Noriyuki Higashiyama (東山 紀之, Higashiyama Noriyuki, born September 30, 1966 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan) is a Japanese businessman, former singer, actor, and member of the idol group Shonentai. He is married to actress Yoshino Kimura.[1]
According to his book Kawasaki Kid, Higashiyama's paternal great-grandfather was Russian.[3] When he was still a baby, his grandfather drunkenly poured boiling water on his leg,[4] which left him with a deformity in his left foot. Because of this burn, he stated that his leg remained bandaged until he was about three years old.[5] Higashiyama was known to train very hard, doing 1,000 sit-ups daily, running 100 kilometres (62 mi) and maintaining a body fat percentage of 9%.[6] He worked out intensely because the deformity in his leg caused pain in his hip joint without muscle training.[5] Despite his leg deformities, he was athletic and could do a backflip at the age of nine.[7]
His parents divorced when he was three years old due to his father's drinking problem. Worried that Higashiyama would become a drunkard like his father and grandfather, his mother repeatedly advised him, "When you grow up, be careful that alcohol doesn't ruin your life." He credited this guidance with helping him avoid getting deeply intoxicated when he did drink.[4] His mother later remarried when he was in the fourth grade, but his stepfather gradually began to drink and became violent, not only towards his mother and Higashiyama but also towards his sister. He spent his days hungry due to poverty and frightened by his stepfather's violence.[8] He and his younger sister were raised by their mother, who worked at a barber shop. They lived in poverty and sometimes struggled to find food, but a Korean family who ran a barbecue restaurant in the neighborhood would share their meals with them, helping them stave off hunger.[note 1][10]
Early career (1979–1985)
In 1979, his mother, who worked at a barbershop for NHK employees in Shibuya, Tokyo, gave him tickets to watch a singing show. Higashiyama went with a friend to see the show at NHK.[11] On their way home, while waiting at a traffic light at Shibuya Crossing, he caught the eye of Johnny Kitagawa, who was driving by and scouted him directly. He was in the sixth grade at the time.[12][11]
Higashiyama, who had always suffered from hunger, stated that after he joined Johnny's, he was grateful that Johnny Kitagawa would take him out to eat after dance lessons. When he entered high school, he left home to escape his stepfather and began living in Johnny's dormitory.[8] Higashiyama mentioned that for a while after he joined Johnny's, he struggled to dance well because he found it strange for a man to sing and dance as an idol at that time.[13] However, he was "struck by lightning"[14] when he saw a Michael Jackson video in the dormitory, and he honed his dancing skills in admiration of him.[15] In the dormitory, he also practiced acrobatics with the other trainees who lived there.[16]
In 1981, the "B Team" was formed with Kazukiyo Nishikiori, Katsuhide Uekusa, and Yasuyuki Matsubara. The following year, in 1982, Matsubara was replaced by Higashiyama, and the group was renamed Shonentai. They primarily worked as backup dancers for Toshihiko Tahara and Masahiko Kondō.[17]
Acting career (1985–2023)
Shonentai made their record debut on December 12, 1985, with the single Kamen Butōkai.[18] At the time of their debut, all three members could perform backflips and back somersaults, and their advanced acrobatic skills, such as throwing and catching microphones, garnered significant attention.[19] Higashiyama portrayed a prince-like character who was calm and spoke little.[19]
After his debut, in addition to his group activities, he primarily worked as an actor in TV dramas, movies, and stage performances.
In 1988, Shonentai became popular among young women, leading to the coining of the term "soy sauce face" (soft facial features) to describe a Japanese-looking, fair-skinned, cool-looking man like Higashiyama.[20] The term "sauce face" (defined facial features) was coined to describe a tanned, chiseled face like Nishikiori's, becoming popular to characterize good-looking men. They were selected for the "Basic Knowledge of Modern Terms," published every December, and won the Popular Award in the Popular Words category of the 1988 U-CAN Inc.[21]
With his stoic image, he has leveraged his acting career to portray a wide range of roles, from prince-like characters and jidaigeki (historical dramas) to comedies.[22]
After portraying Japanese historical figures such as Okita Sōji, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and Hikaru Genji,[23] he became the first Johnny's actor to star in an NHKTaiga drama in 1993 with Ryukyu no Kaze.[24]
He has starred in the popular TV Asahijidaigeki drama Hissatsu series since 2007,[25] the NHK jidaigeki drama Ooka Echizen since 2013,[26] and the TV Asahi serial detective drama Seven Detectives since 2015.[23]
On September 20, 2020, it was announced that Nishikiori and Uekusa would leave Johnny & Associates within the same year. The name Shonentai would remain, and Higashiyama would continue his performing career.[27]
2023 appointment at Johnny & Associates and retirement
On September 5, 2023, Higashiyama succeeded Julie Keiko Fujishima as president of Johnny & Associates, which was later renamed Smile-Up on October 17 of the same year. Fujishima resigned following the sexual assault scandal involving the company's founder, Johnny Kitagawa, and the investigation report highlighted the "negative effects of family management."[28] On the same day, Higashiyama held a press conference and announced that he would retire from show business by the end of 2023 to focus on his company’s business.[29]
Higashiyama and Julie are the same age[30] and have been close since they met at 14, "like childhood friends," he said.[31][32] Julie also did styling and management work for Shonentai, the boy band to which Higashiyama belongs, while she was still a college student.[33] Over the years, they developed a trusting relationship in which they could consult each other about anything.[31] Julie is the niece of Johnny Kitagawa and the daughter of Mary Yasuko Fujishima, Kitagawa's elder sister. Mary served as vice president of Johnny's for many years[34] and was reportedly in charge of management aspects, including the company's substantive operations.[35] It is said that Mary was particularly fond of Masahiko Kondō and Higashiyama; it was sometimes said that "Kondō is the first son" (the most powerful person among Johnny's talents) and "Higashiyama is the second son" (the second most powerful person).[36] After Kondo left Johnny's in 2021 due to his own adultery scandal, Higashiyama came to be regarded as "Johnny's first son" in both name and reality.
