Harumi Hanayagi (花柳 はるみ, Hanayagi Harumi, 24 February 1896 – 11 October 1962) was a pioneering Japanese film and stage actress.

Harumi Hanayagi
花柳はるみ
Hanayagi in Maid of the Deep Mountains (1918)
Born(1896-02-24)February 24, 1896
DiedOctober 11, 1962(1962-10-11) (aged 66)
OccupationActor
Years active1915–1928

Career

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In 1915, Hanayagi became a student at the Geijutsuza, the modern theater troupe led by Hōgetsu Shimamura and Sumako Matsui, and made her stage debut.[1] She moved to the Tōjisha troupe in 1917 and appeared with them in a series of films directed by Norimasa Kaeriyama for Tenkatsu, starting with The Glow of Life (released 1919).[1] In an era where female roles on screen were played by male actors (onnagata), Hanayagi was considered "the first billed appearance of a female performer" in Japanese cinema,[2] even though actresses such as Nakamura Kasen had appeared in earlier films or in rensageki, a combination of film and live stage performance.[3][4] After appearing in more films, she focused her career on the stage after 1920, eventually appearing in the Tsukiji Little Theater as well as the proletarian theater of Tomoyoshi Murayama.[1] She retired in 1928 after getting married.[1]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Hanayagi Harumi". Kotobanku. Asahi Shinbun. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  2. ^ Sharp, Jasper (2011). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810875418.
  3. ^ 田村, 千穂 (31 January 2009). "活動写真の女優とは誰か". マス・コミュニケーション研究 (in Japanese). 74: 115–132. doi:10.24460/mscom.74.0_115. ISSN 1341-1306. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  4. ^ 土田, 牧子 (2012). "女役者という存在とその歴史的位置づけ : 中村歌扇の芸歴を通して". 東京藝術大学音楽学部紀要. 38: 67–85. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
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