| Mariko Miyagi | |
| Native Name: | 宮城まり子 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Birth Name: | Mariko Honme |
| Birth Date: | 21 March 1927 |
| Birth Place: | Tokyo, Japan |
| Nationality: | Japanese |
| Occupation: | Actress and singer |
Mariko Miyagi (宮城 まり子) (March 21, 1927 – March 21, 2020) was a Japanese actress, singer, and advocate for children with disabilities. She founded the Kusunoki Gakuen, a school for disabled children.
Miyagi was born Mariko Honme in Tokyo, Japan.[1] She was the older of two siblings. Her family moved to Osaka when she was in the third grade because of her father's work. When she graduated from elementary school the family underwent a series of misfortunes, including her mother's death. Miyagi and her brother entered the Yoshimoto Kogyo production company and became singers.[2]
Miyagi's first stage appearance was in October 1944. After the end of World War II in Asia, she continued performing at several theaters before releasing her first record in 1950 with Teichiku Records. Her first hit was "Anta Honto ni Sugoi wa ne", which was released by Victor Records. She continued releasing hits like "Gado-shita no Kutsumigaki" throughout the fifties, and appeared on the Kohaku Uta Gassen several times.
While preparing for a role in which she would play a child with cerebral palsy, Miyagi visited a facility for disabled children. Inspired by this, Miyagi started the Nemunoki Gakuen, a school for children with disabilities, in Omaezaki, Shizuoka in 1968. It was the first school of its kind, built when education for disabled children wasn't yet mandatory.[3] The school's curriculum especially focused on music and the arts.[4] It later moved to Kakegawa, Shizuoka. Miyagi directed and produced a documentary about the school called "Nemunoki no Uta".
In 2012 Miyagi was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Miyagi died on March 21, 2020, of lymphoma.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Kuronekokan ni Kieta Otoko | Reiko Suzumura | ||
| 1956 | Daigaku no kengo keiraku no abarenbo | |||
| 1956 | Gojugô mênme no uwaki | |||
| 1956 | Tenten musume dainibu: Tenten musume ni hana ga saku | |||
| 1956 | Tenten musume daiichibu: Tenten musume ki wa nihon hare | |||
| 1957 | Gokurakuto monogatari | |||
| 1958 | Onboro jinsei | Mariko | ||
| 1958 | Tôkyô no kyûjitsu | Singer | ||
| 1958 | Yajikata dôchû sugoroku | Omari | ||
| 1958 | Panda and the magic serpent | Voice | ||
| 1959 | Gurama-to no yuwaku | Ai | ||
| 1961 | Ten dark women | Miwako | ||
| 1962 | Kigeki: Detatoko shôbu - 'Chinjarara monogatari' yori | Chôko | ||
| 1964 | Zoku Haikei Tenno Heika Sama | Keiko | ||
| 1964 | Haikei sôri daijin sama | |||
| 1975 | Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid | Fritz | Voice | |
| 1975[5] | Children Drawing Rainbows | Director[6] | ||
| 1977 | Barefoot Gen | Kimie Nakaoka | ||
| 1978 | Oyayubihime | Bunbu | Voice, (final film role) |