Tuesday, December 10, 2024

A00088 - Miho Nakayama, Japanese Music and Movie Star

 

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Miho Nakayama
中山 美穂
Nakayama in 1986
Born1 March 1970
Died6 December 2024 (aged 54)
Tokyo, Japan
Other namesMiporin (ミポリン)
Mizuho Kitayama (北山 瑞穂)
Issaque (一咲)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • lyricist
  • actress
Years active1985–2024
AgentBig Apple
Height158 cm (5 ft 2 in)
Spouse
(m. 2002; div. 2014)
Children1[1]
RelativesShinobu Nakayama (sister)
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
DiscographyMiho Nakayama discography
LabelsKing Records
Formerly of
Japanese name
Kanji中山 美穂
Hiraganaなかやま みほ
Katakanaナカヤマ ミホ

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Miho Nakayama (中山 美穂Nakayama Miho, 1 March 1970 – 6 December 2024) was a Japanese singer and actress. She made her debut in the 1985 drama Maido Osawagase Shimasu, where her performance led to instant stardom. Nakayama released her debut single, "C", shortly after, and finished the year with her film debut in the blockbuster Be-Bop High School. She became one of the most popular idols during its "Golden Age" in the 1980s. Nicknamed Miporin (ミポリン), Nakayama occasionally used the pseudonyms Mizuho Kitayama (北山 瑞穂Kitayama Mizuho) or Issaque (一咲Issaku) when she wrote song lyrics.

After pivoting towards a dance-oriented sound, she achieved five consecutive number one singles. Her best known songs from this period include "Waku Waku Sasete", "50/50", "Catch Me" and "You're My Only Shinin' Star". In the 1990s, she wrote lyrics and recorded ballads, resulting in several platinum singles and her biggest sales: "Tōi Machi no Doko ka de..." (1991), "Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto" (1992) with Wands, and "Tada Nakitaku Naru no" (1994).

Nakayama received positive reviews for her lead roles in Love Letter (1995) and Tokyo Weather (1997).

She died on 6 December 2024, at the age of 54, having previously announced the cancellation of a show due to poor health.

Early and education

Miho Nakayama was born on 1 March 1970 in Saku, Nagano, Japan.[2]

After her mother remarried, her family moved to Koganei, Tokyo, where Nakayama attended Koganei Municipal Junior High School.[2]

Career

Singing

After a talent scout discovered her in Harajuku, Nakayama debuted on 21 June 1985 with her single "C", and with her starring role in the film Be-Bop High School.[3] Throughout her career as a singer and actress, she recorded 22 studio albums and scored eight No. 1 singles on Oricon charts, two of which sold over one million copies each. She also starred in a 1987 Famicom Disk System dating sim produced by Nintendo titled Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School, in which she played a high school student who tries to conceal her actual identity.[4]

By the 1990s, her artistry began to mature as she penned lyrics and recorded ballads, resulting in several platinum singles and her biggest sales: "Tōi Machi no Doko ka de..." (1991), "Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto" (1992) with Wands, and "Tada Nakitaku Naru no" (1994). Nicknamed Miporin (ミポリン), Nakayama occasionally used the pseudonyms Mizuho Kitayama (北山 瑞穂Kitayama Mizuho) or Issaque (一咲Issaku) when she wrote song lyrics.[5][3]

Acting

In 1995, director Shunji Iwai cast Nakayama in the starring dual roles of Hiroko Watanabe and Itsuki Fujii in the film Love Letter. The film was a huge box-office success, and Nakayama won Best Actress awards for her role in the film at the 38th Blue Ribbon Awards,[6] the 17th Yokohama Film Festival[7] and the 18th Hochi Film Awards.[8][3]

On 8 November 2021, Nakayama starred alongside King & Prince member Yuta Jinguji in the stage play Aoi no Ue/Yoroboshi (『葵上』『弱法師』Lady Aoi/Weak Lawyer) at The Globe Tokyo. The play ran until December 5.[9][10]

From 1985, she was represented by Big Apple Co., Ltd.[11][12]

Awards

Nakayama was nominated for a Best Actress Japanese Academy Award in 1998 for her role in Tokyo Biyori,[13] and has appeared in numerous TV series including Love Story (2001).[14][better source needed]

Personal life

Nakayama's younger sister is Shinobu Nakayama, also an actress and retired pop singer.[3] She also has a younger brother named Tomoaki.[2]

