Chieko Matsui

Acting

Biography

Chieko Matsui (December 4, 1899 – April 2, 1929) was a Japanese actress of the silent era. The eldest daughter of a doctor, she left home in 1922 after her mother passed away and her father remarried. She became an actor at Shochiku Studios, performing in fifty-five movies between 1925 and 1929. In 1927, she became one of the first female screenwriters in Japan, writing screenplays for the films "Lake of Melancholy" and "Spring Rain." She starred in both as well. Matsui underwent surgery for kidney disease in 1928. She passed away in 1929, while recuperating in her home.

Known For

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Japanese silent film from 1926. (Obo-chan meaning "Young Master.") Written by Ayame Mizushima, the first female screenwriter in Japan.

Young Master

1926Movie

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After being separated from their parents in childhood and left as orphans, Kyōko and Namiko were raised with the love of their aunt and grew into beautiful women who attracted the attention of many. Yet the chaste and gentle elder sister, Kyōko, somehow came to be called the “Iron Maiden.” When Namiko asked her about it, Kyōko would only say, “No matter what the world says, you are the only one I trust.” There was a reason for Kyōko’s transformation. One night, after seeing off Shinji, who had come to visit their ailing aunt, a man named Hayakawa assaulted Kyōko on her way home. Wounded, she chose to bear the title “Iron Maiden” herself. She also resolved in her heart to leave the inheritance of her aunt’s house to her younger sister. But then, Namiko appeared before Kyōko, intending to introduce a suitor. To Kyōko’s shock, it was none other than her rapist. Kyōko resolved to protect her sister at all costs.