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".
76 acting credits
Acting · 76
Sanjuro
1962
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
1983
The Most Beautiful
1944
The House of Hanging
1979
Kagebōshi
1950
The Battle of Kawanakajima
1941
The Deserted City
1984
Love Letter
1953
Learn from Experience, Part Two
1937
Notebooks of Heiji Zenigata: Spider on the Skin
1956
Sky of Hope
1942
The Water Magician
1933
Green Earth
1942
Fighting Letter for 29 People
1957
Zoku kagebōshi ryūkoaiutsutsu
1950
Wings of Victory
1942
Life Is like a Somersault
1946
A Husband's Chastity: Fall Again
1937
Dancers of Awa
1941
Tojuro's Love
1938
Kurama Tengu: The Fire Festival
1951
Mother's Melody
1937
Mother Never Dies
1942
Sincerity
1939
White Heron
1941
A Woman's Sorrows
1937
The Morning Sun Shines
1929
A Husband's Chastity: If Spring Comes & Fall Once Again
1937
Omokage no machi
1942
Legend of the Cat Monster
1983
壮士劇場
1947
Tokyo March
1929
The Monster Cat of the Fifty-Three Stations
1956
The Snake Princess
1940
Yukiko and Natsuyo
1941
Karisome no kuchibeni
1934
Lord Mito
1957
Matashirō Fighting Journey
1956
Ghost of Saga Mansion
1953
Nage Utasamon niban tegara: Tsuri tenjô no semushi otoko
1954
Maiko monogatari
1954
Invitation to Happiness
1947
Blue Sky Angel
1950
The Great White Tiger Platoon
1954
Four Marriages
1944
Karayuki-san
1937
Jean Valjean: Part Two
1931
Metropolitan Symphony
1929
Kuriyama Daizen
1936
The Dawn of Manchuria and Mongolia
1932
Learn from Experience, Part One
1937
A Living Puppet
1929
A Husband's Chastity: If Spring Comes
1937
Koyoi Tsuma to Narinu
1947
Terrible Ghost Cat of Okazaki
1954
The Roar of The Lion
1955
Odoroki ikka
1949
Behold This Mother
1930
Great Bodhisattva Pass 2
1936
Ghost-Cat of Yonaki Swamp
1957
Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director
1975
Judge of the Ashuras
1951
Matenro sôtohen
1929
Enoken’s Shrewd Period
1939
Yoshie Fujiwara's Hometown
1930
妻恋黒田節
1954
Ghost-Cat of Arima Palace
1953
The Ghost Cat of Ouma Crossing
1954
Jean Valjean: Part One
1931
Kokoro no jitsugetsu: Retsujitsu hen - Gekko hen
1931
Tsuki yori no shisha
1934
Tales of a Drifter
1951
Family Diary Part II
1938
Great Bodhisattva Pass
1935
Shirobara wa sakedo
1937
Madam with a Ribbon
1939