Kenji Sawada
Encyclopedia
, 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
(now part of Tottori
), Tottori Prefecture
, Japan
, and raised in Sakyo-ku
, Kyoto
at age 3. He is married to Oshin
star Yūko Tanaka, whom he met on the set of Tora-san, the Expert
.
As a singer (often he also worked as a songwriter) and actor, Sawada prospered greatly on Japanese popular culture
in the last three decades of the Showa era. At the end of the 1960s, he had great success as the lead singer of the band The Tigers. After the breakup of The Tigers and another project PYG, he began his own solo career.
era band The Tigers. A national teen idol
, his nickname is Julie. Japanese pop stars of that era often adopted nicknames, particularly often English-language girls' names. His nickname is derived from the actress Julie Andrews
as he is a fan of hers. The group was signed by Watanabe Productions.
In 1968, the Bee Gees
were commissioned to compose two songs for the band in an attempt at international success. One of the songs was a hit in Japan, titled " Smile For Me " and sung by Sawada. In spite of his clear English pronunciation, the record did not make the pop charts in foreign markets as the Watanabe Productions management team had hoped. The band disbanded shortly after its release.
In 1970, after The Tigers broke up, Sawada formed the supergroup, PYG. Kenichi Hagiwara
, Sawada's main rival in the Group Sounds era, was a co-lead vocalist. When PYG disbanded, Sawada went solo, but acting was to be his main form of artistic expression after that. Sawada started to wear trendy clothes and make-up in the 1970s, and became regarded as an influential fashion innovator.
Sawada also plays the shamisen
. He appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone
in March 1969 (No. 28), and is the only Japanese as a cover person of this magazine other than Yoko Ono
.
movie about Yukio Mishima
, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and playing in Takashi Miike
's horror-comedy musical The Happiness of the Katakuris
.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
singer, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was born in Tsunoi, Iwami
Iwami District, Tottori
Iwami is a district located in Tottori, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 25,607 and a density of 102.13 persons per km². The total area is 250.72 km².-Merger:...
(now part of Tottori
Tottori, Tottori
is the capital city of Tottori Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 200,974 and a density of 262.48 persons per km². The total area is 765.66 km²....
), Tottori Prefecture
Tottori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region. The capital is the city of Tottori. It is the least populous prefecture in Japan.- History :Before the Meiji Restoration, Tottori encompassed the old provinces of Hōki and Inaba...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and raised in Sakyo-ku
Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Kamigyo-ku.It is located in the north-east corner of Kyoto city. In the east it borders the city of Ōtsu in Shiga Prefecture. In the south Sanjō Street separates it from...
, Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
at age 3. He is married to Oshin
Oshin
Oshin is a Japanese serialized morning television drama, which aired on broadcaster NHK from April 4, 1983 to March 31, 1984. The series follows the life of Shin Tanokura during the Meiji period up to the early 1980s. Shin was called "Oshin", which is Japanese archaic cognomen.In total, 297...
star Yūko Tanaka, whom he met on the set of Tora-san, the Expert
Tora-san, the Expert
is a 1982 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma , and Yuko Tanaka as his love interest or "Madonna". Tora-san, the Expert is the thirtieth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series...
.
As a singer (often he also worked as a songwriter) and actor, Sawada prospered greatly on Japanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, manga, and music all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation...
in the last three decades of the Showa era. At the end of the 1960s, he had great success as the lead singer of the band The Tigers. After the breakup of The Tigers and another project PYG, he began his own solo career.
Music career
Sawada was the lead singer of the best-known J-pop music act of the late 1960s Group SoundsGroup 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...
era band The Tigers. A national teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
, his nickname is Julie. Japanese pop stars of that era often adopted nicknames, particularly often English-language girls' names. His nickname is derived from the actress Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
as he is a fan of hers. The group was signed by Watanabe Productions.
