Kano sisters
Encyclopedia
and , known collectively as the , are Japanese celebrities
.
with a carefully crafted gimmick. Within Japan it is rumored that before becoming celebrities
, they were high priced call girls for the jet set
level.
Apart from frequent television appearances, they market a series of exercise videos, erotic calendars, collectible fashion cards and coffee-table pictorials, featuring the two preening mostly naked before a soft-focus lens. 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.
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. Businessmen pay them as much as $30,000 to make appearances at parties. The sisters are each a former Miss Japan
.
In 3 April 2006, the Kano sisters published a collection of nude artistic photographs in a book entitled Sweet Goddess. Posing in a revealing style known in Japanese as "hea nuudo", or "hair nude," a term for nude photographs of women who display their pubic hair, the photographs were taken by Kyoko Kano with modeling by Mika Kano. Sweet Goddess was reported to be among the first path breaking collections that break this unwritten post-war publication rule.Sweet Goddess was listed as a bestseller
for several months. The Kano sisters released a similar pictorial collection entitled Sweet Goddess 2 on 1 November 2006.
. Six years later, Kano followed it up with Toriorizumu, a non-fiction work that elaborates on these themes. Writing in the Shukan Post, she describes all 30 chapters and 237 pages as a "personal record experiencing a 'type of love without taboos.'"
In August 2005, Kyoko and Mika Kano sued Japanese actress Miri Okada for defamation based on Okada's televised June 2005 claim that the two sisters unsuccessfully tried to seduce Okada's husband, Norio Yaginuma. The sisters were awarded 660,000 yen (approx. US$ 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."
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." The editorial staff at Shukan Shincho would not comment on the lawsuit.
and , known collectively as the , are Japanese celebrities
.
with a carefully crafted gimmick. Within Japan it is rumored that before becoming celebrities
, they were high priced call girls for the jet set
level.
Apart from frequent television appearances, they market a series of exercise videos, erotic calendars, collectible fashion cards and coffee-table pictorials, featuring the two preening mostly naked before a soft-focus lens. 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.
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. Businessmen pay them as much as $30,000 to make appearances at parties. The sisters are each a former Miss Japan
.
In 3 April 2006, the Kano sisters published a collection of nude artistic photographs in a book entitled Sweet Goddess. Posing in a revealing style known in Japanese as "hea nuudo", or "hair nude," a term for nude photographs of women who display their pubic hair, the photographs were taken by Kyoko Kano with modeling by Mika Kano. Sweet Goddess was reported to be among the first path breaking collections that break this unwritten post-war publication rule.Sweet Goddess was listed as a bestseller
for several months. The Kano sisters released a similar pictorial collection entitled Sweet Goddess 2 on 1 November 2006.
. Six years later, Kano followed it up with Toriorizumu, a non-fiction work that elaborates on these themes. Writing in the Shukan Post, she describes all 30 chapters and 237 pages as a "personal record experiencing a 'type of love without taboos.'"
In August 2005, Kyoko and Mika Kano sued Japanese actress Miri Okada for defamation based on Okada's televised June 2005 claim that the two sisters unsuccessfully tried to seduce Okada's husband, Norio Yaginuma. The sisters were awarded 660,000 yen (approx. US$ 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."
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." The editorial staff at Shukan Shincho would not comment on the lawsuit.
and , known collectively as the , are Japanese celebrities
.
with a carefully crafted gimmick. Within Japan it is rumored that before becoming celebrities
, they were high priced call girls for the jet set
level.
Apart from frequent television appearances, they market a series of exercise videos, erotic calendars, collectible fashion cards and coffee-table pictorials, featuring the two preening mostly naked before a soft-focus lens. 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.
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. Businessmen pay them as much as $30,000 to make appearances at parties. The sisters are each a former Miss Japan
.
In 3 April 2006, the Kano sisters published a collection of nude artistic photographs in a book entitled Sweet Goddess. Posing in a revealing style known in Japanese as "hea nuudo", or "hair nude," a term for nude photographs of women who display their pubic hair, the photographs were taken by Kyoko Kano with modeling by Mika Kano. Sweet Goddess was reported to be among the first path breaking collections that break this unwritten post-war publication rule.Sweet Goddess was listed as a bestseller
for several months. The Kano sisters released a similar pictorial collection entitled Sweet Goddess 2 on 1 November 2006.
. Six years later, Kano followed it up with Toriorizumu, a non-fiction work that elaborates on these themes. Writing in the Shukan Post, she describes all 30 chapters and 237 pages as a "personal record experiencing a 'type of love without taboos.'"
In August 2005, Kyoko and Mika Kano sued Japanese actress Miri Okada for defamation based on Okada's televised June 2005 claim that the two sisters unsuccessfully tried to seduce Okada's husband, Norio Yaginuma. The sisters were awarded 660,000 yen (approx. US$ 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."
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." The editorial staff at Shukan Shincho would not comment on the lawsuit.
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
.
