Chieko Baisho (倍賞 千恵子 , Baishō Chieko , born June 29, 1941) is a Japanese actress and singer.
In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series from 1969 until 1995. In addition, she has acted in many films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s. She won the award for best actress at the 5th Hochi Film Award for A Distant Cry from Spring .
She sometimes performs as a voice actress, such as "Sophie" in Howl's Moving Castle in 2004. Although different voice actresses usually played young and old Sophie in the foreign dubs of the film, Baisho performed both roles alone, as well as the movie's theme song.
She has had a career as a singer since her debut with the song "Shitamachi no Taiyō" in 1962, for which she won the "newcomer award" of the Japan Record Award. Her 1965 single, "Sayonara wa dance atoni", a cha-cha ballad, later had its melody inspire the 1992 song " Moonlight Densetsu ", the theme song for the first four series of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon . A cover by Mariko Takahashi would later appear in another Ghibli film, Only Yesterday .
She is the older sister of Mitsuko Baisho, who is also an actress.
She is married to the Japanese composer Reijiro Koroku.
Medal with Purple Ribbon (2005)Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2013)Actress
2022
Plan 75 as
Michi Kakutani (as Baishô Chieko)
2021
Kawa no hotori de (TV Series) - Episode #1.6 (2021)
2020
461 Days of Bento as
Natsuko Suzumoto
2019
Tora-san, Welcome Back! as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
2019
Only the Cat Knows as
Yukiko
2019
Weathering with You as
Fumi Tachibana (voice)
2014
The Little House as
Taki Nunomiya (older)
2013
It All Began When I Met You
2013
Twenty-Four Eyes (TV Movie) as
Narration
2011
The Yellow Handkerchief (TV Movie) as
Fusae
2010
Zatoichi: The Last as
Mitsu
2009
Shirahata no shoujo (TV Movie) as
Old woman
2008
Kabei: Our Mother as
Hatsuko Nogami - adult
2005
Kono mune ippai no ai wo as
Tomoe Kakuta
2005
Grandia III (Video Game) as
Griff (voice)
2004
The Hidden Blade as
Mrs. Katagiri
2004
Howl's Moving Castle as
Sofî (voice)
2001
Inochi no chikyuu: Daiokishin no natsu as
Sonia
1999
Suzuran (TV Series) as
Moe / narration
1997
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro haibisukasu no hana tokubetsu-hen as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1997
Jungle Emperor Leo as
Lyre (voice)
1996
Niji o tsukamu otoko as
Haruko Hirayama
1995
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro kurenai no hana as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1994
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Haikei, Kuruma Torajiro sama as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1993
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro no endan as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1992
Tora-San Makes Excuses as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1991
Tora-san Confesses as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1990
Tora-san Takes a Vacation as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1989
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Boku no ojisan as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1989
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro kokoro no tabiji as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1989
Senba-zuru as
Yaeko Sasaki - Sadako's mother
1988
Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1988
Hope and Pain as
Kosuke's Mother, Tamiko Shima
1987
Tora-san Plays Daddy as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1987
Tora-san Goes North as
Sakura
1986
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Shiawase no aoi tori as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1986
Tabiji mura de ichiban no kubitsurinoki
1986
Women Who Do Not Divorce as
Miyoko Yamakawa
1986
Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies as
Yuki
1986
Lost in the Wilderness as
Kimiko Uemura, his wife
1986
Ken Shimura's Idiot Feudal Lord (TV Series)
1985
Tora-san's Island Encounter as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1985
Tora-san, the Go-between as
Sakura
1984
Tora-san's Forbidden Love as
Sakura
1984
Marriage Counselor Tora-san as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1983
Tora-san Goes Religious? as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1983
Tora-san's Song of Love as
Sakura
1983
Unico in the Island of Magic as
West Wind (voice)
1983
Keiji monogatari 2 - Ringo no uta
1982
Tora-san, the Expert as
Sakura
1982
Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1981
Tora-san's Promise as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1981
Shunmao monogatari Taotao as
Mary (voice)
1981
Kirigirisu (TV Movie) as
Hisako Aritsu
1981
Station as
Kiriko (1979) Michio
1981
Tora-san's Love in Osaka as
