Yachigusa Kaoru

Beautiful actress who came from poverty. Yachigusa Kaoru joined the Takarazuka Revue in 1947 at the age of 16, gaining a reputation for playing comedic roles. In 1954, she appeared in both Inagaki Hiroshi's acclaimed Musashi Miyamoto (aka Samurai I) and Carmine Gallone's Italian-Japanese musical Madama Butterfly.

She was under contract for Toho during the 1950s and 1960s, at which time she appeared in her sole sci-fi film, The Human Vapor (1960). Yachigusa was apparently less than fond of the film and claimed not to remember working on it during interviews.

When Toho released actors from contract in the early 1970s, Yachigusa clung to film longer than most, appearing in features throughout the 1970s while simultaneously making the transition to television. She continued to appear in popular films well into the 2000s, including Like Asura (2003), Negotiator (2005), Dear Doctor (2009), and Tsunagu (2012).

Yachigusa was married to director Taniguchi Senkichi, who was 19 years her senior. It was Taniguchi's third marriage. They remained married for over 50 years until his death in 2007.

Yachigusa was awarded the Medal of Honor, Purple Ribbon in 1997 and the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class in 2003. She won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Like Asura. In 2017 she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which led to her death in October of 2019.