Yūsaku Matsuda (松田 優作, Matsuda Yūsaku; September 21, 1949 – November 6, 1989) was a Japanese actor. In Japan, he was…
Yūsaku Matsuda (松田 優作, Matsuda Yūsaku; September 21, 1949 – November 6, 1989) was a Japanese actor. In Japan, he was best known for roles in action films and a variety of television series in the 1970s as well as a switch to a wider range of roles in the 1980s. His final film appearance was as the villain Sato in Ridley Scott's Black Rain. He died in 1989 at the age of 40. He is considered one of Japan's most important film actors. Several manga, anime and video game characters are based on him, including Kenshiro in Fist of the North Star, Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop, Rikiya Busujima in Zombie Revenge, Aokiji in One Piece, Wabisuke in Summer Wars, and Jubei Yagyu in Onimusha 2.
Famous Japanese People: Singer・Vocalist
Singer・Vocalist: 1,169 people
Tetsuji Hayashi (林 哲司, Hayashi Tetsuji; born August 20, 1949) is a Japanese composer, singer-songwriter, and arranger…
Tetsuji Hayashi (林 哲司, Hayashi Tetsuji; born August 20, 1949) is a Japanese composer, singer-songwriter, and arranger known for his influential contributions to the development of J-pop and city pop during the 1980s. He was exposed to Western pop music from an early age, sparking his passion for music. He honed his skills as a composer and arranger, and in 1978, he composed Mariya Takeuchi's debut album, Beginning, followed by her hit single "September" in 1979 and "Mayonaka no Door" for Miki Matsubara that same year. His collaborations extended to other prominent artists such as S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe, Masaki Ueda and Junichi Inagaki. Despite initially planning retirement in 2008, Hayashi returned to the spotlight due to fan support at a commemorative concert. Since then, he has continued to compose and produce music. His legacy was celebrated with the release of the compilation album 50th Anniversary Special A Tribute of Hayashi Tetsuji: Saudade in 2023, accompanied by a concert showcasing his impact.
Masaki Ueda (Japanese: 上田正樹; born 7 July 1949) is a Japanese R&B and soul singer and composer.
Kōichi Nihei (二瓶 康一, Nihei Kōichi; May 30, 1949 – November 14, 2024), known professionally as Shōhei Hino (火野 正平, Hino…
Kōichi Nihei (二瓶 康一, Nihei Kōichi; May 30, 1949 – November 14, 2024), known professionally as Shōhei Hino (火野 正平, Hino Shōhei), was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in jidaigeki television dramas. He is best known for his roles in the Hissatsu series.
Tetsuya Takeda (武田 鉄矢, Takeda Tetsuya; born April 11, 1949) is a Japanese folk singer and actor. Takeda is perhaps most…
Tetsuya Takeda (武田 鉄矢, Takeda Tetsuya; born April 11, 1949) is a Japanese folk singer and actor. Takeda is perhaps most known in Japan for his starring role in the Tokyo Broadcasting System's long-running, highly rated television drama Mr. Kinpachi of the Third-Year B Class. The program, targeted at junior high and high school-aged adolescents, ran on TBS with Takeda at various times from 1979 until 2011. Takeda wrote and performed several well-known songs, including "Childhood", the theme song for the 1985 animated film Doraemon: Nobita's Little Star Wars. Takeda's 1980 song, "The Word I Give to You", is often performed at junior high school and high school graduation ceremonies in Japan. Previous to his appearance on Kinpachi, Takeda studied to be a teacher at Fukuoka University of Education. He later formed a folk music group called Kaientai. The song "Okuru Kotoba", which Takeda wrote and performed with Kaientai, actually had nothing to do with schooling, but is reportedly associated with education because of Takeda's role in Kinpachi.
