Masako Izumi

Japanese actress, singer, adventurer, Shingon sect monk born in Tokyo on July 31, 1947. She is descendant of Sengoku commander 竹中半兵衛 (Hanbei Takenaka / Shigeharu Takenaka). In 1961 she joined Nikkatsu movie and appeared in many youth movies with the studio. Masako along with [a1720284] (吉永小百合) and Chieko Matsubara (松原智恵子) were called "日活三人娘" (Nikkatsu three girls) and boasted tremendous popularity. Masako's acting power of the 1963 movie '非行少女' (Hiko Shojo = Bad Girl / directed by 浦山桐郎 Kirio Urayama) was acknowledged by critics and she received the Elan d'or Awards Newcomer of the Year and the Gold Prize at the Moscow Film Festival in the Soviet Union period. French actor Jean Gavin who served as the judge at the Moscow Film Festival also said "This girl is amazing." In 1967, Masako and actor/musician [a5056878] starred in the film "二人の銀座" Futari No Ginza], which featured a title song originally written by The Ventures and covered by Masako and Ken Yamauchi and his group Nikkatsu Young And Fresh. Masako and Ken continued to record duets through the rest of the 1960s. Since 1985 she had been interested in the Antarctic and the Arctic.On March 10, 1989 she reached the North Pole. The arrival of the North Pole as a woman was the second person in the world. The first one was Ann Bancroft in the dog sledding in 1986. However, Masako Iizumi was the first to reach by walking.