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Hiroko Sakurai (桜井 浩子, Sakurai Hiroko) is a Japanese actress and producer at Tsuburaya Productions. Her real name is Hiroko Furuya (古矢 浩子, Furuya Hiroko). She is known for her roles as Yuriko Edogawa in Ultra Q and Akiko Fuji in Ultraman. She is also a member of the Ultraman Foundation.

Career[]

Sakurai made her film debut in 1957. After graduating from junior high school in 1961, she joined Toho Company and officially began her acting career.[1] During this time, she appeared in films distributed by Toho. In 1964, after a brief audition, she was cast as Yuriko Edogawa, the female reporter in Ultra Q.[2] She continued her role as the female lead, Akiko Fuji, in the 1966 series Ultraman.[3]

After 1967, Sakurai left Toho to focus on television dramas, period dramas, and detective shows. She continued to make guest appearances in the Ultraman series throughout the Showa era. In the late 1980s, her acting career experienced a period of stagnation.

In the 1980s, Sakurai's acting career went through a period of stagnation, but she did not officially announce her retirement. It wasn’t until 1993 that Director Toshihiro Iijima proposed the plan to make a film about the continuation of the SSSP. Producer Kazuho Mitsuta mentioned, "If Sakurai (her nickname is 'Roko') does not appear, we won’t write it." During this time, a producer asked if she would be willing to appear on the information program Gogo wa Marumaru Omoiikkiri TV. Although Iijima’s project ultimately did not materialize, and due to the significant time commitments required for television dramas and acting work, Sakurai did not accept new job offers for a period after her appearances on the information program and guest roles in parts of the Ultraman series.

In 2001, at the "ASIAN FANTASY FILM EXPO" (AFFE) held in New Jersey, USA, Sakurai was invited as a guest to participate in the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Director Eiji Tsuburaya's birth. After returning to Japan, Sakurai shared her experience with Director Iijima, which became a significant opportunity for her later to become a coordinator and producer at Tsuburaya Productions.[4]

As the Ultraman series gained popularity, Sakurai began to receive invitations to participate in related activities. This included writing autobiographies, attending official meet-and-greet events, and making appearances in related works. She actively promoted Ultraman-related projects and maintained connections with actors and production team members associated with the series.[5]

Since January 2021, Sakurai has run a podcast called ROCO TALK where she talks with guests, most of whom were Ultraman Series actors or directors. So far these guests have included: Yasuhiko Saijo, Tomoo Haraguchi, Toshihiro Iijima, Yoko Fujiyama, Bin Furuya, Kohji Moritsugu, Nami Tamura, Keiji Takamine, Susumu Kurobe, Akihide Tsuzawa, Keiko Nishi, Shinji Higuchi, and Hideaki Anno.

In August of the same year, due to the passing of Masanari Nihei, she expressed, "I suddenly felt concerned about the future and wanted to share some thoughts I had during the filming of Ultraman with everyone." Consequently, she opened a Twitter account and actively shared information related to the series on social media platforms.[6]

In 2024, Sakurai collaborated with Tsu Aoyama to publish an autobiographical book titled Heroine's Memories, which focuses on behind-the-scenes stories from the filming of Ultra Q and Ultraman.[7][8][9]

Roles[]

Year Title Role Notes
1966 Ultra Q Yuriko Edogawa
The Birth of Ultraman Akiko Fuji
Ultraman
1967 Kaiju Booska YY TV Reporter Episode 18
Ultraseven Sanae Yamabe Episode 12 "From Another Planet with Love"
1968 Mighty Jack Eriko Izumi Episode 9 "Guide to Hell"[10]
Operation: Mystery Reiko Takiguchi Episode 4 "Fearful Phone Calls"[11]
1972 Mirrorman Mysterious Woman/Invader Episode 24 "Challenge Coldon: The Capsule Freezing Monster!"[12]
1974 Ultraman Leo Kanako Hoshimura Episode 30 "Japanese Folklore Series! - Monster's Return of a Favor"[13][14]
1981 Ultraman 80 Mieko Saito (Takeo's mother) Episode 41 "Did You See the Zero Monster Bird"[15]
1994 Ultraseven - Operation: Solar Energy Herself
1996 Revive! Ultraman Akiko Fuji Voiced stock footage
Ultraman Zearth Fujiko[16][17]
1997 Ultraman Zearth 2: Superhuman Big Battle - Light and Shadow
1999 Ultraman Nice Kiku Yumeboshi [18]
2000 Booska! Booska!! Old Woman Fortune Telling With Crystal Ball Episode 19
2001 Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact Clevergon Voice
Citizen
2002 Ultraman Cosmos Clevergon Voice
Episodes 29-31, 44
Ultraseven 35th Anniversary: EVOLUTION Alien Pegassa Sayuri Human form and voice
Episode 1 "Dark Side"
2003 The Ultra Q Club Yuriko Edogawa Voice
2005 Ultraman Max Yukari Yoshinaga [19]
Ultra Q Kaiju Legend: Jun Manjome's Confessions Yuriko Edogawa
Ultraman Kaiju Legend: The 40 Year Old Truth Akiko Fuji [20]
2008 Superior 8 Ultra Brothers Akiko Hayata (née Fuji)
2011 Q - Door to Another Dimension Yuriko Edogawa [21]
2014 ULTRAMAN Motion Comic Akiko Fuji [22]
2024 Ultraman: Rising Ami's Mother Japanese dub[23][24]

Discography[]

Ultraman Mebius
Ultraman Mebius (Opening) (with Project DMM, as member of Ultra Defense Force)

Books[]

  • A Chronicle of Ultraman’s Youth: Member Fuji’s 929 Days (ウルトラマン青春記―フジ隊員の929日, Urutoraman seishunki- Fuji taiin no 929 nichi) (1994, Shōgakukan) ISBN 4-09-387128-0
  • The Genesis Of Ultraman (ウルトラマン創世記, Urutoraman sōseiki) (2003, Shōgakukan) ISBN 4-09-387464-6.
  • Akiko Fujiko’s Story: Secrets Behind the Filming of Ultraman (フジアキコ物語: ウルトラマン撮影秘話。, Fuji akiko monogatari : urutoraman satsuei hiwa.) (2005, Kadokawashoten) ISBN 404853853.

Gallery[]

Miscellaneous[]

Trivia[]

  • Although not appearing in the film itself, Sakurai appears in footage of an Ultraman Series 40th anniversary party shown in the ending credits of Ultraman Mebius & the Ultra Brothers.

References[]

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