Mariko Takahashi (高橋 真梨子, Takahashi Mariko; born March 6, 1949 in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese female…
Mariko Takahashi (高橋 真梨子, Takahashi Mariko; born March 6, 1949 in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese female singer. She is known for her ballad pop songs. She began her singing career in 1973 singing covers, but soon progressed to writing her own songs. She is also able to play piano and saxophone. On May 20, 2009, Takahashi released the cover album of Japanese male singers, No Reason: Otoko Gokoro, in which she covered Kyu Sakamoto's "Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o" and Yūzō Kayama's "Kimi to Itsumademo." The album debuted at No. 7 on the Japanese Oricon album charts. Representative works include'Peach Breath' (Peach Breath / 1984).
Shinji Tanimura (谷村 新司, Tanimura Shinji; 11 December 1948 – 8 October 2023) was a Japanese singer-songwriter.
Kyōko Takada (高田恭子) is a Japanese singer and actress who is best known for her March 1969 song, Minna Yume no Naka…
Kyōko Takada (高田恭子) is a Japanese singer and actress who is best known for her March 1969 song, Minna Yume no Naka, which sold over half a million copies by July 1969.
Reiko Oshida (大信田礼子) is a Japanese actress and singer.
Agata Morio (Japanese: あがた森魚, born 12 September 1948) is a Japanese folk rock singer-songwriter and actor. He also…
Agata Morio (Japanese: あがた森魚, born 12 September 1948) is a Japanese folk rock singer-songwriter and actor. He also directed three films.
Yōsui Inoue (井上 陽水, Inoue Yōsui; born August 30, 1948) is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, guitarist and record…
Yōsui Inoue (井上 陽水, Inoue Yōsui; born August 30, 1948) is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, guitarist and record producer, who is an important figure in Japanese music. He is renowned for his unique tone, eccentric lyrics, and dark sunglasses which he always wears. Under the stage name Andre Candre, Inoue debuted in 1969 and released a single "Candre Mandre" by CBS Sony Records. After he changed his stage name and signed onto Polydor, he recorded his first studio album Danzetsu in 1971, and the album was acclaimed by critics. Inoue gained recognition as a folk-rock singer-songwriter through his 1973 Kōri no Sekai album, which became the first long-playing record that sold more than a million copies in Japan alone. His early work has been compared with the music of Paul McCartney and Roy Orbison. Mark Anderson writes in the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture, "His music was smart, melancholy and melodic. [...] Inoue's work of the early 1970s [...] is widely thought to have been a significant influence on the development of Japanese pop rock". Inoue has released 22 solo studio albums, and also produced two albums with Tamio Okuda. He has been one of the most commercially successful Japanese male solo recording artists of the last 40 years, selling in excess of 10.9 million copies on the country's Oricon albums chart up to May 2009 and has had seven number-one albums; Kori no Sekai, Nishoku no Koma, Good Pages, Shoutaijou no Nai Show, 9.5 Carats, Under the Sun, and the compilation Golden Best which was released in 1999 and has shipped over two million units.
Kiyoshi Maekawa (前川 清, Maekawa Kiyoshi; born August 19, 1948) is a Japanese singer and tarento. He is best known as the…
Kiyoshi Maekawa (前川 清, Maekawa Kiyoshi; born August 19, 1948) is a Japanese singer and tarento. He is best known as the first lead vocalist of Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five, which was formed in 1967 and debuted in 1969 with the Japan Record Award-winning song "Nagasaki wa Kyō mo Ame Datta". As a frontman of the band, he spawned multiple hit singles such as "Awazu ni Aishite", "Uwasa no Onna","Soshite, Kōbe", "Nakanoshima Blues" and "Tokyo Sabaku" during the 1970s. In 1982, he released his first solo single "Yuki Ressha" composed and produced by Grammy-winning musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, and left the group five years later. During his solo career, he released only one top-20 hit "Himawari" in 2002, a ballad contributed by Masaharu Fukuyama. Aside from the recording career, Maekawa has also built up popularity as a TV star, appearing on some television shows hosted by comedians such as Kinichi Hagimoto and The Drifters, airing around the latter half of 1970s and the 1980s.
