Events

Time and Location

August 13-16
Anthology Film Archive (New York, NY)
Asia Society (New York, NY)

About

Discovered in a “New Face” contest run by the Tokyo Shimbun in 1949, Kyoko Kagawa joined upstart film studio Shintoho at age 17, initiating a steady stream of appearances that would establish in her image an aptitude for projecting brightness and “pure feeling.” Going freelance early in her career in 1952, she would quickly become a staple of Japanese Cinema’s Golden Age, becoming immortalized especially as the youngest daughter in the Yasujiro Ozu masterpiece Tokyo Story (1953). With the distinction of working with all of Japan’s “Big Four” directors (Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa, and Mikio Naruse) and many more of its greats (Hiroshi Shimizu, Kozaburo Yoshimura, Hirokazu Kore-eda, to name a few), and in a career spanning over 70 years and 130 films, Kagawa’s filmography can read like a roadmap to Japan’s cinema, her characters meaningful guides in its living history. 

The greatness in Kagawa’s filmography overflows, but many of her most widely-circulated roles are in support of other leads or larger ensembles. Composed entirely of imported celluloid, “Kyoko Kagawa Rarities” looks at the rich history from another vantage point, and puts Kagawa, deservedly, in the center lane. Highlighting discovery and revelation (special mention for the U.S. premiere of Farewell to the Highland Station), and postulating a new set of classics, the series looks to give fresh color to this dear and familiar face.  

Note: The first film in this series, Mikio Naruse’s Little Peach (Anzukko), will screen at Anthology Film Archives on August 13, 2026. Click here for information and tickets.

For Asia Society tickets, please visit Kyoko Kagawa Rarities | Asia Society

Little Peach – 8/13 7pm

Farewell to the Highland Station – 8/14 7pm

Tokyo Rendezvous – 8/15 3:30pm

Five Sisters – 8/15 7pm

Shozo, a Cat, and Two Women – 8/16 3pm

Guest curated by Joseph Eusebio and Akinaru Rokkaku.  

Programmed with support from the Japan Foundation, New York.