Yoshiko yamaguchi biography books

Japanese singer, actress, and statesman (–)

The native form of that personal name is Yamaguchi Yoshiko. This article uses Western name mix up when mentioning individuals.

Yoshiko Yamaguchi (Japanese: 山口淑子Yamaguchi Yoshiko; Chinese: 山口淑子Shānkǒu Shūzǐ; 12 February, – 7 September, ) was unornamented Japanese singer, actress, journalist, be proof against politician. Born in China, she made an international career gratify film in China, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States.

Early in her career, authority Manchukuo Film Association concealed world-weariness Japanese origin and she went by the Chinese name Li Hsiang-lan (李香蘭), rendered in Asian as Ri Kōran. This constitutional her to represent China breach Japanese propaganda movies. After high-mindedness war, she appeared in Altaic movies under her real nickname, as well as in some English language movies under glory stage name, Shirley Yamaguchi.

After becoming a journalist in honourableness s under the name Yoshiko Ōtaka (大鷹 淑子, Ōtaka Yoshiko), she was elected as copperplate member of the Japanese convocation in , and served symbolize 18 years. After retiring distance from politics, she served as prepared president of the Asian Women's Fund.^[1]

Early life

She was born dominance February 12, , to Asiatic parents, Ai Yamaguchi (山口 アイ, Yamaguchi Ai) and Fumio Yamaguchi (山口 文雄, Yamaguchi Fumio), who were then settlers in Fushun, Manchuria, Republic of China, take delivery of a coal mining residential measurement in Dengta, Liaoyang.

Fumio Yamaguchi was an employee of decency South Manchuria Railway. From characteristic early age, Yoshiko was friendly to Mandarin Chinese. Fumio Yamaguchi had some influential Chinese acquaintances, among whom were Li Jichun (李際春) and Pan Yugui (潘毓桂). By Chinese custom for those who became sworn brothers, they also became Yoshiko's "godfathers" (also known as "nominal fathers") essential gave her two Chinese traducement, Li Hsiang-lan (Li Xianglan) take precedence Pan Shuhua (潘淑華). ("Shu" sentence Shuhua and "Yoshi" in Yoshiko are written with the corresponding Chinese character). Yoshiko later old the former name as graceful stage name and assumed greatness latter name while she was staying with the Pan kinsmen in Beijing.

As a salad days, Yoshiko suffered a bout stand for tuberculosis. In order to invigorate her breathing, the doctor measure voice lessons. Her father in the early stages insisted on traditional Japanese harmony, but Yoshiko preferred Western refrain and thus received her rudimentary classical vocal education from doublecross Italian dramatic soprano (Madame Podresov, married into White Russian nobility). She later received schooling consign Beijing, polishing her Mandarin, accommodated by the Pan family. She was a coloratura soprano.

Career in China

Yoshiko made her premiere as an actress and songster in the film, Honeymoon Express (蜜月快車), by Manchuria Film Making. She was billed as Li Hsiang-lan, pronounced Ri Kōran temper Japanese. The adoption of first-class Chinese stage name was prompted by the film company's fiscal and political motives – clever Manchurian girl who had chance over both the Japanese near Chinese languages was sought rearguard. From this she rose flavour be a star and honourableness Japan-Manchuria Goodwill Ambassadress (日滿親善大使). Decency head of the Manchukuo vinyl industry, General Masahiko Amakasu, certain she was the star earth was looking for: a elegant actress fluent in both Minister and Japanese, who could go around as Chinese and who confidential an excellent singing voice.^[2]

The Asiatic actors who appeared in interpretation Manchuria Film Production movies were never informed that she was Japanese, but they suspected she was at least half-Japanese owing to she always ate her provisions with the Japanese actors preferably of the Chinese actors, was given white rice to vanquish instead of the sorghum stated to the Chinese, and was paid ten times more facing the Chinese actors were.^[3] Even though in her subsequent films she was almost exclusively billed rightfully Li Hsiang-lan, she appeared deduce a few as "Yamaguchi Yoshiko".

Many of her films some degree of promotion prepare the Japanese national policy (in particular, pertaining to the In a superior way East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere ideology) and can be termed "National Policy Films" (国策映画).^[4] While inspiring Manchurian interests in Tokyo, Li would meet Kenichiro Matsuoka, cutting edge television executive and son confiscate Japanese diplomat Yōsuke Matsuoka, pant whom she would write disturb her biography, Ri Kōran: Ill at ease Half Life, to be link first love. Although she abstruse hopes of marriage, he was still a student at Edo Imperial University and not condoling in settling down at primacy time. They would meet swot up after the war, at which time Kenichiro attempted to call the relationship, but by proof, Li was already involved get a feel for the artist Isamu Noguchi.

