--- name: "Haruko Sugimura" canonical: "https://film.one/person/haruko-sugimura" fi1m_id: "haruko-sugimura" imdb_id: "nm0837503" tmdb_id: 131013 wikidata_id: "Q3128005" roles: ["Actor"] born: "6 January 1909" died: "4 April 1997" reviewed_on_fi1m: 4 average_fi1m_score: 88 average_as: "actor" average_over: 4 updated: "2026-09-26T14:25:07.367273+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Haruko Sugimura ## Identity Haruko Sugimura - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/haruko-sugimura - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** haruko-sugimura - **IMDb ID:** nm0837503 - **TMDB ID:** 131013 - **Wikidata ID:** Q3128005 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruko_Sugimura, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3128005, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0837503/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/131013 Actor. Born 6 January 1909 in Hiroshima, Japan. Died 4 April 1997. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 6 January 1909, Hiroshima, Japan - **Died:** 4 April 1997 - **Active:** 1949–1962 - **Also known as:** Харуко Сугимура, هاروکو سوگیمورا, 杉村春子 - **Frequently works with:** [Kōgo Noda](https://film.one/person/kogo-noda.md), [Yasujirō Ozu](https://film.one/person/yasujiro-ozu.md), [Chishū Ryū](https://film.one/person/chishu-ryu.md), [Setsuko Hara](https://film.one/person/setsuko-hara.md), [Takeshi Yamamoto](https://film.one/person/takeshi-yamamoto.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 88, as actor, over 4 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 92 (1), 1950s 88 (2), 1960s 86 (1) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 88 to 84 across 4 titles - **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 4 - **Screen time:** 8 hours of reviewed films - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruko_Sugimura, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3128005, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0837503/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/131013 ## Streaming the US now - **HBO Max:** [*Tokyo Story*](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md) (92), [*Late Spring*](https://film.one/film/late-spring.md) (92), [*Floating Weeds*](https://film.one/film/floating-weeds.md) (84) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Haruko Sugimura > Haruko Sugimura can make a practical remark sound uncomfortably selfish. We rate her most highly in Ozu’s family dramas, where her pointed delivery makes difficult relatives hard to dismiss, even when their faults are written too plainly. Sugimura gives ordinary family talk a pointed delivery, especially when her characters are being practical at someone else’s expense. In *Tokyo Story* (1953), her Shige Kaneko is a pragmatic, self-interested eldest daughter. Sugimura makes her vivid without making her easy to like. We found the film almost unbearable because the neglect is so ordinary; Shige’s selfishness belongs to a family we can recognise. The film gives us time to consider her without asking us to excuse her. *Late Spring* (1949), her first major Ozu role, had already shown how useful that sharpness could be in a domestic drama. As Masa Taguchi, she lets changes of feeling come through restrained, pointed delivery. Setsuko Hara and Chishū Ryū remain the centre of the father-and-daughter story, but Sugimura helps make its family pressures feel ordinary and personally painful. The deliberate pace asks for patience, and her performance rewards attention to how something is said as much as to the words themselves. That restraint was worked at. Sugimura brought a technique-driven, naturalistic approach from shingeki theatre, but stage training did not automatically suit Yasujirō Ozu’s films. On *Early Summer* (1951), he selected takes in which she reduced her emotional intensity, finding some of her acting too overt. A director prepared to ask her to do less was a useful collaborator. Her work with Mikio Naruse gave the calculating older woman more space. In *Late Chrysanthemums* (1954), she takes the lead as Kin, a former geisha navigating post-war life. It is a useful next step beyond the Ozu supporting parts, though we would not reduce either collaboration to one recurring type. *An Autumn Afternoon* (1962) brings her long association with Ozu towards its close; *Red Beard* (1965) places her in a Kurosawa film