Sakura
1981
Mobile Suit Gundam I as
Kamaria Ray (voice)
1981
The Fantastic Adventures of Unico as
West
1980
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro kamome uta as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1980
24 Eyes (TV Movie) as
Ôishi-sensei (voice)
1980
Natsu no hikari ni ... (TV Movie)
1980
Tora-san's Tropical Fever as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1980
A Distant Cry from Spring as
Tamiko Kazami
1979
Tora-san's Dream of Spring as
Sakura
1979
Tora-san, the Matchmaker as
Sakura
1979
Ore-tachi no kokyogaku
1978
Bunko nikki (as Chieko Baisho)
1978
Talk of the Town Tora-san as
Sakura
1978
Watashi wa umi (TV Series) as
Narration
1978
Stage-struck Tora-san as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1977
Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro gambare! as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1977
Aniki (TV Series) as
Toko
1977
The Yellow Handkerchief as
Mitsue Shima
1977
Tora-san Meets His Lordship as
Sakura
1976
Tora-san's Heart of Gold as
Sakura
1976
Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1975
Tora-san, the Intellectual as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1975
Tora-san's Rise and Fall as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1974
Tora-san's Lullaby as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1974
Tora-san's Lovesick as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1973
Tora-San Goes French as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1973
Tora-san's Forget Me Not as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1972
Tora-san's Dream-Come-True as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1972
Home from the Sea as
Tamiko Ishizaki
1972
Tora-san's Dear Old Home as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1971
Tora-san's Love Call as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1971
Tora-san, the Good Samaritan as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1971
Tora-san's Shattered Romance as
Sakura Suwa
1970
Where Spring Comes Late
1970
Tora-san's Runaway as
Sakura Suwa (Torajiro's sister)
1970
Tora-san's Grand Scheme as
Sakura Suwa
1970
Tora-san, His Tender Love as
Sakura Suwa
1969
Tora-San's Cherished Mother as
Sakura
1969
Tora-san, Our Lovable Tramp as
Sakura
1969
Topsy-Turvy Journey as
Sakura
1969
Yosakoi Journey as
Machiko
1969
Marriage Japanese Style
1969
Kigeki ippatsu dai hisshou as
Tsuruyo
1968
Hakuchû dôdô as
Yoshiko Koshiishi (as Chi'eko Baishô)
1967
Aa kimi ga ai as
Kieko Kikuchi
1967
Kyuchan no dekkai yume
1967
Song of Love as
Haruko Tachibana
1967
Junjô nijûsô as
Eiko Takayama
1967
Kigeki: Ippatsu shôbu as
Nobuko Ninomiya
1966
Danshun as
Setsuko Nagashima
1966
Natsukashii furaibo as
Aiko Kazami
1966
Kaachan to 11-nin no kodomo as
Fumiko, fourth daughter
1966
Koi to namida no taiyô as
Kazumi Kitamura
1965
Kiri no hata as
Kiriko Yanagida aka Rieko
1964
Koibito yo as
Sugiko Tsutsui
1964
Kaibatsu 0 meter as
Yuriko Toge
1964
Samurai from Nowhere as
Chigusa
1963
Tsukiyo no wataridori as
O shino
1963
The Night We Danced as
Yuriko Minami
1963
The Sunshine Girl as
Machiko Terashima
1963
Hoshikuzu no machi as
Yoriko
1963
Sing, Young People! as
Yûko Nakajima
1962
Yama no sanka: moyuru wakamono tachi
1962
Naite waratta hanayome as
Sanae Tominaga
1962
Kaasan nagaiki shitene
1962
Kaachan kekkon shiroyo as
Yukiyo Aoki
1962
Futari de aruita iku haru aki as
Miyoko Ishikawa, Toshiyuki's girlfriend
1962
San-nin Musume Kampai!
1962
Kurêjî no hanayome to shichinin no nakama
1961
Noren to hanayome as
Kazuko
1961
Furimuita hanayome as
Harue
1961
Kumo ga chigireru toki
1961
Women of Tokyo as
Kiyomi Nishihara
Soundtrack
2015
Air Bound (performer: "Bokura Ga Tabi Ni Deru Riyuu")
1991
Only Yesterday (performer: "Sayonara wa Dance no Ato ni")
1973
Tora-San Goes French ("Donguri korokoro (aka: A rolling acorn)")
1971
Tora-san's Love Call ("Kâsan no uta (aka: Song of my mother)")
1963
The Sunshine Girl (performer: "Shitamachi no taiyô")
Self
2012
Gareki ni tatsu kiiroi hankachi - Yamada Yôji shinsai to mukiau (TV Movie documentary)
2004
Nippon kikô (TV Series documentary) as
Self
2004
Good Evening (Documentary) as
Narration (voice)
1995
Today's Close Up (TV Series) as
Self
- Ken Takakura (2001) - Self
- Tora san no 60 nichi: Yakusha Atsumi Kiyoshi no sugao (1995) - Self
2000
NHK Special (TV Series documentary) as
Narrator
- Sayonara eiga no furusato: Ofuna satsueijo (2000) - Narrator (voice)
1995
Atsumi Kiyoshi no Tora-san kinzoku 25 nen (TV Movie documentary) as
Self
1987
Shimura Ken no daijoubudaâ (TV Series) as
Self
1982
The 5th Annual Japan Academy Awards (TV Special) as
Self
1981
The 4th Annual Japan Academy Awards (TV Special) as
Self
1978
The 1st Annual Japan Academy Awards (TV Special) as
Self
Archive Footage
2009
The Making of 'Honokaa Boy' (TV Movie documentary) as
Self