Kano Sisters

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Kyoko Kano

Born Kyoko Koyama
October 7, 1962 (1962-10-07) (age 45)
Osaka Japan
Residence Tokyo
Nationality Japanese
Other names Koko
Height 169cm (5'5")[1]
Known for Bust: 96cm
Waist: 58cm
Hips: 91cm
Website
The Kanō sisters' official website
Mika Kano

Born Mika Tamai
September 23, 1967 (1967-09-23) (age 40)
Saijō, Ehime Japan
Residence Tokyo
Nationality Japanese
Other names Tamagon, Mikaringu
Height 170cm (5'5")[1]
Known for Bust: 96cm
Waist: 57cm
Hips: 91cm
Website
The Kanō sisters' official website

Kyoko Kano (叶 恭子 Kanō Kyōko?, born 7 October 1962 in Osaka) and Mika Kano (叶 美香 Kanō Mika?, born 23 September 1967 in Saijō, Ehime), known collectively as the Kano sisters (叶姉妹 Kanō shimai?), are Japanese celebrities.

Contents

[edit] Early life and background

The Kano Sisters claim to be half-sisters with different mothers.[2] There is also a 3rd "sister" named Harue, the second-oldest, who initially made appearances with the two. She eventually withdrew from the scene after marriage, according to industry sources, and now only intermittently appears with them.[3] The lack of resemblance between them as well as their refusal to answer any questions about their age (even their reported ages are speculation) or past fuels speculation the three are not sisters at all, but just another group of tarento with a carefully crafted gimmick.[2] Within Japan it is rumored that before becoming celebrities, they were high priced call girls for the jet set level.[4]

[edit] Career

In 1997, the oldest sister Kyoko debuted in 25ans, an upscale women's fashion magazine, as one of its "supaa dokusha" (super readers). Her success led to both sisters appearing regularly on Japanese TV. Their main claim to fame is their outrageous sense of style, involving highly revealing clothes, flashy jewelry, and jet-set travel. Often wearing see-through dresses with deep V-necks, the sisters generously show off their full breasts and long legs.[3]

Apart from frequent television appearances, they market a series of exercise videos, erotic calendars, collectible fashion cards[5] and coffee-table pictorials, featuring the two preening mostly naked before a soft-focus lens.[6] Japanese toy maker Takara Co. began to sell 30-centimeter-high dolls modeled after the Kano sisters, called Kano Sisters' Gorgeous Dolls, in March 2002. The dolls were priced at 19,800 yen a pair.[7]

They are frequently invited to movie premieres, film festivals, and award ceremonies. Self-described "Lifestyle Consultants," Japanese women pay pounds 150 for a Kano seminar to hear their advice on how to get more from a relationship and how to apply a flawless face.[8] Businessmen pay them as much as $30,000 to make appearances at parties.[9] The sisters are each a former Miss Japan.[10]

In 3 April 2006, the Kano sisters published a collection of nude artistic photographs in a book entitled Sweet Goddess. Posing in a revealing style known in Japanese as "hea nuudo", or "hair nude," a term for nude photographs of women who display their pubic hair, the photographs were taken by Kyoko Kano with modeling by Mika Kano. Sweet Goddess was reported to be among the first path breaking collections that break this unwritten post-war publication rule.[11]Sweet Goddess was listed as a bestseller for several months.[12]The Kano sisters released a similar pictorial collection entitled Sweet Goddess 2 on 1 November 2006.

[edit] Kyoko Kano as author

On 1 January 2000, Kano released an autobiographical book, Millennium Muse with an introduction by non-fiction writer Yuko Kobayashi. The book included full color photographs of her posing with younger sister, Harue Koyama, and discusses Kano’s background and philosophy on life, love, men, money and sex. Some in the media panned the writing as amateurish. The book became an Asahi Shimbun bestseller.[13] Six years later, Kano followed it up with Toriorizumu, a non-fiction work that elaborates on these themes. Writing in the Shukan Post, she describes all 30 chapters and 237 pages as a "personal record experiencing a 'type of love without taboos.'"[14]

[edit] Personal life

Kyoko claims she was the potential wife of an elderly American billionaire after "five Hollywood actresses failed to win his heart", but dumped him.[8]

[edit] Lawsuits

[edit] Defamation

In April 2000, author Shigeru Sato published am unauthorized biography of Kyoko Kano in which he depicted her lifestyle from the viewpoint of a pet cat. Kano sued the author for defamation, demanding 10 million yen in the suit. In September 2001, the Tokyo District Court ordered the author to pay Kano 5 million yen in damages, for infringing on Kano's privacy and dishonoring her reputation. In handing down the ruling, Presiding Judge Yoshihiro Katayama said that Sato used "blunt and excessive" expression in portraying Kano, who frequently appears on TV, "as a person who does not think of anything but sexual matters."[15]

