On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. American five-star general MacArthur led 460,000 American soldiers stationed in Japan to manage and rebuild after the war.
Emperor Hirohito, seeing the impending catastrophe, gave Setsuko Hara, the first goddess of Showa, to MacArthur as a "tribute". In the gentle village of Setsuko Hara, MacArthur still sank.
And it was precisely because of Setsuko Hara's "dedication" that Emperor Hirohito not only did not go to court-martial, but Japan's post-war reconstruction also received more assistance from the United States.
After leaving MacArthur, Setsuko Hara chose to live in seclusion, never married at the age of 95, what kind of achievement made her known as "Japan's eternal saint"?
His family was poor and became famous by acting
Setsuko Hara has eight brothers and sisters, and she is the youngest. As in a traditional Japanese family, her father was a regular clerk and her mother was a housewife. But for a family of eight children, life pressure is still a little great.
Hara Setsuko was engaged in the raw silk business. With the development of the times, the demand for raw silk has plummeted, and the wealth originally accumulated by the family has also been exhausted.
By the time Setsuko Hara was in elementary school, her family had no money to study, so she could only work as a migrant worker in a studio at the suggestion of her second brother-in-law, Xiong Gujiuhu.
But Setsuko Hara's deep eyes, thick eyebrows, and high nose are different from the traditional appearance of Japanese women.
Deep eyes and lovely
With her handsome appearance, Setsuko Hara got a lot of opportunities to appear in the studio, from the very beginning of the trick to the heroine of "Young Don't Hesitate" at the age of 15.
The protagonist of the movie is called Jiezi, a female student from a poor family. So the director of the studio gave her a stage name: Setsuko Hara.
Setsuko Hara's outstanding appearance, coupled with her pure acting skills, makes her rise like her name on the road to acting.
After that, she struck while the iron was hot, and participated in many movies promoting militarism and fascism during World War II, becoming a superstar that everyone knew at that time.
At this time, German director Arnold Fanck was about to make a war propaganda film: "New Land", but he couldn't choose the right actor. After visiting many studios in Japan, Setsuko Hara was chosen as the heroine of this drama at a glance.
The childish original setsuko
Due to the participation of the Japanese military, the last scene of the film had to show the scene of the Japanese standing on the northeast land of the mainland colonizing, which caused an international public outcry after the film was released.
The Nazi film received praise from Japan and Germany, and Setsuko Hara even became the first person to be invited to Berlin as an actress, and was greatly praised by Hitler and Goebbels, then German propaganda minister.
After returning home from Europe, she found that the situation at home was very different from before. As a result of Japan's all-out war of aggression against China, the political and economic life of the Japanese people was also incorporated into the wartime system.
And movies have long been not a means of entertainment for the people, but a propaganda tool, and Setsuko Hara followed the trend, and the national policy films he participated in during this period reached their peak.
He has been active in the show business
Since then, Setsuko Hara's reputation has continued to rise, and she is known as the "First Goddess of Showa". After the war between the United States and Japan, her participation in "The Battle of the Gulf of Malay in Hawaii" was very popular, so she was known as the goddess of the rear.
Since then, due to Japan's gradual decline, film has been a strategic material, mostly supplied to the front line, and the film industry has gradually declined.
The stagnation of her career and the pressure to support her family caused Setsuko Hara to become infected with the vice of tobacco and alcohol, and she stopped taking the drama, and once languished.
Japan's defeat was given as a "peace-kin" gift
In 1945, Japan was defeated and announced its unconditional surrender. MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces against Japan by the President. It was this appointment that changed the fate of Setsuko Hara.
"Five-Star Admiral" MacArthur
Americans believe that Japan's long-standing education of loyalty to the emperor has made the emperor almost a spiritual belief of the people. If the emperor system is abolished, I am afraid that it will not be conducive to rule.
Even after Japan's defeat, the Japanese people still worshipped the emperor as a god. If you want to control Japan, you must start with the emperor.
After leading a large number of American troops to Kanagawa, Japan, MacArthur deliberately stayed at his residence, and Emperor Hirohito had to go to his residence to find him himself.
After the two met, they took a group photo, in which MacArthur was a head taller than Emperor Hirohito, and the Americans jokingly called this photo "Father and Son", and MacArthur became Japan's "Emperor Taishang".
"Father and Son"
Seeing that Hitler in Germany committed suicide with a bullet and Mussolini in Italy was executed, Emperor Hirohito was afraid that he would end up like this.
Emperor Hirohito not only treated MacArthur with great respect and did not dare to snub him in the slightest, but also devoted his whole country to MacArthur's lofty status in Japan and countless amounts of money.
But Hirohito knew that this was not enough. So, he set his sights on the popular actress Setsuko Hara.
At this time, Setsuko Hara was only 26 years old, and in the face of MacArthur, who was over sixty years old, she did not twist and shirk, but "sacrificed her life for the country" without hesitation.
Since MacArthur already had a wife in the United States, he also bore him a son.
Therefore, Japan did not directly send Hara Setsuko to MacArthur, but specially arranged a party for this purpose.
At the party, MacArthur met the young "Goddess Showa".
At this time, Setsuko Hara was already a Japanese superactress
Hara's exotic appearance, coupled with excellent acting skills, immediately fascinated MacArthur.
