Personal Information
Masako Natsume, born Masako Odate on December 17, 1957, in Roppongi, Tokyo, was a celebrated Japanese model and actress who passed away on September 11, 1985. The only daughter of Sue and Kazu Odate, she was raised in Naka-ku, Yokohama. In 1976, while attending junior college, she successfully auditioned for the lead role in Nihon TV's "Ai Ga Miemasu Ka?" out of 4,000 applicants. She left school to pursue acting, initially performing under her birth name. Her mother, initially opposed to her career choice, stipulated that she should not use the Odate surname for future work, leading Masako to adopt the stage name Natsume in 1977. That same year, she became the face of Kanebo Cosmetics, gaining immense popularity through a sunscreen advertisement where she appeared topless as the "Kooky Face" girl. This fame resulted in the release of her song "Oh! Cookie Face" later in 1977. While she took on various bit parts and some leading roles in films, her primary focus remained on television. Her most internationally renowned role came between 1978 and 1979 when she portrayed the male character Tripitaka (Sanzō-hōshi) in the Japanese TV series "Saiyūki." She secured the part because her appearance matched contemporary descriptions of the character more closely than the male actors who auditioned. The series, later dubbed by the BBC and titled "Monkey," became a cult classic across many English-speaking countries during the 1980s. In 1980, Natsume made her stage debut with the Tokyo-Takarazuka Theater Company in the play "Kikaishi Naporeon No Taishoku." Although she often played well-bred but shy heroines in films and faced criticism from the media and public for her acting abilities, her reputation shifted in 1982. Her portrayal of an ambitious, immoral woman in the TV drama "Shousha" and as the daughter of a Yakuza leader in the movie "Onimasa" marked a turning point. A line from the latter film, "Don't you shit with me!", became a widely recognized catchphrase in Japan. Her dramatic range was formally recognized when she won the Best Actress award at the 8th Hochi Film Award for her performances in "The Catch" and "Time and Tide." Natsume died of acute leukemia in 1985 at the age of 27. She is interred at Dairakuji Temple in Hōfu, Yamaguchi, under the name Masako Nishiyama. Her legacy endures, with her picture books and calendars remaining popular in Japan. In 1997, Canon produced a television commercial for a copy machine featuring her photocopied images, offering 100 free compilations of these images in a book; the campaign received 230,000 applications. In 2007, TBS aired a documentary titled "Himawari - Masako Natsume 27 - sai no Shougai to Haha no Ai," based on the book "Futari no Masako" written by her mother, Sue Odate. The documentary featured Yagi Yūki as the childhood Natsume and Nakama Yukie as the adult actress.
