is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He is probably best known for his roles as

Eiji Kikumaru ''The Prince of Tennis'' manga and anime series has a large cast of fictional characters created by Takeshi Konomi; many have appeared in the musical and film adaptations. The cast of the series is largely made up of the members of the variou ...

in ''

The Prince of Tennis is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from July 1999 to March 2008, with its chapters collected in forty-two ''tankōbon'' volumes. ...

'' musical series,

Tenimyu , also known as for short, is a series of live action stage musicals directed by Yukio Ueshima based on the manga series ''The Prince of Tennis'' created by Takeshi Konomi and serialized by Shueisha in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''. The first music ...

, and

Tōshirō Hitsugaya is a Character (arts), fictional character in the manga and anime series ''Bleach (manga), Bleach'', created by Tite Kubo. In the series, Hitsugaya is a captain of the 10th division or squad of the Gotei 13, a group of List of Soul Reapers in Bl ...

in ''" Rock Musical Bleach"''. During his run in Tenimyu, he garnered the nickname "Nagayan", which he is still referred to by fans and friends. He made his television debut in 1998 with the drama ''Change''.

Career

The Prince of Tennis Musicals

Nagayama's major stage debut was from 2003 to the beginning of 2005 for the role of the acrobatic Eiji Kikumaru in the ''Prince of Tennis'' musical series, Tenimyu, as part of the first generation

Seigaku ''The Prince of Tennis'' manga and anime series has a large cast of fictional characters created by Takeshi Konomi; many have appeared in the musical and film adaptations. The cast of the series is largely made up of the members of the various ...

cast. When the series came out in 2003, former

D-BOYS D-Boys (stylized as D-BOYS) is a young male actors group affiliated with Watanabe Entertainment. The ''D'' in the group's name stands for "Drama" (acting work), "Dream", "Debut", "Discovery" and "Development" (growth and advancement). Although ...

member Yamazaki Ichitaro played the role during the spring run of the first show, and Nagayama played the role during the summer run. Afterwards, Nagayama was set to carry on playing the role with the first cast, understudying the role of

Shusuke Fuji ''The Prince of Tennis'' manga and anime series has a large cast of fictional characters created by Takeshi Konomi; many have appeared in the musical and film adaptations. The cast of the series is largely made up of the members of the various ...

as well, when Ichitaro left the series. The end of 2003 brought tragedy to Tenimyu. Less than two weeks before the second show, ''Remarkable 1st Match Fudomine'',

Kotaro Yanagi is a Japanese actor. Early life Yanagi was born on December 21, 1985, in Berlin, Germany. He lived in Germany for three years before moving back with his family to Japan. His family moved to India for work, and he lived there for three years. H ...

- who was playing the lead role of

Ryoma Echizen is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga and anime series ''The Prince of Tennis'' created by Takeshi Konomi. In the series, Ryoma is portrayed as a twelve-year-old tennis prodigy who won four consecutive Junior Tennis Tournamen ...

at the time - was hospitalized after being accidentally hit by a car. Because the musical's rehearsals were well underway and performance dates already set, several changes were made in the cast for the show: Nagayama was shifted over to Fuji due to

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

singer

Kimeru Kimeru (most often written either in Romaji (Kimeru) or with Katakana (キメル), but has been written as きめる (Hiragana) and (決める) (Kanji), born June 17, 1980) is a Japanese pop musician, singer, and stage actor. He is most famo ...

, who was playing the role of Fuji, having to step up as Echizen, and Ichitaro was brought back as Kikumaru. After

Yuya Endo is a Japanese actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Ryoma Echizen in ''The Prince of Tennis'' musical series (commonly known as ''Tenimyu''). He was also part of a young men's stage acting troupe, D-BOYS, which perform in various sk ...

was brought in as the new Echizen, Nagayama and Kimeru went back to their roles as Kikumaru and Fuji respectively. Nagayama graduated from the series with his fellow castmates after the ''Side Fudomine'' musical; along with several graduated Tenimyu members, he got a cameo role in the ''Prince of Tennis'' live film adaptation. Since Nagayama's graduation, the role of Kikumaru has been played by

Osamu Adachi is a Japanese actor and a former member of the acting group D-BOYS. He is best known for his role as Eiji Kikumaru in ''The Prince of Tennis'' musical series, Tenimyu, and in the The Prince of Tennis (film), live film adaptation. Career In O ...

Koji Seto Koji, Kōji, Kohji or Kouji may refer to: *Kōji (given name), a masculine Japanese given name *Kōji (Heian period) (康治), Japanese era, 1142–1144 *Kōji (Muromachi period) (弘治), Japanese era, 1555–1558 *Koji orange, a Japanese citrus ...

Kyousuke Hamao is a Japanese former actor, singer, and model. Hamao debuted as an actor in the role of Eiji Kikumaru in '' Musical: The Prince of Tennis'' from 2007 to 2009. He has since then appeared in multiple film and television projects, such as Takumi H ...

