"Because I Love You, I Don’t Want to Meet Again in the Next Life: A Collection of Kinuyo Tanaka's Affectionate Words on Yuya Uchida"

2018.09.19 published

I will not forget Kiki Kirin.

On September 15, 2018, Kiki Kirin passed away at the age of 75.

In 2013, when she won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actress, she revealed that she was suffering from cancer throughout her body.

Five years later, just as she had said she wanted to "pass away at home,"

it is said that she took her last breath surrounded by her family.

Kiki Kirin debuted in the early 1960s and has naturally, skillfully, and stylishly taken on a variety of roles.

It is said that there may never be another actor like Kiki Kirin...

she is a unique and irreplaceable actress of the Showa and Heisei eras.*

She was also in the spotlight in her private life.

In her private life, she is famous for having married Yuya Uchida in 1973.

(Actually, Kiki Kirin was married to actor Mori Kishida in 1964 and divorced, so this was her second marriage.)

She separated from Yuya Uchida after a year and a half of marriage and lived together apart,

but even while living apart, there were tumultuous days with reports of Uchida's infidelity, his arrest, and allegations of domestic violence.

In particular, when Uchida submitted divorce papers without her consent in 1981,

Kiki Kirin did not acknowledge it and filed a lawsuit for invalidation of the divorce, winning the case by declaring, "I will never get divorced."

She attracted attention not only for her acting but also for her unconventional private life.

Although they had their ups and downs, following Kiki Kirin's breast cancer surgery in 2005,

their communication frequency increased to once a month, and they spent every January together in Hawaii.

In 2011, they also made headlines by appearing together in a Zexy commercial.*

In the commercial, Kiki asks, "What do you think is nice about marriage?"

To which Uchida responds, "No comment. Rock and roll!" with a smile, saying, "That's all there is."

Viewing this, they really seemed like a wonderful couple together.*

Kiki Kirin has many touching quotes.*

Kiki Kirin continued to love the rock and roll Yuya Uchida, who sometimes caused trouble with his flashy behavior.

Her charm and way of life are reflected in the words she shared in interviews.*

Here are some poignant quotes left by Kiki Kirin, who always spoke her mind without deceiving herself.

1. I want to be careful not to meet in the next life.

"I love everything about him (Yuya Uchida). I love every single thing.

If there is such a thing as a next life and I am reborn, I want to be careful not to encounter him again.

If I meet him, I would fall in love again and lead a difficult life."

2. I won't let my husband fall into the abyss alone.

"Given the responsibility of being married, I want to think about what to do.

I won't just let my husband fall into the abyss while I protect myself."

(This was her statement when Yuya Uchida was arrested for allegedly threatening a woman.)

3. I love chaos, and that's why I won't divorce my husband.

"Being born as a human means that there will always be some chaos,

I love that chaos and that's why I have never divorced my husband."

4. You have to get married when you're young.

"You must get married when you're young.

You can’t do it once you have discernment."

May Kiki Kirin rest in peace.

Kiki Kirin's words include some that make you think, "I see, that might actually be true,"

and others that leave you surprised, thinking, "It's amazing that one can think this way."

All of such statements remind me that Kiki Kirin was truly a wonderful and cool person.

I feel a deep sense of loss, but I want to continue watching the wonderful works that Kiki Kirin has left behind.*