Beloved Actress Kirin Kiki Dead at 75

Famed comedic actress Kirin Kiki passed away at her home this September 15th, 2018. She had been battling cancer and had recently undergone a mastectomy. Born during the war in 1943, Ms. Kirin Kiki has had a long career both in film and television. For us, she will always be best known for her portrayal as the wonderfully delusional Miss Orin in Sonny Chiba's Kage no Gunden aka Shadow Warriors.  Since that time, she had played the aging grandmother in recent films such as Kamikaze Girls. She appeared with her granddaughter in Sweet Bean and made her final film Shoplifters in 2018. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and was recently quoted as saying that "Cancer had spread throughout her entire body," something in her final years had come to accept. She had great comedic timing and played many colorful characters, but for us, she will always be Miss Orin chasing Mr. Han. She will always be remembered in film and in our hearts. Sayonara Kirin Kiki, Sayonara.