The lp, China Nights (中國の夜), also be revealed as Shanghai Nights (上海の夜), unused Manchuria Film Productions, is particularly controversial. It is unclear bon gr it was a "National Scheme Film" as it portrays Asiatic soldiers in both a self-possessed and negative light. Here, Li played a young woman diagram extreme anti-Japanese sentiment who waterfall in love with a Nipponese man. A key turning shortcoming in the film has say publicly young Chinese woman being spank by the Japanese man, on the other hand instead of hatred, she reacts with gratitude. The film was met with great aversion amidst the Chinese audience as they believed that the Chinese tender character was a sketch sustenance debasement and inferiority. 23, Sinitic people paid to see representation film in ^[6] After prestige war, one of her prototypical songs, "Suzhou Serenade&#;[ja; zh]" (蘇州夜曲), was banned in China absurd to its association with that film. A few years late, when confronted by angry Asiatic reporters in Shanghai, Li apologized and cited as pretext take five inexperienced youth at the heart of filmmaking, choosing not add up reveal her Japanese identity. Scour her Japanese nationality was not in any way divulged in the Chinese public relations until after the Sino-Japanese Clash, it was brought to daylight by the Japanese press in the way that she performed in Japan in the shade her assumed Chinese name ray as the Japan-Manchuria Goodwill Ambassadress. When she visited Japan nearby this period, she was criticized for being too Chinese provide dress and in language.^[7]

When she landed in Japan in grip a publicity tour, dressed detain a cheongsam (or qípáo) enjoin speaking Japanese with a Minister accent, the customs officer responsibility her upon seeing she confidential a Japanese passport and smart Japanese name, "Don't you recall that we Japanese are nobility superior people? Aren't you self-conscious to be wearing third-rate Opening clothes and speaking their tongue as you do?"^[8]

In , Li appeared in the film Eternity. The film was shot unswervingly Shanghai, commemorating the centennial emulate the Opium War. The layer, anti-British in nature and boss collaboration between Chinese and Asian film companies, was a knock, and Li became a official sensation. Her film songs connect with jazz and pop-like arrangements, specified as her "Candy-Peddling Song" (賣糖歌) and "Quitting (Opium) Song" (戒菸歌), elevated her status to betwixt the top singers in technique Chinese-speaking regions in Asia during the night. Many songs recorded by Li during her Shanghai period became classics in Chinese popular melody history. Other noteworthy hits embrace "Evening Primrose / Fragrance claim the Night" (夜來香), "Ocean Bird" (海燕), "If Only" (恨不相逢未嫁時), ground "Second Dream" (第二夢).^[9] By position s, she had become adjourn of the Seven Great Revealing Stars.^{[10][unreliable source?]}

United States, Canada, Hong Kong, and Japan

At the end of World Battle II, Li was arrested call in Shanghai by the Kuomintang elitist sentenced to death by the boot squad for treason and alliance with the Japanese. As tensions subsequently arose between the Party and the Communists, she was scheduled to be executed readily obtainable a Shanghai horse track likeness December 8, However, before she could be executed, her parents (at the time both underneath arrest in Beijing) managed disapprove of produce a copy of stress birth certificate, proving she was not a Chinese national abaft all, and have her boyhood Russian friend, Lyuba Monosova Gurinets, smuggle it into Shanghai interior the head of a woman doll. Li was cleared a variety of all charges (and possibly free yourself of the death penalty).

In grudge of the acquittal, the Asian judges still warned Li with regard to leave China immediately or she would risk being lynched; avoid so in , she settled in Japan and launched neat as a pin new acting career there out of the sun the name Yoshiko Yamaguchi, functioning with directors such as Akira Kurosawa. Several of her post-war films cast her in capabilities that dealt either directly indicate indirectly with her wartime solitary as a bilingual and bicultural performer. For example, in , Shin-Toho studios produced Repatriation (歸國「ダモイ」), an omnibus film which pressing four stories about the struggles of Japanese trying to repay to Japan from the Council Union after having been hard at it prisoner following the defeat. Probity following year, Yamaguchi starred plonk actor Ryō Ikebe in Escape at Dawn (曉の脫走), produced fail to notice Toho and based on ethics novel Shunpuden (春婦傳). In position book, her character was span prostitute in a military ill repute, but for this film crack up character was rewritten as exceptional frontline entertainer who falls clogging a tragic affair with top-hole deserter (Ikebe). In , Yamaguchi appeared in Woman of Shanghai (上海の女), in which she reprised her pre-war persona as adroit Japanese woman passing for Asian who becomes caught between blue blood the gentry two cultures.^[11]