In August 2005, Kyoko and Mika Kano sued Japanese actress Miri Okada for defamation based on Okada's televised June 2005 claim that the two sisters unsuccessfully tried to seduce Okada's husband, Norio Yaginuma.[16] The sisters were awarded 660,000 yen (approx. US$ 6,200) compensation by the Tokyo District Court in July 2006. Judge Shigehiro Ishikawa ruled, "{Okada's) claims were groundless and she neglected in her duty to ask that they not be broadcast."[17]

[edit] Harue Koyama Incident

On 6 February 2007,[18] the Kano sisters filed a missing persons report for Kyoko's younger sister Harue Koyama who reportedly disappeared with 500 million yen (US$ 4.6 million) worth of luxury items, cash and furniture belonging to the Kano sisters.[19] Some media reports suggested that Harue Koyama absconded with the money under the influence of a "foreign lover" whom she first met while living overseas.[20]Other reports suggested that the whole incident was a fake intended to keep the Kano sisters in the news right around the time Kyoko was releasing what has since become her steady selling book, Love and Sex.[21] Hearing media reports of her sister's police filings and concern, Harue Koyama, together with her lawyer, reappeared on 17 February 2007.[18] On 21 February 2007, Kyoko and Mika Kano held a press conference to deny any allegations of an orchestrated publicity event or other wrong doing.[22] Subsequently, on the same day, Harue's lawyer issued a faxed statement to the mass media which read in part, "The items in question are [Harue's] private property."[18] On 6 July 2007, Kyoko Kano filed a criminal complaint against Koyama with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Akasaka Station. She accused Koyama of theft amounting to a grand total of 270 million yen (US$ 2.3 million).[23]

[edit] Teruo Koyama Incident

Teruo Koyama, father of Kyoko Kano, allegedly accosted the Kano sisters with an umbrella in a Tokyo underground parking lot complex on December 25, 2007 after the sisters had allegedly refused to loan him an undisclosed amount of money. He was arrested for intimidation, accused of violating the Law concerning Punishment for Physical Violence.[24]

Following the incident, on 11 January 2008, Kyoko Kano filed a defamation lawsuit for 11 million yen (approx. US$ 103 thousand) in compensatory damages against weekly news magazine Shukan Shincho in the Tokyo District Court. According to the petition, the magazine's January 17 issue would run an article accusing the Kano sisters of duplicity. The magazine article alleged that "While Kyoko [Kano] had borrowed money from her father, she failed to repay the debt." The plaintiff insisted that it was the father who persistently asked for money, commenting that "such erroneous reporting could damage her reputation."[25] The editorial staff at Shukan Shincho would not comment on the lawsuit.[26]

[edit] Trivia

  • Mika Kano gave 1 million yen (approximately $10,000 at the time) of her own money to the relief fund in the wake of the Hanshin Earthquake of 1995.[27]
  • Both of the Kano Sisters appeared on the UK BBC Three television show Adam and Joe Go Tokyo . The Sisters were part of stunt in which presenters Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish tried to become famous in Japan by going on a pretend date with the famous sisters to try and get noticed by the media.
  • Made a guest appearance in animated form in the 2008 revival of the Yattaman anime series.
  • In 2000, the 20th Century Fox video entertainment unit anointed the Kano sisters Japan's most likely Bond girls.[28]
  • Vanity Fair listed them in its "In & Out" column (Kano sisters "in," Hilton heiresses "out").
  • The Japan Times listed them in its "Gongs and Goofs of 2002" column (Kabira Brothers "The In Crowd," Kano sisters "The Out Crowd").[29]