, Shouta Takasaki, and Yuta Koseki. Nagayama, along with Kimeru and Endo, went to see Yanagi graduate from Tenimyu at the final performance of ''Dream Live 3rd'' in 2006. Nagayama returned to his role as Kikumaru and reunited with the 1st generation Seigaku cast to perform in Tenimyu's ''Dream Live 7th'' in 2010 to celebrate the end of the Tenimyu's first season.

Other work

After his graduation, Nagayama also starred as

in the ''Rock Musical

Bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...

'' series, which also stars some of his old Tenimyu cast mates. He enjoyed his first starring role in a theatrical production with Switch wo Osu Toki, in July 2006. His line of designer clothing, Blossam, can be found at the Gai

shop in Tokyo. Nagayama has released several idol DVDs - Blossam in 2004, and two DVD/Photobook sets in 2007, entitled On and Off - as well as a single and two full-length albums. Since its formation in 2004, he has been very active with his Japanese fan club, and holds several members-only events each year. He maintains an active and popular blog, which he updates several times each week with photos. In his spare time, he enjoys sports, especially

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

, and

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

, and remaking/designing clothing. Above all, Nagayama is earnest and serious about his work and his fans, and this has helped him build and maintain a loyal base of support worldwide.

Profile

*Name: 永山たかし *Name (romaji): Nagayama Takashi *Real Name: 永山毅 (Nagayama Takashi) *Date of birth: 1978 November 16 *Birthplace: Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Musical

TENIMYU: THE PRINCE OF TENNIS MUSICAL SERIES (as Eiji Kikumaru, Fuji u/s) * ''The Prince of Tennis Musical'' - Eiji Kikumaru (summer of 2003) * ''The Prince of Tennis Musical'': Remarkable 1st Match Fudomine - Shusuke Fuji (In Winter 2003-2004) * ''The Prince of Tennis Musical'': Dream Live 1st - Eiji Kikumaru (2004) * ''The Prince of Tennis Musical'': More Than Limit St. Rudolph Gakuen - Eiji Kikumaru (2004) * ''The Prince of Tennis Musical'': Side Fudomine ~Special Match~ - Eiji Kikumaru (In Winter 2004-2005) * ''The Prince of Tennis Musical'': Dream Live 7th - Eiji Kikumaru (2010) Rock Musical BLEACH (as Tōshirō Hitsugaya) * Rock Musical BLEACH (2005) * Rock Musical BLEACH Saien (2006) * Rock Musical BLEACH The Dark of The Bleeding Moon (2006) * Rock Musical BLEACH Live Bankai Show Code: 001 (2007) * Rock Musical BLEACH No Clouds in the Blue Heavens (2007) * Rock Musical BLEACH Live Bankai Show Code: 002 (2008) * Rock Musical BLEACH The All (2008) * Rock Musical BLEACH Live Bankai Show Code: 003 (2010) Other musicals * Rock'n Jam Musical (2004) * Rock'n Jam Musical - Saien (2005) * Flowers for Algernon Musical (2006) * Rock'n Jam Musical II (2006) * Rock'n Jam Musical II - Saien (2007) * Rock'n Jam Live - Live (2007)

TV series

Change Change or Changing may refer to: Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period * Metamorphosis, or change, ...

(ANB, 1998) as Jiro Yoneyama * Newscaster Kasumi Ryoko (ANB, 1999) * Abunai Houkago (ANB, 1999, Episode 2) * Norowareta Kagai Jugyou (KTV, 1999) * Kowai Douwa: Cinderella (TBS, 1999) * Shoushimin Kane (CX, 1999) * Another Heaven Eclipse (ANB, 2000, Episodes 6-8) * Gekka no Kishi (ANB, 2000) as Nishimura * Hanamura Daisuke (KTV, 2000, Episode 9) * Wakareru Futari no Jikenbo (ANB, 2000, Episode 7) * Seigi no Shichiya Momonori: Tomoko no Jikenbo (CX, 2000) * Koko Dake no Hanashi: Haigo no Onna (ANB, 2001) * G-Taste: Kyoushi Mizukoshi Sayaka (ANB, 2001) * Shin Omizu no Hanamichi (CX, 2001) * Love & Fight (TBS, 2001) * Morning Musume New Spring Love Stories: Toki o Kakeru (TBS, 2002) as Goro Asakura * Yo ni mo Kimyou na Monogatari ’02 Haru Tokubetsu hen Mushi Geimu (CX, 2002) *

Kamen Rider Ryuki is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. The twelfth installment in the Kamen Rider Series, it was a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei, and it was shown on TV Asahi from February 3, 2002 to January 19, 2003. The series ...

(ANB, 2002, Episodes 22-23) as Yuichi Saito * Kaiki File 2: Senrozoi no Apartment (YTV, 2002) *

Hot Man Hot or the acronym HOT may refer to: Food and drink *Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality *Hot, a wine tasting descriptor Places *Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand ** Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot Distric ...

