Actress Inamori Izumi (34) is to be the first female lead in the 29-year history of samurai drama series on TV Tokyo. A PR event was held in Tokyo yesterday for “Chushingura – Yozeiin no Inbo”, which will air over ten episodes on Tuesday afternoons from January 2. Inamori plays Yozeiin, the wife of Asano Takuminokami, in a new take on the famous Chushingura samurai story of loyalty and revenge. She and other cast members visited the Sengakuji temple in central Tokyo where ronin (masterless samurai) Ako Roshi, a central character in the story, is interred. Chushingura is a staple of traditional theater and has inspired dozens of movies.
• Avant garde artist Kusama Yayoi (77) is the first Japanese female to receive the Praemium Imperiale, awarded by the imperial family’s Japan Arts Association in New York. The five winners, including American minimalist composer Steve Reich, were announced yesterday at the Rockefeller Center. The awards will be presented in Tokyo on Ocober 18. Kusama had been previously shortlisted three times for both painting and sculpture. She first moved to the U.S. in 1958, establishing herself in the New York art scene the following year. In the late ’60s she took part in so-called “happenings” which got a lot of attention in the popular press. She moved back to Japan in the 70s and soon after was hospitalized for psychological problems. In 1977 she took up long-term residence at the Seiwa Hospital in Tokyo, where she set up a studio and has continued her work as an artist.