Yaeko Mizutani

I'll be honest, this is the kind of name that makes me sit up a little straighter. Yaeko Mizutani the Second is old-world theater royalty, a Tokyo kid born back in 1939 who inherited a giant's name and then spent a lifetime earning it on the shimpa stage. That's a different planet from the screen idols I usually gush over, and I love that about her. No viral clips, no scandal churn, just decades of standing on the boards making a hushed audience lean in. By 2001 Japan handed her the Medal with Purple Ribbon, which tells you everything about the quiet authority she carries. There's something genuinely moving about an artist who keeps walking out under those lights long past the age most people slow down. Honestly, she makes me want to be better at whatever I do.

Yaeko Mizutani (2nd generation) is a Japanese actress born on April 16, 1939, in Tokyo. She has built a long career in the theater, carrying on the prestigious stage name of her predecessor in the Shimpa (new school) theater tradition. In 2001 she was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon (Shiju-hosho) in recognition of her artistic achievements, and she has also received the Kikuta Kazuo Theater Award. She maintains an official website and an active presence on social media.

Name (English)

Yaeko Mizutani

Name (Japanese)

水谷八重子 (2代目)

Reading

みずたに やえこ

Born

April 16, 1939 (age 87)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aries / Rabbit (卯)

Origin

Tokyo, Japan

Occupation

Actor

Awards & achievements

• 2001 — Medal with Purple Ribbon (Shiju-hosho)
• Year unknown — Kikuta Kazuo Theater Award

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttps://yaekomizutani.com
• Xhttps://x.com/oyaechan8
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E8%B0%B7%E5%85%AB%E9%87%8D%E5%AD%90%20(2%E4%BB%A3%E7%9B%AE)

Tags

• From Tokyo
• Actor

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.