outside that familiar circle. The limitation is that some of these women arrive with their selfishness too firmly established. Even in *Tokyo Story*, Shige can seem too plainly marked as materialistic, a part with less room for ambiguity than we might wish. Sugimura’s vividness keeps that reservation from becoming our whole response to the character. Start there, then make time for the deliberate pace of *Late Spring*. ## Biography Haruko Sugimura (杉村 春子) was a Japanese stage and film actress. She was born on 6 January 1909 in Hiroshima and died on 4 April 1997 in Tokyo. She joined the Tsukiji Little Theatre in 1927 and later became a founding member of the Bungakuza theatre company, remaining affiliated with it until her retirement in 1996. Sugimura made her film debut in 1932. She appeared in numerous films by Yasujirō Ozu, including *Late Spring* (1949) as Masa Taguchi, *Early Summer* (1951) as Tami Yabe, *Tokyo Story* (1953) as Shige Kaneko, *Good Morning* (1959) as Kikue Haraguchi, *Floating Weeds* (1959) as Oyoshi, *The End of Summer* (1961) as Katou Shige and *An Autumn Afternoon* (1962) as Tomoko Sakuma. She also worked with directors including Mikio Naruse, Akira Kurosawa and Kenji Mizoguchi. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (4) - *An Autumn Afternoon* (1962), Fi1m 86, as Tomoko Sakuma — [page](https://film.one/film/an-autumn-afternoon.md) - *Floating Weeds* (1959), Fi1m 84, as Oyoshi — [page](https://film.one/film/floating-weeds.md) - *Tokyo Story* (1953), Fi1m 92, as Shige Kaneko — [page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md) - *Late Spring* (1949), Fi1m 92, as Masa Taguchi — [page](https://film.one/film/late-spring.md) ## Complete filmography (122) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *A Last Note* (1995), as Yoko Morimoto - *The Strange Tale of Oyuki* (1992), as Kafu's Mother - *Sakura-tai Chiru* (1988), Actor - *An Early Autumn* (1987), series, Actor - *The Fossil* (1975), as Itsuki's stepmother - *Akumyo: Notorious Dragon* (1974), Actor - *雪の華* (1973), series, Actor - *The Petrified Forest* (1973), Actor - *Fossil* (1972), series, as Mother-in-Law - *Onna no hanamichi* (1971), Actor - *Second generation* (1970), series, Actor - *Only Child* (1969), Actor - *Slave Factory* (1968), Actor - *The Wife of Seishu Hanaoka* (1967), Actor - *The Daphne* (1966), as Aki Ueno (the four sisters' mother) - *Rokujō yukiyama tsumugi* (1965), as Ine's Mother - *Red Beard* (1965), as Kin, the madam - *With Beauty and Sorrow* (1965), as Otoko's Mother - *Kwaidan* (1965), as Madame (segment "In a Cup of Tea") - *Samurai Assassin* (1965), as Tsuru - *Night Scandal* (1964), as Hatsu Mimura - *The Scent of Incense* (1964), as Taromaru - *Mother* (1963), as Yoshie - *Jidanya* (1963), Actor - *The Navy* (1963), Actor - *Youth After School* (1963), as Ayako - *An Autumn Afternoon* (1962), as Tomoko Sakuma — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/an-autumn-afternoon.md) - *Jun'ai monogatari kusa no mi* (1962), Actor - *The Broken Commandment* (1962), as School master's wife - *Musume to watashi* (1962), Actor - *Till Tomorrow Is* (1962), Actor - *The Wiser Age* (1962), as Aki - *Their Legacy* (1962), Actor - *The Rokumeikan* (1961), Actor - *The Conspirator* (1961), Actor - *Buddha* (1961), as Vaidehi - *The End of Summer* (1961), as Katou Shige - *The Gambler's Code* (1961), as Oroku - *Deep River Melody* (1960), Actor - *The Woman Who Touched Legs* (1960), as Pickpocket Haruko - *Daughters, Wives and a Mother* (1960), as Kayo Tani - *Runway to Hell* (1960), as Okuma - *Banana* (1960), Actor - *Goodbye to Glory* (1960), as Fukunaga's mother Yuki - *Floating Weeds* (1959), as Oyoshi — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/floating-weeds.md) - *The Three Treasures* (1959), as Narrator - *Pilgrimage at Night* (1959), as Osai - *Beauty the Enemy* (1959), as Fusa Yoshino - *The Rokumeikan* (1959), Actor - *Good Morning* (1959), as Kikue Haraguchi - *The Spell of the Hidden Gold* (1958), as Sonoe - *Summer Clouds* (1958), as Mother - *Flower's Yearning* (1958), as Ikegami Rie - *Hadaka no Machi* (1957), Actor - *Tokyo Twilight* (1957), as Shigeko Takeuchi - *The Crowded Train* (1957), as Otome, the mother - *Flowing* (1956), as Someka - *Yonjū-hassai no teikō* (1956), Actor - *Early Spring* (1956), as Tamako Tamura - *Samurai of the Great Earth* (1956), Actor - *She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum* (1955), as