Cast

Shima Iwashita

1941

Active years (films on this site)

1962–1986

Genres

DramaMysteryActionCrimeRomance

Schools and movements

Japanese New WaveJapanese Golden Age

Directors worked with

Masahiro Shinoda4 filmsYasujiro Ozu1 filmMasaki Kobayashi1 film

Biography

Shima Iwashita is a Japanese stage and film actress who has appeared in films of Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita, Masaki Kobayashi and most frequently of Masahiro Shinoda, her husband. She is best known for starring in the Yakuza Wives series of yakuza films between 1986 and 1998. In 2000, Iwashita ranked tenth on Kinema Junpo's readers' poll of the top female movie stars of the 20th century. In 2025, she was ranked fourth in a poll conducted by Sankei Shimbun on the top actresses of the Shōwa era.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Awards and honours

National / local

• Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year 1961
• Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Newcomer 1962
• Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress 1965
• Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress 1978
• Kinuyo Tanaka Award 1989
• Medal with Purple Ribbon 2004
• Golden Arrow Award
• Mainichi Film Award for Best Actress

6 films on this site

1. An Autumn Afternoon 1962 · Yasujiro Ozu · IMDb 8.0 · Cast
2. Harakiri 1962 · Masaki Kobayashi · IMDb 8.6 · Cast
3. Assassination 1964 · Masahiro Shinoda · IMDb 7.1 · Cast
4. Double Suicide 1969 · Masahiro Shinoda · IMDb 7.6 · Cast
5. Silence (1971) 1971 · Masahiro Shinoda · IMDb 7.1 · Cast
6. Gonza the Spearman 1986 · Masahiro Shinoda · IMDb 7.0 · Cast