Overview
- Uchitate died on December 17 from acute left heart failure at a hospital in Tokyo, according to Chunichi Shimbun.
- A private funeral was held for close relatives, with her younger brother Hitoshi serving as chief mourner.
- Known as a devoted sumo fan, she joined the Yokozuna Deliberation Council in 2000 as its first female member.
- In 2003 she entered graduate school at Tohoku University to research the sport’s exclusion of women and also coached the university’s sumo club.
- Born in Akita City and a Musashino Art University graduate, she debuted as a scriptwriter in 1988 with notable works including Omoide ni Kawaru made, NHK’s Hirari, the Taiga drama Mouri Motonari, and Watashi no Aozora.