Early life and background
The Kano Sisters say they are half-sisters with different mothers. There is also a 3rd "sister" who initially made appearances with the two. She eventually withdrew from the scene, according to industry sources, and now only intermittently appears with them. 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 tarentoTarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
with a carefully crafted gimmick. Within Japan it is rumored that before becoming celebrities
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
, they were high priced call girls for the jet set
Jet set
"Jet set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social activities that are unreachable to ordinary people...
level.
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.Apart from frequent television appearances, they market a series of exercise videos, erotic calendars, collectible fashion cards and coffee-table pictorials, featuring the two preening mostly naked before a soft-focus lens. Japanese toy maker Takara Co.
Takara
Takara Co., Ltd. was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955, that merged with another prominent Japanese toy company, Tomy Co., Ltd., on March 1, 2006 to form Takara Tomy, also known in English as TOMY Company Ltd....
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.
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. Businessmen pay them as much as $30,000 to make appearances at parties. The sisters are each a former Miss Japan
Miss Japan
is a beauty contest that has been held by a diet gym company and Yomiuri news group every year between winners of the Japanese block pageants.Winner is chosen out of 2000 candidates.- Winners :-External links:* on Sports Nippon...
.
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.Sweet Goddess was listed as a bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
for several months. The Kano sisters released a similar pictorial collection entitled Sweet Goddess 2 on 1 November 2006.
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 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 bestsellerBestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
. 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.'"
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.Defamation
In April 2000, author Shigeru Sato published an 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."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. 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."
Teruo Incident
Teruo Kano, 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 pay him back an undisclosed amount of money. The money was borrowed by Teruo to Kyoko more than 15 years ago. He was arrested for intimidation, accused of violating the Law concerning Punishment for Physical Violence.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
Tokyo District Court
is a district court located at 1-1-4 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. -References:...
. 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." The editorial staff at Shukan Shincho would not comment on the lawsuit.
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.
- Both of the Kano Sisters appeared on the UK BBC ThreeBBC ThreeBBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
television show Adam and Joe Go TokyoAdam and Joe Go TokyoAdam and Joe Go Tokyo was a series of eight episodes created for BBC Three . It starred Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish of The Adam and Joe Show and aired from 30 May 2003 to 25 July 2003...
. The Sisters were part of stunt in which presenters Adam BuxtonAdam BuxtonAdam Offord Buxton is an English comedian and actor. With Joe Cornish, he forms one half of the duo Adam and Joe. The pair presented Adam and Joe on BBC 6 Music, whilst Buxton also presents his own show on 6 Music on Sundays, called Adam Buxton's Big Mix Tape, currently on hiatus.-Major work:His...
and Joe CornishJoe CornishJoe Cornish may refer to:* Joe Cornish , British comedian, radio host, writer and director* Joe Cornish , British landscape photographer-See also:...
tried to become famous in Japan by going on a pretend date with the famous sisters to try to get noticed by the media. - Made a guest appearance in animated form in the 2008 revival of the Yattaman animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series. - In 2000, the 20th Century Fox video entertainment unit anointed the Kano sisters Japan's most likely Bond girls.
- Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
listed them in its "In & Out" column (Kano sisters "in," Hilton heiresses "out"). - The Japan TimesThe Japan TimesThe Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
listed them in its "Gongs and Goofs of 2002" column (Kabira Brothers "The In Crowd," Kano sisters "The Out Crowd").
External links
Official website- Kanō sisters at Japan Zone.
and , known collectively as the , are Japanese celebrities
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
.
Early life and background
The Kano Sisters say they are half-sisters with different mothers. There is also a 3rd "sister" who initially made appearances with the two. She eventually withdrew from the scene, according to industry sources, and now only intermittently appears with them. 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 tarentoTarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
with a carefully crafted gimmick. Within Japan it is rumored that before becoming celebrities
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
, they were high priced call girls for the jet set
Jet set
"Jet set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social activities that are unreachable to ordinary people...
level.
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.Apart from frequent television appearances, they market a series of exercise videos, erotic calendars, collectible fashion cards and coffee-table pictorials, featuring the two preening mostly naked before a soft-focus lens. Japanese toy maker Takara Co.
Takara
Takara Co., Ltd. was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955, that merged with another prominent Japanese toy company, Tomy Co., Ltd., on March 1, 2006 to form Takara Tomy, also known in English as TOMY Company Ltd....
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.
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. Businessmen pay them as much as $30,000 to make appearances at parties. The sisters are each a former Miss Japan
Miss Japan
is a beauty contest that has been held by a diet gym company and Yomiuri news group every year between winners of the Japanese block pageants.Winner is chosen out of 2000 candidates.- Winners :-External links:* on Sports Nippon...
.
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.Sweet Goddess was listed as a bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
for several months. The Kano sisters released a similar pictorial collection entitled Sweet Goddess 2 on 1 November 2006.
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 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 bestsellerBestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
. 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.'"
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.Defamation
In April 2000, author Shigeru Sato published an 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."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. 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."
Teruo Incident
Teruo Kano, 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 pay him back an undisclosed amount of money. The money was borrowed by Teruo to Kyoko more than 15 years ago. He was arrested for intimidation, accused of violating the Law concerning Punishment for Physical Violence.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
Tokyo District Court
is a district court located at 1-1-4 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. -References:...
