Japanese idol
An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements b ...
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 ...
band, active from 1987 to 1988. It was the third sub-group of
Onyanko Club
was a large all-girl Japanese pop idol group in the 1980s. Some members of the group participated in spin-off groups, such as Nyangilas, Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi and Ushirogami Hikaretai. Many of the latter two groups' songs were used as theme so ...
, consisting of three of its members:
Shizuka Kudō
, known by her maiden name , is a Japanese singer, actress and former idol, born in Hamura, Tokyo, Japan. She was a member of Onyanko Club between May 1986 and September 1987 and went on to have a successful solo career with 11 number-one hits.
...
,
Akiko Ikuina
is a Japanese singer, actress, tarento, and politician. She joined the Japanese pop idol group Onyanko Club in 1986.
Biography
She was born in Setagaya, Tokyo, but moved to Koganei when she was a little girl. She has an elder sister and an elde ...
, and Makiko Saitō, the group debuted during the "Onyanko Yumekojo Sailing 87'" tour.
Biography
In April 1987, a new sub-group, Ushirogami Hikaretai, was formed to replace
Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi
was a female Japanese pop music duo consisting of Yukiko Iwai and Mamiko Takai, formed in 1985. In parallel to their membership in this duo, Iwai and Takai were at the same time members of Onyanko Club, a large pop group widely seen as a precurso ...
, which was disbanded when
Mamiko Takai
Mamiko Takai (高井麻巳子, Takai Mamiko, born December 28, 1966, in Obama, Fukui, Japan) is a Japanese idol from the eighties, who debuted in 1985 with the J-pop girl band Onyanko Club, and its first sub-group, duo Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi with ...
graduated from Onyanko Club, and Shizuka Kudō, Akiko Ikuina, and Makiko Saitō were selected as its members. Initially, was to be selected over Saitō, but it was concluded that Kaise was not suitable to be a member. At the time of its formation, Ikuina was considered the main figure. In May 1987, their debut song, , was released. This song was the theme song for the anime
High School! Kimengumi
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Motoei Shinzawa. A first series ''Third Year Funny-face Club'' was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from October 1980 to April 1982. ''High School! Kimengumi'' was se ...
and ranked number one on the
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 ...
charts. The quality of this song is highly acclaimed, and some consider it the best Onyanko Club-related song. In July 1987, they hosted a radio show, , along with TV personality
Tsutomu Sekine
is a Japanese comedian, singer and television presenter. His former stage name is . He is represented with Asai Kikaku. His daughter is ''tarento'' Mari Sekine.
Sekine is partnered with Kazuki Kosakai, who is a junior at his talent agency and a ...
. Although Onyanko Club disbanded in September 1987, Ushirogami Hikaretai continued its activities, and they held concerts, but their activities were suspended in May 1988. As a result, they released five singles and three albums, as well as a video of their concert held at the
Tokyo Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan
, also known as Wel City Tokyo, was a concert hall in Shinjuku, Tokyo, one of a number of public concert halls in Japan called Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan. John Coltrane's quintet performed here on their Japanese tour (1966). Dutch band Shocking Blue wh ...
.
, chief director of the variety show , said their teamwork was pretty good. Musician , who wrote the lyrics for Ushirogami Hikaretai's songs, noted that unlike other Onyanko Club songs, their songs were of very high quality because they were based on music that had been meticulously developed under the famous director . He also considered them to be the legitimate successor of Candies.
In October 2008, its producer
Yasushi Akimoto
is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise. Total sales of the singles he has written exceed 100 million copies, maki ...
announced its re-formation as
Watarirouka Hashiritai
was a Japanese female idol group, and a subgroup of Japanese female idol group AKB48. Under Pony Canyon, the group debuted in January 2009 with the double A-side single " Hatsukoi Dash/Aoi Mirai."
History
In October 2008, Yasushi Akimoto announc ...
with four members from his new production
AKB48
AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with it ...
, the modern successor of Onyanko Club. So far, Watarirouka Hashiritai has performed the second
Blue Dragon (anime)
''Blue Dragon'' (stylized as ''BLUE DRAGON'') is a Japanese anime television series adaptation of the ''Blue Dragon'' video game series. The series was produced by Studio Pierrot and broadcast on TV Tokyo. The first season ran for 51 episodes ...
opening .
Members
Shizuka Kudō
Shizuka Kudō (工藤静香, Kudō Shizuka, born April 14, 1970 in
Ginza
Ginza ( ; ja, 銀座 ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo, with numerous intern ...
,
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Japan)
Akiko Ikuina
Akiko Ikuina (生稲晃子, Ikuina Akiko, born April 28, 1968 in
Setagaya
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. The ward calls itself Setagaya City in English. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orch ...
,
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Japan)
Makiko Saitō
Makiko Saitō (斎藤満喜子, Saitō Makiko, born September 19, 1970 in
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...
, Japan)
Her trademark was her very thick eyebrows, a trait she possessed from birth. After enrolling at , she was a member of the
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
team. She also had an interest in the entertainment industry and auditioned for a number of shows, and at one point was an assistant on a local radio program. In April 1986, she enrolled at , and in August 1986, she was selected as one of the runners-up at the Miss Seventeen contest sponsored by
Shūeisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
. The audition was a joint project with , a variety show featuring the then very popular idol group Onyanko Club. This led her to become a member of Onyanko Club, and she started living in a dormitory in Tokyo with other Onyanko Club members who had also come from rural areas like her. She also attended
Horikoshi High School
is a private high school in Nakano, Tokyo
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Nakano City. In May 1988, Ushirogami Hikaretai went on hiatus. In July 1988, she made her solo debut with a song called and also became one of the hosts of a TV show called .
Subsequently, she often appeared on variety shows. As a reporter for a popular quiz show called
Naruhodo! The World
was a travelogue and information quiz show that was broadcast from October 6, 1981, until March 26, 1996 on Fuji TV.
Format
The show was hosted by Kinya Aikawa and . The game would be played by eight celebrity contestants in teams of two. After ...
, she visited more than 25 countries. In 1998, She married , the president of , a food company, and had two children. In August 2021, she made her first public appearance since her marriage on a TV show hosted by
Nobuo Serizawa
is a Japanese professional golfer.
Serizawa played on the Japan Golf Tour, winning five times.
Professional wins (7) Japan Golf Tour wins (5)
Japan Golf Tour playoff record (0–4)
Other wins (1)
*1987 Acom Team Championship (with Tomohir ...
, a professional golfer with whom she used to work on a
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
program.
Discography
;Singles
*1987.05.07 : Toki no Kawa wo Koete
*1987.08.12 : Anata wo Shiritai
*1987.11.11 : Mobius no Koibito
*1988.02.25 : Horane, Haru ga Kita
*1988.04.29 : Kyou wa Saikou!
;Albums
*1987.09.05 : Ushirogami Hikaretai
*1988.03.05 : BAB
*1988.07.06 : Hora ne, Haru ga Kita - First Concert (live)