Junko Izumi
Junko Yamawaki (Japanese: 山脇淳子, romanized: Yamawaki Junko; born 1969), known professionally as Junko Izumi (Japanese: 和泉淳子, romanized: Izumi Junko) is a Japanese actress and the first woman to become a professional kyōgen performer.
Biography
[edit]Junko Yamawaki, known professionally as Junko Izumi, was born in 1969.[1][2] She is a descendent of the 19-generation Izumi line of performers of kyōgen, a Japanese comedic stage art.[3] She began training as a performer at only 18 months old with her father and grandfather, and she began appearing onstage at age 3.[3][4][5][6]
Izumi also studied at Japan Women's University, where she graduated with a degree in literature.[5]
In 1989, at age 20, Junko Izumi was the first woman to become a professional kyōgen performer.[1][3][6][7] Female performers had previously been limited to playing child roles, unable to continue with kyōgen into adulthood.[5] She is considered a pioneer in this heavily male-dominated art form, with her promotion causing conflict within the conservative world of noh and kyōgen.[2][8] She would go on to found the Women's Kyōgen Performers' Association in 2001.[5]
Early in her career, Izumi faced frequent rejections from the major kyogen events.[1] Nevertheless, she continued to perform across Japan and abroad, with a career spanning over 50 years.[6][8]
Izumi also worked as a TV host for NHK in the late 1990s.[5]
Her sister, Tokuro Miyake the 10th, joined her in the early 1990s as another pioneering woman in kyōgen, later followed by Junko's daughter Kyoko and niece Ayame Izumi.[1][3][7][8] Her brother, Motoya Izumi, is also a kyōgen performer.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Kobayashi, Seki; Kagaya, Shinko (2007). "Kyōgen in the Postwar Era". Asian Theatre Journal. 24 (1): 144–177. ISSN 0742-5457.
- ^ a b Salz, Jonah (2016-07-14). A History of Japanese Theatre. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-39532-5.
- ^ a b c d Pons, Philippe (2023-01-04). "In Japan, two kyogen actresses seek to break the 'glass ceiling' in this classic performing art". Le Monde. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ^ "Press Conference: Junko Izumi and Tokuro Miyake, professional female Kyogen performer | FCCJ". www.fccj.or.jp. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ^ a b c d e f "和泉淳子のプロフィール". Wadamame (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ^ a b c Komei, Tsuchiya (1997). "Japan's First Female Kyogen Artist Brings Comic Drama to the World". Nipponia. Archived from the original on 2003-02-14.
- ^ a b "Motoya Izumi / Junko Izumi / Tokuro Miyake". CFCL: From Knitwear to Knit-ware. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ^ a b c Hornyak, Tim (April 2023). "Pioneering Performers". Tokyo American Club. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
External links
[edit]- Official website (in Japanese)