Since then, MacArthur has often taken Setsuko Hara to various parties and occasions, and Setsuko Hara quickly adapted to the role of "mistress".
Setsuko Hara was also very smart and did not take the initiative to throw his arms around MacArthur. Instead, she performed a state of imminent departure, making the other party unable to extricate her.
It was precisely because of the "pillow wind" that Setsuko Hara blew beside MacArthur that Japan was able to retain the emperor system.
Lu Lizhi wrote in "Who Lords the Ups and Downs": "Japan used money and beauty to bewitch the 'foreigner too emperor', and this plan really worked. ”
"As a result, MacArthur promulgated the three principles of amending the constitution, and retained the 'emperor system' despite the opposition of China, the Soviet Union, France, Australia, New Zealand and other countries."
Not only that, under the persuasion of Setsuko Hara, MacArthur not only relaxed his management policy for Japan, but even provided assistance to Japan when it was in short supply.
Hara Setsuko can also be very charming
It is also rumored that it was because of Setsuko Hara and MacArthur's pillow wind moon that many World War II war criminals escaped punishment.
The Japanese people know that Setsuko Hara paid a lot of credit for this, and at that time, the streets were hung and pasted with huge posters of Setsuko Hara, and she was also revered by the Japanese people: "Eternal Saint".
Of course, Setsuko Hara also received some benefits at MacArthurna. Under his status of calling for wind and rain, Setsuko Hara was not only elected as Japan's first women's representative, but also countless directors who wanted to ask her to film.
Therefore, even though Setsuko Hara was sacrificed to the Supreme Commander of the US Army at that time, not only was she not despised by the Japanese people, but they worshipped him as a hero of the "Yamato nation".
Never married, becoming Japan's "eternal saint"
Although she was given to MacArthur as a lover, Setsuko Hara did not continue to degenerate. She realized that her fate was still in her own hands.
As a result, she continued her post-war acting career and successively participated in many films by well-known directors such as Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu.
And in front of the screen, she changed the image of the previous Nazi beautiful girl and began to develop in the direction of democracy and the intellectual woman of the new era.
Yasujiro Ozu said: "Setsuko Hara is the best actress I have ever met, I have made movies for more than 20 years, and it is rare for an actress like her to understand the role deeply and act out, and she saved my film." ”
Setsuko Hara: Muse of Yasujiro Ozu
During this period, there was speculation that Setsuko Hara and Yasujiro Ozu may have developed a crush on each other during their cooperation.
Because at a crew gathering, a reporter witnessed Yasujiro Ozu and Setsuko Hara sitting together, and the two seemed to be chatting happily, and Yasujiro Ozu couldn't help but raise his head and laugh.
Perhaps due to her secret relationship with MacArthur, Setsuko Hara has always had Mustard in her heart, so she and Yasujiro Ozu still keep a suitable distance.
In April 1951, when the President of the United States heard about MacArthur's affair in Japan, he dismissed him from his post and ordered him to return to the United States on the grounds that he was "not qualified to serve as commander of the Allied forces."
MacArthur was forced to leave Japan
Setsuko Hara did not go with him, she knew that MacArthur had a family in the United States, and at this point, her mission to sacrifice her life for the country was officially over.
After completing her political mission, Setsuko Hara devoted herself more exclusively to her acting career, starring in films such as "Late Spring", "Tokyo Story", "Teacher Shirayuki and Children".
In these films, she portrays a new-age woman who is independent, gentle and intellectual.
The image of a new-age teacher played by Setsuko Hara
It not only soothed the trauma in the hearts of the Japanese people after World War II, but also showed the attitude of Japanese women to self-reliance and self-improvement after the war.
But what is puzzling is that Setsuko Hara starred in fewer and fewer movies, until 1962, after the filming of "Loyal Collection", she disappeared from the screen forever, and her screen age was also fixed at 43 years old.
On December 12, 1963, Yasujiro Ozu passed away, and Setsuko Hara put on low-key makeup and attended Yasujiro Ozu's funeral. After that, he decided to go into seclusion.
It is said that Setsuko Hara lived in seclusion next to Yasujiro Ozu's grave, but this time between her and MacArthur made her bury her love for Ozu deep in her heart.
MacArthur died of gallstones in 1964, but Setsuko Hara did not appear at his funeral. It can be seen that Setsuko Hara just completed the task and had no feelings for MacArthur.
In the eyes of the Japanese, Setsuko Hara is a national hero. But in the eyes of the Allies, it is not an exaggeration to say that Setsuko Hara is an accomplice. She not only helped Japan preserve the emperor system, but also allowed it to escape many of the postwar punishments it deserved.
Many war criminals were not only acquitted, but also enjoyed prosperity and wealth in their later years, and entered the Yasukuni Shrine after their deaths.
Looking back on Setsuko Hara's life, she can be regarded as a tragic figure. She is not only the most dazzling actress in Japan, but also a chess piece at the mercy of others.
Afterwards, in an interview, Setsuko Hara was asked how she felt after being given to MacArthur, and she replied: "This is a sacrifice for the country and the people, and I have no regrets." ”
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【Text|Shi'an】
【Editor|Chang Gung】