was a Japanese singer and actor. As a singer, he was known as one of the three "''Gosanke''" (referring to ''

gosanke The , also called simply , or even , were the most noble three branches of the Tokugawa clan of Japan: Owari, Kii, and Mito, all of which were descended from clan founder Tokugawa Ieyasu's three youngest sons, Yoshinao, Yorinobu, and Yorifusa ...

'', the three great Tokugawa houses), along with

Yukio Hashi is a Japanese enka singer and an actor. His real name is , using a different kanji. Discography * : Co-starring with Sayuri Yoshinaga (1962) * * Itako Gasa Filmography Film His filmography includes 36 films: http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/person/p00848 ...

and

Kazuo Funaki is a Japanese Enka singer. Kazuo also has a career as a stage actor, film actor, and TV actor. His real name is . Discography * : the singer's debut in 1963 * : 1966 * Filmography * Koukou San Nen Sei * TV actor * Taiga drama ** '' ...

. The stage name was based on the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

one of three heroes, but also the Kagoshima Local hero

Takamori Saigo Takamori may refer to: Places *Takamori, Kumamoto, a town in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan *Takamori, Nagano, a town in Nagano Prefecture, Japan People with the surname * Akio Takamori Akio Takamori (1950 – January 11, 2017) was a Japanese-Amer ...

Career

Saigō made his debut in 1964 with the song "Kimi Dake o", for which he won a

Japan Record Award is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Until 2005, the show aired on New Year's Eve, but has since aired every December 30 on TBS Japan at 6:30 P.M JST a ...

for best new artist.History
Japan Record Awards. Accessed May 12, 2008. As an actor, he has portrayed people as varied as 20th century Prime Minister

Kakuei Tanaka was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives from 1947 Japanese general election, 1947 to 1990 Japanese general election, 1990, and was Prime Minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. After ...

(in the 1983 film ''Shōsetsu Yoshida Gakkō'') and 16th century samurai

Katakura Kagetsuna was a Japanese samurai of the Katakura clan during the late Sengoku period. Also known by his court title, ''Bichū no Kami'' (備中守), or more commonly, as Katakura Kojūrō. Together with Oniniwa Tsunamoto and Date Shigezane, Kagetsuna was ...

(in the 1987 NHK '' Taiga drama'' ''Dokuganryū Masamune''). A native of

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

, he has played the roles of native sons such as

Kuroda Kiyotaka Count , also known as , was a Japanese politician of the Meiji era. He was Prime Minister of Japan from 1888 to 1889. He was also vice chairman of the Hokkaido Development Commission ( Kaitaku-shi). Biography As a Satsuma ''samurai'' Kur ...

and

Saigō Tsugumichi Saigō may refer to: Places * Saigō, Shimane * Saigō, Miyazaki People * Saigō-no-Tsubone (Lady Saigō) (1552–1589), consort of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the samurai lord and shōgun * Saigō Takamori * Saigō Tanomo * Teruhiko Saigō * Saigō ...

, but his characters also include

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

, Yagyū Jūbei and

Hattori Hanzō or ''Second Hanzō'', nicknamed , was a famous Ninja of the Sengoku era, who served the Tokugawa clan as a ninja, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. He is often a subjec ...

. His roles in

Chūshingura is the title given to fictionalized accounts in Japanese literature, theater, and film that relate to the historical incident involving the forty-seven ''rōnin'' and their mission to avenge the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including the ...

tales have included Mōri Koheita (1985). Saigō has starred in various prime-time television series. These include ''

Edo o Kiru or ''Slashing Edo'' was a popular ''jidaigeki'' on Japan's Tokyo Broadcasting System. During the decades from its 1973, premiere until 1994, finale, 214 episodes aired. It lasted through eight series, with several casts and settings. It ran on Mo ...

,'' ''Genkurō Tabi Nikki Aoi no Abarenbō,'' ''

Abare Hasshū Goyō Tabi was a network prime-time television ''jidaigeki'' series in Japan from 1991 to 1994. It starred Teruhiko Saigō. The series began in 1991 in the 9:00 p.m. time slot on the TV Tokyo network. Saigō created the role of Tōdō Heihachirō. The c ...

,'' and ''Abare Isha Ranzan.'' NHK has tapped him for various ''Taiga drama'' roles as well. Among them are

Mōri Hiromoto was a local warlord (jizamurai) of Aki Province in the west Chūgoku region of Japan during the Muromachi period and Sengoku period of the 16th century. The Mōri clan claimed descent from Ōe no Hiromoto, an adviser to Minamoto no Yoritomo. ...

(in ''

Mōri Motonari was a prominent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the western Chūgoku region of Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. The Mōri clan claimed descent from Ōe no Hiromoto (大江広元), an adviser to Minamoto no Yoritomo. Motonari w ...

