Yoshiko Kuga

Acting

Yoshiko Kuga

Born January 21, 1931 · Ushigome, Japon

Died June 9, 2024 · aged 93

Yoshiko Kuga (久我 美子, Kuga Yoshiko, 21 January 1931 – 9 June 2024) was a Japanese actress. Kuga was born in Tokyo, Japan. In 1946, while still attending Gakushuin Junior High School, she became an actress for Toho studios. In 1947, she made her debut as one of the lead actresses in the omnibus movie Four Love Stories (四つの恋の物語, Yottsu no Koi no Monogatari). In the 1950s, she started working indepen…

Known For

Drunken AngelDrunken Angel · 1948
Drunken Angel
7.61948
MovieDrama
In postwar Tokyo, a blunt, alcohol-soaked doctor diagnoses a swaggering young yakuza with tuberculosis, forging an uneasy bond that’s tested when the gangster’s ruthless former boss returns and drags him back toward the swampy underworld he can’t escape.
Godzilla vs. BiollanteGodzilla vs. Biollante · 1989
Godzilla vs. Biollante
7.41989
MovieActionHorror
After the previous Godzilla attack, a miniature arms race ensues to collect his cells. Concerned over Godzilla's possible return, the Japanese government uses the cells to create a new bio-weapon, ANEB (Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria). They seeks the aid of geneticist Genshiro Shiragami, who's experiments result in a new mutation.
Ballad of a WorkmanBallad of a Workman · 1962
Ballad of a Workman
6.11962
MovieDrama
A demobilized soldier becomes a day laborer with a road construction gang, and his wife goes to work to bolster their income. Their modest dream is to see their son grow and to be happy as a family.
Cruel Story of YouthCruel Story of Youth · 1960
Cruel Story of Youth
6.61960
MovieRomanceDrama
A harsh young man seduces a freeloading young woman and eventually takes advantage of her knack for hitchhiking to rob middle-class men.
Good MorningGood Morning · 1959
Good Morning
7.71959
MovieComedyFamily
A lighthearted take on director Yasujiro Ozu’s perennial theme of the challenges of inter­generational relationships, Good Morning tells the story of two young boys who stop speaking in protest after their parents refuse to buy a television set. Ozu weaves a wealth of subtle gags through a family portrait as rich as those of his dramatic films, mocking the foibles of the adult world through the eyes of his child protagonists. Shot in stunning color and set in a suburb of Tokyo where housewives gossip about the neighbors’ new washing machine and unemployed husbands look for work as door-to-door salesmen, this charming comedy refashions Ozu’s own silent classic I Was Born, But . . . to gently satirize consumerism in postwar Japan.
Women in PrisonWomen in Prison · 1956
Women in Prison
4.01956
MovieDramaCrime
The woman prison has a cast all with a story of their own and with no dull or routine day. There is an employee who is divorced after her husband had an affair. She loves the jailed criminals and almost sees them as family. One day at a workshop someone faints while working hard to make money because she has a poor boyfriend. Another inmate is knocked up Another is a mother and has her child with her.
Love LetterLove Letter · 1953
Love Letter
6.81953
MovieRomanceDrama
Five years after the end of the Second World War, Reikichi, a repatriated veteran, translates love letters for Japanese women to American GIs, while searching for his lost love, Michiko.
Gunrō no machiGunrō no machi · 1952
Gunrō no machi
1952
MovieDramaCrime
There are male and female students working part-time jobs in the city center while facing the harsh realities of society as they struggle to pay for tuition and living expenses, and there are those who prey on these students. The Sugita-gumi, which was supposed to have been disbanded under the Ordinance on the Regulation of Organizations, established the “Student Part-Time Workers’ Association” and began ensnaring innocent students in its clutches. Eguchi of the student newspaper editorial board and his fellow staff members begin an investigation to expose the Sugita-gumi’s misdeeds.

