Tazuko Sakane

Tazuko Sakane (坂根 田鶴子) was a Japanese film director.

She was Japan's first female director, followed by Kinuyo Tanaka.

Tazuko Sakane was born on December 7, 1904 (Meiji 37), as the eldest daughter of six siblings between her father, Seiichi Sakane (坂根清一) and her mother, Shige (志げ), in the Kamigyo-ku section of Kyoto.

Her mother had been born into the “Sakuma” family in Tango, but because there was no successor, Tazuko was registered as the patriarch of the Sakuma family at the age of two and became Tazuko Sakumada.

However, Tazuko continued to use her paternal last name “Sakane” throughout her life.

Of the six children of the couple, only the eldest son Akira and the eldest daughter Tazuko lived long.

The family was wealthy because her father made an invention, and Tazuko progressed from Imadegawa Kindergarten (今出川幼稚園) to Nakadachiuri Elementary School (中立売小学校) and Kyoto Prefectural First Girls' High School (京都府立京都第一高等女学校, currently Kyoto Prefectural Kamoen High School 京都府立鴨沂高等学校).

The school, called “Fuichi”(府一), was a prestigious school in Kyoto.

After graduation, she went to Doshisha Women's College English Department (同志社女子専門学校英文科, currently Doshisha Women's University 同志社女子大学) according to her desire of continuing studying.

In 1923, Tazuko dropped out of school for reason of “convenient to do housework”, and in March of the following year, her mother died suddenly at the age of 47.

Soon after, her father remarried a woman named Daisetsu Tsuru.

In line with the marriage recommended by her late mother, Tazuko met with an obstetrician and gynecologist named Takaoka and married in 1925 at the age of 21.

However, this marriage did not go well.

Tazuko left the house and returned to her parents’ home.

All eyes looked coldly at Tazuko, so she determined to be self-reliant.

She graduated from Nikkatsu Uzumaki Girls' School in 1929.

==Personal life ==

Aspiring to the film industry, she was introduced by her father in 1929 as a director's assistant at Nikkatsu Dazai Photo Studio.

Therefore, replacing her predecessor Mitsue Goda (合田光枝, sister of actress Hara Setsuko 原節子), Tazuko worked for the director Kenji Mizoguchi (溝口健二), and obtained the friendship of Mrs. Kenji and Chieko (Chieko's real name: Kane Tajima 田島かね).

Since then, Tazuko became involved in making movies as a member of Mizoguchi group, and had learned practical matters.

When Mizoguchi left Nikkatsu in 1932 and moved to the Shinko Kinema (新興キネマ), Tazuko was also invited to move to the company.

(When Mizoguchi moved to the company, Tazuko followed him. This was common because the movie industry at that time had a strong apprenticeship.) Mizoguchi then made “Taki no Shiraito” (1933, 滝の白糸), “Gion Festival” (1933, 祇園祭), and “Kanfuren” (1934, 神風連), and Tazuko helped him as a director's assistant.

In 1933, Irie Pro, who co-produced “Taki no Shiraito”, asked Tazuko to try to supervise, but in the end it did not happen.

In 1934, Mizoguchi moved to Tokyo with Tazuko and joined Nikkatsu Tamagawa Photo Studio (日活多摩川撮影所).

Around this time, Tazuko asked again for the promotion of the director, but the reaction of the staff was so cold that it was not realized.

It said that Tazuko was planning to make a movie for Uncle Ashiaga (足長おじさん).

Tazuko disappointedly returned to Kyoto on the invitation by Mizoguchi, and joined the first movie he was making.

Tazuko started living near her father in Kyoto, and served as assistant director under Mizoguchi for “Otsukuru Osen” (折鶴お千), “Maria no Yuki” (マリヤのお雪), and “Koujaku Grass” (虞美人草, all in 1935).

32-year-old Tazuko asked for the promotion of the director again.

This was finally realized, and she decided to make Kosugi Tenga's original “First appearance” (はつ姿) into a movie.

“First appearance” was written by Haruo Takayanagi and Tazuko brought that out.

Mizoguchi also put his name to this work as a director guidance.

The casts were Ichiro Tsukita and Chiyoko Okura.

Her first feature film New Clothing (初姿 Hatsu Sugata, 1936) is known to be the first Japanese feature film directed by a female.

The majority of her films are educational nonfiction films produced by Manchukuo Film Association for Japanese immigrants and Manchu in Manchukuo.

The movie was completed and was released on March 5, 1936.

In this way, Tazuko Sakane became the first Japanese female film director.

Her only known surviving film is Brides on the Frontier (開拓の花嫁 Kaitaku no Hanayome, 1943).

She worked closely with Japanese Director Kenji Mizoguchi and was credited as an Editor and/or Assistant Director for over 15 films directed by him.

While growing up, her father, a wealthy businessman, often took her to the cinema.