Yoshika Yuhnagi
Encyclopedia
Yoshika Yuhnagi better known simply as Yoshika or Yuhnagi (夕凪 / ゆーなぎ), was a Japan
ese fashion model.
Born in the city of East Yahata, Kyushu island
to Kumamoto / ethnic Okinawa
n parents, Yuhnagi grew up in the city and began both professional and commercial fashion modeling at the age of 11. Her early commercial appearances were for Fukuoka-local teen magazines.
After being discovered by a Shogakukan
's magazine editor, at the age of 12, she began appearing in a number of well-known fashion magazines such as Vivi
and Seventeen
under her several stage names, and also in several TV / print ads. She signed exclusive contracts with at least 9 fashion houses in her first 3 years of modeling.
She was notorious for her violence against people especially men such as male designers, and her alcohol issues as she was a heavy drinker. One of her alcohol-related incidents took place in August 2000, when she was arrested together with another fashion model, allegedly her friend Anna Tsuchiya
, after running full-naked on Omiya
's mainstreet and in a public high school filled with hundreds of students, while under the influence of a large amount of alcohol. Tsuchiya (also naked but shown only from the waist up for short times) chased Yuhnagi but failed to catch her, and then Yuhnagi assaulted a policeman who subdued Tsuchiya, and eventually she was arrested. TV Saitama's News 930 channel reported this incident, but sank their names for a voluntary restraint related to the Youth Act law, describing Yuhnagi as a "rampaging young girl with dyed, pink-colored hair and some heavy accent, a professional model".
In late 2000, as a high-featured teenage model with a rapidly rising popularity, she appeared on several television programs which included TV Asahi
's Tonight 2 and TBS
's Wonderful.
On January 4, 2001 after drinking too much Shochu
, Vodka
and Dom Perignon
, Yuhnagi slept in a park located near her condominium and was frozen, eventually died of hypothermia
, at the age of 17. She was not an alcoholic in medical terms, but some witnesses assumed that she in her later days would drink not for pleasure, as it seemed more like an obsession as if she was possessed by something. Her last name, Yuhnagi, meant "evening calm".
Near the end of 2010, according to Natsuki Kato
's column on the Nikkei BP magazine, several Kyushu-born fashion models, including Rena Takeshita
, paid tribute to Yuhnagi with a special banquet in Otsu
. As of 2011, ten years after her death, her name has still not been forgotten in her homeland, the Northern Kyushu area. A Fukuoka-based lifestyle magazine named Fukuoka-mon conducted a pole in March 2011, on which Yoshika was named one of the five most popular fashion models among women in their twenties there.
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...
ese fashion model.
Born in the city of East Yahata, Kyushu island
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
to Kumamoto / ethnic Okinawa
Ryukyuans
The are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyūshū and Taiwan. The generally recognized subgroups of Ryukyuans are Amamians, Okinawans, Miyakoans, Yaeyamans, and Yonagunians. Geographically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture...
n parents, Yuhnagi grew up in the city and began both professional and commercial fashion modeling at the age of 11. Her early commercial appearances were for Fukuoka-local teen magazines.
After being discovered by a Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
's magazine editor, at the age of 12, she began appearing in a number of well-known fashion magazines such as Vivi
Vivi (magazine)
is a Japanese fashion magazine published by K L. ViVi is one of Asia's top fashion magazines, and is published in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand...
and Seventeen
Seventeen (Japanese magazine)
Seventeen is a monthly Japanese fashion magazine for female teenagers published by Shueisha.Launched in 1967 as a weekly magazine based on the original American Seventeen, the magazine changed the name to SEVENTEEN in 1987, and to Seventeen in 2008.Since the late 1990s, Seventeen has been the...
under her several stage names, and also in several TV / print ads. She signed exclusive contracts with at least 9 fashion houses in her first 3 years of modeling.
She was notorious for her violence against people especially men such as male designers, and her alcohol issues as she was a heavy drinker. One of her alcohol-related incidents took place in August 2000, when she was arrested together with another fashion model, allegedly her friend Anna Tsuchiya
Anna Tsuchiya
is a Japanese singer, lyricist, actress and semi-retired model.Tsuchiya was born to a Japanese mother and an American father of Polish-Irish descent from Buffalo, New York. In her earliest years, she spoke English and Japanese...
, after running full-naked on Omiya
Omiya, Saitama
was a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. In 2001 it merged with two other cities to form the city of Saitama. Since 1 April 2003, the area of former Ōmiya city is Kita-ku, Minuma-ku, Nishi-ku, and Ōmiya-ku of Saitama city.-Origin and pre-modern history:...
's mainstreet and in a public high school filled with hundreds of students, while under the influence of a large amount of alcohol. Tsuchiya (also naked but shown only from the waist up for short times) chased Yuhnagi but failed to catch her, and then Yuhnagi assaulted a policeman who subdued Tsuchiya, and eventually she was arrested. TV Saitama's News 930 channel reported this incident, but sank their names for a voluntary restraint related to the Youth Act law, describing Yuhnagi as a "rampaging young girl with dyed, pink-colored hair and some heavy accent, a professional model".
In late 2000, as a high-featured teenage model with a rapidly rising popularity, she appeared on several television programs which included TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
's Tonight 2 and TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
's Wonderful.
On January 4, 2001 after drinking too much Shochu
Shochu
is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from barley, sweet potatoes, or rice, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as brown sugar, buckwheat or chestnut. Typically shōchū contains 25% alcohol by volume...
, Vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
and Dom Perignon
Dom Pérignon (wine)
Dom Pérignon is a brand of vintage Champagne produced by the Champagne house Moët & Chandon and serves as that house's prestige champagne. It is named after Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk who was an important quality pioneer for Champagne wine but who, contrary to popular myths, did not discover...
, Yuhnagi slept in a park located near her condominium and was frozen, eventually died of hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
, at the age of 17. She was not an alcoholic in medical terms, but some witnesses assumed that she in her later days would drink not for pleasure, as it seemed more like an obsession as if she was possessed by something. Her last name, Yuhnagi, meant "evening calm".
Near the end of 2010, according to Natsuki Kato
Natsuki Kato
is a Japanese actress and former fashion model, regularly appearing on television in various roles.-Career:After she was spotted and recruited with 1998's television commercial appearance by a current entertainment production, she made her debut in 1999....
's column on the Nikkei BP magazine, several Kyushu-born fashion models, including Rena Takeshita
Rena Takeshita
is a Japanese fashion model and occasional actress. Since the late 1990s she has appeared in numerous magazines, catalogs, television commercials, TV shows and films....
, paid tribute to Yuhnagi with a special banquet in Otsu
Otsu, Shiga
is the capital city of Shiga, Japan. The city was founded on October 1, 1898. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 338,629 with an average age of 40.7 years and a population density of 905.28 persons per km²...
. As of 2011, ten years after her death, her name has still not been forgotten in her homeland, the Northern Kyushu area. A Fukuoka-based lifestyle magazine named Fukuoka-mon conducted a pole in March 2011, on which Yoshika was named one of the five most popular fashion models among women in their twenties there.