Momoe Yamaguchi facts for kids

Momoe Miura (Japanese: 三浦 百恵, Hepburn: Miura Momoe, born 17 January 1959), known by her maiden name Momoe Yamaguchi (Japanese: 山口 百恵, Hepburn: Yamaguchi Momoe), is a Japanese former singer and actress. She was also a famous idol, which means she was a young celebrity admired by many fans. Her career lasted from 1972 to 1980.

People often just called her "Momoe." Yamaguchi is one of the most successful singers in Japanese music history. She released 32 singles, and three of them became number one hits. She also put out 21 studio albums. Besides singing, she acted in 15 movies and several TV shows. When she was 21, Yamaguchi decided to retire at the peak of her fame. She wanted to marry her frequent co-star, Tomokazu Miura. Since then, she has not performed or appeared in public. Because of this, she is known as a legendary idol in Japan.

Early Life

Momoe Yamaguchi was born on January 17, 1959, in Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

When she was very young, her maternal grandparents took care of her. Around age four, she went back to her parents, and her family moved to Yokohama. Later, they moved again to Yokosuka. Her mother raised Momoe and her younger sister, Toshie, by herself.

Her Career Begins

Yamaguchi started her career in show business when she was still in junior high school. In late 1972, at just 13 years old, Yamaguchi and her friends applied to be on a TV show called Star Tanjō!. This show helped find new idol talents. She did well in the auditions and appeared on the show.

Even though she finished second, many music producers wanted to sign her. She chose to sign with Hori Productions. Her family then moved to Tokyo. Yamaguchi went to schools that allowed students to have careers in entertainment.

At first, she was promoted with two other singers, Junko Sakurada and Masako Mori. They were called the Hana no Chūsan Torio, which means "The lovely trio of third-year middle school students," because they were all in their third year of middle school.

Her first song, "Toshigoro," and her first movie with the same name, were not very popular. But her second song, "Aoi Kajitsu," became a top 10 hit. This song became popular because of its interesting lyrics.

Her early songs were written by the Hori Productions team. One of her biggest hits was her fifth song, "Hito natsu no Keiken" ("an experience one summer"). This song also had lyrics that got a lot of attention from the press.

Becoming More Popular

By the end of 1974, Momoe Yamaguchi was incredibly popular. She was invited to be the opening female singer for the 25th Kōhaku Uta Gassen. This is Japan's most popular music show. She continued to appear on this show every year until she retired.

As she became more famous, Yamaguchi gained more control over her career. She could choose her own songwriters. She picked Ryudo Uzaki because she liked his song "Secret Love." Their first song together was "Yokosuka Story" in 1976. Uzaki wrote the music, and his wife, Yoko Aki, wrote the lyrics. Aki was inspired because she and Yamaguchi had both lived in Yokosuka. "Yokosuka Story" was Yamaguchi's biggest hit, selling over 600,000 copies and reaching number one on the charts. This was the start of a successful partnership with the husband-and-wife songwriting team that lasted until her retirement. Other writers, like Masashi Sada, also wrote popular songs for her, such as "Cosmos."

Her success as a singer grew alongside her acting career. She starred in many movies and TV shows. Her second movie, Izu no Odoriko, paired her with actor Tomokazu Miura. They had great chemistry on screen and became known as the Momoe-Tomokazu "golden combi" (short for combination). They starred together in 14 of her 17 movies, releasing one every winter and summer.

Towards the end of her career, Yamaguchi's music became more advanced. Her albums Golden Flight and L.A. Blue were recorded in London and Los Angeles. She worked with local musicians and production teams there. Her album Phoenix Densetsu was even written like a rock opera. She wanted to make a rock song before she retired, so Uzaki and Aki wrote "Rock 'n Roll Widow" for her.

When her TV shows were shown in China in the 1980s, she also became very popular there as an actress. In China, she is known as 山口百惠. A poll in 2000 showed she was the most widely known Japanese person among Chinese people.

Marriage and Retirement

As Yamaguchi and Tomokazu Miura acted together in romantic movies, they also fell in love in real life. During a trip to Hawaii in 1979, Miura proposed to Yamaguchi. She said yes and decided to retire from entertainment to marry him.

Yamaguchi announced their relationship at a concert in October 1979. The news about their marriage and her retirement was shared in March 1980. Her farewell concert was held at the Nippon Budokan on October 5, 1980. She released her last album, This is my trial, on October 21, 1980, and her last song, "Ichie," on November 19, 1980. By the time she retired, Yamaguchi was responsible for over 25% of the sales at Horipro, her management company. She also wrote the lyrics for her last song using the pen name "Kei Yokosuka."

In her autobiography, Aoi Toki, she said she wanted to stop working to spend all her time with her husband. She also said in an interview that she did not want to continue being a singer or actress.

On October 15, 1980, Yamaguchi officially retired from show business. On November 19, 1980, she and Tomokazu Miura were married. Despite rumors of her coming back, she has focused on being a homemaker and mother to her two sons. Her husband, Tomokazu Miura, continued his acting career.

After Retirement

In 1981, she wrote a book of essays called Aoi Toki. It sold over a million copies in its first month.

Even though she retired, she is still often featured in weekly entertainment magazines. Her family sometimes faced difficulties with privacy, especially when her sons attended school events.

