Meiko Kaji

Career

Acting career

Meiko Kaji was born Masako Ōta in the Kanda area of Tokyo and graduated from the Yakumo Academy high school in Meguro, Tokyo. She began to work in the film industry under her real name at Nikkatsu studio in 1965 after graduating from high school. Her first supporting film role was in 1968 in Retaliation. In 1969 she appeared in Nihon Zankyoden, one of a series of films directed by Masahiro Makino, who recognized her acting ability and provided her with the stage name of Meiko Kaji. In 1970 she had a starring role in Blind Woman's Curse directed by Teruo Ishii, and from 1970 to 1971 she appeared in the Noraneko Rokku (Stray cat/Alleycat Rock) series of films about delinquent and rebellious young people and gangs, appearing in all five films in different character roles.

In 1971, Nikkatsu would move more towards production in the pink film business, which were more overtly sexual; and to avoid roles in such films, Kaji moved to the Toei Company. There she starred in the four-part Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion series of women in prison revenge films as Nami Matsushima/"Matsu the Scorpion", a woman sent to prison for seeking revenge and her attempts to escape, and in 1972 she first starred in the Wandering Ginza Butterfly yakuza/gangster series as Higuchi Nami.

In 1973 she starred in Lady Snowblood directed by Toshiya Fujita and distributed by Toho, a revenge film set in late 1800s Japan based on the manga of the same name, where she played the deadly assassin Yuki. It is considered by many critics to be her most famous role, particularly outside of Japan, and would later go on to inspire other media, including Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films. A year later she reprised her role as Yuki in the sequel Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance in 1974. She went on to appear in several of Kinji Fukasaku's films, such as Yakuza Graveyard in 1976 and in 1978 starred in Sonezaki Shinjū, where she earned nominations for Best Actress at five different award shows, winning four of them.

By the end of the 1970s, Kaji left major film roles following a combination of overwork amidst rampant production schedules and underpayment, but had occasional film roles in the 1980s and 2010s, including Under the Open Sky in 2020. Kaji also worked in television since the 1980s, in 1989 portraying the informant Omasa in the television drama Onihei Hankachō, the Shochiku–Fuji Television version starring kabuki actor Nakamura Kichiemon II. In 2022, she appeared in the 2022 Amazon Prime Video anthology series Modern Love Tokyo for the episode "Nursing My Son, and Some Grievances". She was cast as Genkai in the Netflix television series YuYu Hakusho (2023), a live action adaptation of the YuYu Hakusho manga.

During her acting career Kaji received acting offers from non-Japanese film studios, including those from Hollywood, but declined them, as she felt she could not give a good performance in a language other than Japanese.

In March 2026, the Japan Society in New York hosted a retrospective of her films, where she appeared on the first three nights.

Music career

Kaji is also a singer. She sang the theme song to Lady Snowblood, "Shura no Hana" (修羅の花), and the theme song of the Female Convict Scorpion series, "Urami Bushi" (怨み節). When both these songs were used in the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill, there was a revival of interest in Kaji's music that encouraged her to resume her musical career. In 2009, she released a single, Onna wa yametai. In 2011, Kaji released her first new album in 31 years, Aitsu no suki-so-na burūsu (あいつの好きそなブルース) with songs written by Ryudo Uzaki and Yoko Aki.

In May 2020, Kaji launched her own channel on YouTube, as a way to both celebrate her work with fans all over the world, and to give back to everyone who had supported her.

In October 2025, Kaji made her first public appearance in the United States at Beyond Fest. In a panel moderated by Sean Baker, she reflected on her career, fans, and her legacy.

Filmography

Films

Retaliation (1968) (credited as Masako Ota)

Outlaw:Gangster VIP 2 (1968)

Blind Woman's Curse (June 1970, d. Teruo Ishii)

Shinjuku Outlaw: Step On the Gas (新宿アウトロー ぶっ飛ばせ, Shinjuku Autorō – Buttobase) (Oct. 1970)

The Stray Cat Rock series (1970–71)

Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss

Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo

Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter

Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal

Alleycat Rock: Crazy Riders '71 (野良猫ロック 暴走集団’７１, Nora Neko Rokku: Bōsōshūdan '71) (Jan. 1971, d. Toshiya Fujita)

The Sasori series (1972–73)

Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion

Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41

Female Convict Scorpion: Beast Stable

Female Prisoner Scorpion: 701's Grudge Song

The Gincho series (1972)

Wandering Ginza Butterfly

Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2: She-Cat Gambler

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (1973)

Lady Snowblood (1973)

Television

Ōedo Sōsamō (1970–71), Konami

Ronin of the Wilderness (1972)

Sasagawa Saho Matatabi Shirizu – Kuresakatouge e no Chisou (1972), Oshizu

Terauchi Kantarō Ikka (1974), Shizue Terauchi

Sorekara no Musashi (1981), Yuri-hime

Ōoku (1983)

Kaseifu wa Mita! 2 (1984)

Aoi Hitomi no Seiraifu (1984)

Sutaa Tanjō (1985)

Tantei Kamizu Kyōsuke no Satsujin Suiri 8: Izu Shimoda-kaigan ni Akai Satsui ga Hashiru (1988), Shōko Hamano

Aoi Sanmyaku '88 (1988), Umetaro

Onihei Hankachō(1989–2016), Omasa

Kenkaku Shōbai (1998–2010), Omon

Kaseifu ha Mita! 21 (2003), Mayumi Hirao

Anata no Tonari ni Dare ka Iru (2003), Shimako Matsumoto

Kenkaku Shobai Sukedachi (2004)

Onihei Hankacho Supesharu: Yamabukiya Okatsu (2005)

Nogaremono Orin (2006)

Hasshū Mawari Kuwayama Jūbei (2007)

Kenkyaku Shobai: Haru no Arashi (2008)

Kekkon Shinai (2012)

Discography

Awards and nominations

3rd Hochi Film Award

Won: Best Actress for The Love Suicides at Sonezaki

75th Mainichi Film Awards

Won: Kinuyo Tanaka Award for her career