Kyu Sakamoto

Overview

Hisashi "Kyu" Sakamoto (10 December 1941 – 12 August 1985), legally registered as Hisashi Ōshima, was a Japanese singer, actor, TV personality and host, affectionately known as Kyū-chan. Born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, he is best known for "Ue o Muite Arukō" (released abroad as "Sukiyaki"), sung in Japanese, which sold over 13 million copies. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in June 1963 (and Cash Box for four), making him the first Asian recording artist with a US number one. As of January 2025, he remains the only Japan-born artist to top the chart, and the only one to do so with a Japanese-language version. He was also the first Japanese artist to reach number one on the Australian singles chart. His worldwide record sales exceeded 15 million, and he is often described as an idol of the 1960s.

Career

Early years

Sakamoto was born in 1941 to Hiroshi Sakamoto, a cargo tender officer, and his second wife, Iku, as the youngest of nine children; the name "Kyū" (九, nine) is said to reflect this. During the war the family evacuated to Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, returning to Kawasaki in 1949. In 1943 he narrowly escaped the Tsuchiura train collision by moving to another carriage shortly before it; he credited the Kasama Inari Shrine for saving him, worshipped there for life and later married there. His parents divorced in 1956, and he took his mother's maiden name, Ōshima. An admirer of Elvis Presley, he became popular among friends for his impressions.

Band years and debut

Drawn to rockabilly in high school, he first sang in public at a US military base in Tachikawa. In May 1958 he joined The Drifters as vocalist and guitarist, and on 26 August 1958 he performed at the Nichigeki Western Carnival, winning a newcomer award. He left the band in November after quarrels and in December joined Danny Iida and Paradise King, signing with Victor Records. He debuted in June 1959 with "Daimei no nai Uta dakedo," which did not sell. In July 1960 he moved to Toshiba Music Industries; his first single there, "Kanashiki Rokujissai" (August 1960), sold 100,000 copies and became his first hit.

Solo career and international success

Sakamoto's solo career took off with "Ue o Muite Arukō," written by Rokusuke Ei and Hachidai Nakamura (the trio was nicknamed the "Roku-Hachi-Kyu Trio"). First heard on NHK's Yume de Aimashō on 16 August 1961, it was released on red vinyl on 15 October 1961 and was the best-selling record until January 1962. During a Japan visit in 1963, Louis Benjamin of Pye Records took the song to England and retitled it "Sukiyaki," as the original title seemed hard for English speakers to pronounce. Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen's instrumental version hit first, followed by Sakamoto's original. Capitol Records released it in the US in 1963, where it sold over a million copies and held number one on the Hot 100 for three weeks in June.

From summer 1963 to early 1964 he toured the world, visiting the United States (including Hawaii), Germany and Sweden. He landed in Los Angeles on 13 August 1963 and appeared on The Steve Allen Show; an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was cancelled due to the filming schedule of his movie Kyu-chan Katana o Nuite. His only other US chart entry was "China Nights (Shina no Yoru)," which peaked at number 58 in 1963, and his only American album, Sukiyaki and Other Japanese Hits, reached number 14 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and stayed 17 weeks. On 15 May 1964 he received a Gold Record from the RIAA at Tokyo's Hotel Okura, the first for a Japanese artist.

During the 1964 Tokyo Olympics he performed "Sayonara Tokyo" and "Kimi ga Suki" at the welcome party and appeared live from Tokyo on Swedish TV's Hylands hörna. He also scored a hit with "Shiawase nara Te o Tatakō" in 1964 and in 1966 popularized the Jenka dance in Japan with a cover of the Finnish folk song "Letkis." He served as a young entertainer committee member for Expo '70 and hosted the TV show Quiz EXPO '70. On 8 December 1971 he married actress Yukiko Kashiwagi. As an actor he was favored by the late Kenichi Enomoto.

Charity work

Sakamoto supported the Tokyo Paralympics through charity concerts, took part in the Ayumi no Hako campaign, sign-language promotion and disability welfare activities. From 1962 he performed unpaid at polio charity shows in Hokkaido for ten years, and from 1976 until his death hosted the welfare program Fureai Hiroba – Sunday Kyu for nine years. In 1979 he released "Soshite Omoide," Japan's first sign-language song.

Final years and death

In 1985 he moved to Funhouse and released "Natsukashiki Love-song / Kokoro no Hitomi" on 22 May, aiming to revive his singing career; in June he received a prize at the Koga Masao Memorial Music Awards. On 12 August he finished recording an NHK-FM program, his last work, then boarded Japan Air Lines Flight 123 to support a former manager's city council campaign in Osaka. The plane crashed, killing him at age 43. He normally flew with ANA, but no seats were available that day.

Musical style

Raised amid jazz, chanson, theatre, Japanese dance, shamisen and traditional Japanese music, he was also influenced by Nat King Cole, rock and roll and Elvis Presley. He developed a distinctive way of singing Japanese with an English-like groove, and used yodel-derived falsetto in songs such as "Koi no Hometown" and "Suteki na Timing." His high, lightly husky voice was another trademark. Early live shows featured wild rock and roll, including smashing new guitars.

Selected works

Signature songs include "Ue o Muite Arukō," "Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o" and "Ashita ga Aru sa." Posthumous compilations such as Best 9! (2009) and Best Sakamoto Kyu 90 (2019) continue to circulate his work.