Her two sons, Yūtarō and Takahiro Miura, have also started careers in entertainment. Yūtarō is in the music business, and Takahiro is an actor. Takahiro is also a qualified lifeguard.

Yamaguchi enjoys making quilts as a hobby. She shows her quilts under her married name, "Momoe Miura." In 2011, she was chosen as "The ideal mother" in a poll.

New music products featuring her continue to be released, such as a DVD set of her TV appearances in 2010. She still receives a good income from her record royalties. Her TV shows are also available on DVD and are repeated on cable TV.

In 2011, Tomokazu Miura wrote a book called Aishō (compatibility), sharing the secret of their happy marriage. In 2012, the couple was voted "the ideal celebrity couple" for the seventh year in a row by married people in Japan.

Discography

Studio Albums

Covers

Other artists often cover her songs. For example, Ayako Fuji released a version of "Manjushaka" in 2003. "Cosmos" has been covered by many singers, including its writer, Masashi Sada. "Imitation Gold" was covered by Tak Matsumoto and Mai Kuraki in 2003.

In 2004, a tribute album called Yamaguchi Momoe Toribyuto Thank You For... was released. It featured Yamaguchi's songs covered by artists like Masaharu Fukuyama and Hiromi Iwasaki. A second album of covers came out in 2005.

In the 1980s, the Hong Kong singer Anita Mui released Chinese versions of some of her songs.

In 1991, The Nolans released an album called Playback Part 2. It had well-known Yamaguchi songs with new English lyrics. They re-recorded these songs in 2005 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Yamaguchi's retirement. These albums were only released in Japan.

Rina Rahman covered her song "Akai Unmei" in Malay, calling it "Ku Ingin Bahagia."

JR West Shinkansen trains use a chime version of "Iihi Tabidachi" as part of their next station announcements.

Filmography

Films

Most of Yamaguchi's films, starting with Izu no Odoriko, were romantic stories where she starred with Tomokazu Miura. Many were directed by Katsumi Nishikawa. Except for White Love (set in Spain) and Furimukeba Ai (set in San Francisco), most of her romantic films with Miura were based on Japanese books.

• Toshigoro (としごろ) (directed by Ichimura)
• Izu no Odoriko (伊豆の踊子) (from the short story "The Dancing Girl of Izu" by Yasunari Kawabata) (directed by Katsumi Nishikawa)
• Shiosai (潮騒) (directed by Katsumi Nishikawa)
• Onēchan Ote Yawaraka ni (お姐ちゃんお手やわらかに) (as herself, her only non-starring role)
• Zesshō (絶唱) (1975) (directed by Katsumi Nishikawa)
• Eden no Umi (エデンの海) (directed by Katsumi Nishikawa)
• Kaze tachinu (風立ちぬ) (directed by Mitsuo Wakasugi)
• Shunkinshō (春琴抄) (directed by Katsumi Nishikawa)
• Doro darake no Junjō (泥だらけの純情) (directed by Sokichi Tomimoto)
• Kiri no Hata (霧の旗), (directed by Katsumi Nishikawa)
• Furimukeba Ai (ふりむけば愛), (directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi), also titled Take me away!
• Honō no Mai (炎の舞) (directed by Yoshisuke Kawasaki)
• White Love (ホワイト・ラブ) (directed by Tsugunobu Kotani)
• Tenshi o Yuwaku (天使を誘惑) (directed by Toshiya Fujita)
• Koto (古都) (1980) (directed by Kon Ichikawa)

Concert Films

• Hana no Kō Ni Torio Hatsukoi Jidai (花の高２トリオ 初恋時代)
• Masako, Junko, Momoe - Namida no Sotsugyōshiki Shuppatsu (昌子・淳子・百恵 – 涙の卒業式 出発)

Television

On TV, Yamaguchi often appeared in a series of dramas with Ken Utsui. Each of these dramas lasted about half a year. Starting with Kao de Waratte and continuing with the "Akai Series," she and Utsui played different father and daughter roles in each show. These "Akai" series often told complex family stories.

Some shows in the "Akai" series did not star Yamaguchi, but she sometimes made guest appearances. Each "Akai" series she appeared in had a theme song sung by Yamaguchi herself.

The final "Akai" program, Akai Shisen, was a two-part story starring her and Tomokazu Miura.

• Kao de Waratte (顔で笑って)
• Ginga Terebi Shōsetsu Akari no Urumu Koro (銀河テレビ小説 「灯のうるむ頃」) – Three episodes of a long-running NHK series
• Akai Meiro (赤い迷路)
• Akai Giwaku (赤い疑惑) Theme song Arigato, Anata
• Akai Unmei (赤い運命) Theme song Akai Unmei
• Nogiku No Haka (野菊の墓) (1977) based on a story of Itō Sachio
• Akai Shōgeki (赤い衝撃) Theme songs Akai Shogeki and Hashire, Kaze To Tomo Ni
• Akai Kizuna (赤い絆) Theme song Akai Kizuna (Reddo Senseshon) (red sensation)
• Hito wa Sore wo Sukyandaru to Iu (人はそれをスキャンダルという)
• Yamaguchi Momoe Intai Kinen Supesharu Dorama "Akai Shisen" (山口百恵引退記念スペシャルドラマ「赤い死線」)

See also

• Notes on lyrics of "Hito Natsu no Keiken" from Japanese Wikipedia.
• Akai series, from Japanese Wikipedia.
• List of best-selling music artists in Japan