After the Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal came to light in 2023, Julie initially sought an outside president, but all requests were turned down.[37]Hideaki Takizawa, who had retired as a talent and became vice president after Kitagawa passed away in 2019,[38] was considered another strong successor.[39][40] However, he left the company in October 2022 and later founded his own entertainment agency, Tobe.[41] Takizawa was close to Kitagawa in his later years and was said to have been directly nominated as his successor.[42] Julie's mother, Mary, had already passed away in August 2021.[43]
Ultimately, in early August 2023, Julie asked Higashiyama to become president, relying on their long-standing and trusting relationship.[37] Higashiyama expressed that he was very worried when he received the request and thought about it overnight. However, he decided to accept it because he believed it was his destiny.[44] He also reportedly took over as president to fulfill his responsibilities as the "first son" of the company.[45]
With this announcement, his appearances on TV Asahi's information variety program Sunday Live![46] and the TBS Television documentary program Birth Day,[47] in which he had served as a host since the show's inception in 2005, also came to an end after the second episode in the same month.
On December 26, Higashiyama made his final appearance on stage before his retirement at his solo dinner show, Noriyuki Higashiyama Dinner Show 2023, held at the ANA InterContinental Tokyo.[48] This performance marked his last as an entertainer. The show, which had not taken place since 2002, was held in both Osaka and Tokyo for the 2023 edition. Surrounded by excited voices, applause, and audience singing, Higashiyama performed a total of 24 songs, including selections from his time as a member of Shonentai. Nostalgic images from various moments of his artistic life played in the background, culminating in an end roll that showcased his performances up to that point, ending with a heartfelt thank-you message.[49]
Higashiyama's last appearance on television was in the TV Asahi drama Hissatsu Shigotonin, which was broadcast on December 29, 2023. This popular jidaigeki had been ongoing since he took over the lead role in 2007.[50][51]
On December 31, 44 years after he entered show business in 1979, he retired from the public stage with a final message on his paid member blog, stating, "I would be grateful if someday people could understand that I chose this kind of life."[52]
Personal life
On October 23, 2010, he married actress Yoshino Kimura. They had been in a relationship for about two and a half years since performing together on stage in March 2008.[53] Their first child, a daughter, was born in 2011,[54] followed by their second child, also a daughter, in 2013.[55]
Awards
56th ACA National Arts Festival (2001) - Theater Division Excellence Award for Musical The Christmas Box[56]
30th Hashida Awards (2022) - Reason for Award: He has been active in a wide range of TV dramas and host roles, including Seven Detectives (TV Asahi) and Sunday Live! (TV Asahi) and other dramas and host for many years. He is also a hero in the hearts of Sugako Hashida's works (On Inochi, The Tale of Genji (TBS Television (Japan)), etc.).[58]
Noriyuki Higashiyama (December 17, 1998, Magazine House, ISBN9784838711024) - A photo essay based on the serial "Higashiyama Noriyuki's My favorite scene" in the magazine "Raku", with new photos and articles added.
Noriyuki Higashiyama talking about Makoto (February 18, 2005, Pia) - Dialogue and Photobook (published by Pia, Feb. 18, 2005, ISBN9784835615097)
Show Lovery River (Written by Show Aikawa / Published by Pia on March 3, 2005, ISBN9784835615073) - Appeared as one of the guests in a book written by Show Aikawa. Talk 3: Noriyuki Higashiyama and Show Aikawa, two men who keep on running.
^Higashiyama says he dislikes ethnic discrimination because of his own Russian heritage and because of the help he received from Korean family in the neighborhood.[9]
^"森光子・東山紀之 出演『ツキコの月 そして、タンゴ』製作発表" [Production announcement of "Tsukiko's Moon And Tango" starring Mitsuko Mori and Noriyuki Higashiyama]. theater-forum (in Japanese). Theater forum. August 10, 2005. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
^"東山紀之 ミュージカル８年ぶり単独出演" [Noriyuki Higashiyama to appear in a solo musical for the first time in 8 years]. daily (in Japanese). July 4, 2009. Archived from the original on December 31, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
