According to Japanese media, the celebrity died of colon cancer and multiple organ failure at a hospital in Shibuya, Tokyo. Shimada began her acting career in 1970 with the play Osanazuma and has since acted in a number of films and television projects. In the 1980s drama series Shogun, she played the wife of an aristocrat, which was her most recognizable role.
RIP to Yoko Shimada who played Lady Mariko in the NBC telecast SHOGUN in 1980. She was 69 years old. #島田陽子 pic.twitter.com/eClqGXoS7p
— Patrick Macias (@Patrick_Macias) July 26, 2022
Yoko Shimada’s legendary role in Shogun
In the NBC miniseries Shogun, based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name, Yoko Shimada played Mariko or Lady Toda Buntaro. In the series, which takes place around 1600, Mariko is portrayed as the daughter of a disgraced Catholic priest who kills Lord Goroda, a powerful daimyo in Japan. She is then forced to marry Toda Buntaro, a samurai, with whom she moves to Shonai Province. Buntaro is often seen bullying Mariko in their loveless marriage. However, she eventually refuses to live as his obedient wife.
Mariko was appointed as a translator between the English navigator John Blackthorne and the Japanese because she spoke English well. As they spent more time together, their friendship grew into love. Since Mariko was already married at the time, Blackthorne unsuccessfully requested that Lord Yoshi Toranaga give Mariko permission to divorce her husband and marry him. Mariko was killed while trying to defend Blackthorne when attackers attacked the castle in Osaka. After the cremation, Marika’s will indicated that she gave John money to build a new boat after his last one was destroyed by fire.
Awards and honors
In 1981, Yoko Shimada won her one and only Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama for her portrayal of Mariko. That same year, she was also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Special. Shimada, who was born on May 17, 1953, was married to Hitoshi Yoneyama from 1994 to 2019. Additionally, she starred in the 1974 film Castle of Sand, which was nominated for the Golden Award at the Moscow International Film Festival. .
Kamen Rider, We Are Youth, I Am a Cat, The Inugami Family, Dead Angle, Little Champion, Ritoru Champion, Hanazono no meikyu, Minamoto Yoshitsune, Crying Freeman, Hero Zheng Chengong, The Deep Red, God in Jail etc. among others thanks to Yoko Shimada. Her last film appearance was in Kanon, a drama directed by Toshirô Saiga.
Categories: Entertaintment
Source: HIS Education