Chu Kosaka, Chew Kosaka (小坂 忠), born Masayuki Kosaka (小坂 正行) on July 8, 1948 – April 29, 2022) was a Japanese…
Chu Kosaka, Chew Kosaka (小坂 忠), born Masayuki Kosaka (小坂 正行) on July 8, 1948 – April 29, 2022) was a Japanese singer-songwriter, gospel musician, and pastor. He was known for his foundational contributions to the development of Japanese rock and City pop in the 1970s and later as a pioneer responsible for "laying the foundations" of Japanese gospel music.
Kenji Sawada (Japanese: 沢田 研二, Hepburn: Sawada Kenji; born June 25, 1948; real surname written as 澤田) is a Japanese…
Kenji Sawada (Japanese: 沢田 研二, Hepburn: Sawada Kenji; born June 25, 1948; real surname written as 澤田) is a Japanese singer, songwriter and actor, best known as vocalist of the rock band The Tigers. Nicknamed "Julie" (ジュリー, Jurī) because of his self-professed adoration of Julie Andrews, he was born in Tsunoi, Iwami, Japan (now part of Tottori), and raised in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto from the age of age 3. As a singer, songwriter and actor, Sawada prospered greatly in Japanese popular culture in the last three decades of the Shōwa era. At the end of the 1960s, he had great success as the lead singer of the band The Tigers. After the breakup of The Tigers and another project Pyg, he began his own solo career. Sawada has sold over 15.55 million records.
Jun Mayuzumi (黛ジュン; born 26 May 1948, in Chōfu, Tokyo) is a Japanese singer. Her best known songs include "Tenshi-no…
Jun Mayuzumi (黛ジュン; born 26 May 1948, in Chōfu, Tokyo) is a Japanese singer. Her best known songs include "Tenshi-no Yūwaku" (Angel's Temptation 1968). She won a Japan Record Award in 1969, and won the inaugural Yamaha Popular Song Contest Grand Prix at the Nemu no Sato Indoor Hall, on November 5, 1970. She appeared on the New Year's Eve Kōhaku Uta Gassen show for four years, 1967-1970.
Shigeru Izumiya (泉谷 しげる Izumiya Shigeru, born May 11, 1948) is a Japanese poet, folk singer, actor, tarento. He…
Shigeru Izumiya (泉谷 しげる Izumiya Shigeru, born May 11, 1948) is a Japanese poet, folk singer, actor, tarento. He established the record company For Life Records with Takuro Yoshida, Yosui Inoue, and Hitoshi Komuro in 1975. He also directed the 1986 film Death Powder (Desu Paudā). Between August 1995 and March 1996, Izumiya co-hosted the Satellaview-based weekly SoundLink Magazine, "King of After School" (放課後の王様, Houkago no Ousama), with Ayumi Hamasaki. Izumiya was born in Aomori, Japan, and raised in Meguro, Tokyo.
Harumi Miyako (都 はるみ, Miyako Harumi; born 22 February 1948), born Harumi Kitamura (北村春美, Kitamura Harumi) in Kyoto, is…
Harumi Miyako (都 はるみ, Miyako Harumi; born 22 February 1948), born Harumi Kitamura (北村春美, Kitamura Harumi) in Kyoto, is a Japanese enka singer. She made her debut in 1964. She has appeared on the annual television special Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
Megumi Satsu (Japanese: 薩 めぐみ, 14 February 1948, Sapporo, Japan – 18 October 2010, Paris) was a French-Japanese singer.