In 1968, the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
were commissioned to compose two songs for the band in an attempt at international success. One of the songs was a hit in Japan, titled " Smile For Me " and sung by Sawada. In spite of his clear English pronunciation, the record did not make the pop charts in foreign markets as the Watanabe Productions management team had hoped. The band disbanded shortly after its release.
In 1970, after The Tigers broke up, Sawada formed the supergroup, PYG. Kenichi Hagiwara
Kenichi Hagiwara
Kenichi Hagiwara , also known as Sho-Ken, was the lead singer of The Tempters, the "bad boys" of the Group Sounds Japan pop scene in the mid and late 1960s...
, Sawada's main rival in the Group Sounds era, was a co-lead vocalist. When PYG disbanded, Sawada went solo, but acting was to be his main form of artistic expression after that. Sawada started to wear trendy clothes and make-up in the 1970s, and became regarded as an influential fashion innovator.
Sawada also plays the shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
. He appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
in March 1969 (No. 28), and is the only Japanese as a cover person of this magazine other than Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
.
Film career
Sawada's best-known roles include playing in Paul Schrader's biopicBiographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
movie about Yukio Mishima
Yukio Mishima
was the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état...
, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and playing in Takashi Miike
Takashi Miike
is a highly prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker. He has directed over seventy theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. In the years 2001 and 2002 alone, Miike is credited with directing fifteen productions...
's horror-comedy musical The Happiness of the Katakuris
The Happiness of the Katakuris
is a 2001 film directed by Takashi Miike, with screenplay by Kikumi Yamagishi. It is loosely based on the South Korean film The Quiet Family. The film is a surreal horror-comedy in the farce tradition, which includes claymation sequences, musical and dance numbers, a karaoke-style sing-along...
.
Partial filmography
- Honô no shôzô (1974)
- Que C'est Triste Paris (1976)
- Taiyō o Nusunda OtokoTaiyo o Nusunda OtokoTaiyō o Nusunda Otoko , also known as The Man Who Stole the Sun, is a 1979 satirical film from Japan, directed by Hasegawa Kazuhiko and written by Leonard Schrader.-Plot:...
(1979) - Samurai ReincarnationSamurai ReincarnationSamurai Reincarnation is a 1981 film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and starring Sonny Chiba. The film was based on the novel Makai Tensho....
(1981) - Capone Cries a LotCapone Cries a Lotis a 1985 Japanese comedy film directed by Seijun Suzuki. It stars Kenichi Hagiwara as a naniwa-bushi singer who travels with his wife to the United States in hopes of achieving fame and fortune.-External links:* at the Japanese Movie Database...
(1985) - Mishima: A Life in Four ChaptersMishima: A Life in Four ChaptersMishima: A Life in Four Chapters is an American/Japanese film co-written and directed by Paul Schrader in 1985. It was co-produced by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas....
(1985) - Hiruko the GoblinHiruko the GoblinHiruko the Goblin is a 1991 horror film directed by Shinya Tsukamoto and starring Kenji Sawada.-Cast:* Kenji Sawada - Hieda Reijirou* Masaki Kudou - Masao Yabe* Hideo Murota - Watanabe* Naoto Takenaka - Takashi Yabe* Megumi Ueno - Tsukishima Reiko...
(1990) - YumejiYumejiis a 1991 independent Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki. It is a semi-fictional account of poet and painter Takehisa Yumeji. It also forms the final part of Suzuki's Taishō Roman Trilogy, preceded by Zigeunerweisen and Kagero-za , surrealistic psychological dramas and ghost stories linked by...
(1991) - Pistol OperaPistol Operais a 2001 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Makiko Esumi. As one of Seijun's last fims, it is related to Suzuki's 1967 Branded to Kill, either as a remake or sequel...
(2001) - The Happiness of the KatakurisThe Happiness of the Katakurisis a 2001 film directed by Takashi Miike, with screenplay by Kikumi Yamagishi. It is loosely based on the South Korean film The Quiet Family. The film is a surreal horror-comedy in the farce tradition, which includes claymation sequences, musical and dance numbers, a karaoke-style sing-along...
(2002)