Two years after her friend Yasuko Endō died by suicide, Nakayama wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the song, "Long Distance to Heaven," that she performed during a 1988 concert tour. A requiem for Endō, the song commemorated Endō's cancelled debut single "In the Distance." It was included in her July 1988 album Mind Game, and mentioned in her 1991 essay collection P.S. I Love You. Without specifying Endō's name, Nakayama wrote about her in her 2009 photo essay collection Nazenara Yasashii Machi ga Atta Kara.[15]

In 2002, Nakayama married musician Hitonari Tsuji after an eight-month relationship. They moved to Paris, where they had a son a year later.[3] In 2014, Nakayama and Tsuji divorced, and Nakayama moved back to Japan, with Tsuji retaining custody of their son.[1][2]

Death

Nakayama was found dead in her house by her staff in EbisuShibuyaTokyo, on 6 December 2024, at the age of 54.[16][17][18] Her Christmas show in Osaka had been scheduled for that day, but it had been canceled due to her poor health.[19] According to investigators, Nakayama's colleague visited her house after finding out that she did not show up for work that day.[20][21] Police later announced that they found no signs of foul play after conducting an autopsy, while agency Big Apple said in a statement that Nakayama died due to an accident while she was bathing.[22] The agency added that they are considering the possibility of hosting a public life celebration for Nakayama.[22]

Discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Film

Release dateTitleDistributorRoleDirectorCo-starsTheme song
12/14/1985Be-Bop High SchoolTōei Co., Ltd.Kyōko IzumiHiroyuki NasuKojiro ShimizuTōru Nakamura, Masumi MiyazakiMiho Nakayama/"Be-Bop High School"
8/9/1986Be-Bop High SchoolKōkō Yotarō ElegyTōei Co., Ltd.Kyōko IzumiHiroyuki NasuKojiro Shimizu, Tōru Nakamura, Masumi MiyazakiMiho Nakayama/"Jingi Aishite Moraimasu"
8/26/1989Who Do I Choose?TohoNobuko KuwataShūsuke KanekoHiroyuki Sanada, Tōru Kazama, Rie MiyazawaMiho Nakayama/"Virgin Eyes"
8/31/1991Nami no Kazu dake DakishimeteTohoMariko TanakaYasuo BabaYuji OdaYuki MatsushitaTetsuya Bessho
3/25/1995Love LetterHerald AceHiroko Watanabe/Itsuki FujiiShunji IwaiEtsushi ToyokawaMiki Sakai, Takashi Kashiwabara
10/18/1997Tokyo WeatherTohoYōko ShimatsuNaoto TakenakaNaoto Takenaka, Takako MatsuTomokazu MiuraTaeko Ōnuki/"Himawari"
1/23/2010Sayonara SomedayAsmik AceKutsuko ManakaJohn H. LeeHidetoshi NishijimaYuriko IshidaTakehiro HiraTakahiro NishijimaMasaya KatoMika Nakashima/"Always"
10/6/2012I Have to Buy New ShoesTōei Co., Ltd.Aoi TeshigawaraEriko KitagawaOsamu MukaiMirei Kiritani
4/27/2018Marmalade BoyWarner Bros.Chiyako MatsuuraRyūichi HirokiHinako SakuraiRyo Yoshizawa, Michitaka Tsutsui, Shōsuke TaniharaRei DanGReeeeN/"Koi"
5/12/2018Butterfly SleepKadokawa PicturesRyoko MatsumuraJeong Jae-eunKim Jae-wookAnna IshibashiShun Sugata, Masanobu Katsumura, Masatoshi Nagase
1/25/2019Ai Uta: My Promise to NakuhitoTōei Co., Ltd.Saeko HashinoTaisuke KawamuraRyusei YokohamaKaya KiyoharaHiroki IijimaRiko NarumiNaomi ZaizenGReeeeN/"Yakusoku x No title"
10/25/2019108: Revenge and Adventure of Goro KaibaPhantom Film Co., Ltd.Ayako KaibaSuzuki MatsuoSuzuki MatsuoShunsuke DaitōLouis KuriharaLiLiCoSeizō FukumotoGen Hoshino/"Yoru no Bōto"
1/17/2020Last LetterTohoSakaeShunji IwaiTakako MatsuMasaharu FukuyamaSuzu HiroseNana MoriEtsushi ToyokawaNana Mori/"Kaeru no Uta"
5/6/2022Lesson in MurderThe KlockWorx Co., Ltd.Eriko Kakei[23]Kazuya ShiraishiSadao AbeKenshi OkadaTakanori Iwata, Yū Miyazaki