Movies

Drunken AngelDrunken Angel · 1948
Drunken Angel
7.61948
MovieDrama
In postwar Tokyo, a blunt, alcohol-soaked doctor diagnoses a swaggering young yakuza with tuberculosis, forging an uneasy bond that’s tested when the gangster’s ruthless former boss returns and drags him back toward the swampy underworld he can’t escape.
Godzilla vs. BiollanteGodzilla vs. Biollante · 1989
Godzilla vs. Biollante
7.41989
MovieActionHorror
After the previous Godzilla attack, a miniature arms race ensues to collect his cells. Concerned over Godzilla's possible return, the Japanese government uses the cells to create a new bio-weapon, ANEB (Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria). They seeks the aid of geneticist Genshiro Shiragami, who's experiments result in a new mutation.
Ballad of a WorkmanBallad of a Workman · 1962
Ballad of a Workman
6.11962
MovieDrama
A demobilized soldier becomes a day laborer with a road construction gang, and his wife goes to work to bolster their income. Their modest dream is to see their son grow and to be happy as a family.
Cruel Story of YouthCruel Story of Youth · 1960
Cruel Story of Youth
6.61960
MovieRomanceDrama
A harsh young man seduces a freeloading young woman and eventually takes advantage of her knack for hitchhiking to rob middle-class men.
Good MorningGood Morning · 1959
Good Morning
7.71959
MovieComedyFamily
A lighthearted take on director Yasujiro Ozu’s perennial theme of the challenges of inter­generational relationships, Good Morning tells the story of two young boys who stop speaking in protest after their parents refuse to buy a television set. Ozu weaves a wealth of subtle gags through a family portrait as rich as those of his dramatic films, mocking the foibles of the adult world through the eyes of his child protagonists. Shot in stunning color and set in a suburb of Tokyo where housewives gossip about the neighbors’ new washing machine and unemployed husbands look for work as door-to-door salesmen, this charming comedy refashions Ozu’s own silent classic I Was Born, But . . . to gently satirize consumerism in postwar Japan.
Women in PrisonWomen in Prison · 1956
Women in Prison
4.01956
MovieDramaCrime
The woman prison has a cast all with a story of their own and with no dull or routine day. There is an employee who is divorced after her husband had an affair. She loves the jailed criminals and almost sees them as family. One day at a workshop someone faints while working hard to make money because she has a poor boyfriend. Another inmate is knocked up Another is a mother and has her child with her.
Love LetterLove Letter · 1953
Love Letter
6.81953
MovieRomanceDrama
Five years after the end of the Second World War, Reikichi, a repatriated veteran, translates love letters for Japanese women to American GIs, while searching for his lost love, Michiko.
Gunrō no machiGunrō no machi · 1952
Gunrō no machi
1952
MovieDramaCrime
There are male and female students working part-time jobs in the city center while facing the harsh realities of society as they struggle to pay for tuition and living expenses, and there are those who prey on these students. The Sugita-gumi, which was supposed to have been disbanded under the Ordinance on the Regulation of Organizations, established the “Student Part-Time Workers’ Association” and began ensnaring innocent students in its clutches. Eguchi of the student newspaper editorial board and his fellow staff members begin an investigation to expose the Sugita-gumi’s misdeeds.
Equinox FlowerEquinox Flower · 1958
Equinox Flower
7.41958
MovieComedyDrama
Wataru's outwardly liberal views on marriage are severely tested when his daughter declares her love for a coworker and is adamant to live her own way, instead of agreeing to an arranged marriage. Outwitted by his female relatives, Hirayama stubbornly refuses to admit defeat.
As the River FlowsAs the River Flows · 2000
As the River Flows
9.02000
Movie
2000 live-action Japanese film.
The IdiotThe Idiot · 1951
The Idiot
7.01951
MovieDramaRomance
A gentle, war-shattered ex-soldier, Kinji Kameda, arrives in wintry Hokkaidō and is pulled into a volatile tangle of love and pity between the disgraced Taeko Nasu, the proud Ayako, and his possessive friend Akama. Kameda’s saintly compassion exposes everyone’s wounds, steering the quartet toward jealousy, violence, and inexorable tragedy. Adapted from Dostoevsky’s novel.
Autumn InterludeAutumn Interlude · 1954
Autumn Interlude
1954
MovieDrama
A young woman (Kuga), recuperating at a sanitarium in Karuizawa, falls in love with a young student (Ishihama) but returns to Tokyo to be with her father (Yamamura).
Four Days of Snow and BloodFour Days of Snow and Blood · 1989
Four Days of Snow and Blood
7.31989
MovieDramaWar
