Kenichi Hagiwara also known as Sho-Ken, was the lead singer of The Tempters

The Tempters

The Tempters were part of Japan's Group Sounds pop music era in the 1960s.Featuring lead vocalist Kenichi Hagiwara, who was also known by the nickname of Shoken, they rivaled The Tigers for the top spot in the Japan rock scene hierarchy...

, the "bad boys" of the Group Sounds

Group Sounds

Group Sounds is a genre of Japanese rock music. Inspired by The Beatles, Group Sounds became popular in the mid to late 1960s. Group Sounds initiated fusion of Japanese kayōkyoku music and rock music...

 Japan pop scene in the mid and late 1960s. A teen idol with a legion of loyal fans, Hagiwara was known for his good looks and arrogance, which appealed to both young male and female Japanese fans.

After The Tempters, he formed the band PYG

Pyg

PYG was a super-group from Japan, made up of members of the most famous bands of the Group Sounds era, The Tempters, The Spiders and The Tigers....

 along with Kenji Sawada

Kenji Sawada

, nicknamed "Julie" , also-known as vocalist for the Japanese rock band The Tigers, is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and actor. He was born in Tsunoi, Iwami , Tottori Prefecture, Japan, and raised in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto at age 3...

, the first true Japanese supergroup, a unit which included members of The Tigers, The Tempters

The Tempters

The Tempters were part of Japan's Group Sounds pop music era in the 1960s.Featuring lead vocalist Kenichi Hagiwara, who was also known by the nickname of Shoken, they rivaled The Tigers for the top spot in the Japan rock scene hierarchy...

 and The Spiders.

He helped invent the sitarla

Sitarla

The sitarla is an instrument invented by Hideki Ishima and Kenichi Hagiwara which combines aspects of the sitar with the solid body electric guitar.. It is a hollow-bodied instrument, and currently only two exist in the world. Ishima now plays the instrument exclusively, and it has replaced his...

 with Hideki Ishima

Hideki Ishima

Hideki Ishima is a Japanese guitarist, known primarily for his work with Flower Travellin' Band. He also plays an instrument he invented, the sitarla, which is a combination of a sitar and an electric guitar....

.

Current career

He is still popular as an actor in the early 2000s, and a "bad boy" even in his fifties, with minor (but highly publicized) brushes with law enforcement.

Selected filmography

Year	Film	Role
1972	The Rendezvous The Rendezvous is a 1972 Japanese film directed by Kōichi Saitō. It was entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Keiko Kishi - Woman on parole* Kenichi Hagiwara - Burglar* Yoshie Minami - Supervisor* Rentarô Mikuni - Detective* Jin Nakayama...	Burglar
1980	Kagemusha Kagemusha is a 1980 film by Akira Kurosawa. The title is a term used for an impersonator. It is set in the Warring States era of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable...	Takeda Katsuyori Takeda Katsuyori was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku Period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was the son of Shingen by the , the daughter of Suwa Yorishige...
1982	To Trap a Kidnapper To Trap a Kidnapper is a 1982 Japanese film directed by Shunya Itō.-Awards:6th Japan Academy Prize * Won: Best Supporting Actress - Rumiko Koyanagi* Nominated: Best Film* Nominated: Best Director - Shunya Itō* Nominated: Best Screenplay - Hirō Matsuda...	Kazuo Furuya
1985	Seburi monogatari Seburi monogatari Seburi monogatari is a 1985 Japanese drama film directed by Sadao Nakajima. It was entered into the 35th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Kenichi Hagiwara as Hajime Kinoshita* Yumiko Fujita as Kuni* Michiko Kohno as Hide...	Hajime Kinoshita
	Love Letter Love Letter (1985 film) is a 1985 Japanese film directed by Tatsumi Kumashiro.-Awards and nominations:10th Hochi Film Award* Won: Best Actress - Mitsuko Baisho...	Shoichi Takehara
1992	The Triple Cross The Triple Cross is a 1992 Japanese film, directed by Kinji Fukasaku.-Cast:*Kenichi Hagiwara as Kanzaki*Kazuya Kimura as Kadomachi*Keiko Oginome as Mai*Sonny Chiba as Shiba*Yoshio Harada as Noji*Renji Ishibashi as Imura*Kirin Kiki...	Kanzaki
1994	Ghost Pub Ghost Pub is a 1994 Japanese film directed by Takayoshi Watanabe.-Reception:19th Hochi Film Awards* Won: Best Actor - Kenichi Hagiwara* Won: Best Supporting Actress - Shigeru Muroi* Won: Best Newcomer - Tomoko Yamaguchi...	Sotaro
2009	Tajomaru	Ashikaga Yoshimasa Ashikaga Yoshimasa was the 8th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1449 to 1473 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimasa was the son of the sixth shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori....

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