Departures of note

Keiko Kishi was born in Yokohama in 1932 and joined Shochiku as a contract actress in 1951 after passing the studio's new-face auditions while still in high school. She debuted in 'Wagaya wa Tanoshi' and rose to stardom playing the heroine in the film adaptations of the hugely popular NHK radio drama 'Kimi no Na wa', whose scarf-wearing style became a nationwide fashion craze known as the 'Machiko wrap'.

Her talent drew offers from Western directors, including David Lean, and she starred in the Franco-Japanese production 'Typhon sur Nagasaki', through which she met and married French director Yves Ciampi in 1957, with Yasunari Kawabata serving as matchmaker. She lived in Paris and worked across Japan and France, earning the nickname 'the flying madam'. Her performances in Kon Ichikawa's films, including 'Ototo' (1960), the Kindaichi mysteries 'Akuma no Temari Uta' (1977) and 'Joobachi' (1978), and 'Sasame-yuki' (1983), showcased her wide range.

Kishi won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actress for 'Kaachan' (2001), received the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at the rank of Commandeur in 2011, and was awarded the Kikuchi Kan Prize in 2017. She was also a prolific essayist and novelist, publishing works such as 'Pari no Sora wa Akane-gumo', 'Belarus no Ringo', and her 2021 autobiography. She died of old age on August 7, 2026, at the age of 93.