User:JenCSULB01/Yōko Namikawa

Yōko Namikawa (real name: Kaoru Tajima, born on November 7th, 1950) is an actress born in the city of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.

Work History
On November 7th,1950, Yōko Namikawa was born in Yamamon-chō (town), Chikusa-ku (ward), Nagoya, Japan. Her father operated a driving school in Nagoya.

Between the years 1954 and 1955, the Tajima family relocated from Yamamon-cho to Yamazoe-cho, a 15-minute walk from their previous residence, at the time when Yōko enrolled in a kindergarten affiliated with Sugiyama Jogakuen University.

In 1957, she enrolled into Tashiro Elementary School in Nagoya, only a 5 minute walk away from her home. When she was in around the 3rd grade, she joined a children's theater company, later appearing on Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) Programs.

In March of 1963, upon graduating from her elementary school, the Tajima family moved to Wada District in Suginami-Ku (ward), Tokyo. In April, she enrolled in Wada Junior High School in Suginami-ku and joined the volleyball club, devoting herself to strict practice every day from morning till dawn. In her second year of junior high, she was promoted to captain of the volleyball team.

In April of 1966, she enrolled in Tokyo Rissho Senior High School. Around this time, Yōko was affiliated with an entertainment agency, and appeared in commercials for Japan's television show called "Shabondama Holiday (Soap Bubble Holiday)," airing every Sunday night at 6:00 pm.

In May of 1967, she went to NET, a television broadcasting program (now known as Asahi Television), with her fashion model friend, and received an offer from a producer to appear on the television drama, "Ah, Dōki-no-Sakura," (Ah, fellow cherry blossoms) which aired every Thursday night from April 6th of that year. This led to her debut as an actress. "Ah, Dōki-no-Sakura" is a collection of posthumous manuscripts by the 14th Group of Naval Aviation Reserve Students, and a dramatization of "Ah, Dōki-no-Sakura: The Memoirs of Youth That Never Returned." She played the role of a woman who was admired by the prep students in the drama and made regular appearances under her real name, "Kaoru Tajima," starting from the 9th episode aired on June 1st. Film shootings were in Kasumigaura of Ibaraki Prefecture, prompting her to take a weekly trip out there.

Now, with the start of full-fledged entertainment activities, she transferred to Horikoshi High School around this time.

On September 2nd, 1967, Yōko signed an exclusive contract with Daiei Motion Picture Company, and on September 4th, she received the name "Yōko Namikawa" from Vice President Hidemasa Nagata.

The stage name "Yōko Namikawa" is regarded as the best of all the stage names created by Hidemasa Nagata.

She made her debut in "The Record of a Female High School Doctor: Pregnancy" (Directed by Tarō Yuge), which was released on July 27, 1968. Her performance as Sanae Tajima, the school's most exemplary student known for her dual persona, elevated her evaluation. In the two and a half years that followed, she appeared in a total of 24 (or 26, according to one theory) films, including "Thousand Cranes," "Yotaro's War Diary," and "Genkai yūkyōden: Yabure kabure," in addition to nine films by the "Infamous Daiei Group." She was the epitome of beauty and purity, and one who brought crowds to the screens in the final days of Daiei.

In "Daiei Sex Scenes," she played the role of a pure, heroine character, yet, in reality, she was a high school student attending Horikoshi High School. Around this time, she was also asked to play the leading role in "High School Blues," but was shocked to learn that the script given to a Daiei executive included a nude scene with a male actor. She immediately went to Daiei headquarters and refused to take on the role.

Yōko's final appearance as an actress was in "Survivor of the Massacre," (Directed by Issei Mori) released on December 5th, 1970.

On December 10, 1970, during the release of "Survivor of the Massacre," Yōko conducted her retirement press conference at 2:00 p.m. in a conference room situated on the sixth floor of Daiei's headquarters in Kyobashi, Tokyo. Having renewed her contract with Daiei on October 1 of the same year, she became the second Daiei employee, following Hitomi Nozoe, to retire immediately after contract renewal. In her retirement interview, she said:

"When I joined Daiei three years ago, President Nagata told me, "If you want to make it as an actress, don't get married. If you get married, quit your job." Those words always lingered in my heart and led me to quit, yet I have no regrets. I believe that this was my fate, and it became what it was meant to be."