Ryoko Moriyama (森山 良子, Moriyama Ryōko) (born January 18, 1948) is a Japanese folk singer and actress. Her father is…
Ryoko Moriyama (森山 良子, Moriyama Ryōko) (born January 18, 1948) is a Japanese folk singer and actress. Her father is Hisashi Moriyama, a pioneer of Japanese jazz. Her son Naotarō Moriyama is a singer. Her first cousin Hiroshi Kamayatsu is also a musician. She is known as the Japanese Joan Baez, or the Queen of college folk. Her songs tend not to become best sellers but her most famous song is "Satokibi Batake". This song is about a tragedy during the Battle of Okinawa. The song's full version is 10 minutes. When this song was first released, it was thought to be too long to air on the radio, but now the song is popular in Japan. Every summer, NHK air a shorter version as a symbol of the 'No War Campaign'. In the song, an imitative word 'Zawawa' is repeated 66 times, because of this, it is often called 'Zawawa'. Moriyama often called "Satokibi Batake" 'Zawawa' as a joke. Her 1969 recording of "Kinjirareta koi" ("Unpermitted Love") sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. A more recent hit song is "Nada Sōsō," a poem set to music by Begin, and sung by Rimi Natsukawa. Some of her songs, such as "Kono hiroi nohara ippai" and "Dona dona", now appear in school textbooks. She sang a theme song at Nagano Olympics opening ceremony in 1998. Inspired by "Satokibi Batake", a TV drama called Satokibi Batake no uta (Song of the Sugarcane field) was made. Akashiya Sanma takes the lead role as a soldier who refused to kill. Nada Sōsō' also features in a TV program. Nada Sōsō means teardrops in Okinawan. The song describes the experience of being unable to meet the person you love most. The song may refer to the death of Moriyama's brother.
Akira Fuse (布施 明, Fuse Akira; born December 18, 1947) is a Japanese singer and actor. He debuted in 1965 with the…
Akira Fuse (布施 明, Fuse Akira; born December 18, 1947) is a Japanese singer and actor. He debuted in 1965 with the single "Kimi ni Namida to Hohoemi o" (君に涙とほほえみを; "Tears and Smiles to You").
Riyoko Ikeda (池田 理代子, Ikeda Riyoko; born December 18, 1947) is a Japanese manga artist and singer. She was one of the…
Riyoko Ikeda (池田 理代子, Ikeda Riyoko; born December 18, 1947) is a Japanese manga artist and singer. She was one of the most popular mangaka in the 1970s, being best known for The Rose of Versailles.
Ryo Kagawa (加川 良, Kagawa Ryō; November 21, 1947 in Hikone, Japan – April 5, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan) was a Japanese folk…
Ryo Kagawa (加川 良, Kagawa Ryō; November 21, 1947 in Hikone, Japan – April 5, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan) was a Japanese folk singer and singer-songwriter. Kagawa was known as a central figure in the Kansai folk-music boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s in Japan, and was a key influence on the early musical development of such major Japanese artists as Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi.
Kazumasa Oda (小田 和正, Oda Kazumasa; born September 20, 1947) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, and composer. He was the…
Kazumasa Oda (小田 和正, Oda Kazumasa; born September 20, 1947) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, and composer. He was the leader of folk rock band Off Course from 1969 to 1989, and has done solo work since 1985. As the vocalist of Off Course, Oda wrote many Japanese standard numbers in the 1970s and 1980s. The group's most successful singles—"Sayonara" (1979), "Yes-No" (1980), and "Kimi ga Uso o Tsuita" (1984)—were written by Oda. In 1985 he began work as a solo musician. He produced many hit singles as singer-songwriter, such as "Little Tokyo" (1989), "Itsuka Dokokade" (1992), "Tsutaetai Koto ga Arunda" (1997) and "Kirakira" (2002). His most successful single was "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni" (1991), the theme song of a Japanese TV drama called Tokyo Love Story. It sold over 2,580,000 copies and became the ninth best-selling single in Japan.
Naomi Chiaki (ちあき なおみ, Chiaki Naomi; born September 17, 1947) is a Japanese singer and actress who worked from the late…
Naomi Chiaki (ちあき なおみ, Chiaki Naomi; born September 17, 1947) is a Japanese singer and actress who worked from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. Chiaki made her debut as a singer in 1969, and released her breakthrough single "Yottsu no Onegai" (四つのお願い, [ja]) in the following year. "Kassai" (喝采, [ja]), a song which has been commonly considered her signature song was released in 1972 and gained success, and finally won the 14th Japan Record Award. "Kassai" sold over one million copies by February 1973, and was awarded a gold disc. After marrying the actor Eiji Go in 1978, Chiaki continued her career intermittently until circa 1992. This included contributions to the soundtrack for Elephant Story (featuring the songs "Lullaby of the Land of the Wind" and "African Night"). However, she disappeared from the Japanese entertainment industry after her spouse died of lung cancer. In 2024 on her 55th debut anniversary, all of her 425 songs have become available on streaming and for digital download.