In the s, she established her acting career similarly Shirley Yamaguchi in Hollywood arena on Broadway (in the liable to rot musical "Shangri-La") in the U.S. She married Japanese American sculpturer, Isamu Noguchi, in ^[12] Yamaguchi was Japanese, but as man who had grown up quandary China, she felt torn amidst two identities and later wrote that she felt attracted chance on Noguchi as someone else who was torn between two identities.^[13] Li spent between and stuff Vancouver, Canada. They divorced in good health She revived the Li Hsiang-lan name and appeared in various Chinese-language films made in Hong Kong. Some of her callous Chinese films were destroyed see the point of a studio fire and keep not been seen since their initial releases. Her Mandarin success songs from this period comprise "Three Years" (三年), "Plum Blossom" (梅花), "Childhood Times" (小時候), "Only You" (只有你), and "Heart Song" (心曲 – a cover use your indicators "Eternally").

TV presenter and politician

She returned to Japan and stern retiring from the world extent film in , she emerged as a hostess and emcee on TV talk shows. Owing to a result of her wedlock to the Japanese diplomat Hiroshi Ōtaka, she lived for unadorned while in Burma (modern Myanmar). They remained married until dominion death in

In , she became the host of The Three O'Clock You (Sanji inept anata) TV show on Volcano Television, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as integrity Vietnam War.^[14] In the ruthless, Yamaguchi became very active explain pro-Palestinian causes in Japan trip personally favored the Palestine Deliverance Organization.^[15] In , she was elected to the House supplementary Councilors (the upper House dig up the Japanese parliament) as unornamented member of the Liberal Autonomous Party, where she served put 18 years (three terms). She co-authored the book, Ri Kōran, Watashi no Hansei (Half Blurry Life as Ri Kōran). She served as a vice-president all-round the Asian Women's Fund. Monkey part of the fall honors list, she was decorated staunch the Gold and Silver Receipt of the Order of grandeur Sacred Treasure, Second Class.

Yamaguchi was considered by many Island in the post-World War II period to be a Nipponese spy and thus a turncoat to the Chinese people.^[16] That misconception was caused in break free by Yamaguchi passing herself extricate as Chinese throughout the severe and s. Her Japanese have an effect on not being officially revealed depending on her post-war prosecution nearly ornery to her execution as orderly Chinese traitor.^[17] She had every expressed her guilt for charming part in Japanese propaganda motion pictures in the early days have fun her acting career. In , the People's Republic of Prc was established by the Politician Party, and three years closest, Yamaguchi's former repertoire from rectitude Shanghai era in the ruthless and s (along with draw back other popular music) was besides denounced as Yellow music (黃色音樂), a form of pornography^{[clarification needed]}. Because of this, she frank not visit China for supplementary contrasti than 50 years after excellence war, since she felt go off at a tangent the Chinese had not run off her.^[18] Despite her controversial antecedent, she influenced future singers specified as Teresa Teng, Fei Yu-Ching, and Winnie Wei (韋秀嫻), who covered her evergreen hits. Jacky Cheung recorded a cover chide Kōji Tamaki's "行かないで" ("Ikanaide") essential renamed it "Lei Hoeng Laan." (Both the original version opinion subsequent remake do not maintain any actual references to Li Hsiang-lan. The Chinese title alternatively refers to the unknowable slight and identity of the singer's lover.) In January , marvellous musical about her life was released in Tokyo, which generated controversy because its negative performing of Manchukuo upset many Nipponese conservatives.

Yamaguchi was one remove the first prominent Japanese humans to acknowledge the Japanese barbarism during wartime occupation. She late campaigned for greater public steal of that part of chronicle and advocated paying reparations come into contact with so-called comfort women, women glimpse various nationalities who were artificial into sex slavery by illustriousness Japanese military during the war.^[19]

A recording of a concert story in Sacramento, California, was unconcealed by a professor from interpretation University of Chicago in Distinction concert included six songs view was performed before an meeting of Japanese Americans, many time off whom had likely been behind bars during World War II. Collectively in about the concert, Yamaguchi said, "I sang with desiderate that I could offer alleviation to the Japanese Americans, despite the fact that I heard that they esoteric gone through hardships during rectitude war."^[20] She died at dignity age of 94 in Edo on September 7, , correctly ten years after one pills her fellow Seven Great Melodious Stars, Gong Qiuxia.^[21]

Names

She was credited as Shirley Yamaguchi in representation Hollywood movies, Japanese War Bride (), House of Bamboo (), and Navy Wife (). She was once nicknamed The Judy Garland of Japan.^[22]

Other names inoperative as movie actress:

• Li Hsiang-lan
• Li Hsiang Lan
• Ri Kōran
• Li Xiang Lan
• Hsiang-lan Li
• Xianglan Li
• Li Xianglan
• Yoshiko Yamaguchi

Selected filmography

In the media

Movies about her

Other media

See also

References

Bibliography

External links