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Today’s Doodle celebrates prolific Japanese singer and actor Mitsuko Mori, who became the first entertainer in Japanese history to perform 2,000 times in “Horoki” ("A Wanderer's Notebook"), a theater play based on the １autobiographical novel of author Fumiko Hayashi. In recognition of this unparalleled lifetime achievement, on this day in 2009, she became the first actress to ever receive Japan’s prestigious 2People’s Honor Award.

Born Mitsu Murakami in Kyoto, Japan on May 9, 1920, she made her cinematic debut at 14 in a historical drama film. Also a gifted vocalist, Mitsuko moved to Tokyo in 1941, where she sharpened her skills as a jazz singer, a talent she showcased throughout the decade on tours in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.

1　自叙伝の
2　国民栄誉賞

In 1952, Mitsuko continued to prove her dynamic range when she made her comedic debut in a stage play featured on radio broadcasts across Japan−widespread exposure that cast her into the national spotlight. An established name in Japanese entertainment, Mitsuko premiered in “Horoki” in 1961 as the lead character Fumiko Hayashi, a role she played well into her 80s for a record 2,017 performances.

Before one of these productions in 2007, over 45 years since it first showed, Mitsuko told reporters that she was retiring her character’s signature reflex to good news−a forward somersault−to avoid injury in her old age. She gave her final “Horoki” performance in 2009, 3bowing out as a superstar of contemporary Japanese theater.

Here’s to all the memories, Mitsuko Mori!

3　身を引く



森光子が2009年に国民栄誉書が授与された日でした。
このDoogleが表示されているのは日本のみ。
この賞って死後に与えているケースもかなりありますけど、森光子氏の場合は生前授与となりました。