Michiko Oe

actor.

The first (1910-1939), her real name was Takeuchi Shizuko. She joined the Takarazuka Shojo Revue (now the Takarazuka Revue Company) and became the top star of the Snow Troupe. In 1930 (Showa 5), ​​she left the company and joined Ichikawa Utaemon Productions, making her film debut in Karigane Bunshichi. She gained popularity as Utaemon's partner in the Hatamoto Taikutsu Otoko series and other works, but in 1932 she left the company and, with the help of impresario Hora Asanosuke, formed a female swordplay troupe. She gained a large fan base with her good looks and quick costume changes, and competed with the contrasting, masculine charm of Fuji Yoko (1912-1980), sparking a female swordplay boom. However, she died suddenly of appendicitis in 1939 during a performance at the Shochikuza Theater in Kobe.

The second (1919-2005) was born Hosoya Yae. She was an apprentice of the first and took the name Okawa Mieko. In 1939, when the first died, she took on the name of the second at the strong request of Matsunami Yoshio, the father of the first and director of the troupe. However, as a young performer, she faced strong pressure from the veteran members and continued to face hardships, but in 1942 she won first place in the Popular Theater Competition with her modern play "Kodama" at the Asakusa Shochikuza. During World War II, female swordplay was considered an unwholesome form of entertainment and was interfered with by the authorities. After the war, she was temporarily overwhelmed by the onslaught of strip shows, but from the late 1950s she gradually regained her popularity and became a popular performer at large theaters around the country, mainly in Asakusa, Tokyo. She was skilled in quick costume changes like her predecessor, and her masterpieces include "Yukinojohenge" and "Wakashu Shichihenge." In 1956, he received the Arts Festival Encouragement Award. In 1965, his home base, the Tokiwaza Theater in Asakusa, was converted into a movie theater, and he began touring theaters around the country, eventually disbanding his troupe after performing at the Toyo Theater in Asakusa in January 1970. After that, he continued to perform as a guest on his own while also teaching Japanese dance.

[Soya Mukai]

"The Path of a Woman: A Life of a Quick-Change Female Swordfighter" by Michiko Oe (1982, Kodansha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

俳優。

初代
（1910―1939）本名竹内静子。宝塚少女歌劇（現、宝塚歌劇団）へ入り、雪組のトップスターとなる。1930年（昭和5）に退団、市川右太衛門(うたえもん)プロダクションに入り、『雁金(かりがね)文七』で映画デビュー。以後、「旗本退屈男(はたもとたいくつおとこ)」シリーズなどで右太衛門の相手役として人気を集めたが、1932年に退社して、興行師保良(ほら)浅之助の世話で女剣劇の一座を結成した。美貌(びぼう)と早替りを売り物にファンを広げていき、これとは対照的で男性的な魅力をもつ不二(ふじ)洋子（1912―1980）と互いに覇を競い、女剣劇ブームを巻き起こした。しかし、1939年に虫垂炎のため神戸の松竹座公演中に急死した。

2代
（1919―2005）本名細谷ヤエ。初代の内弟子として大川美恵子を名のった。初代が没した1939年、初代の父親で一座の演出を担当していた松浪義雄(まつなみよしお)の強い要望で2代目を襲名。しかし、若輩ゆえ古参座員からの圧迫が強く苦難が続いたが、1942年の浅草松竹座での現代劇『木霊(こだま)』で大衆演劇コンクールの第1位を獲得するまでになった。第二次世界大戦中は、女剣劇は不健全な芸能とみなされて当局の干渉を受けた。戦後は一時ストリップショーの攻勢に押されるなどしたが、1950年代後半あたりからしだいに人気を取り戻し、東京浅草を中心に各地の大劇場を賑(にぎ)わした。先代譲りの早替りを得意とし、『雪之丞変化(ゆきのじょうへんげ)』『若衆七変化』などの傑作がある。1956年芸術祭奨励賞を受賞。1965年に本拠地の浅草・常盤座(ときわざ)が映画館に転向したため各地の劇場を巡演するようになり、1970年1月浅草・東洋劇場に出演したのを最後に一座を解散した。その後は単身でゲスト出演するかたわら日本舞踊の指導にあたった。

［向井爽也］

『大江美智子著『女の花道――早替り女剣劇一代記』（1982・講談社）』

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