| Kou Shibasaki 柴咲 コウ |
|
|---|---|
| Birth name | Yukie Yamamura (山村幸恵) |
| Born | August 5, 1981 |
| Origin | Toshima, Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | Japanese pop |
| Occupations | Singer and actress |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Universal Music Group Japan |
| Associated acts | Masaharu Fukuyama, galaxias![1] |
| Website | Official Kou Shibasaki Universal Music site |
Kou Shibasaki (柴咲 コウ Shibasaki Kō), born Yukie Yamamura, on August 5, 1981 in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan is a Japanese singer and actress.
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Shibasaki made her debut in the music industry in 2002 with her first single Trust My Feelings, but she became recognized for her second single Tsuki no shizuku which was used for the movie Yomigaeri. The song was one of the most successful J-Pop hits of 2003. Her first album peaked at number 2 and spent 68 weeks on the Oricon charts. Her second album was considered to be a commercial disappointment, in comparison to her first album, lasting 9 weeks and reaching a peak position of #5.[2]
Shibasaki's first Christmas song, "Actuality", was released in December 2006. "At Home" was released later on February 21, 2007. Both failed to reach the top 10 on the Oricon charts. "Hito Koi Meguri", released on March 28, 2007, reached number 8 on the charts. It became her first single to reach the top 10 since "Invitation". On April 25, 2007, Shibasaki's third album Kiki♥ was released and went straight to number one. On August 3 and 5, Shibasaki held her first concerts - "Kou Shibasaki Premium Live" in Osaka and Tokyo. 2400 participants of the concert were selected from over 30,000 applicants for the tickets (which accompanied the KiKi album).
In April 2008, the singer released two greatest hits albums, entitled The Single Best and The Back Best, each contained various tracks from the past. The Single Best topped the Oricon while The Back Best kept third, this broke Shibasaki's own record for it was her first time to reach top 1 on the weekly chart. In addition to that, she broke the record of Ayumi Hamasaki for maintaining both albums in top 3.
Though unable to compose (mainstream) music on her own, Kou Shibasaki writes the lyrics for most of her songs. Many of her singles have become theme songs for various films, dramas, and commercials. Her latest single "ラバソー～lover soul～" is the ending theme song for the live action drama Otomen.
She has two units: KOH+ (with Masaharu Fukuyama) and the recently formed galaxias! (with DECO*27 and TeddyLoid).[1]
She was discovered at the age of 14 by an agent and has worked in numerous television shows, movies and commercials. Her stage name is taken from the main character of Junko Kawakami's manga Golden Delicious Apple Sherbet.
She became famous outside Japan for her role in the controversial 2000 film, Battle Royale, where she portrayed the cold-hearted and ruthless Mitsuko Souma; her acting career took off with this movie and also raised her international profile particularly in East Asia. Shibasaki also won acclaim for her role in 2001 film, Go, which earned her several awards, among which the Best Supporting Actress Award of Japanese Academy, the Hōchi Movie Award, the Kinema Junpō Award.
In 2002, Shibasaki took a supporting role as Yuki Mazashita in the television mystery drama, Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi, where she co-starred with Takuya Kimura earning her an award as "Best Supporting Actress" while the show was named Best Drama at the 33rd Television Drama Academy Awards (Japan). She also starred in both seasons of Fuji TV drama, Dr. Koto Shinryojo, which aired in 2003 and 2006 respectively. The show was awarded Best Drama at the 38th Television Drama Academy Awards for its first season. In 2003, she re-unites with her former co-star Takuya Kimura in a television drama about an airline pilot (Takuya Kimura) called Good Luck!!. The story revolves around an up-and-coming pilot, Hajime Shinkai and Kou plays his love-interest as an airline mechanic with a fear of flying.
She had also been slated to play the part of Yuki Yubari, the twin sister of Gogo Yubari, in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. She dropped out of the project due to commitments in Japan, and the character was eventually erased from the script altogether.
In 2005, Shibasaki appeared in the independent Japanese film, Maison de Himiko. In this film, she plays Saori, an unhappy young woman whose father is gay. In 2006, she took the title role in Dororo, working with Satoshi Tsumabuki (her co-star from the 2004 television drama, Orange Days). The film topped the Japanese box office for nearly six weeks. Shibasaki participated in two more movies, Maiko Haaaan!!! (2007) and Shaolin Girl (2008).
Shibasaki returned to television in 2007 in the dorama Galileo as the female lead co-starring with Masaharu Fukuyama. Highly rated among viewers (it finished its 10 episode run with an average viewership rating of 22%), the role continued her winning run in the medium when she won "Best Supporting Actress" at the 55th Television Drama Academy Awards. The show also won 5 other awards, including "Best Drama". It was followed by a film sequel, Suspect X, which was the 3rd best-selling film of 2008 in Japan.
In March 2011, it was announced that Shibasaki would make her "Hollywood debut" in a Keanu Reeves-led adaptation of the famous Chushingura story. A story of samurai loyalty and revenge and titled "47 Ronin," it is billed as the first ever English-language adaptation of the legend based on historical events in the early 18th century.[3]
| Year | Film Name | Character Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Battle Royale | Mitsuko Souma |
| 2001 | Kakashi | Izumi Miyamori |
| 2001 | Go | Tsubaki Sakurai |
| 2002 | Soundtrack | Misa |
| 2003 | Yomigaeri | RUI |
| 2004 | Chakushin Ari | Yumi Nakamura |
| 2004 | Sekai no Chūshin de, Ai wo Sakebu | Ritsuko Fujimura |
| 2005 | Maison de Himiko | Saori |
| 2006 | Hokuto no Ken: Raoh Gaiden Junai no Shō | Reina |
| 2006 | Kenchō no Hoshi | Aki Ninomiya |
| 2006 | Nihon Chinbotsu | Reiko Abe |
| 2007 | Dororo | Dororo |
| 2007 | Maiko Haaaan!!! | Fujiko Osawa |
| 2008 | Shaolin Girl | Rin |
| 2008 | Suspect X | Kaoru Utsumi |
| 2010 | Shokudo Katatsumuri | Rinko |
| 2010 | Ōoku | Tokugawa Yoshimune |
| 2012 | 47 Ronin | Mika |
| Year | Program Name | Character Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Face ~ Mishiranu Koibito~ | Mako Okuno |
| 2001 | Let's Go - Nagata-cho | |
| 2002 | Yume no California | Kotomi Oba |
| 2002 | Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi | Yuki Mizashita |
| 2003 | Good Luck!! | Ayumi Ogawa |
| 2003 | Dr. Koto Shinryoujo | Ayaka Hoshino |
| 2004 | Orange Days | Sae Hagio |
| 2006 | Dr. Koto Shinryoujo (second season) | Ayaka Hoshino |
| 2007 | Galileo | Detective Kaoru Utsumi |
| 2010 | Wagaya No Rekishi | Yame Masako |
Kou Shibasaki has sold over 4 million singles combined.[4]