Tazuko Sakane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tazuko Sakane
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Yoko Umemura and Tazuko Sakane
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| Born | December 7, 1904 |
| Died | September 2, 1975 (aged 70) Japan
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| Occupation | Director, Assistant Director, Editor, Screenwriter, Script Supervisor |
| Years active | 1930-1962 |
Tazuko Sakane (坂根 田鶴子, Sakane Tazuko, December 7, 1904 – September 2, 1975) was a Japanese film director. She made history as Japan's very first female director. Later, Kinuyo Tanaka became the second.
Tazuko Sakane's first major film was New Clothing (初姿 Hatsu Sugata), made in 1936. This movie is known as the first Japanese feature film ever directed by a woman. Most of her other films were educational. These were non-fiction movies produced by the Manchukuo Film Association. They were made for Japanese people who had moved to Manchukuo and for the local Manchu people.
Her only film that we know still exists today is Brides on the Frontier (開拓の花嫁 Kaitaku no Hanayoume), from 1943. Tazuko Sakane worked closely with a famous Japanese director named Kenji Mizoguchi. She was an editor or assistant director for more than 15 of his films. When she was a child, her father, who was a rich businessman, often took her to the cinema. She finished school at Nikkatsu Uzumaki girls school in 1929.
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Early Life and Career Beginnings
Tazuko Sakane was born on December 7, 1904, in Kyoto, Japan. She was the oldest of six children. Her family was quite wealthy because her father was an inventor.
Tazuko went to good schools in Kyoto. After high school, she wanted to keep studying. So, she went to Doshisha Women's College to study English.
In 1923, Tazuko left college. The next year, her mother sadly passed away. Soon after, her father remarried. Tazuko herself got married in 1925 when she was 21. However, this marriage did not work out well. Tazuko decided to leave her husband and move back to her parents' home.
She wanted to be independent and decided to work in the film industry. In 1929, her father helped her get a job. She became an assistant director at Nikkatsu Dazai Photo Studio. There, she started working for the director Kenji Mizoguchi. She became good friends with Mizoguchi's wife, Chieko. Tazuko learned a lot about making movies by working with Mizoguchi's team.
Working with Kenji Mizoguchi
When Kenji Mizoguchi left Nikkatsu in 1932, Tazuko followed him to his new company, Shinko Kinema. It was common for people in the film industry to follow their mentors. Tazuko helped Mizoguchi as an assistant director on several films. These included “Taki no Shiraito” (1933), “Gion Festival” (1933), and “Kanfuren” (1934).
In 1934, Mizoguchi moved to Tokyo, and Tazuko went with him. They joined Nikkatsu Tamagawa Photo Studio. Around this time, Tazuko asked again to become a director herself. But the other staff members were not supportive, and it didn't happen. Tazuko was disappointed. She returned to Kyoto with Mizoguchi. She continued to work as his assistant director on films like “Otsukuru Osen,” “Maria no Yuki,” and “Koujaku Grass” (all in 1935).
Becoming Japan's First Female Director
When Tazuko was 32, she asked to be promoted to director again. This time, it finally happened! She decided to make a movie called “First Appearance” (はつ姿). Kenji Mizoguchi also helped with the film as a "director guidance." The movie was released on March 5, 1936. This made Tazuko Sakane the very first Japanese female film director.
Even though “First Appearance” was not a big success, Tazuko did not give up. She continued to make movies with Mizoguchi.
Moving to Manchukuo and Educational Films
The film industry was changing a lot. Mizoguchi left his first movie company and moved to Shinko Kinema. Tazuko followed him again. They worked on films like “Rokugiku Monogatari” (1940) and “Nanwa Onna” (1940). In “Nanwa Onna,” Mizoguchi worked with actress Kinyo Tanaka for the first time. Kinyo later became the second female film director in Japan.
Around this time, Tazuko wanted to direct films on her own again. With Mizoguchi's help, she joined Riken Kagaku Film Co., Ltd. She went to Hokkaido and filmed a documentary called “North Brotherhood” (1941). This film was about the life of the Ainu people.
In 1942, Tazuko joined the Manchu Film Association in Manchuria. She became part of their Keimin Movie Club. In Manchuria, Tazuko made many educational films. These included “Hardworking Women,” “Healthy Small National,” and “Bride of Pioneer.” She also made films about practical topics like “Vegetable Storage” and “How to Burn the Heating Room.” Even as the war ended, she finished films like “Indoor Horticulture” and “First Aid.”
Return to Japan and Later Life
In August 1945, Japan surrendered. The Soviet army took over the Manchu Film Association. Tazuko was allowed to return to Japan in August 1946.
Back in Kyoto, Tazuko visited Mizoguchi. He was surprised by how much she had changed. Mizoguchi helped her get a job at Shochiku, another film company. However, Tazuko could not become an assistant director due to company issues. Instead, she worked in the editing department.
Mizoguchi later became a very famous director around the world. His film “Nishitsuru Ichijo” (1952) won an award at the Venice International Film Festival. Kinyo Tanaka, the second female director, also started directing films in 1953. Mizoguchi continued to make successful films until he passed away in 1956.
Tazuko Sakane left Shochiku Kyoto Studio in 1962 when she retired. She continued to work part-time in movies until 1970. She passed away on September 2, 1975, at the age of 71. Before she died, she appeared in a documentary film about Kenji Mizoguchi's life.
Legacy and Impact
It was very hard for women to become directors in the Japanese film industry before the 1980s. Most women who did direct had been actresses first. Tazuko Sakane was a rare exception. She was Japan's first female director, making her film "Hatsu Sugata" in 1936. Sadly, no copies of this film exist today.
Many of the first Japanese women to make films were connected to Kenji Mizoguchi. His films often focused on female characters. Tazuko Sakane became Japan's first and only female director before World War II because of his support. After the war, she found it hard to get directing jobs. She was told she needed a college degree to be a director. So, at 42, she went back to working for Mizoguchi as his script girl.
Tazuko Sakane's notes, scripts, and letters were given to the Museum of Kyoto in 2004. This was done to celebrate 100 years since her birth. These items help us learn more about her work and the film industry of her time.
Filming Style and Challenges
Tazuko Sakane learned a lot about filmmaking by helping Kenji Mizoguchi. She often assisted him and edited his films. As a woman, she was often not taken seriously by the men who controlled the film industry. After her first film, New Clothing (1936), her personal life was even criticized in an article. This was just a way for the studio to get attention.
To keep her job as a director, Sakane had to follow certain rules. She left Mizoguchi and started a project called Fellow Citizens in North (1941). This was for the Tokyo Riken Film Company. She was supposed to make a propaganda film. This film was meant to show Japan as "one nation, one people." But Tazuko had her own ideas. She wanted to show the loss of native culture in Japan. She had to reshoot parts of the film to meet the company's rules. Tazuko tried not to let politics or war change her filming style. She used these situations to keep working as a filmmaker.
During the war, rules for women in Japan became stricter. Tazuko moved to the Manchuria Film Association in 1942. It was here that she developed her own unique filming style. Most of her films there were educational. They provided information for female audiences. She was promoted to director because people believed only women could direct films for women. Tazuko said in an interview that she was promoted "given the necessity to make films for women... and that only women can make films for themselves." In her films, she showed what home life was like. She also explored how women lived alongside men in Japanese and Chinese society.
