Hiroko Mita

Hiroko Mita
三田 寛子
Mita at the 2009 Kyoto City Gion Festival
Born
Atsuko Inagaki (稲垣 敦子)

(1966-01-27) January 27, 1966 (age 58)
Kyoto, Japan
Other namesAtsuko Nakamura (中村 敦子) - married name
Occupation(s)Actress, Singer
Years activeActress: 1981–Present; Singer: 1982–1987
AgentPuntolinea
Spouse
Nakamura Shikan VIII
​
​
(m. 1991)​
Websitehttps://puntolinea.jp/archives/artist/109

Atsuko Nakamura[1] (中村 敦子, Nakamura Atsuko, née Inagaki[2][3]), known professionally as Hiroko Mita (三田 寛子, Mita Hiroko) is a Japanese actress and former idol singer. She is currently represented by Puntolinea.[4]

Early Career

In 1980, after applying to become a model for Seventeen magazine, Mita moved to Tokyo and later in October of that year, she was chosen to appear in a Sony commercial for cassette tape decks.[5] The following year in 1981, she made her acting debut as one of the female student leads in the TBS youth drama 2-nen B-gumi Senpachi-sensei (a spinoff of the popular 3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi Sensei series).[6]

On March 21, 1982, Mita debuted as an idol singer under the CBS/Sony Label and was produced by Masatoshi Sakai. Her debut single "Kaketekita Otome" (駈けてきた処女,[7] The Dashing Virgin), which was composed by Yōsui Inoue, was relatively successful, reaching #21 on the Oricon Singles Chart.[8] Her following single, "Natsu No Shizuku" (夏の雫, Summer's Drops) reached #28 on the Oricon Singles Chart.[9]

Mita's third single, "Irozuku Machi" (色づく街, The Colorful Town), was released on October 3, 1982. It was a cover of Saori Minami's 1977 single of the same name.

Her fifth single, "Hatsukoi" (初恋, First Love, released April 21, 1983) was also a cover single - this time a cover of Kōzō Murashita's single released earlier that same year. Murashita reportedly chose Mita to cover the single, aside from being a fan of hers, because Mita resembled the girl he wrote about in the lyrics (his first love).[10][11] Mita's version was featured in commercials for Kao's Tonic Shampoo.[12]

However, neither of these cover singles were successful (#50 and #56 respectively, on the Oricon Singles Chart[13][14]) and her future singles followed a steady decline. Mita's talents were then redirected to acting and television appearances.

One of Mita's breakout television jobs was as a regular personality on the Fuji Television program Waratte Iitomo! alongside Tamori. Her segment, called "Hiroko Loves Sweets" (寛子のおかし大好き, Hiroko no Okashi Daisuki) where she'd make sweets on a kitchen set in the studio, usually led to hilarious disasters and hijinx, and Mita became associated with having an airheaded personality.[15] The corner proved to be very popular and led to more roles on television.

In 1985, Mita was selected to be the hostess for the NHK educational program "You".[16]

Mita is also part of the "Flower Group of '82" (Hana no 82-nen gumi, 花の82年組): a group of successful idol acts that all debuted in 1982 (which includes Akina Nakamori, Kyoko Koizumi, Yu Hayami, Chiemi Hori amongst others).[17]

Family, Personal Life & Later Career

Mita met the (then-named) kabuki actor Nakamura Hashinosuke III, the son of the late living national treasure Nakamura Shikan VII,[18] on the set of Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial. The two married in 1991 and have three sons.[17]

Her husband's family at first was against her returning to work as an actress (they had assumed she would retire), even to the point of scolding her for having accepted television work, she was able to compromise by limiting her appearances after her marriage.[19][20] Mita continues to act in roles for television and film, yet also manages to take extended leaves from show business to tour along with her family's kabuki performances.

After the death of Mita's father-in-law in 2011, her husband has since been promoted as Nakamura Shikan VIII,[21] and all three of her sons have since debuted in the rien (professional kabuki theatre).

Her oldest son (born 1995) now bears the name of Nakamura Hashinosuke IV[22] (her husband's former name), her second son (born 1997) is Nakamura Fukunosuke III,[23] and her youngest (born 2001) is Nakamura Utanosuke IV.[24]

On May 2, 2022, Mita joined Instagram.[25]

On August 9, 2023, Mita announced on Instagram that her father, Yūzō Inagaki (稲垣 祐三), passed away on August 5, 2023 at the age of 87.[26] At the same time, she also announced that her mother had already passed away before her father.[27]

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes and awards
1983 Miyuki Miyuki Kashima
1987 Let's Gotoku-ji Yuri Komae, house maid
1988 Kizu
1988 Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial Yuki

References

  1. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  2. ^ "三田寛子 年齢、出身、バイオグラフィー". Last.fm (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  3. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  4. ^ "artists | puntolinea | プントリネア". puntolinea | プントリネア | モデル・タレント・俳優・アーティスト・文化人等のマネージメントオフィス 所属アーティストのプロフィール、最新情報をお知らせします。. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  5. ^ ksoik (2011-11-14). 1981 ソニー デジックデッキ. Retrieved 2024-09-12 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "金八データベース 2年B組仙八先生". 金八通－3年B組金八先生 UNOFFICIAL SITE (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  7. ^ The kanji 処女 for virgin (usually read as shojo) is given the alternate reading of otome.
  8. ^ "80年代歌謡曲". Kayōkyoku ga suki (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  9. ^ "80年代歌謡曲". Kayōkyoku ga suki (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  10. ^ getanohanao (2018-12-18). "村下孝蔵「初恋」のモデルは三田寛子? 共感を覚える歌詞と名曲の秘密". 音のブログ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  11. ^ "村下孝蔵『初恋』のイメージはセーラー服姿の三田寛子". ライブドアニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  12. ^ "日本国内からのアクセス限定". dhits.docomo.ne.jp. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  13. ^ "『三田寛子 「色づく街」 （1982年）』". 私のハートはストップモーション (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  14. ^ "『初恋/三田寛子(5th single)』". 1971⇒1989アイドル・シングル大全集 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  15. ^ "「芸の肥やしはあり得ない」不倫断罪も屈辱にまみれる三田寛子、タモリも反対した"梨園への就職"（週刊女性PRIME）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  16. ^ NHK. "YOU｜番組｜NHKアーカイブス". YOU｜番組｜NHKアーカイブス (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  17. ^ a b "三田寛子 歌舞伎界のホープ橋之助と結婚". Nikkan Gendai (in Japanese). 14 May 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  18. ^ "Famed Kabuki female impersonator Shikan dies at 83". The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  19. ^ "中村橋之助、結婚前提恋人とスピード破局 三田寛子の反対か". NEWSポストセブン (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  20. ^ "三田寛子は最強の梨園の妻？ 天然キャラと裏腹なしたたかさ". NEWSポストセブン (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  21. ^ "NAKAMURA SHIKAN VIII". www.kabuki21.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  22. ^ "NAKAMURA HASHINOSUKE IV". www.kabuki21.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  23. ^ "NAKAMURA FUKUNOSUKE III". www.kabuki21.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  24. ^ "NAKAMURA UTANOSUKE IV". www.kabuki21.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  25. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  26. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  27. ^ 上岡豊. "三田寛子「父が天国の母の元へと旅立ちました」父の遺品でデビュー当時の自ら思い出す - おくやみ : 日刊スポーツ". nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-11.