Based on the "2.26 Incident", an attempted coup d'état in Japan 1936, launched by radical ultra-nationalist parts of the military. Several leading politicians were killed and the center of Tokyo was briefly held by the insurgents before the coup was suppressed.
A Case of HonorA Case of Honor · 1957
A Case of Honor
1957
MovieDrama
The obstinate black market trader Okyo lives together with her son Seitaro, who works as a mechanic for a bus company. She also looks after her son's colleague, the bus driver Fujita. When he causes an accident one day, Seitaro testifies against him due to his moral scruples, thus getting his company into trouble.
My Love on the Other Side of the MountainMy Love on the Other Side of the Mountain · 1948
My Love on the Other Side of the Mountain
1948
MovieDrama
Daredevil in the CastleDaredevil in the Castle · 1961
Daredevil in the Castle
7.31961
MovieHistoryWar
During the raging war between the Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans, the swordsman Mohei (whose family has been completely decimated) is recruited by Toyotomi to overcome the seat of power, Osaka Castle. Mohei's daredevil skills will be put to severe tests.
Samurai BannersSamurai Banners · 1969
Samurai Banners
7.41969
MovieActionWar
Kansuke Yamamoto is a samurai who dreams of a country united, peaceful from sea to sea. He enters the service of Takeda, the lord of Kai domain. He convinces Takeda to kill the lord of neighboring Suwa and take his wife as a concubine. He then convinces the widow, Princess Yu, to accept this arrangement and to bear Takeda a son. He pledges them his life. He then spends years using treachery, poetic sensibility, military and political strategy to expand Takeda's realm, advance the claim of Yu's son as the heir, and prepare for an ultimate battle with the forces of Echigo. Has Kansuke overreached? Are his dreams, blinded by love, too big?
Mother CountryMother Country · 1962
Mother Country
6.81962
MovieWarDrama
In 1919, a group of Japanese immigrants arrives in Hawaii. Among them Yoshio Inoue and his wife Kishimo and Sumi, a young woman ready to get married soon. With the soil that is hard to work and the subtropical climate, the immigrants have to cope with a hard life. But after years of hard work, Yoshio finds work as a teacher while his wife manages to open a small grocery store. But with the war around the corner, life becomes more and more complicated for the Japanese immigrants in a foreign country.
Tokyo Fair WeatherTokyo Fair Weather · 1997
Tokyo Fair Weather
7.21997
MovieDrama
This is a biographical film about the late Yoko Araki, who was the wife of Japan's leading photographer, Nobuyoshi Araki.
Tomorrow's HappinessTomorrow's Happiness · 1955
Tomorrow's Happiness
1955
MovieDrama
Yagyu Secret Scrolls: Ninjitsu - Part IIYagyu Secret Scrolls: Ninjitsu - Part II · 1958
Yagyu Secret Scrolls: Ninjitsu - Part II
5.41958
Movie
In the Tokugawa Era, the clan of Lord Yagyu has hidden away three scrolls containing clan secrets which, if revealed, would cause revolution and disaster for the clan. The information is divided among the three scrolls, all of which must be possessed for the secrets to be understood. When Princess Yuhime steals the scrolls, Tasaburo, a samurai with magical powers, and his brother Senshiro are sent to retrieve them. In Part II, the search for the scrolls continues.
Nowhere ManNowhere Man · 1991
Nowhere Man
6.21991
MovieDrama
Sukezo, a former manga comic artist, takes up the art rock business by setting up a shop in a shed by the river. He tries hard to be successful, but business does not go well and the family becomes progressively poorer.
GoryokakuGoryokaku · 1988
Goryokaku
1988
MovieActionHistory
After the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, there was a series of battles fought while the former supporters of the Tokugawa shogunate retreated to the north where they actually started a sovereign nation that was recognized by more than one European country. Survivors of the Shinsengumi were among the followers of Enomoto Takeaki who took them to the northernmost island of Ezo where they fought their final battle at the star shaped fort, Goryokaku. The Japanese Civil Wars fought in the name of the emperor signaled the complete end of the feudal system and Japan’s entry into the modern world as those brave samurai tried to halt progress and learned that the age of modern warfare and weaponry had passed them by. Swords were no match for rifles and cannons, nor was any man a match for the power of the imperial flag. Japanese loyalty to the emperor has long defined the nation and culture despite the changing times.
The Girl Who Leapt Through TimeThe Girl Who Leapt Through Time · 1997
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
7.51997
MovieScience Fiction
A high-school girl acquires the ability to time travel.