. 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." The editorial staff at Shukan Shincho would not comment on the lawsuit.
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.
- Both of the Kano Sisters appeared on the UK BBC ThreeBBC ThreeBBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
television show Adam and Joe Go TokyoAdam and Joe Go TokyoAdam and Joe Go Tokyo was a series of eight episodes created for BBC Three . It starred Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish of The Adam and Joe Show and aired from 30 May 2003 to 25 July 2003...
. The Sisters were part of stunt in which presenters Adam BuxtonAdam BuxtonAdam Offord Buxton is an English comedian and actor. With Joe Cornish, he forms one half of the duo Adam and Joe. The pair presented Adam and Joe on BBC 6 Music, whilst Buxton also presents his own show on 6 Music on Sundays, called Adam Buxton's Big Mix Tape, currently on hiatus.-Major work:His...
and Joe CornishJoe CornishJoe Cornish may refer to:* Joe Cornish , British comedian, radio host, writer and director* Joe Cornish , British landscape photographer-See also:...
tried to become famous in Japan by going on a pretend date with the famous sisters to try to get noticed by the media. - Made a guest appearance in animated form in the 2008 revival of the Yattaman animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series. - In 2000, the 20th Century Fox video entertainment unit anointed the Kano sisters Japan's most likely Bond girls.
- Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
listed them in its "In & Out" column (Kano sisters "in," Hilton heiresses "out"). - The Japan TimesThe Japan TimesThe Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
listed them in its "Gongs and Goofs of 2002" column (Kabira Brothers "The In Crowd," Kano sisters "The Out Crowd").
External links
Official website- Kanō sisters at Japan Zone.
and , known collectively as the , are Japanese celebrities
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
.
Early life and background
The Kano Sisters say they are half-sisters with different mothers. There is also a 3rd "sister" who initially made appearances with the two. She eventually withdrew from the scene, according to industry sources, and now only intermittently appears with them. 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 tarentoTarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
with a carefully crafted gimmick. Within Japan it is rumored that before becoming celebrities
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
, they were high priced call girls for the jet set
Jet set
"Jet set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social activities that are unreachable to ordinary people...
level.
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.Apart from frequent television appearances, they market a series of exercise videos, erotic calendars, collectible fashion cards and coffee-table pictorials, featuring the two preening mostly naked before a soft-focus lens. Japanese toy maker Takara Co.
Takara
Takara Co., Ltd. was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955, that merged with another prominent Japanese toy company, Tomy Co., Ltd., on March 1, 2006 to form Takara Tomy, also known in English as TOMY Company Ltd....
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.
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. Businessmen pay them as much as $30,000 to make appearances at parties. The sisters are each a former Miss Japan
Miss Japan
is a beauty contest that has been held by a diet gym company and Yomiuri news group every year between winners of the Japanese block pageants.Winner is chosen out of 2000 candidates.- Winners :-External links:* on Sports Nippon...
.
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.Sweet Goddess was listed as a bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
for several months. The Kano sisters released a similar pictorial collection entitled Sweet Goddess 2 on 1 November 2006.
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 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 bestsellerBestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
. 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.'"
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.Defamation
In April 2000, author Shigeru Sato published an 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."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. 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."
Teruo Incident
Teruo Kano, 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 pay him back an undisclosed amount of money. The money was borrowed by Teruo to Kyoko more than 15 years ago. He was arrested for intimidation, accused of violating the Law concerning Punishment for Physical Violence.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
Tokyo District Court
is a district court located at 1-1-4 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. -References:...
. 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." The editorial staff at Shukan Shincho would not comment on the lawsuit.
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.
- Both of the Kano Sisters appeared on the UK BBC ThreeBBC ThreeBBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
television show Adam and Joe Go TokyoAdam and Joe Go TokyoAdam and Joe Go Tokyo was a series of eight episodes created for BBC Three . It starred Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish of The Adam and Joe Show and aired from 30 May 2003 to 25 July 2003...
. The Sisters were part of stunt in which presenters Adam BuxtonAdam BuxtonAdam Offord Buxton is an English comedian and actor. With Joe Cornish, he forms one half of the duo Adam and Joe. The pair presented Adam and Joe on BBC 6 Music, whilst Buxton also presents his own show on 6 Music on Sundays, called Adam Buxton's Big Mix Tape, currently on hiatus.-Major work:His...
and Joe CornishJoe CornishJoe Cornish may refer to:* Joe Cornish , British comedian, radio host, writer and director* Joe Cornish , British landscape photographer-See also:...
tried to become famous in Japan by going on a pretend date with the famous sisters to try to get noticed by the media. - Made a guest appearance in animated form in the 2008 revival of the Yattaman animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series. - In 2000, the 20th Century Fox video entertainment unit anointed the Kano sisters Japan's most likely Bond girls.
- Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
listed them in its "In & Out" column (Kano sisters "in," Hilton heiresses "out"). - The Japan TimesThe Japan TimesThe Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
listed them in its "Gongs and Goofs of 2002" column (Kabira Brothers "The In Crowd," Kano sisters "The Out Crowd").
External links
Official website- Kanō sisters at Japan Zone.