Chieko Baishō (born June 29, 1941 in Tokyo) is a leading Japanese actress, singer, and voice actress. She first came to prominence when she joined the Shochiku Revue, and made her debut in 1961 in a Shochiku film; she starred in the 1963 film The Sun of Downtown, for which she won the Japan Record Award for Best Newcomer. Since then, she has been a regular actress in Yoji Yamada's films, especially as Kuruma Sakura in the Otoko wa Tsuraiyo series, which made her popular among the public. In 2004, she voiced the heroine in Hayao Miyazaki's animated film Howl's Moving Castle, and released the theme song " Sekai no Yakusoku " on October 27 of the same year. He has been decorated with the Order of the Sacred Treasure and honored as an honorary ward member, and continues to be a major contributor to the Japanese entertainment industry.