Television series

Broadcast datesTitleNetworkRoleCo-starsTheme song
1/8–3/26 (1985)Maido Osawagase ShimasuTBSNodoka MoriAkira Onodera, Kazuya Kimura, Hiroko ShinoC-C-B/"Romantic ga Tomaranai"
4/12/1985Uchi no Ko ni Kagitte..., Part 2, Episode 1 (guest appearance)TBSNobuko TakaokaMasakazu TamuraAiko MorishitaGeorge TokoroReiko NakamuraNobuko Miyamoto
8/20–9/25 (1985)Story of a Summer ExperienceTBSYuki SugimotoNaoko Amihama, Shōjotai, Yoshi IkuzōEri Ishida, Arthur KurodaMiho Nakayama/"C"
12/10/1985 – 3/25/1986Maido Osawagase Shimasu, Part 2TBSNodoka MoriAkira Onodera, Kazuya Kimura, Hiroko ShinoC-C-B/"Kūsō Kiss"
10/13/1986–3/23/1987Sailor Suit Rebel AllianceNippon TVMiho YamagataNobuko Sendō, Risa Yamamoto, Kyōko Gotō, Ren Osugi, Kazuki MinabuchiA-JARI/"Shadow of Love"
10/16–12/18 (1986)Na-ma-i-ki ZakariFuji TVKayoko Kinoshita[24]Shigeyuki Nakamura, Kahori Torii, Yōichi Yamamoto, Taiji Yano, Chiaki WatanabeMiho Nakayama/"Waku Waku Sasete"
4/14–6/16 (1987)Mama Is an Idol[25] (1987)TBSherselfKunihiko MitamuraKumiko GotoMasatoshi NagaseMiho Nakayama/"Hade!!!"
10/22–12/24 (1987)Ohima nara Kite yo ne!Fuji TVNozomi Satake/Yōko HiroseYu-ki MatsumuraShizuka Kudo, Kazuhiko KanayamaMiho Nakayama/"Catch Me"
1987Maido Osawagase Shimasu, Part 3 (guest appearance)TBSNodoka MoriHiroshi KatsunoRisa Tachibana
7/8–9/23 (1988)Waka-Okusama wa Ude-Makuri!TBSTomoko HiroseKunihiko Mitamura, Noriko SengokuMari NishioJun Miho, Kazuyuki MatsuzawaMiho Nakayama/"Mermaid"
1/16–3/20 (1989)Can't Take My Eyes Off You!Fuji TVHitomi TakagiMomoko Kikuchi, Tomoko Fujita, Kōyō Maeda, Gitan ŌtsuruMariko Murai/"Dōshiyō mo naku Renai (Love Affair)"
1/12–3/30 (1990)GraduationTBSKaori KinoshitaYūji Oda, Nobuko Sendō, Michiko KawaiKoji MatobaDreams Come True/"Egao no Yukue"
10/15–12/17 (1990)Wonderful One-Sided LoveFuji TVKeiko YodaToshiro YanagibaEmi Wakui, Mikihisa Azuma, Ken IshiguroMiho Nakayama/"Aishiterutte Iwanai!"
10/7–12/16 (1991)When I Really Miss You, but You Are Not Here...Fuji TVMiyoko OkiGitan Ōtsuru, Kenji MoriwakiFumiya Fujii, Tōru KazamaMiho Nakayama/"Tōi Machi no Doko ka de..."
1/5–12/13 (1992)NHK Taiga dramaNobunaga: King of ZipanguNHKNeneNaoto Ogata, Momoko Kikuchi, Jirō Hiramiki, Tōru Nakamura
10/14–12/23 (1992)Somebody Loves HerFuji TVTsubasa TakanoJinpachi Nezu, Kōji Matoba, Mayu TsurutaMiho Nakayama & Wands/"Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto"
