

Sachiko received many awards for her actress career and lifetime achievements. In 1955, Sachiko was awarded the Mainichi film award for the best-supporting actress of Ofukuri and jinsei Tombo are.

She was also awarded the Blue Ribbon Award for the Best Actress in The insect Woman and she and He film. In these two films, she won the silver Bear and the Kinema junpo award for best actress respectively.

Additionally, she won the Mainichi film award for the best-supporting actress For A Fugitive from the Past, Onna no Issho and Harubiyori. she was awarded the Mainichi film special award for her lifetime achievement in 2001.

10. Sachiko Died from Gastric Cancer

Sachiko suffered from gastric cancer. She died at the age of 71 at the National cancer centre in Tokyo in 2001.

Last but least, Sachiko Hidari is viewed as a courageous person during her career by portraying the rights of women. She also left a legacy that women in Japan can raise and be independent.