Makiko Uchidate, First Female Member of Sumo’s Yokozuna Council, Dies at 77

Makiko Uchidate, a celebrated scriptwriter and the first woman to serve on the Yokozuna Deliberation Council for sumo wrestling, passed away on December 17 at a Tokyo hospital due to acute left heart failure.

She was 77. A native of Akita City, her funeral was held privately with close family members, with her younger brother, Hitoshi, serving as the chief mourner.

After graduating from Musashino Art University, Uchidate began her career at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries before making her screenwriting debut in 1988.

She rose to prominence with the hit drama Omoide ni Kawaru Made (“Until It Changes to Memories”) and the NHK morning series Hilari, featuring a female sumo fan as its protagonist.

Her writing portfolio included the historical drama Mōri Motonari and the morning series Watashi no Aozora (“My Blue Sky”).

Uchidate’s passion for sumo was well known. From 2000 to 2010, she served on the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, where she often championed the sport’s traditions.

When then-Osaka Governor Fusae Ota requested that a female official present an award to a sumo champion in the ring, Uchidate supported the Japan Sumo Association’s refusal, calling it “a natural decision to preserve tradition.”

In 2003, Uchidate pursued graduate studies at Tohoku University, researching the exclusion of women from professional sumo. She also coached the university’s sumo club during her time there.

In her later years, she explored themes of aging in novels such as Owari Hito (“The Man Who’s Over”) and Sugu Shinu Nedara (“Because I’m Going to Die Soon”), both adapted into films and television dramas to critical acclaim.