--- name: "Machiko Kyō" canonical: "https://film.one/person/machiko-kyo" fi1m_id: "machiko-kyo" imdb_id: "nm0477553" tmdb_id: 7451 wikidata_id: "Q180602" roles: ["Actor"] born: "25 March 1924" died: "12 May 2019" reviewed_on_fi1m: 3 average_fi1m_score: 88 average_as: "actor" average_over: 3 updated: "2026-09-25T08:53:17.260755+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." --- # Machiko Kyō ## Identity Machiko Kyō - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/machiko-kyo - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** machiko-kyo - **IMDb ID:** nm0477553 - **TMDB ID:** 7451 - **Wikidata ID:** Q180602 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiko_Ky%C5%8D, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q180602, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477553/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/7451 Actor. Born 25 March 1924 in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Died 12 May 2019. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 25 March 1924, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan - **Died:** 12 May 2019 - **Active:** 1950–1959 - **Also known as:** Machiko Kyô , ماچیکو کیو - **Frequently works with:** [Masaichi Nagata](https://film.one/person/masaichi-nagata.md), [Masayuki Mori](https://film.one/person/masayuki-mori-7452.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 88, as actor, over 3 titles - **Fi1m against the critics:** 88 to 81 across 3 titles - **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 3 of 3 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 3, Mystery 2, Crime 1, Fantasy 1 - **Screen time:** 5 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $0m across 1 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiko_Ky%C5%8D, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q180602, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477553/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/7451 ## Streaming the US now - **HBO Max:** [*Rashomon*](https://film.one/film/rashomon.md) (92), [*Ugetsu*](https://film.one/film/ugetsu.md) (89), [*Floating Weeds*](https://film.one/film/floating-weeds.md) (84) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Machiko Kyō > Machiko Kyō makes the changing versions of Masako in *Rashomon* fiercely persuasive. Her assertiveness and sensuality are part of the appeal, but we value her most for making a character difficult to judge without making her difficult to believe. In *Rashomon* (1950), Machiko Kyō's Masako changes as the accounts of a killing change, and we have to look at her afresh each time. Kyō makes the woman in each account convincing enough that it is difficult to discard an earlier impression. Alongside Masayuki Mori's Takehiro, she keeps upsetting judgements that seemed secure a moment before. We found her unsettling because each new account made us reconsider a woman we thought we had understood. Akira Kurosawa asks for close attention, and her performance repays it. The acting is heightened, and the changes need to be readable if the conflicting accounts are to hold our attention. Toshirō Mifune's Tajômaru makes vanity physical, sometimes pushing so hard that he distracts us. Kyō has the less easily summarised job of making us take seriously a person whose presentation keeps changing. The film's dialogue occasionally explains what the images have already told us. That is a flaw in a film we rate highly: the performances have already given us plenty to think about without the extra help. *Rashomon* brought her international recognition, but the roles that followed resist any simple idea of what she was suited to. In Kenji Mizoguchi's *Ugetsu* (1953), she plays Lady Wakasa, a part that draws on her capacity for unease and sensuality. His *Street of Shame* (1956) gives her Mickey, a hardbitten prostitute. Those are useful films to place beside each other when considering an actress often associated with seduction. The toughness matters too, and reducing her work to sex appeal misses what she can do with a character. With *Floating Weeds* (1959), Ozu gave her the mature