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is a ''benshi,'' one of the few silent film narrators still active in Japan. ==Life== Originally from Tokyo, Midori Sawato graduated from the Department of Philosophy, Hosei University. She first decided she wanted to become a ''benshi'' in 1972, when she saw the silent film ''The Water Magician''. She was particularly impressed with the performance as ''benshi'' of the man who would become her teacher, Shunsui Matsuda. After studying under Matsuda, Sawato made her debut in 1973. She is an active ''benshi'' who has garnered high praise through her wide variety of activities and performances both in Japan and overseas. Her repertoire of over 500 films includes genres as varied as contemporary cinema, historical movies and western films, for which she provides well-formed interpretations of the work. She has received a number of awards, includes the Award for Excellence in the field of Dramatic Performance at the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival, for her contributions toward promoting ''katsuben'' as modern entertainment, in addition to being a valuable presence carrying on the tradition of ''katsuben'' as a Japanese storytelling art. As is traditional for ''benshi'', she often gives an introduction before a film starts to explain the historical and cultural differences of the old films as well as provide background on the actors and directors. She does not use any modern vocabulary for narrating films that have old titles. Besides ''katsuben'', she is also involved in activities such as film critiques and essay writing. She is the author of ''Katsudo Benshi: Sekai o Kakeru'' (Film ''Benshi'' Across the World). She was the recipient of the Japan Film Critics Golden Glory Award. In the same year in October, she received wide acclaim for her ''katsuben'' performance for Ito Daisuke’s ''Chuji Tabi Nikki'' (Chuji’s Travel Diary). In December 1998, a ''katsuben'' recital was organized to commemorate the 25th year of her career. In November 2000, she received the Special Award of the Yamaji Fumiko Culture Institute. Films with her narration are regularly aired on CS and NHK. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Midori Sawato」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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