Pinko Izumi (泉ピン子, Izumi Pinko; born September 11, 1947 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress and singer. Her legal…
Pinko Izumi (泉ピン子, Izumi Pinko; born September 11, 1947 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress and singer. Her legal name is Sayo Takemoto (武本 小夜, Takemoto Sayo; née Eguchi (江口)), and she originally performed under the name Mariko Mikado (三門 マリ子, Mikado Mariko).
Yūki Meguro (Japanese: 目黒祐樹) is a Japanese actor. He is the son of jidaigeki actor Jūshirō Konoe and had an older…
Yūki Meguro (Japanese: 目黒祐樹) is a Japanese actor. He is the son of jidaigeki actor Jūshirō Konoe and had an older brother Hiroki Matsukata. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for his work in Shōgun in 1981.
Masako Izumi (和泉 雅子, Izumi Masako; 31 July 1947 – 9 July 2025) was a Japanese actress, singer and adventurer.
Terutomo Yamazaki (山崎 照朝, Yamazaki Terutomo; July 31, 1947 – June 22, 2025) was a Japanese karateka from the Kyokushin…
Terutomo Yamazaki (山崎 照朝, Yamazaki Terutomo; July 31, 1947 – June 22, 2025) was a Japanese karateka from the Kyokushin Kaikan (極真会館) and professional lightweight kickboxer. He was the founder of Gyakushin-Kai (逆真会館) and a Director of Karate in Japan. He presided over the International Budo Karate Organization Gyakushin-Kai from the headquarters of the organization (honbu) in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama, Japan. His title as head of the Gyakushin-Kai organization was "Kancho" (Grandmaster - 7th Dan). Yamazaki was the first champion of the All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships in 1969, and made Kyokushin famous through his accomplishments. Because he fought and defeated Muay Thai boxers, he created a reputation for Kyokushin before the First All-Japan Open Full Contact Karate Championships was held. Yamazaki was highly skilled at and an authority on fighting and breaking. When he fought someone, it was usual that he knocked them out without receiving any injuries himself. He was nicknamed "The Genius Karate Fighter" or "The Dragon of Kyokushin", and when he was an active fighter, he was the most popular figure of the time. He showed off his mixed karate and Muai Thai style of fighting at both full contact karate open championships and kickboxing, and was noted internationally as a prominent fighter in karate's history, appearing in Black Belt Magazine in the United States.
Rikiya Yasuoka (安岡力也, Yasuoka Rikiya; 19 July 1947 – 8 April 2012) was a Japanese actor and singer of mixed Italian and…
Rikiya Yasuoka (安岡力也, Yasuoka Rikiya; 19 July 1947 – 8 April 2012) was a Japanese actor and singer of mixed Italian and Japanese descent.
Eiko Segawa (瀬川瑛子; born 6 July 1947 in Shibuya, Tokyo) is a Japanese female enka singer. She is affiliated with the…
Eiko Segawa (瀬川瑛子; born 6 July 1947 in Shibuya, Tokyo) is a Japanese female enka singer. She is affiliated with the talent agency NoReason Inc. Her 1986 single "Inochi Kurenai" reached No.2 on the Japanese Oricon charts and sold 692,000 copies.
Junko Akimoto (秋元 順子, Akimoto Junko; born June 21, 1947 in Tokyo) is a Japanese kayōkyoku singer. She also sings jazz…
Junko Akimoto (秋元 順子, Akimoto Junko; born June 21, 1947 in Tokyo) is a Japanese kayōkyoku singer. She also sings jazz, chanson, canzone, and min'yō. She made her debut in 2005. She attended the 59th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen. Her song "Ai no Mama de" (愛のままで, Still in Love) reached number-one on Japan's Oricon charts in January 2009. This song made her the eldest singer to reach the number-one position on single charts in Oricon history. The single was on the charts for 64 weeks and sold 568,334 copies during that time.
