Makiko Esumi - History

History

While a high school student, Esumi worked as a miko at Izumo-taisha. After graduating from high school, she signed with the Japan Tobacco Women's Volleyball team (now the JT Marvelous in the V.League). She was injured in 1989 while playing and decided to pursue a career in show business after watching actress and singer Miki Imai on television while recovering in the hospital. She then focused on a career as a fashion model.

In 1995, Esumi made her acting debut as Yumiko in Maborosi, a film directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle gave her acting high praise, describing it as "extraordinary" and stating she played the role with "delicacy and physical grace". Esumi won the Rookie of the Year Award at both the 19th Annual Japan Academy Prize ceremonies and at the 38th Blue Ribbon Awards for her role in Maborosi. Esumi married photographer Rowland Kirishima in February 1996, though they divorced only nine months later.

She is probably best known for her leading role as the rebellious office lady Tsuboi Chinatsu in the Shomuni series of TV dramas, the first of which aired on Fuji TV from April to July 1998. A second series aired from April to June 2000, with a third airing from July to September 2002. Several specials were also produced. Esumi made her singing debut on 26 April 2000 with the release of her One Way Drive single. The title song was used as the ending theme to the second Shomuni series, with the lyrics by Esumi and the music by guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei.

Esumi was described as "stunning" in her lead role of Stray Cat in the 2001 Pistol Opera, one of Seijun Suzuki last films.

She was nominated in 2002 for the Best Actress Award at the 26th Annual Japan Academy Prize ceremonies for her role in Inochi.

Esumi and Fuji TV director Shin Hirano were married in 2003. That same year, she began appearing in Japanese government television and print advertisements encouraging the public to make their pension contributions, but started a small scandal in 2004 when it was reported that she was not making those same pension contributions herself. She stated that she thought she had been making the payments, and then corrected the issue by becoming current on her contributions. Esumi's image was removed from the ads at the direction of the Social Insurance Agency after the scandal broke.

Her eldest daughter was born in February 2005, and a second daughter was announced in July 2009 as due to be born in December. Esumi wrote a personal note about this announcement which her talent agency subsequently published on their site.

In a 20 May 2007 article in the Asahi Shimbun, Esumi revealed that her younger brother had died at the age of 36 the previous May of complications due to cancer.