'', 1997),

Sanada Yukimura , also known as , was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was especially known as the leading general on the defending side of the Siege of Osaka. Yukimura was called "A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years", "Crimson D ...

(''

Aoi Tokugawa Sandai is a 2000 Japanese historical drama television series and the 39th NHK taiga drama. The series respectively stars Masahiko Tsugawa, Toshiyuki Nishida, and Onoe Tatsunosuke II as the first three Tokugawa shōguns. It aired from January 9 to Dec ...

'', 2000), and

Honda Masanobu was a commander and ''daimyō'' in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Japan during the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods. In 1563, when an uprising against Ieyasu occurred in Mikawa Province, Masanobu took the side of the peasants against Ieyasu ...

(NHK's Taiga drama ''Musashi'', 2003) in addition to Katakura Kagetsuna. Other NHK roles have included the contemporary daytime drama ''Niji no Sekkei'' (1964) and the uncle of the title character in the ''

asadora , colloquially known as , is a serialized, 15 minutes per episode, Japanese television drama program series broadcast in the mornings by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The first such series aired in 1961 with the black-and-white , starring Take ...

'' ''Wakaba'' (2004–05). On 21 February 2022, Sun Music, Saigo's management company, made an announcement that he died after a long battle with

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

in Tokyo, on 20 February.

Filmography

Films

* ''

The Last Samurai ''The Last Samurai'' is a 2003 epic period action drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz from a story devised by Logan. The film stars Ken Watanabe in the t ...

'' (1974) *''

The Fall of Ako Castle is a 1978 Japanese historical martial arts period film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. It depicts the story of the forty-seven Ronin (''Chūshingura''). The film is one of a series of period films by Fukasaku starring Yorozuya Kinnosuke, including ''S ...

'' (1978) – Asano Takumi no Kami *''

Shogun's Samurai ''Shogun's Samurai'', known in Japan as , is a 1978 Japanese historical martial arts period film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The film is the first of two period films by Fukasaku starring Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba as Jūbei Mitsuyoshi Yagyū, the o ...

'' (1978) –

Tokugawa Tadanaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. The son of the second ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Hidetada, his elder brother was the third ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Iemitsu. Life Often called ''Suruga Dainagon'' (the major counsellor of Suruga), ...

*''Shōsetsu Yoshida Gakkō'' (1983) –

*'' Gray Sunset'' (1985) – Haruo Takano *''

Ruten no umi is a 1990 Japanese film directed by Buichi Saitō. The lead star is Hisaya Morishige. It is based on Teru Miyamoto`s novel of the same title. Plot Cast *Hisaya Morishige as Kumago Matsuzaka *Yumiko Nogawa as Fusae Matsuzaka * Kōichi Satō ...

'' (1990) *'' Listen to My Heart'' (2009) – Kengo Nakakura

Television

*''

'' (TBS, 1975–81) –

Tōyama Kagemoto was a hatamoto and an official of the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period of Japanese history. His ancestry was of the Minamoto clan of the Mino Province. His father, Kagemichi, was the magistrate of Nagasaki. Biography During his youth, K ...

*'' Shadow Warriors'' (1980) – Tsutusmi Kyonosuke *''

Hissatsu Masshigura! is a Japanese television jidaigeki or period drama that was broadcast in 1986. It is the 26th in the Hissatsu series. Inspired by Video game Super Mario Bros. Cast * Kunihiko Mitamura as Hide * Yoko Akino as Keima no Ogin * Shōfukutei Tsurube ...

'' (1986) *''

Dokuganryū Masamune is a 1987 Japanese historical television series. It is the 25th NHK ''taiga'' drama. The broadcast received an average viewer rating of 39.7 percent in the Kanto area. The drama was adapted from the novel of Sōhachi Yamaoka. Plot Toyotomi Hidey ...

'' (NHK, 1987) –

*''

'' (TV Tokyo, 1990–94) – Tōdō Heihachirō *''Mōri Motonari'' (NHK, 1997) –

*'' Aoi'' (NHK, 2000) –

*''Musashi'' (NHK, 2003) –

*''

Bar Lemon Heart , sometimes referred to as "Bar Lemon Heart," is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsutoshi Furuya and Family Kikaku and published by Futabasha from 1985 to 2021. A Japanese television drama series based on the manga premie ...

'' (BS Fuji, 2016) – Shingo Makita *''No Side Manager'' (TBS, 2019) – Hiroshi Shimamoto *''The Yagyu Conspiracy'' (NHK, 2020) – Narrator

References

External links

*
Japan Record Awards for 1964
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saigo, Teruhiko 1947 births 2022 deaths Japanese male singers Japanese male actors Japanese male pop singers Japanese lyricists Japanese male composers Japanese television presenters People from Kagoshima Musicians from Kagoshima Prefecture Deaths from cancer in Japan Deaths from prostate cancer