Pinko Izumi

I love how Pinko Izumi can walk onto any set and instantly soak the whole frame in working-class Tokyo flavor, like the down-the-street auntie who knows everyone's business and isn't shy about saying so. She built her name firing off those scorching lines in Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari, yet somehow you can never fully hate the woman, because there's real warmth simmering under all that sharpness. What gets me is that she came up through singing and comedy, then turned around and grounded prestige morning dramas like Oshin and Massan without missing a beat. Decades in, decorated and honored, and she still hasn't lost one ounce of that everyday, lived-in earthiness. Scary and lovable at the same exact moment, holding a balance almost nobody else pulls off. I respect it enormously.

This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.

Pinko Izumi (born September 11, 1947, in Chuo, Tokyo) is a veteran Japanese actress, singer, and comedian known for her commanding screen presence and earthy, working-class characterizations. She is best known for her long-running roles in NHK dramas including Oshin and the decades-spanning series Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari. Her stage work was recognized with the Kikuta Kazuo Theatre Award, and in 2019 she was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays by the Japanese government.

Name (English)

Pinko Izumi

Name (Japanese)

泉ピン子

Reading

いずみ ぴんこ

Born

September 11, 1947 (age 79)

Origin

Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Height

154 cm

Occupation

Actress / Singer / Comedian / Talent

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Virgo / Boar

Blood type

B

Active years

1966 -

High school

Shinagawa Gakugei High School

Awards & achievements

• 2000 — Kikuta Kazuo Theatre Award
• Unknown year — Kikuta Kazuo Theatre Award
• 2019 — Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (Kyokujitsu Shojusho)

Spouse

Married

Works summary

Appearances

271 (1973–2025)

By year (titles with a known year)

1973: 1, 1975: 5, 1976: 6, 1977: 5, 1978: 18, 1979: 5, 1980: 6, 1981: 7, 1982: 3, 1983: 6, 1984: 3, 1985: 3, 1986: 3, 1987: 3, 1988: 1, 1989: 4, 1990: 4, 1991: 3, 1992: 5, 1993: 4, 1994: 4, 1995: 6, 1996: 2, 1997: 3, 1998: 4, 1999: 2, 2000: 4, 2001: 5, 2002: 3, 2003: 7, 2004: 4, 2005: 10, 2006: 6, 2007: 8, 2008: 6, 2009: 7, 2010: 2, 2011: 3, 2012: 12, 2013: 5, 2014: 7, 2015: 5, 2016: 3, 2017: 2, 2018: 4, 2019: 3, 2020: 1, 2022: 1, 2024: 2, 2025: 3, year unknown: 42

Filmography / notable works

• Official sitehttps://www.officeiris.com/
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/pinkoizumi_official/
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B3%89%E3%83%94%E3%83%B3%E5%AD%90
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1021985

Tags

• From Tokyo
• Actress
• Singer
• Comedian

Last updated

October 18, 2026

Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. Works and profile fields sourced from Wikipedia reflect content as of 2026-08-26. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.