role of Sumiko, the lead actress in a travelling troupe. The distance from Masako is a reason to keep looking beyond the performance that brought her international attention. Her assertiveness is a better guide to these parts than any expectation that she will play demure women. Start with *Rashomon*, and resist the temptation to decide too quickly what sort of woman Masako is. ## Biography Machiko Kyō was a Japanese actress. Born Motoko Yano in Osaka on 25 March 1924, she trained as a dancer before entering the film industry with Daiei in 1949. She achieved international recognition for her performance as Masako in Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon (1950). She appeared in numerous Japanese productions of the 1950s and 1960s, including Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu (1953) and Street of Shame (1956), Teinosuke Kinugasa’s Gate of Hell (1953), Yasujirō Ozu’s Floating Weeds (1959) and Hiroshi Teshigahara’s The Face of Another (1966). Her only non-Japanese film role was as Lotus Blossom in The Teahouse of the August Moon (1957). Kyō died in Tokyo on 12 May 2019. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, bfi.org.uk, theguardian.com, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (3) - *Floating Weeds* (1959), Fi1m 84, as Sumiko — [page](https://film.one/film/floating-weeds.md) - *Ugetsu* (1953), Fi1m 89, as Lady Wakasa — [page](https://film.one/film/ugetsu.md) - *Rashomon* (1950), Fi1m 92, as Masako — [page](https://film.one/film/rashomon.md) ## Complete filmography (99) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Hana no Ran* (1994), series, as Hino Shigeko - *Make-Up* (1984), as Tsune Tsutano - *Nukata no Ōkimi* (1980), series, Actor - *Yokomizo Seishi Series* (1977), series, Actor - *Tora-san's Pure Love* (1976), as Aya - *The Possessed* (1976), Actor - *Solar Eclipse* (1975), Actor - *The Family* (1974), as Aiko Takasu - *Born Fighter* (1970), as Sue Yoshida - *Thousand Cranes* (1969), as Chikako Kurimoto - *The Little Runaway* (1966), as Director of the shelter - *The Daphne* (1966), as Kikuko (the eldest daughter) - *The Face of Another* (1966), as Mrs. Okuyama - *Sweet Sweat* (1964), as Umeko - *The Third Will* (1963), as Fujiyo Yajima - *A Woman's Life* (1962), as Kei Nunobiki - *The Great Wall* (1962), Actor - *Nakayoshi ondo: Nippon ichi dayo* (1962), Actor - *Black Lizard* (1962), as Mrs. Midorikawa - *Buddha* (1961), as Nandabala - *A Design for Dying* (1961), as Shikiko Oba - *Nuregami botan* (1961), Actor - *Marriageable Age* (1961), Actor - *The Legendary Hell* (1960), as Oden Takahashi - *The Beloved Image* (1960), Actor - *The Woman Who Touched Legs* (1960), as Saya Shiozawa - *The Last Betrayal* (1960), as Chizuru - *Bonchi* (1960), as Ofuku - *The Wandering Princess* (1960), as Ryûko Korinkakura / Hiroko Aishinkakura - *A Woman's Testament* (1960), Actor - *Floating Weeds* (1959), as Sumiko — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/floating-weeds.md) - *Odd Obsession* (1959), as Ikuko Kenmochi - *Jirocho Fuji* (1959), as Okatsu - *Paper Pigeon* (1959), as Ryoko Kashiwabara - *The Woman and the Pirate* (1959), as 綾衣, お糸 - *The Makioka Sisters* (1959), Actor - *Goodbye, Hello* (1959), as Umeko Ichige - *Musume no boken* (1958), Actor - *The Ladder of Success* (1958), Actor - *Tainted Flowers* (1958), Actor - *Ôsaka no onna* (1958), as Osen - *The Loyal 47 Ronin* (1958), as Orui, Spy - *Mother* (1958), as Takako Ômachi - *Sorrow Is Only for Women* (1958), Actor - *Chance Meeting* (1958), as Aya Koyanagi - *Hole in One* (1957), as Nagako Kita - *Blooms of Hell* (1957), Actor - *A Woman's Skin* (1957), Actor - *Night Butterflies* (1957), as Mari - *Dancing Girl* (1957), as Chiyomi Hanamura - *Itohan Monogatari* (1957), as Okatsu - *Daiei Studio is Bustling* (1957), Actor - *The Teahouse of the August Moon* (1957), as Lotus Blossom - *Tsukigata Hanpeita* (1956), as Hagino - *Street of Shame* (1956), as Mickey - *A Rainbow at Every Turn* (1956), Actor - *Three Women Around Yoshinaka* (1956), as Tomoe - *New Women’s Dialogue* (1955), Actor - *Tôjûrô no koi* (1955), as Okaji - *Princess Yang Kwei-fei* (1955), as Princess Yang Kwei-fei - *A Girl Isn't Allowed to Love* (1955), Actor - *Haru no uzumaki* (1954), Actor - *A Geisha on Horseback* (1954), as Nobukichi - *The Princess Sen* (1954), Actor - *Asakusa at Night* (1954), as Setsuko Takashima - *The Story of Shunkin* (1954), Actor - *Tree of Love* (1954), Actor - *A Certain Woman* (1954), as Yoko Hayazuki - *Gate of Hell* (1953), as Lady Kesa - *Brother and Sister* (1953), as Mon - *Kurohyō* (1953), Actor - *Ugetsu* (1953), as Lady Wakasa — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/ugetsu.md) - *Kanojo no tokudane* (1952), Actor - *Dedication of the Great Buddha* (1952), Actor - *Beauty and the Thief* (1952), as Sakin - *Taki no Shiraito* (1952), as Taki no Shiraito - *I'll Not Forget the Song of Nagasaki* (1952), Actor - *The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa* (1952), as Ryûko Beni - *The Life of a Horse Trader* (1951), as Yuki - *The Bitch* (1951), as Emmy - *The Tale of Genji* (1951), as Awaji no ue - *Jōen no hatoba* (1951), Actor - *Freedom School* (1951), Actor - *Koi no Oranda-zaka* (1951), Actor - *Clothes of Deception* (1951), as Kimicho - *Phoenix* (1950), Actor - *Rashomon* (1950), as Masako — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/rashomon.md) - *Resurrection* (1950), as Yukiko Ohara - *The Sea of Beauty* (1950), Actor - *Asakusa no hada* (1950), Actor - *The Motherland Far Far Away* (1950), as Mari, daughter - *Hebi hime dōchū* (1949), Actor - *A Fool's Love* (1949), as Naomi - *Three Pearls* (1949), Actor - *A Bullet Hole Underground* (1949), as Michiko Kaneko - *Hanakurabe tanuki-den* (1949), Actor - *The Man Who Laughs Last* (1949), Actor - *Zoku hebi hime dōchū*, Actor - *現代インチキ物語　ど狸*, Actor ## Gallery - ![Machiko Kyō](https://film.one/media/person/106685/gallery-3e31956b023f.jpg) Machiko Kyō — 影山光洋, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Machiko_Ky%C5%8D%2C_1954.jpg/1280px-Machiko_Ky%C5%8D%2C_1954.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Press photo of Machiko Kyō for the 1953 film Gate of Hell](https://film.one/media/person/106685/gallery-07fe1c033080.jpg) Press photo of Machiko Kyō for the 1953 film Gate of Hell — Daiei Studios, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Gate_of_Hell_%281953%29_Press_Photo_of_Machiko_Ky%C5%8D_%282%29.jpg/1280px-Gate_of_Hell_%281953%29_Press_Photo_of_Machiko_Ky%C5%8D_%282%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Press photo of (from left) Machiko Kyō and Kazuo Hasegawa for the 1953 film Gate of Hell](https://film.one/media/person/106685/gallery-1c162cc5b73d.jpg) Press photo of (from left) Machiko Kyō and Kazuo Hasegawa for the 1953 film Gate of Hell — Daiei Studios, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Gate_of_Hell_%281953%29_Press_Photo_of_Machiko_Ky%C5%8D_and_Kazuo_Hasegawa.jpg/1280px-Gate_of_Hell_%281953%29_Press_Photo_of_Machiko_Ky%C5%8D_and_Kazuo_Hasegawa.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![1953 Japanese movie poster for 1953 Japanese film Gate of Hell (Jigokumon). Japanese movie poster depicting Kazuo Hasegawa (up) and Machiko Kyō (down).](https://film.one/media/person/106685/gallery-d779b78bfd46.jpg) 1953 Japanese movie poster for 1953 Japanese film Gate of Hell (Jigokumon). Japanese movie poster depicting Kazuo Hasegawa (up) and Machiko Kyō (down). — Daiei Motion Picture Company (大映株式会社, Daiei Kabushiki-gaisha) © 1953, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Jigokumon_poster.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Machiko Kyō](https://film.one/media/person/106685/gallery-6ef305857fa8.jpg) Machiko Kyō — Image via TMDB - ![Machiko Kyō](https://film.one/media/person/106685/gallery-b9b9e60675bf.jpg) Machiko Kyō — Image via TMDB - ![Machiko Kyō](https://film.one/media/person/106685/gallery-383ccc73b2a2.jpg) Machiko Kyō — Image via TMDB ## Awards ### Other awards — 2 won - Order of the Precious Crown, 4th Class 1994: Order of the Precious Crown, 4th Class (won) - Medal with Purple Ribbon 1987: Medal with Purple Ribbon (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/machiko-kyo