Chieko Naniwa
Biography
Chieko Naniwa was a Japanese actress born on November 19, 1907, in Tondabayashi, Osaka, Japan. Her real name was Nanko Kikuno, and she was active from the 1920s to the 1970s. Due to poverty, she was unable to receive an elementary school education and struggled with illiteracy, but she later learned to read and write through her own efforts. Naniwa appeared in films by many great directors of her time, including Kenji Mizoguchi's A Geisha, as well as Throne of Blood, Equinox Flower, and Twenty-Four Eyes. She passed away from gastrointestinal bleeding on December 22, 1973, at the age of 66. Following her death, she was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fourth Class.
Career overview
Chieko Naniwa, whose real name was Nanko Kikuno, was a Japanese actress born in Tondabayashi, Osaka, Japan, on November 19, 1907. She was active in the entertainment industry from the 1920s to the 1970s and accumulated 172 known credits in acting. Due to poverty, she was unable to receive an elementary school education and struggled with being illiterate. Through her own efforts, she later learned to read and write and successfully overcame illiteracy.
During her career, Naniwa appeared in films by many of the great directors of her time, including Kenji Mizoguchi. She is best known for playing geisha in several films and appeared in notable works such as A Geisha, Throne of Blood, Equinox Flower, and Twenty-Four Eyes.
Naniwa died of gastrointestinal bleeding on December 22, 1973, at the age of 66. After her death, she was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fourth Class.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
153 titles- Lullaby for a Tough Guy (1972)
- The Woman Gambler's Supplication (1968)
- Woman Gambler Is Coming (1968)
- Devil in My Flesh (1968)
- Three Rogues (1968)
- Shogun and His Mistress 2 (1967)
- The Wife of Seishu Hanaoka (1967)
- The River Yokobori (1966) as Kin
- A Circus Girl (1966)
- Taikouki (1965) as Naka
- True Osaka Grit (1965)
- Snow Country (1965) as Blind masseuse
- President's Ninja Trick Book Part II (1965) as Sen (Proprietress, restaurant "Manman")
- Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro (1965) as Osugi
- Three Yakuza (1965)
- Nami kage (1965)
- My Wife (1965)
- Money Is Most Important (1964)
- Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple (1964) as Osugi
- An Impudent Man 2 (1964)
- An Impudent Man (1964)
- I'm a Bodyguard (1964)
- Ai, sono kiseki (1964)
- Dobuike (1963) as Tadae Horikawa
- The Third Will (1963) as Yoshiko
- Twin Sisters of Kyoto (1963) as Madam
- Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of Two Sword Style (1963) as Osugi
- Tale of Ａ Company Boss Pt.５ (1963) as Ume Shimizu
- We Are Salarymen (1963) as Oshige
- Madame Aki (1963)
- 18 Roughs (1963) as Seichii's Mother
- Uogashi no senpū musume (1963)
- In Search of Mother (1962) as Obah
- The Body (1962)
- Miyamoto Musashi: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights (1962) as Osugi
- 次郎長社長と石松社員 威風堂々 (1962)
- Nakayoshi ondo: Nippon ichi dayo (1962)
- Good Rascals (1962) as Omon
- The Fencing Master (1962) as Old woman
- Yakuza Official (1962)
- This Year's Love (1962)
- Shin kitsune to tanuki (1962)
- The Paper Crane (1962)
- Till Tomorrow Is (1962)
- Ame no Kudan-zaka (1962)
- Jun'ai monogatari kusa no mi (1962)
- The Harbor Lights (1961)
- The End of Summer (1961) as Sasaki Tsune
- Miyamoto Musashi (1961) as Osugi
- Girls of the Night (1961) as Kumeju
- Fine Man (1961)
- Bad Reputation Returns (1961) as Ito Aso
- Moonlight in the Rain (1961)
- The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 4 (1961) as Otoshi
- Zokuzoku bantōhan to detchidon (1961)
- Osaka Tough (1961)
- The Preacher of Love (1961)
- 続々々番頭はんと丁稚どん チャンポン旅行 (1961)
- 京化粧 (1961)
- Kawachi fudoki zoku oiro ke seppō (1961)
- The Prickly Mouthed Geisha Part 2 (1960)
- Sazae And Aunt Apron (1960)
- Salaryman Idea Book: Concern for Success (1960) as Chiyo
- New Third Class Executive: Husband Education (1960) as Tsuruko Miyaguchi
- Zoku bantōhan to detchidon (1960)
- The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 3 (1960)
- Bantōhan to detchidon (1960)
- Salaryman Idea Book: Man of Worrisome Episodes (1960) as Natsukawa Chiyo
- New Third Class Executive: Fortune Teller (1960) as Tsuruko Miyaguchi
- 続べらんめぇ芸者 (1960)
- New Third Class Executive: Travel, Women and Drinking (1960) as Tsuruko Miyaguchi (Widow of founder)
