{"id":2016979,"date":"2026-06-29T08:50:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T05:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2016979"},"modified":"2026-06-29T08:50:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T05:50:13","slug":"hideo-kojima-and-more-pay-tribute-to-akihiro-miwa-the-iconic-japanese-singer-and-actor-behind-wolf-goddess-moro-in-princess-mononoke-who-has-died-aged-91","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2016979","title":{"rendered":"Hideo Kojima and More Pay Tribute to Akihiro Miwa, the Iconic Japanese Singer and Actor Behind Wolf Goddess Moro in Princess Mononoke, Who Has Died Aged 91"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Japanese news sources including Mainichi<\/u><\/a> announced over the weekend that iconic Japanese singer and actor Akihiro Miwa passed away aged 91 on June 20.<\/p>\n

Miwa lent his distinctive voice to Studio Ghibli\u2019s Princess Mononoke and Howl\u2019s Moving Castle anime movies, playing wolf goddess Moro and the Witch of the Waste respectively.<\/p>\n

A flamboyant singer, actor, author and drag queen, Miwa was a household name in Japan with a varied career spanning over seven decades. Starting out as a cabaret singer of French chanson in the 1950s, Miwa was one of the country\u2019s first openly gay celebrities in the postwar period. As well as releasing hit songs like 1964\u2019s Yoitomake no Uta, Miwa also played lead female roles in live action films like the titular femme fatale thief in 1968\u2019s Black Lizard, by Battle Royale director Kinji Fukasaku.<\/p>\n

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R.I.P. Akihiro Miwa (1935\u20132026), legendary chanteur, actor & drag queen. Star of Terayama\u2019s “La Marie-Vison” and Mishima\u2019s “Black Lizard”, Miwa survived Nagasaki and championed pacifism. Miwa also voiced Moro in MONONOKE and was among Japan\u2019s first openly gay public figures. pic.twitter.com\/m53I4I3nzy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Japan Society Film (@js_film_nyc) June 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A survivor of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb, Miwa was strongly anti-war and critical of movements to revise the pacifistic Article 9 of the Japanese constitution. As well as voicing characters for Studio Ghibli movies, Miwa also voiced Arceus in the 2009 movie Pok\u00e9mon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life.<\/p>\n

Miwa frequently appeared on Japanese radio and TV, including weekly talk show Aura no Izumi (2005-2010), which interviewed celebrities but with a spiritual slant. He continued to perform concerts and talk shows up until 2019, when he suffered a stroke. After recovering, Miwa reprised his weekly Sunday radio spot until March 2020, and continued to make occasional TV appearances.<\/p>\n

NTV news<\/u><\/a> published a special final message from Miwa: \u201cIn this world, the only weapon we have for survival is words of love. The key to solving all of the world\u2019s problems is love. If we have love, then there would be no war.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u7f8e\u8f2a\u660e\u5b8f\u3055\u3093\u306e\u9ed2\u8725\u8734\u306f\u3001\u4e00\u5ea6\u89b3\u305f\u3089\u5fd8\u308c\u3089\u308c\u306a\u3044\u3002
\u3042\u306e\u5996\u3057\u3055\u3082\u7f8e\u3057\u3055\u3082\u3001\u672c\u5f53\u306b\u552f\u4e00\u7121\u4e8c\u3002pic.twitter.com\/faUj0Hcwom<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 TL\u3067\u62fe\u3063\u305f\u5909\u306a\u5b9d\u77f3 (@tlhouseki311) June 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anime voice actors mentioned how encouraging words from Akihiro Miwa had uplifted them through their careers. Veteran VA Megumi Ogata (known for playing Sailor Uranus in Sailor Moon and Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion) commented<\/u><\/a> on X that Miwa\u2019s words had saved her many times. \u201cThis final message will also stick with me as I move forward,\u201d Ogata said, adding that Miwa was \u201ca truly unique person.\u201d <\/p>\n

Another well-known VA, Fumi Hirano (who played Lum in Urusei Yatsura), shared a clip of Miwa\u2019s laugh making director Hayao Miyazaki crack up. She mentioned being a fan of Miwa since influential artist Junichi Nakahara started using Miwa as a model in the late 1950s. \u201cWhen we finally met, (Miwa said), \u2018You do such fine work.\u2019 Taking pride in these words has enabled me to live my life like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u3042\u3042\u3001\u3053\u306e\u8868\u60c5\u30fb\u30fb\u3002\u3053\u308c\u3082\u307e\u305f\u7f8e\u8f2a\u3055\u3093\u3002<\/p>\n

