is a
Japanese female idol group. Founded in 1984, the group was known for their color-coordinated outfits and use of acrobatics on stage.
History
Saori Iwama, Noriko Hamada, Yukie Suzuki, and Yumiko Itaya were selected among 30,000 applicants by talent agency to form the idol group that would become Saint Four. The quartet made their debut in the 1984 film ''The Audition'', which cost 4 billion yen to produce. Saint Four's debut single peaked at No. 35 on
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
's singles chart and sold over 200,000 copies. Their second single sold over 150,000 copies while their debut album ''The Audition'' sold over 300,000 copies. The quartet inspired
Kazuhiko Shimamoto
is a Japanese people, Japanese Mangaka, manga artist. He attended college at the Osaka University of Arts in the fine arts department. While in college in February 1982, he debuted in the spring special issue of Shōnen Sunday with Hissatsu no Ten ...
to create the character team in his manga ''
Blazing Transfer Student
Blazing or blazin' can refer to;
* Trail blazing, practice of marking outdoor pathways.
* A technique for changing the energy distribution of dispersed light from a diffraction grating by altering the shape of the slits.
* A slang term for smokin ...
''.
After the release of the group's third single and third album in September 1985, Nichigei Project sued Riv.Star Records for nonpayment of royalties. In September 1986, the Tokyo District Court ordered Riv.Star Records to pay Nichigei Project 388 million in compensation. Itaya left the group that year and was replaced by
Jun Iwao.
On January 18, 1987, after two years and two months of activity, Saint Four performed their final concert at Maison Franco-Japonaise in
Shibuya
Shibuya ( 渋谷 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station.
As of April 1 ...
before disbanding.
Post-disbandment
Following the disbandment of Saint Four, Iwama continued her career as an actress. Hamada and Suzuki formed the rock duo . The duo released two singles and one studio album before going their separate ways in 1989 and pursuing careers as actresses. After leaving Saint Four, Itaya released several nude gravure books and videos before getting married and leaving the entertainment industry for good. Iwao continued her career as an actress and anime voice actress under her real name Junko Iwao.
After interviewing Hamada and Suzuki, professional interviewer Gō Yoshida concluded that Saint Four was a scam, with the members paying a registration fee between 300,000 and 400,000, and they were not paid the monthly salary of 30,000. In addition, members were fined 100 for using certain words such as , , and .
On March 17, 2013, Iwama, Hamada, and Suzuki performed a reunion show at Kennedy House Ginza, marking their first show together in 26 years. While there were talks about a full Saint Four reunion, the
TBS variety show announced on April 10, 2015 that Itaya could not be contacted.
Reunion
In 2018, Iwama, Hamada, and Suzuki reformed Saint Four as a trio and released two compilation albums on May 16. consists of two new songs and nine self-covers while ''Complete Collection 1984–1986'' compiles the group's classic songs. In addition, the trio performed their first reunion show at Kennedy House Ginza on June 17.
In August 2021, Saint Four announced the suspension of activities due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Members
Current members
* (born July 7, 1964) (1984–1987; 2018–present)
:* Nickname:
:* Color: Green
* (born February 22, 1965) (1984–1987; 2018–present)
:* Nickname:
:* Color: Pink
* (born May 15, 1966) (1984–1987; 2018–present)
:* Nickname:
:* Color: Blue
Former members
* (born March 5, 1968) (1984–1986)
:* Nickname:
:* Color: Red
* (born February 18, 1970) (1986–1987)
Discography
Singles
Studio albums
Compilations
Filmography
Film
* (November 17, 1984)
* (August 1987)
References
External links
*
*
*
Saint Fourat Idol.ne.jp
{{Authority control
1984 establishments in Japan
Japanese girl groups
Japanese idol groups
Japanese pop music groups
Musical groups established in 1984
Musical groups from Tokyo