1/7–3/25 (1994)Moshimo Negai ga Kanau naraTBSMirai MōriMasatoshi Hamada, Takashi Hamazaki, Kōki Okada, Marina WatanabeMiho Nakayama/"Tada Nakitaku Naru no"
1/9–3/20 (1995)FOR YOUFuji TVYayoi YoshikuraMasanobu TakashimaKatsunori TakahashiHiroko MoriguchiShingo KatoriMiho Nakayama/"Hero"
10/14–12/16 (1996)Delicious RelationsFuji TVMomoe FujiwaraToshiaki KarasawaTsuyoshi KusanagiNaoko IijimaMiho Nakayama/"Mirai e no Present"
10/8–12/24 (1998)Nemureru MoriFuji TVMinako ŌbaTakuya Kimura, Tōru Nakamura, Yūsuke SantamariaMariya Takeuchi/"Camouflage"
1/10–3/20 (2000)Love 2000Fuji TVRieru MashiroTakeshi KaneshiroYukie Nakama, Mikihisa AzumaDo As Infinity/"Yesterday & Today"
4/15–6/24 (2001)Love StoryTBSMisaki SutōEtsushi Toyokawa, Haruhiko Katō, Shingo Katori, YūkaSpitz/"Haruka"
10/7–12/16 (2002)Home and AwayFuji TVKaede NakamoriNaomi NishidaKōtarō KoizumiWakana Sakaiday after tomorrow/"Hello, Everybody!"
5/25–7/13 (2014)PlatonicNHK BS PremiumSara MochizukiTsuyoshi Domoto, Kōtarō Koizumi, Mei Nagano
8/20–9/10 (2016)Love of the Wise ManWowowMayuko TakanakaRyō RyūseiSaki TakaokaSeiichi Tanabe
4/17–6/26 (2017)The Noble DetectiveFuji TVTanaka (maid)Masaki AibaEmi Takei, Yukie NakamaArashi/"I'll Be There"
1/7–1/28 (2018)The Makioka SistersNHK BS PremiumTsuruko MakiokaSaki Takaoka, Ayumi ItoYuri Nakamura
10/11–12/13 (2018)Like Shooting Stars in the TwilightFuji TVMariko TakizawaKuranosuke SasakiHitomi Kuroki, Ryūsei FujiiKen Hirai/"Half of Me"
5/10/2019The Women of Tokyo's 23 Wards (Episode 5: The Woman of Itabashi Ward)WowowKaoruMafia KajitaYū Asakawa, Shigemitsu Ogi
10/25/2019Time Limit Investigator (Episode 3, guest appearance)TV AsahiMachiko KotobukiJoe OdagiriKumiko AsoTetsuya Bessho
1/11–2/29 (2020)Things You Can Know by Looking at ThemWowowMomoko UchidaTae KimuraYuko OshimaYusuke KamijiHiroshi NaganoKatsuhisa Namase
3/19/2021Three-Star Bar in Tokyo's West Ogikubo District (Episode 6)Mainichi BroadcastingNaomi SaigawaKeita Machida, Kisetsu Fujiwara, Win MorisakiI Don't Like Mondays./"Entertainer"
4/30–7/2 (2021)Keishichō Zero-Gakari Seikatsu Anzenka Nande mo Sōdan-shitsu (Season 5)TV TokyoRei HoshinaKōtarō Koizumi, Yuki MatsushitaHideaki Tokunaga/"Tomorrow"
7/31–9/18 (2021)The High School HeroesTV AsahiRuriko ManakaTaishō Iwasaki, Yūto Nasu, Ryūga Satō, Naoki Fujii, Issei Kanasashi, Hidaka UkishoKAT-TUN/"Euphoria"
7/18/2022Renovation Like Magic (Episode 1, guest appearance)Kansai TV・Fuji TVMachi NishizakiHaruShotaro Mamiya