(TBS, 2003, Episodes 4-6) as Yoshimasa Tsukamoto * Team4 (CX, 2003) * Hikeshiya Komachi (NHK, 2004) * Fantasm: Noroi no Yado (NHK, 2004) * Chi Ato (TBS, 2004) * Chushingura (ANB, 2004, Episode 1) * Ōoku: Dai Isshou (CX, 2004, Episodes 7, 9 and Special) * Otōto (ANB, 2004) * F2-X (CX, 2004) * Yasashii Jikan (CX, 2005, Episode 6) * Astro Kyuudan (TV ASAHI, 2005) as Akechi Kyushichi "Astro 7" * Nihon no Rekishi (CX, 2005) as Ranmaru Mori * Ōoku: Dai Isshou Special (CX, 2005) * Shichinin no Onna Bengoshi (TV ASAHI, 2006, Episode 8) *

Kekkon Dekinai Otoko , known in English as ''The Man Who Can't Get Married'', is a 2006 Japanese drama broadcast by Fuji TV. The theme song is "Swimmy" by Every Little Thing. The drama was produced by Kansai Telecasting Corporation and Media Mix Japan. Plot Sh ...

(KTV, 2006, Episode 11) *

Delicious Gakuin {{Nihongo, ''Delicious Gakuin'', 美味學院, Derishasu Gakuin, translated as Delicious Academy, is a Japanese TV drama. Synopsis After being kidnapped and being taken to a cooking school told they must enroll, a group of boys deal with learning ...

(TV TOKYO, 2007) as Okita Tsukasa * Ururun (TBS, 2007) * Sunshine Days (Kanagawa TV, 2007) * Tadashii Ouji no Tsukuri Kata (TV TOKYO, 2008) as Nanbara Takashi * Koi no Paradora (2008, Episode 8) * Dageki Tenshi Ruri (2008, Episode 3) *

Shibatora is a Japanese manga series written by Yuma Ando and illustrated by Masashi Asaki. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from December 2006 to October 2009 and compiled into 15 ''tankōbon'' volumes. It was adapted as ...

(CX, 2009, Special) * Arienai! (MBS, 2010, Episode 8) * Tumbling (TBS, 2010, Episode 6) as Shinichi Hino

Movies

* Usagi (1998) * Tennen Shōjo Mahn Next (1999) - Yuuya Narugi *

Muscle Heat is a 2002 Japanese action film directed by Ten Shimoyama. The film stars Kane Kosugi, Show Aikawa, Masaya Kato, and Naoto Takenaka. In the film, an ex-Navy SEAL attempts to bring down a criminal organization that is benefitting from a dangerous ...

(2002) - Kazu * Yume Oikakete (2003) * Norio no Heya (2004) *

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...

(2005) * Parazoku: Parapara ja nai ka! (2006) *

(2006) * Sakugoe (2007) * Bokura no Hōteishiki (2008) * Hana Guerilla (2009) *

Nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

(2010) * Dark Side of the Light (2016)

Plays

* Oni to Hito to (2000) *

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...

(2005) * Watashi wa Obasan ni Natte ‘ru !? (2006) * Funny Bunny (2007) * Switch o Osu Toki: Kimi wa Naze Ikiteiru ‘n da? (2006 & 2007) as Youhei Minami * Aru Hi, Bokura wa Yume no Naka de Deau (2007) * Jisoku 246 (2008) * Kuchuu Blanco (2008) * Every Little Thing (2008) * Hakase to Tarō no Ijō na Aijō (2008) * Shatō (2008) * Tokubetsuhō Dai 001 jō DUST (2009) as Akihiro * Maharaja Mode (2009) as Pasuputa * Magdala na Maria 2 (2009) *

Shinsengumi The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time when ...

(2010) as Toshiki Hijikata * Blood Prisoner (2010) * Shounen Hollywood (2011) * Michi wo Kakeru (2011)

Music

*Kokoro ga (2005) 1. 心が… (My Heart...) 2. おくるうた (A Song for You) 3. 雨音 (The Sound of the Rain) 4. 心が…(Toscana version) (My Heart...) * JAM (2005): 1.春に思い出し想う (I'll Be Thinking Of You In the Spring) 2.おくるうた (A Song for You) 3.言葉～ (One Word) 4.Sample 5.おもいでにデキなくて (I Can't Make You Into a Memory) 6.南口 (Southern Exit) 7.心が…(Romano version) (My Heart...) 8.雨音 (The Sound of the Rain) 9.Slow Jam 10.終着駅 (Terminal Station) 11. JAM/Bonus Track * LOVE (2006): 1.バーガーショップ (Burger Shop) 2.僕の中 (Inside Of Me) 3.恋・愛 (Passion - Love) 4.恋の痛み (The Pain of Love) 5.kiss℃ (Temperature of a Kiss) 6.去りしきみ (The You That's Gone) 7.あかり (Light) 8.叫べ！ (Shout!) 9.唇 (Lips) 10.かたち (Shape) 11.LOVE/Bonus Track *I Feel Fine (featured on the DVD 'On', 2007)

External links

Takashi Nagayama's Official HomepageTakashi Nagayama's Official BlogTakashi Nagayama's Official Blog - 3/2006~11/2008Strawberry Meet
Takashi Nagayama's official fanclub
Gain Store
(Blossam Clothing Line) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagayama, Takashi 1978 births People from Kanagawa Prefecture Living people Japanese male actors