TV Shows

TabijiTabiji · 1967
Tabiji
1967
SeriesDramaFamily
The 7th NHK Asadora. Starring Tadashi Yokouchi in a narrative about an employee of the national railroad living through 50 years of modern history with his wife.
Miyako no kazeMiyako no kaze · 1986
Miyako no kaze
1986
SeriesDrama
The 37th NHK Asadora. A woman from Kyoto moves to Nara and runs a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) and then enters the fashion industry.
Katsu KaishuKatsu Kaishu · 1974
Katsu Kaishu
1974
SeriesDrama
Katsu Kaishū deals with end of the Edo period. Based on Kan Shimozawa's novels "Katsu Kaishū "
Heroic AgeHeroic Age · 2007
Heroic Age
7.72007
SeriesAnimation
When the Golden Race invited other races to join them in the stars, three sentient races answered their call. The Goldens called them the Bronze, Silver and Heroic Tribes. Just before the Gold Tribe left to travel to another Universe, a fourth race appeared, traveling to the stars on their own accomplishments. The Golds named the human race the Iron Tribe. During the passing of time, humanity suffers at the hands of the more dominant races and is now facing extinction. Following a prophecy left by the Gold Tribe, Princess Deianeira sets out to search for the powerful being who might be able to save humankind. She meets a wild haired boy on an abandoned planet—a fateful encounter that will not only change the fortunes of Humanity, but also the fate of the universe.
InochiInochi · 1986
Inochi
1986
SeriesDrama
The drama begins in August 1945, three days after the end of the Pacific war. A freight train completely jam-packed with passengers heads for Aomori from devastated Tokyo. On the train is Takahara Miki and her sister Sachi. Miki and Sachi are the daughters of a wealthy landlord living in a village in the Tsugaru area in Aomori prefecture, but they have been living in Tokyo since before the war to attend school. After seeing her village does not have a doctor, Miki is determined to become a rural doctor.
The Roads Men TravelThe Roads Men Travel · 1976
The Roads Men Travel
8.21976
SeriesDrama
The series depicts the employees of a security company from different generations and backgrounds facing many difficult questions. It features a guard who survived a suicide mission during the war and his conflicts, rebellion, empathy and reconciliation with the younger generation born after the war.
Pieces of AutumnPieces of Autumn · 1973
Pieces of Autumn
1973
SeriesFamilyDrama
University student Minoru Niijima is a timid young man who gives up on his girlfriend's older brother after being threatened by him. Minoru's father, Seiichi, is a tired office worker nearing retirement, and his mother, Reiko, is an ordinary housewife who is considerate of her husband and believes her children are well-behaved. Minoru's older brother, Shigeru, works as a bed salesman. He is a nuisance to Minoru, as he is rough and always brags about his work. Minoru's younger sister, Yoko, is a second-year high school student, but to Minoru, she still has the childishness of a middle school student. One day, Minoru is persuaded by his university friend, Karaki, to commit a sexual assault on a train. Unfortunately, the girl he chooses is a female student from a delinquent group, and he ends up being beaten up by the delinquent group. However, the new member of the group who appears before Minoru is his younger sister Yoko.
長七郎江戸日記スペシャル 千姫有情 母ありき長七郎江戸日記スペシャル 千姫有情 母ありき · 1988
長七郎江戸日記スペシャル 千姫有情 母ありき
1988
Series