Shen Guanchu, Shen Danping, and Kanno Misako collaborated to shoot the film "A Game of Chess Not Yet Finished" and won an award.
Due to the different political systems and social environments of their two countries, the romance between Shen Guanchu and Kanno Misako ultimately ended without success, failing to bear fruit as hoped.
Kanno Misako was born on September 8, 1960, in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress and essayist. She graduated from Keio University with a bachelor's degree in literature. She became famous in 1980 due to the NHK television serialized novel "Weaving a Rainbow." She has appeared in films and TV dramas such as "Sister Slope" (1985), "Let's Go to Gōtokuji!" (1987), the historical drama "Takeda Shingen" (1988), "Temptation" (1990), and "Marriage Syndrome" (1991), and later became a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme.
Mayumi in "The Chase"
In 1971, Nakano Ryoko starred in "A Morning for Two," marking her entry into the film industry. In 1973, "The Death of a Flower" was her first leading role, during which she firmly refused the director's request for nude scenes, becoming a well-known story. She subsequently appeared in films such as "Kobayashi Takiji," "Green Mountains," "The Village of Eight Tombs," and "Proof of Wildness." Starting in 1971, she starred in numerous TV dramas, and her performance in "Tenka Yume" made her one of the most popular actresses of the time. The role of Mayumi in "The Chase" is particularly memorable for Chinese audiences, and she was later invited to visit China, receiving a warm welcome from many enthusiastic fans.
Nakano Ryoko and Tamura Masakazu take a photo together
"Blue Mountains" (1975) starred Miura Tomokazu and Nakano Ryoko, marking the fourth film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ishizaka Yōjirō. Set in a quiet post-war town in Showa 22, it depicts the conflict between old and new generations and the joys of youth. After World War II, in a remote town in Japan, feudal consciousness was still strong, and normal interactions between young men and women were considered shameful. High school student Terasawa Shinako was forced to transfer here after dating a boy, where she met the cheerful senior Rokuso. Their relationship was discovered by classmates such as Matsuyama Asako, who wrote a forged love letter to test Shinako. Shinako handed the fake love letter to her young teacher, Shimazaki Yukiko, a graduate of Tokyo Women's University, who thought it was a despicable prank, while Asako and others argued seriously under the pretext of maintaining school discipline, even inciting classmates to protest. Shimazaki and the school doctor, Numata, felt that the feudal and pseudo-democratic consciousness in the school was severe and were determined to change the school culture at all costs. Meanwhile, the parents' association also launched a counterattack...
The Japanese crime film "The Chase," released in 1978, opened the eyes of the Chinese people at that time.
Nakano Ryoko visits Changying and Jiang Lili
The four most influential stars from China and Japan in the 1980s: Liu Xiaoqing, Zhang Jinling, Nakano Ryoko, and Kurihara Kogetsu.
Pan Hong and Nakano Ryoko are as close as sisters
Zhang Jinling and Chen Chong exchange ideas with Japanese actors Nakano Ryoko and Yoshinaga Sayuri in fashionable artistic styles
Song Xiaoying, Jiang Lili, and the four beauties Nakano Ryoko and Izumi Jun take a group photo
As the film became popular nationwide, the male and female leads also began to gain fame in China. At that time, Nakano Ryoko's portrayal of Mayumi, with her stylish curly hair, became an object of imitation for many girls. After seeing an NHK report, Nakano Ryoko was once surprised by her popularity in China. Two weeks later, she arrived in China. In this country, Nakano Ryoko felt unprecedented support. During an event at Lu Xun Park in Shanghai, she was surrounded by tens of thousands of fans, who shouted "Mayumi," allowing her to enjoy a queen-like treatment. Unfortunately, the male actor Takakura Ken did not visit China at that time.
Takakura Ken and Nakano Ryoko's appearance
After the release of "The Chase," his career in the Japanese film industry was on a good trajectory. At that time, Nakano Ryoko and Takakura Ken played a couple in the film, and some fans, deeply immersed in the story, mistakenly believed they were a real couple. In reality, Takakura Ken was much older than Nakano Ryoko, with an age difference of nearly 20 years, and they had little interaction privately. However, when Nakano Ryoko married her younger boyfriend Kawasaki Yoshihiro at the age of 37, she received 100 roses from Takakura Ken.
When filming "The Chase," it was Nakano Ryoko's first time meeting Takakura Ken. She described, "At that time, Takakura Ken seemed to have a glow about him, and when we met, it felt like a distortion of time and space." During the horse-riding scenes, the horse often became uncontrollable, and despite Nakano Ryoko having practiced multiple times before, she still felt nervous during filming. Fortunately, Takakura Ken helped her. Later, that shot was successfully filmed in one take due to their mutual understanding. The age difference between them did not hinder their communication, and during important moments in life, they still remembered each other. At that time, 37-year-old Nakano Ryoko announced her marriage to her younger boyfriend Kawasaki Yoshihiro.
The day after the announcement of her happy news, Nakano Ryoko received 100 roses from Takakura Ken, which deeply moved her. They met through acting and established a tacit understanding through filming, and even later in life, they still held a special recognition for each other. Some people have wondered why Takakura Ken sent 100 roses to Nakano Ryoko. In fact, it simply represented a blessing; Takakura Ken was not one to express himself, and perhaps 100 roses symbolized the weight of their relationship.
In 1978, after Nakano Ryoko first came to China, she experienced unprecedented enthusiasm from fans. Because of a film, she was loved by so many people in a foreign country, which left Nakano Ryoko with a sense of spiritual shock. After returning to Japan from China, Nakano Ryoko began to reassess her life. In her view, being loved and welcomed as an actress is a gift of the peaceful era.
Originally, Nakano Ryoko's star path was smooth, but after filming "The Chase," she gradually faded from the film and television industry. At that time, Japan and China were entering a honeymoon period of development and cooperation, and Nakano Ryoko gradually shifted her career focus to Sino-Japanese exchanges. She traveled to cities across China, participating in local anti-war memorials. She also visited the Nanjing Memorial Hall, where she saw photos of her compatriots slaughtering the Chinese people, which had a huge impact on her.
Nakano Ryoko's role as Mayumi in "The Chase" caused a huge sensation in China, making her an idol for a generation. At the height of her popularity, she resolutely withdrew from the entertainment industry and became a peace ambassador. Engaging in cultural exchanges, she became a messenger of Sino-Japanese cultural exchange, visiting China more than 50 times and establishing a Nakano Ryoko Primary School in Qinhuangdao. Trading her star status for 20 years of tireless travel, Nakano Ryoko does not feel regret. She said that Japan does not lack actors like her, but there are not many Japanese people who devoted themselves to cultural exchanges, especially Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges, 20 years ago. She is not withdrawing but fading away.
In "The Long Confession," Nakano Ryoko plays a bar owner
In August 2022, a Sino-Japanese co-produced film "The Long Confession (Yanagawa)" was screened, starring Ni Ni and Zhang Luyi from the Chinese side, with Japanese actors Ikematsu Sosuke and Nakano Ryoko joining the film. It is worth mentioning that Nakano Ryoko is already 70 years old this year, yet her charm remains undiminished. It is often said that beauty fades with age, but Nakano Ryoko seems unaffected by the constraints of age. A beauty remains a beauty as she ages; it is just that the characteristics of her beauty change. Now, Nakano Ryoko embodies elegance, peace, and gentleness, a beauty that time has bestowed upon her.