Masao's mother - *The Romance of Yushima* (1955), Actor - *The Tears of Geisha Konatsu* (1955), Actor - *Princess Yang Kwei-fei* (1955), as Princess Yen-chun - *Kokoro ni hana no saku hi made* (1955), Actor - *Policeman's Diary* (1955), as Moyo Sugita - *Life of Geisha* (1955), Actor - *The Story of Shunkin* (1954), Actor - *Late Chrysanthemums* (1954), as Kin - *The Glorious Days* (1954), Actor - *Geisha Konatsu* (1954), as Raku Kamioka - *An Inlet of Muddy Water* (1953), Actor - *Tokyo Story* (1953), as Shige Kaneko — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md) - *Muntinlupa: Song of Nostalgia* (1953), Actor - *Koshō musuko* (1953), Actor - *Sunflower Girl* (1953), Actor - *Reminiscence* (1953), as Chikako - *Toki no teizo: Sōshūban* (1952), Actor - *Forbidden Path* (1952), Actor - *Kin no tamago: Golden Girl* (1952), Actor - *The Wind Blows Twice* (1952), Actor - *A Meeting of Youths* (1952), as Tamiyo - *Beauty of Life* (1951), Actor - *Repast* (1951), as Matsu Murata - *Fireworks Over the Sea* (1951), as Kono Kujirai - *Early Summer* (1951), as Tami Yabe - *Freedom School* (1951), Actor - *愛情の旋風* (1951), Actor - *The Rainbow-Colored Flower* (1950), as Koyabu - *Listen to the Voices of the Sea* (1950), Actor - *Till We Meet Again* (1950), as Suga Ono - *Four Seasons of Women* (1950), as Osone - *Late Spring* (1949), as Masa Taguchi — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/late-spring.md) - *Yotsuya Ghost Story Part 2* (1949), as Oshin - *Yotsuya Ghost Story Part 1* (1949), as Oshin - *Black Cloud Road* (1948), Actor - *G-Men of Japan* (1948), Actor - *Great X* (1948), as Taka - *Temptation* (1948), as Tokie - *Children Hand in Hand* (1948), Actor - *Three-Fingered Detective* (1947), Actor - *Spring Awakens* (1947), Actor - *No Regrets for Our Youth* (1946), as Madame Noge - *A Descendant of Urashima Taro* (1946), Actor - *Morning for the Osone Family* (1946), as Fusako Osone - *Kigeki wa owarinu* (1946), Actor - *Umi o yobu koe* (1945), Actor - *Kanchō umi no bara* (1945), Actor - *Umi no tora* (1945), Actor - *Army* (1944), as Setsu - *Mother of a Baby Eagle* (1944), Actor - *The Day England Falls* (1942), Actor - *Yamasandō* (1942), Actor - *The Tale of Jiro* (1941), Actor - *A Diary of Our Love* (1941), Actor - *White Heron* (1941), Actor - *Ōhinata-mura* (1940), Actor - *Spring on Leper's Island* (1940), Actor - *Wedding Day* (1940), Actor - *Nightingale* (1938), as Midwife Yae - *The Lights of Asakusa* (1937), as Marieda Matsushima - *Namiko* (1932), Actor ## Gallery - ![From left to right: Chieko Higashiyama, Chishū Ryū and Haruko Sugimura in Tōkyō monogatari (東京物語) directed by Yasujirō Ozu, 1953](https://film.one/media/person/59927/gallery-25af86fb8077.jpg) From left to right: Chieko Higashiyama, Chishū Ryū and Haruko Sugimura in Tōkyō monogatari (東京物語) directed by Yasujirō Ozu, 1953 — Shōchiku, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Chieko_Higashiyama%2C_Chish%C5%AB_Ry%C5%AB_and_Haruko_Sugimura_in_T%C5%8Dky%C5%8D_monogatari%2C_1953.jpg/1280px-Chieko_Higashiyama%2C_Chish%C5%AB_Ry%C5%AB_and_Haruko_Sugimura_in_T%C5%8Dky%C5%8D_monogatari%2C_1953.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Haruko Sugimura and Setsuko Hara in Late Spring (晩春) directed by Yasujirō Ozu, 1949](https://film.one/media/person/59927/gallery-ee8e0aca6707.jpg) Haruko Sugimura and Setsuko Hara in Late Spring (晩春) directed by Yasujirō Ozu, 1949 — Shōchiku, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Haruko_Sugimura_and_Setsuko_Hara_in_Late_Spring%2C_1949.jpg/1280px-Haruko_Sugimura_and_Setsuko_Hara_in_Late_Spring%2C_1949.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Haruko Sugimura in Te o tsunagu kora (手をつなぐ子等) directed by Hiroshi Inagaki - 1948](https://film.one/media/person/59927/gallery-ca48938ac35b.jpg) Haruko Sugimura in Te o tsunagu kora (手をつなぐ子等) directed by Hiroshi Inagaki - 1948 — Daiei, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Te_o_tsunagu_kora_%281948%29.jpg/1280px-Te_o_tsunagu_kora_%281948%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) ## Awards ### Other awards — 2 won - Person of Cultural Merit 1974: Person of Cultural Merit (won) - Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Supporting Actress 1952: Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Supporting Actress (won) *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/haruko-sugimura