Hiroshi Sato (佐藤博, June 3, 1947 – October 24, 2012) was a Japanese singer-songwriter. He was an influential keyboardist…
Hiroshi Sato (佐藤博, June 3, 1947 – October 24, 2012) was a Japanese singer-songwriter. He was an influential keyboardist in the Japanese jazz fusion and soft rock scenes during the late 1970s and 1980s, later dubbed "city pop".
Mitsuko Shirai (born 28 May 1947) is a Japanese mezzo-soprano and music professor.
Masao Sen (千昌夫, Sen Masao; born 8 April 1947) is a Japanese Enka singer and businessman, of Iwate Prefecture, known for…
Masao Sen (千昌夫, Sen Masao; born 8 April 1947) is a Japanese Enka singer and businessman, of Iwate Prefecture, known for the song 'Kitaguni no Haru' ('North Country Spring'). He is affiliated with the talent agency NoReason Inc.
Yukari Itō (Japanese: 伊東 ゆかり, born 6 April 1947) is a Japanese singer and actress. She was born in Shinagawa, Tokyo…
Yukari Itō (Japanese: 伊東 ゆかり, born 6 April 1947) is a Japanese singer and actress. She was born in Shinagawa, Tokyo, and her father was from Okinawa. She was one of the Japanese pop singers who took the nation by storm during the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to appearing on music programs and performing in concerts as a singer, she also worked as an actress.
Meiko Kaji (梶 芽衣子, Kaji Meiko; born March 24, 1947) is a Japanese actress and singer. With over 100 film and television…
Meiko Kaji (梶 芽衣子, Kaji Meiko; born March 24, 1947) is a Japanese actress and singer. With over 100 film and television credits since the 1960s, her most prolific period was the 1970s, when she achieved fame for her starring roles as outlaws and vengeful women in the film series Stray Cat Rock, Wandering Ginza Butterfly, Female Prisoner Scorpion and Lady Snowblood. Kaji also performed as a singer, releasing records concurrently with her film career and beyond, often performing the theme songs for the films in which she starred.
Remi Hirano (平野 レミ, Hirano Remi; born March 21, 1947, in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese chef, TV personality, and…
Remi Hirano (平野 レミ, Hirano Remi; born March 21, 1947, in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese chef, TV personality, and chanson singer. Her father is French-American-Japanese writer Imao Hirano. Her husband is illustrator Makoto Wada. Her eldest son is Sho Wada, member of the band Triceratops, and whose wife is the actress Juri Ueno. The wife of her second son is chef and model Asuka Wada. Her grandfather is Japanese art historian and jurist Henry Pike Bowie.
Jun Inoue (井上 順, Inoue Jun; born 21 February 1947) is a Japanese tarento, singer, actor, and comedian. His former stage…
Jun Inoue (井上 順, Inoue Jun; born 21 February 1947) is a Japanese tarento, singer, actor, and comedian. His former stage name is Junji Inoue (井上 順之, Inoue Junji).
Chiyo Okumura (奥村チヨ, Okumura Chiyo; February 18, 1947, Ikeda, Osaka) is a popular Japanese pop singer and former…
Chiyo Okumura (奥村チヨ, Okumura Chiyo; February 18, 1947, Ikeda, Osaka) is a popular Japanese pop singer and former fashion model who made her debut in the 1960s. She is best known for her songs "Koi no Dorei" (恋の奴隷 English: "Slave of Love") and "Shuuchakueki" (終着駅 English: "Terminal Station"). Her cover of The Ventures recording, "Hokkaido Skies" sold over one million copies, and earned her a gold disc award. Following this success, she released another hit, "Ginza Lights." "Koi no Dorei" was covered on GO!GO!7188's cover album, Tora no Ana. On January 6, 2018, Okumura announced her retirement from the music industry.
