Sachiko Chijimatsu (千々松 幸子, Chijimatsu Sachiko; born Sachiko Suetsune (末常 幸子, Suetsune Sachiko) on November 30, 1937) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator from Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
She is best known for her roles as Pyonkichi (The Gutsy Frog), Tamako Nobi (Doraemon), Turnip (Sally the Witch), Shippona (The Secret of Akko-chan), and 001/Ivan Whiskey (Cyborg 009).
She had been previously affiliated with Aoni Production and Production Baobab, but has been affiliated with 81 Produce since 2013.
Contents
Career
Chijimatsu was born on November 30, 1937. She graduated from Kyoritsu Women's Junior and Senior High School.
Ever since she was a young girl, she had a deep love for acting, and joining a children's theater group only got her to become more deeply hooked into it.
She wanted to become a news announcer, but gave up on the idea after being told it was impossible because of her distinctive voice.
In 1960, during her time as a student at the Tokyo Announcing Academy, Chijimatsu started doing radio work and other activity fields after she had made an appearance in a television commercial.
She started her career as a voice actress after she was introduced by a Toei Animation producer. Her anime television series debut was Turnip in Sally the Witch. While voicing Turnip, she wound up causing trouble for the staff, as she struggled to lip-sync with the animation on-screen and thought about quitting.
Chijimatsu was formerly a founding member of Tokyo Artist Pro and Aoni Production, but played a huge role in establishing Production Baobab with Kei Tomiyama, Kōsei Tomita, and Kenichi Ogata. After working with Production Baobab and Arts Vision, she joined her current affiliation 81 Produce on October 21, 2013.
She voiced Tamako Nobi in the Doraemon anime series and the Doraemon movie series for 26 years. She stepped down in March 2005 when the anime was rebooted with a new voice cast, with the role of Tamako being taken over by Kotono Mitsuishi. Before she stepped down from the role, she made a guest appearance on the Waratte Iitomo! segment "A World You Think You Know, But Don't Really" with Noriko Ohara, Kazuya Tatekabe, Miina Tominaga, Mari Shimizu, and Akira Kamiya.
When voicing Pyonkichi on The Gutsy Frog, she had previously voiced gentle and lovely female characters in foreign film dubs, so when she initially started, she ended up breaking down in tears, saying, "I can't say such rough lines."
Her family consists of her husband and their two children. Her first child, a son, was born while she was on Tiger Mask. During her pregnancy, her co-stars would often tease her, asking, "Is the baby in your belly talking?" After the birth of her son, her voice ended up changing and she struggled getting it back to how it sounded before. Her second child, a daughter, was born in 1979. Doraemon began broadcasting shortly after the birth of her daughter, so Chijimatsu developed a very strong, deep, and personal attachment to portraying mother characters.
In 1978, she joined the Cosmos Tanka Society and in 1994, joined the Sanbashi Association. She published a poem collection titled Space Mist in 2002.
In 2016, Chijimatsu received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 10th Seiyu Awards.
Personality
Her personal hobbies and special skills include haiku, tanka, reading, shigin, and traveling.
She went on record saying that had she not become a voice actress, she would have worked in research relating to her father's work.
Features/Characteristics
Her voice type ranges from a "lively alto" to a "cute and lively mezzo-soprano".
While she has voiced female and animal roles, she is also relatively known for her young boy roles.
Filmography
Video games
3rd Super Robot Wars Alpha: To the End of the Galaxy (2005): Kosuke Kita
Drama CD
Galaxy Drifter Vifam: The Drama Edition – Janus's Love Log... I Already Feel Like the Star (1984): Jimmy Eril
Tokusatsu
Do Your Best!! Robocon (1974): Robogari (voice)
Army of the Apes (1974): Ura (voice)