Monthly Archives: October 2010

Popular professional wrestler Kobashi Kenta (43) and enka singer Mizuki Mai (36) finally made their 14-year relationship official on Saturday. The couple tied the knot at a municipal office in Tokyo and held their wedding ceremony at the Imperial Hotel. As they posed for photos after the ceremony, one reporter shouted out, “Mai-san, kiss!” Kobashi seemed bemused at first but was beaming after his bride gave him a peck on the cheek. A demon in the ring, he was momentarily reduced to the ranks of the typical lovestruck male.

Kobashi overcame cancer of the kidneys in 2007, but is currently undergoing rehabilitation for knee and elbow injuries. No doubt thinking of his responsibility as vice-chairman of the Pro Wrestling Noah troupe, he told reporters, “I want to get back in the ring as soon as possible.” But of course he now has added responsibilities, not least of which is his new bride. “Looking after her is the most important thing for me. And I want to have lots of kids!” Mizuki is currently enjoying sales success of her latest single “Nozomizaka Kara Ashitazaka.”

Actress Ikeuchi Junko died on September 26 of lung cancer at a Tokyo hospital, it was reported yesterday. She was 76. Real name Nakagawa Sumiko, she was working for the Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo in 1954 when a friend persuaded her to audition for cover girl of the Sankei Graph magazine. As a result she was hired by the Shintoho movie company and she made her screen debut the following year. Along with the soon-to-be superstars Takakura Ken and Ishihara Yujiro, she won a best newcomer award at the first ever Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan awards in 1956.

But the breakthrough that made her a household name came on TV. In 1960 she starred in the Fuji TV drama series “Nichinichi no Haishin,” which created her image as the nation’s housewife and also started the boom in TV dramas that continues to this day. With the 1965 TBS series “Onna to Misojiru” she set the standard for an actress who could bring in high audience ratings. She played the role of a geisha in the “Shacho” and “Ekimae” comic movie franchises that were a vehicle for actor Morishige Hisaya, but she also played serious roles such as the heroine in the movie adaptation of Matsumoto Seicho’s novel “Kemonomichi.”

In 1969 she took to the stage for the first time, a move that would see her work a lot in theater. Just this May, she appeared in a production of “Sanbaba” here in Nagoya at the Chunichi Gekijo theater. In the late 1950s she was briefly married to vaudeville actor Yanagisawa Shinichi but she remained single after they divorced in 1958. In 2002, she received the Medal with Purple Ribbon, given to people who have made important contributions to academic fields, arts and sports.