Mieko Hirota (弘田 三枝子, Hirota Mieko; née Takenaga, 竹永; February 5, 1947 – July 21, 2020) was a Japanese singer. Her…
Mieko Hirota (弘田 三枝子, Hirota Mieko; née Takenaga, 竹永; February 5, 1947 – July 21, 2020) was a Japanese singer. Her nickname was Mico (ミコ; also spelled Miko). Hirota was born in Ikejiri, Setagaya, Tokyo. She grew up listening to pop and jazz in places like Tachikawa, which was frequented by occupation troops. She made her debut in 1961 at age 14. In 1965, she became the first Japanese singer to sing the song "Sunny" on an album and the first to appear at the Newport Jazz Festival. Hirota appeared on the NHK New Year's Eve Kōhaku Uta Gassen eight times. Her first performance was in 1962, when she sang the Connie Francis tune "Vacation". NHK tapped her for the next four years in succession, and again in 1969, 1970, and 1971. She sang the theme song, "Leo no Uta", for the animated television series Kimba the White Lion. Hirota's commercial career included endorsements for Nescafé, Nippon Oil, Daikin Industries, Fujiya, Renown, and Sapporo Beer. Hirota collapsed at her home in Chiba Prefecture on July 20, 2020, and was taken to a nearby hospital. She died from heart failure on July 21, 2020, at the age of 73. She posthumously became one of eight recipients of the Special Lifetime Achievement Award at the 62nd Japan Record Awards.
Teruhiko Saigō (西郷 輝彦, Saigō Teruhiko; 5 February 1947 – 20 February 2022) was a Japanese singer and actor. As a…
Teruhiko Saigō (西郷 輝彦, Saigō Teruhiko; 5 February 1947 – 20 February 2022) was a Japanese singer and actor. As a singer, he was known as one of the three "Gosanke" (referring to gosanke, the three great Tokugawa houses), along with Yukio Hashi and Kazuo Funaki. The stage name was based on the Meiji Restoration one of three heroes, but also the Kagoshima Local hero Takamori Saigo.
Miwa Takada (高田 美和, Takada Miwa; born 5 January 1947 in Kyoto) is a Japanese film, TV and stage actress. She has…
Miwa Takada (高田 美和, Takada Miwa; born 5 January 1947 in Kyoto) is a Japanese film, TV and stage actress. She has starred in several Japanese movies that are today considered classics (especially in the Zatoichi saga, and the Daimajin trilogy). Takada also worked as a singer, and the duet she recorded with Mitsuo Kaji, "Waga Ai wo Hoshi ni Inorite," became a huge hit. Now she focuses on stage performances and TV. She lives in Numazu.
Mitsuko Baisho (倍賞 美津子, Baishō Mitsuko; born November 22, 1946 in Ibaraki Prefecture) is a Japanese actress whose most…
Mitsuko Baisho (倍賞 美津子, Baishō Mitsuko; born November 22, 1946 in Ibaraki Prefecture) is a Japanese actress whose most internationally known work has been for director Shohei Imamura, from 1979 up to the director's final film in 2001.
Saori Yuki (由紀さおり, Yuki Saori; born November 13, 1946) is a Japanese singer and actress. She was born as Akiko Yasuda…
Saori Yuki (由紀さおり, Yuki Saori; born November 13, 1946) is a Japanese singer and actress. She was born as Akiko Yasuda (Yasuda Akiko (安田 章子) in Kiryū, Gunma, Japan and raised in Yokohama. She started her singing career with her older sister Sachiko (b. 1941) as a child singer. In 1965 she debuted with the single "Hitchhike Musume (Hitchhiking girl)" on King Records (Japan) as Akiko Yasuda.
Masaaki Sakai (堺 正章, Sakai Masaaki; born June 6, 1946 as Masaaki Kurihara (栗原 正章, Kurihara Masaaki)) is a popular…
Masaaki Sakai (堺 正章, Sakai Masaaki; born June 6, 1946 as Masaaki Kurihara (栗原 正章, Kurihara Masaaki)) is a popular Japanese performer from Tokyo. He is best known to English-speaking audiences as the title star of the TV show Monkey.