\u4e38\u5c71\u660e\u5b8f\u3055\u3093\u306e\u6642\u4ee3\u306b\u4e2d\u539f\u6df3\u4e00\u3055\u3093\u306b\u898b\u51fa\u3055\u308c\u305f\u7f8e\u8f2a\u3055\u3093\u306b\u6614\u304b\u3089\u61a7\u308c\u3066\u3044\u3066\u3001\u3064\u3044\u306b\u304a\u76ee\u306b\u304b\u304b\u308c\u305f\u3068\u304d
\u300c\u3044\u3044\u304a\u4ed5\u4e8b\u306a\u3055\u3063\u3066\u308b\u308f\u306d\u300d\u3068\u3002<\/p>\n

\u79c1\u306f\u305d\u306e\u8a00\u8449\u3092\u8a87\u308a\u306b\u3044\u307e\u307e\u3067\u751f\u304d\u3066\u3053\u3089\u308c\u305f\u3002
\u8001\u8870\u3068\u306f\u307e\u305f\u898b\u4e8b\u306a\u5927\u5f80\u751f\u3002\u656c\u670d\u3002\u6df1\u8b1d\u3002\u5408\u638c\u3002#23club<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/afFncyL5Wm<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 hiranofumi\u3000\u5e73\u91ce\u6587\u3067\u3059 (@hiranofumi) June 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima chimed in that Miwa\u2019s passing prompted him to consider rewatching 1968\u2019s Black Lizard or its sequel Black Rose Mansion.<\/p>\n

\n

Tonight, I was planning to revisit Jeannot Szwarc\u2019s \u201cSupergirl\u201d (1984) for the first time in over 40 years. But after hearing of Akihiro Miwa\u2019s passing, I\u2019m thinking of revisiting Kinji Fukasaku\u2019s \u201cBlack Lizard\u201d (1968) series instead. Maybe I\u2019ll watch, \u201cBlack Rose Mansion\u201d\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/RF58iG7VnS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) June 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n

Photo by Tomokazu Tazawa\/WireImage.<\/em><\/p>\n

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\n

Japanese news sources including Mainichi<\/u><\/a> announced over the weekend that iconic Japanese singer and actor Akihiro Miwa passed away aged 91 on June 20.<\/p>\n

Miwa lent his distinctive voice to Studio Ghibli\u2019s Princess Mononoke and Howl\u2019s Moving Castle anime movies, playing wolf goddess Moro and the Witch of the Waste respectively.<\/p>\n

A flamboyant singer, actor, author and drag queen, Miwa was a household name in Japan with a varied career spanning over seven decades. Starting out as a cabaret singer of French chanson in the 1950s, Miwa was one of the country\u2019s first openly gay celebrities in the postwar period. As well as releasing hit songs like 1964\u2019s Yoitomake no Uta, Miwa also played lead female roles in live action films like the titular femme fatale thief in 1968\u2019s Black Lizard, by Battle Royale director Kinji Fukasaku.<\/p>\n

\n

R.I.P. Akihiro Miwa (1935\u20132026), legendary chanteur, actor & drag queen. Star of Terayama\u2019s “La Marie-Vison” and Mishima\u2019s “Black Lizard”, Miwa survived Nagasaki and championed pacifism. Miwa also voiced Moro in MONONOKE and was among Japan\u2019s first openly gay public figures. pic.twitter.com\/m53I4I3nzy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Japan Society Film (@js_film_nyc) June 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A survivor of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb, Miwa was strongly anti-war and critical of movements to revise the pacifistic Article 9 of the Japanese constitution. As well as voicing characters for Studio Ghibli movies, Miwa also voiced Arceus in the 2009 movie Pok\u00e9mon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life.<\/p>\n

Miwa frequently appeared on Japanese radio and TV, including weekly talk show Aura no Izumi (2005-2010), which interviewed celebrities but with a spiritual slant. He continued to perform concerts and talk shows up until 2019, when he suffered a stroke. After recovering, Miwa reprised his weekly Sunday radio spot until March 2020, and continued to make occasional TV appearances.<\/p>\n

