Yuko Daike, born on August 19, 1971, is a Japanese actress, known primarily for her collaboration with director and actor Takeshi Kitano. Her career is inextricably linked to some of Kitano's most acclaimed works, in which she played significant roles. Her most celebrated performance is that of Miyuki, the protagonist's terminally ill wife in the film *Hana-bi* (Fireworks, 1997), which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. She continued to work with the director in films such as *Kikujiro* (1999) and held a prominent role in *Zatoichi* (2003). Her acting is often characterized by a quiet yet intensely expressive screen presence, capable of conveying complex emotions with minimal use of dialogue. Although she has not received major individual awards, her participation in critically and internationally successful films has made her a recognizable figure in Japanese art-house cinema of the late 1990s and early 2000s.