Nobuyasu Okabayashi (Japanese: 岡林 信康, Hepburn: Okabayashi Nobuyasu; born July 22, 1946) is a Japanese folk…
Nobuyasu Okabayashi (Japanese: 岡林 信康, Hepburn: Okabayashi Nobuyasu; born July 22, 1946) is a Japanese folk singer-songwriter whose career spans more than 50 years. Often compared to Bob Dylan, Rolling Stone Japan called him an icon of Japan's politically turbulent 1960s and 1970s. Okabayashi made his debut in 1968 and quickly earned the nickname the "God of Folk" (フォークの神様, Fōku no Kamisama) with his protest songs. He spent 1975 to 1981 eschewing this title by experimenting with genres such as enka, pop, and new wave. Inspired by the rhythms of Japanese Bon Odori and Korean samul nori, he then created his own genre in the mid-1980s and 1990s that he dubbed "enyatotto" (エンヤトット).
Kimiko Itō or Kimiko Itoh (伊藤 君子, Itō Kimiko; born July 11, 1946) is a Japanese jazz singer. She was born on the island…
Kimiko Itō or Kimiko Itoh (伊藤 君子, Itō Kimiko; born July 11, 1946) is a Japanese jazz singer. She was born on the island of Shikoku in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from Musashino Art University with a degree in oil painting, she studied under Yasushi Sawada. In 1982, she made her debut with her first jazz album, "Birdland". In 1989, she released the album "フォロー・ミー(FOLLOW ME)" simultaneously in Japan and the United States. It ranked 16th in the Radio & Records Contemporary Jazz charts. Swing Journal (スイングジャーナル) voted Kimiko Number 1 female vocalist in 1988–1996. In 2004, her cover of the song "River of Crystals" from her album "Follow Me" was featured in the Mamoru Oshii-directed film Ghost in the Shell: Innocence.
Nana Kinomi (木の実 ナナ, Kinomi Nana; born July 11, 1946, in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress and singer.
Mie Nakao (Japanese: 中尾 ミエ; born 6 June 1946 in Kokura) is a Japanese actress and singer. With Yukari Itō and Mari Sono…
Mie Nakao (Japanese: 中尾 ミエ; born 6 June 1946 in Kokura) is a Japanese actress and singer. With Yukari Itō and Mari Sono she co-starred in the hit 1963 teen movie Hai, Hai Sannin Musume ("Yes, Yes, The Three Girls"). The three actresses became the latest incarnation of the long-running series of "Three Girls" acts during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, under their manager Watanabe as the Watanabe-Pro Sannin musume (渡辺プロ三人娘). Nakao has continued to appear on television and produce music. Nakao debuted as a singer at the age of 16. In May 1962, her debut single was "Kawaii Baby" (可愛いベイビー), a cover of the song "Pretty Little Baby" by Connie Francis (from the 1962 album Connie Francis Sings "Second Hand Love"), was released. The song sold over a million copies.
Kenichi Mikawa (美川 憲一, Mikawa Ken'ichi; born 15 May 1946) is a Japanese singer and TV personality, known for his…
Kenichi Mikawa (美川 憲一, Mikawa Ken'ichi; born 15 May 1946) is a Japanese singer and TV personality, known for his outspoken views and onē (オネー, effeminate; literally elder sister) style. Mikawa was born in Suwa, Nagano as Yoshikazu Momose (百瀬 由一, Momose Yoshikazu). He recorded a number of hit songs as a male enka singer in the 1960s and 1970s. The most well-known of his songs include "Sasoriza no Onna" and "Yanagase Blues". His career went into decline in the mid-1970s, but revived about 10 years later when he adopted his current style. He makes frequent appearances on TV talk and variety shows, and is also known as a regular performer on Kōhaku Uta Gassen, the popular New Year's Eve music show. One of the highlights of that show is his annual contest with enka singer Sachiko Kobayashi for the most elaborate costume. Mikawa is openly gay.