NTV news<\/u><\/a> published a special final message from Miwa: \u201cIn this world, the only weapon we have for survival is words of love. The key to solving all of the world\u2019s problems is love. If we have love, then there would be no war.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u7f8e\u8f2a\u660e\u5b8f\u3055\u3093\u306e\u9ed2\u8725\u8734\u306f\u3001\u4e00\u5ea6\u89b3\u305f\u3089\u5fd8\u308c\u3089\u308c\u306a\u3044\u3002
\u3042\u306e\u5996\u3057\u3055\u3082\u7f8e\u3057\u3055\u3082\u3001\u672c\u5f53\u306b\u552f\u4e00\u7121\u4e8c\u3002pic.twitter.com\/faUj0Hcwom<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 TL\u3067\u62fe\u3063\u305f\u5909\u306a\u5b9d\u77f3 (@tlhouseki311) June 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anime voice actors mentioned how encouraging words from Akihiro Miwa had uplifted them through their careers. Veteran VA Megumi Ogata (known for playing Sailor Uranus in Sailor Moon and Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion) commented<\/u><\/a> on X that Miwa\u2019s words had saved her many times. \u201cThis final message will also stick with me as I move forward,\u201d Ogata said, adding that Miwa was \u201ca truly unique person.\u201d <\/p>\n

Another well-known VA, Fumi Hirano (who played Lum in Urusei Yatsura), shared a clip of Miwa\u2019s laugh making director Hayao Miyazaki crack up. She mentioned being a fan of Miwa since influential artist Junichi Nakahara started using Miwa as a model in the late 1950s. \u201cWhen we finally met, (Miwa said), \u2018You do such fine work.\u2019 Taking pride in these words has enabled me to live my life like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u3042\u3042\u3001\u3053\u306e\u8868\u60c5\u30fb\u30fb\u3002\u3053\u308c\u3082\u307e\u305f\u7f8e\u8f2a\u3055\u3093\u3002<\/p>\n

\u4e38\u5c71\u660e\u5b8f\u3055\u3093\u306e\u6642\u4ee3\u306b\u4e2d\u539f\u6df3\u4e00\u3055\u3093\u306b\u898b\u51fa\u3055\u308c\u305f\u7f8e\u8f2a\u3055\u3093\u306b\u6614\u304b\u3089\u61a7\u308c\u3066\u3044\u3066\u3001\u3064\u3044\u306b\u304a\u76ee\u306b\u304b\u304b\u308c\u305f\u3068\u304d
\u300c\u3044\u3044\u304a\u4ed5\u4e8b\u306a\u3055\u3063\u3066\u308b\u308f\u306d\u300d\u3068\u3002<\/p>\n

\u79c1\u306f\u305d\u306e\u8a00\u8449\u3092\u8a87\u308a\u306b\u3044\u307e\u307e\u3067\u751f\u304d\u3066\u3053\u3089\u308c\u305f\u3002
\u8001\u8870\u3068\u306f\u307e\u305f\u898b\u4e8b\u306a\u5927\u5f80\u751f\u3002\u656c\u670d\u3002\u6df1\u8b1d\u3002\u5408\u638c\u3002#23club<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/afFncyL5Wm<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 hiranofumi\u3000\u5e73\u91ce\u6587\u3067\u3059 (@hiranofumi) June 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima chimed in that Miwa\u2019s passing prompted him to consider rewatching 1968\u2019s Black Lizard or its sequel Black Rose Mansion.<\/p>\n

\n

Tonight, I was planning to revisit Jeannot Szwarc\u2019s \u201cSupergirl\u201d (1984) for the first time in over 40 years. But after hearing of Akihiro Miwa\u2019s passing, I\u2019m thinking of revisiting Kinji Fukasaku\u2019s \u201cBlack Lizard\u201d (1968) series instead. Maybe I\u2019ll watch, \u201cBlack Rose Mansion\u201d\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/RF58iG7VnS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) June 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n

Photo by Tomokazu Tazawa\/WireImage.<\/em><\/p>\n

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Japanese news sources including Mainichi announced over the weekend that iconic Japanese singer and actor Akihiro Miwa passed away aged 91 on June 20. Miwa lent his distinctive voice to Studio Ghibli\u2019s Princess Mononoke and Howl\u2019s Moving Castle anime movies, playing wolf goddess Moro and the Witch of the Waste respectively. A flamboyant singer, actor, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,243],"class_list":["post-2016979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-ign-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2016979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016979\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2016979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2016979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2016979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}