- The Chivalrous Youth of Great Edo (1960)
- Shinran (1960)
- Room for Let (1959) as O-Mino
- Evil Man of Edo (1959)
- Hawk of the North (1959)
- Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka (1959) as Oen
- Unmarried (1959)
- The Story of Iron Arm Inao (1959) as Kameno Inao
- Nitōhei monogatari: Banji yōryō no maki (1959) as Oharu
- Flower Shop Curtain (1959)
- Temptation on Glamour Island (1959) as Shige Sasaki
- Gentle Breeze (1959)
- Sazae-san's Marriage (1959)
- New Third-Class Executive (1959) as Tsuruko Miyaguchi
- Sazae-san, the Wayward Wife (1959)
- Denshichi Torimonochō onna hada jigoku (1959)
- Sazae's Engagement Trip (1958)
- Tainted Flowers (1958)
- Equinox Flower (1958) as Hatsu Sasaki
- Kunisada Chuji (1958)
- The Shop Curtain (1958)
- The Capital of Love (1958) as Umeko Yoshii
- Chance Meeting (1958) as Yone
- Nitōhei monogatari: Shindara kami-sama no maki (1958) as Sueno
- Her Son Came Back (1958)
- Nitōhei monogatari: Aa senyū no maki (1958)
- Throne of Blood (1957) as Old Ghost Woman
- Hadaka no Machi (1957)
- An Osaka Story (1957)
- Evening Calm (1957)
- Snow Country (1957) as Otatsu
- The Men of Toho-ku (1957) as Oei
- Geisha in the Old City (1957) as Ohatsu
- Price of Beauty (1957) as Natsu Morishita
- Diary of a Successful Salaryman (1957) as Matsumura Sei
- Diary of a Successful Salaryman Part 2 (1957) as Matsumura Sei
- On Wings of Love (1957) as Umeko Yoshioka
- The Blue Mountains (1957) as Mistress of Tamayaya
- The Blue Mountains Part 2 (1957) as Proprietress of Takara-ya
- The Tower of Nanzenji aka Return to Manhood (1957)
- Women in Prison (1956) as Mitsuko Kaneoka, prisoner
- The Life of a Uniquely Interesting Man: Katsura Harudanji (1956)
- The Sentimental Idiot (1956)
- All Sold Out (1956)
- Shozo, a Cat and Two Women (1956) as Orin
- Zangiku monogatari (1956) as Omoto
- The Maiden Courtesan (1956)
- The Swamp (1956) as Otoki
- Sound in the Mist (1956) as Chieko Naniwa
- Sisters of Gion (1956)
- So Deep in My Heart (1955)
- Detour to Love (1955) as Yasu
- So Young, So Bright (1955) as Oshin
- Otōsan wa Ohitoyoshi (1955)
- Marital Relations (1955)
- Maiko sanjūshi (1955)
- 八州遊侠伝 白鷺三味線 (1955) as お金
- The Rookie Managers (1955)
- Sansho the Bailiff (1954) as Ubatake
- Chikamatsu Monogatari (1954) as Okô
- Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) as Meshiya no Kamisan
- The Woman in the Rumor (1954) as Osaki
- Hana to hatō (1954)
- Terrible Ghost Cat of Okazaki (1954)
- The Garden of Women (1954)
- 浮かれ狐千本櫻 (1954) as Otsuji
- Maiko monogatari (1954)
- お役者変化 (1954) as 母そよ
- Beautiful Gonpati (1954) as およし
- 快盗三人吉三 (1954) as 小紫の局
- A Geisha (1953) as Okimi
- Ghost of Saga Mansion (1953)
- Achako's Notebook of Youth 4: Happy Marriage (1953) as Omoto
- Six Men Mustered in Great Edo (1953)
- Zoku Tange Sazen (1953)
- お役者小僧 (1953) as お幸
- Taki no Shiraito (1952) as Midori
- Achako's Notebook of Youth: Tokyo (1952) as Midori, the mother
- Tsukigata Hanpeita (1952)
- Violence (1952)
- 紺屋高尾 (1952)
- The Gion Tempest as Orin
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Chieko Naniwa best known for?
Chieko Naniwa is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Twin Sisters of Kyoto (1963), In Search of Mother (1962), The Harbor Lights (1961), The End of Summer (1961).
When and where was Chieko Naniwa born?
Chieko Naniwa was born on November 19, 1907 in Tondabayashi, Osaka, Japan. They passed away on December 22, 1973.
How many credits does Chieko Naniwa have?
Chieko Naniwa has accumulated over 153 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1952 to 1972.
What is Chieko Naniwa's background in cinema and television?
Chieko Naniwa was a Japanese actress born on November 19, 1907, in Tondabayashi, Osaka, Japan. Her real name was Nanko Kikuno, and she was active from the 1920s to the 1970s. Due to poverty, she was unable to receive an elementary school education and struggled with illiteracy, but she later learned to read and write t...
Chieko Naniwa by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Sansho the Bailiff (1954) as Ubatake — aged about 46
- Throne of Blood (1957) as Old Ghost Woman — aged about 49
- Chikamatsu Monogatari (1954) as Okô — aged about 46
- Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) as Meshiya no Kamisan — aged about 46
- The End of Summer (1961) as Sasaki Tsune — aged about 53
- A Geisha (1953) as Okimi — aged about 45
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