[edit] Bibliography

Kyoko Kano

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa. "Their Bodies, Themselves", Time Magazine, 8 October 2001. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. (English) 
  2. ^ a b Shinohara, Tsunenori. "Magic of the Mystery Sisters", Asahi News Service, 15 November 2000. (English) 
  3. ^ a b Itakura, Kimie. "Rumors, Ridicule Fuel Success of Kano Sisters", Asahi News Service, 6 October 2000. (English) 
  4. ^ "How Kyoko Kano Accumulated Her Wealth", Shukan Post Watcher, Japan Today, 29 March 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-16. (English) 
  5. ^ "Televiews; An Xmas ode on the joys of television", The Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo), 19 December 2002, pp. 10. (English) 
  6. ^ Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa. "From Tokyo, with Love", Time Magazine, 8 October 2001. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. (English) 
  7. ^ "Takara to Sell Kano Sisters Dolls in March", Jiji Press Ticker Service, 28 January 2002. (English) 
  8. ^ a b Drinkwater, Jane. "Big in Japan (in Several Ways): Life Stories", Independent on Sunday (London), 24 February 2002, pp. 3. (English) 
  9. ^ Haskell, Robert (1 October 2002). "Made in Japan: Kyoko and Mika Kano, the so-called Japanese Hilton sisters, are bringing their curious act to New York." (in English). W (magazine) 31 (10): 116. Fairchild Publications, Inc.. ISSN 0162-9115. 
  10. ^ Sasaki, Nobuaki. "Siblings Give Australian Wine a Glamorous, if Woody, Aroma", Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), 15 December 2001, pp. 21. (English) 
  11. ^ Connell, Ryann. "Sexy Kano sisters flash the flesh but men denied a peek", Mainichi Daily News, 5 April 2006. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. (English) 
  12. ^ "Besutosera (Bestsellers)", Asahi Shimbun, 27 May 2006. (Japanese) 
  13. ^ "Besutosera (Bestsellers)", Asahi Shimbun, 18 December 2006. (Japanese) 
  14. ^ Kano, Kyoko. "Watashi-no Toriorizumu Sekkusu (My threesome)", Shukan Post, 13 January 2006. (Japanese) 
  15. ^ Japan Economic Newswire. "Celebrity Kyoko Kano wins suit over privacy violation", Kyodo News Service, 19 September 2001. Retrieved on 2008-05-18. (English) 
  16. ^ Shukan Shincho, October 27, 2005, as reported in Connell, Ryann. "Saucy sisters steaming over seduction story", Mainichi Shimbun, October 21, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-04-29. (English) 
  17. ^ "Kano Sisters win court case over 'husband seduction' claim", Mainichi Daily News, July 29, 2006. (English) 
  18. ^ a b c Kano, Kyoko. "Daiya-no yubiwa ijou-ni taisetsu-na mono-o watashi-wa ushinatta (I lost something more important than a diamond ring)", Fujinkoron, 7 August 2007, pp. 163. (Japanese) 
  19. ^ "Third Kano sister flees with Y500 million", Japan Today, 16 February 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. (English) 
  20. ^ Connell, Ryann. "500 million yen, foreign lover all part of mystery disappearance of third Kano sister", Mainichi Daily News, 23 February 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. (English) 
  21. ^ Connell, Ryann. "400 million yen Kano Sisters heist hushed to protect the source of the wedge?", Mainichi Daily News, 8 May 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. (English) 
  22. ^ "Kanos say missing sister report not a publicity stunt", Japan Today, 22 February 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. (English) 
  23. ^ "叶恭子が妹・晴栄さんを刑事告訴…被害２億７０００万円 (Kyoko Kano files criminal complaint against younger sister Harue. Damages:270 million yen)", 産経新聞 (Sankei Sports), 7 August 2007. (Japanese) 
  24. ^ "Father of celebrity Kyoko Kano arrested for intimidating her", Mainichi Daily News, December 28, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. (English) 
  25. ^ Original Japanese: 訴状によると、週刊新潮１月１７日号は「『実父逮捕』でバレちゃった『叶姉妹』のヒミツ」と題する記事を掲載。恭子が父親から金を借りていながら返済していないなどと報じた。原告側は「あくまで親が一方的に金を無心したにすぎない」と主張し、恭子本人も「誤った報道で名誉を傷つけられることは遺憾」とコメントした。"叶恭子が新潮社を訴える…１１００万円の損害賠償を求める (Kyoko Kano sues Shukan Shincho, asking for 11 million yen in damages)", Sankei Sports, 12 January 2008. (Japanese) 
  26. ^ 週刊新潮編集部は「コメントはしない」としている。"叶恭子が父親との金銭トラブル記事で新潮社を提訴 (Kyoko Kano sues Shukan Shincho over article alleging money troubles with father)", Hochi Shimbun, 12 January 2008. (Japanese) 
  27. ^ Betros, Chris. "Sizzling Kano sisters step onto the world stage", Japan Today, 15 October 2001. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. (English) 
  28. ^ Strom, Stephanie. "Confident and Racy, Mysterious 'Sisters' Hypnotize Japan", The New York Times, 20 February 2001, pp. 2. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. (English) 
  29. ^ Brasor, Philip. "You saw it! The gongs and goofs of 2002", The Japan Times Online, 5 January 2003. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. (English) 

[edit] Further reading

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Preceded by
Keiko Ibi		 Miss Japan
1988		 Succeeded by
Norie Sawamoto
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