Television movies

Broadcast dateTitleNetworkRoleCo-stars
3/3/1986Monday Drama Land: Fujiko Fujio's Dream CameraFuji TVSayoko ShiratoriKyoko KoizumiYōko Oginome
5/15/1986Thursday Drama Street: Aitsu to WatashiFuji TVKeiko NishidaYu-ki MatsumuraKyoko EnamiYumiko Fujita, Ayumi Tsuchiya
4/2/1987Tuesday Super Wide: Hanjuku Widow! Mibōjin wa JūhassaiTV AsahiTamao SuzumotoShingo Tsurumi
10/2/1987Papa wa Newscaster (special edition, guest appearance)TBSherselfMasakazu TamuraHonami SuzukiJun Fubuki
12/20/1988Tuesday Super Wide: MismatchTV AsahiTamaki SugiharaShizuka KudoMasanori Sera
4/19/1990Tales of the Unusual: Fearful TouchFuji TVSatomi AyukawaJohnny Ōkura
12/26/1990ChūshinguraTBSOkaruTakeshi Kitano (Beat Takeshi), Keiko TakeshitaTakanori JinnaiClaude MakiMasami Shimojō
1/23/1991Suiyō Gurando Roman: Itsuka, Sarejio Kyōkai deNippon TVTaeko YamamotoEisaku Yoshida
8/27/1992Drama City '92: Ai shite iru to Kaite MitaYomiuri TVNobuyuki Ishii, Mayumi Hasegawa
1/3/1994New Spring Drama Special '94: Aogeba Tōtoshi (Episode 1: "Ni-nen C-gumi no Kiseki")Fuji TVChiaki SawaiTeruyoshi UchimuraRie Tomosaka
12/23/1995Seiya no Kiseki (Episode 2: "Seisha ga Machi ni Yattekuru")Fuji TVSatsuki NonomuraHiroyuki Sanada
8/27/1999True Horror Stories: That Summer's VisitorFuji TVShōko MoriiYōsuke KubozukaKazuko Yoshiyuki
12/30/2001Meoto ManzaiTBSNobuko TsujimotoEtsushi Toyokawa (dir.), Masahiro Kōmoto, Tatsuo Nadaka, Adeyto
3/20/2012Dorama Tokubetsu Kikaku: Shūchaku-eki – Twilight Express no KoiTBSChie TakatsuKōichi Satō, Hiroko Nakajima, Sae Shimizu, Chieko Ichikawa, Midori Kimura
6/25/2013Shiawase ni naru Mittsu no Kaimono: Manshon o Katta OnnaKansai TVMutsumi AndoReika KirishimaTasuku EmotoYutaka Matsushige
3/29/2017Special Drama: Seichō Matsumoto, A Barren ForestTV TokyoMiyuki EtōNoriyuki HigashiyamaYukiyoshi OzawaSaki Aibu
10/14/2017Tales of the Unusual: Fall 2017 Special Edition – "Freestyle Mom"Fuji TVFusako HosokawaYosuke Asari, Serai Takagi, Seikō Itō
4/19/2018The Woman of Unresolved Mystery: Women Document DetectivesTV AsahiIzumi ShimanoKyōka SuzukiHaruKenichi EndōJunji TakadaAsuka Kudo
5/18/2019Confidence Man JP Special: Unsei-henFuji TVWakaba WatanabeMasami NagasawaMasahiro HigashideFumiyo KohinataKazuki KitamuraRyōko Hirosue
11/23/2019The Tragedy of WNHK BS PremiumYoshie WatsujiTao TsuchiyaRie MimuraShinya OwadaMari Natsuki, Kenichi Okamoto

Kōhaku Uta Gassen appearances

Year / broadcastAppearance numberSongAppearance orderContenderNotes
1988 (Shōwa 63) / 39thDebut"Witches"1/21Hikaru Genji
1989 (Heisei 1) / 40th2"Virgin Eyes"10/27Otokogumi
1990 (Heisei 2) / 41st3"Aishiterutte Iwanai!"2/29Eisaku Yoshida
1991 (Heisei 3) / 42nd4"Rosa"3/28
1992 (Heisei 4) / 43rd5"Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto"
(with Wands)
10/28ShonentaiAlso performed a cover of "Candy Candy" with Chisato Moritaka and Hikaru Nishida.
1993 (Heisei 5) / 44th6"Shiawase ni Naru Tame ni"14/26
1994 (Heisei 6) / 45th7"Tada Nakitaku Naru no"8/25Fumiya Fujii

Bibliography

  • Issho Kenmei Nakayama Miho Photo Collection (1985, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionIssho Kenmei Nakayama Miho Photo Collection. Wani Books. 1985. ISBN 9784847020247.
  • Toumei de Iru Yo, Meippai Onna no Ko (1985, Wani Books) - Essay CollectionToumei de Iru Yo, Meippai Onna no Ko. Wani Books. 1985. ISBN 4847010310.
  • Miho Ganbaru (1986, Shueisha) - Photo CollectionMiho Ganbaru. Shueisha. 1986.
  • Docchi ni Suru no. (1989, Shueisha) - Photo CollectionDocchi ni Suru no. Shueisha. 1989.
  • Ambivalence Nakayama Miho Shashinshu (1989, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionMysterious Book. Wani Books. 1901.
  • SCENA miho nakayama pictorial (1991, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionAmbivalence Nakayama Miho Shashinshu. Wani Books. 1991.
  • P.S. I LOVE YOU (1991, Nippon Hassou Shuppan and Fusosha Publishing) - Essay CollectionP.S. I LOVE YOUFusosha Publishing. 1991.
  • LETTERS in Love Letter (Nakayama Miho Photo Collection) (1995, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionLETTERS in Love Letter. Wani Books. 1995.
  • Nakayama Miho in Eiga Tokyo Biyori (1997, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionNakayama Miho in Eiga Tokyo Biyori. Wani Books. 1997.
  • Atashi to Watashi (1997, Gentosha) - NovelMiho Nakayama (1997). Atashi to WatashiGentosha.
  • ANGEL (1998, Wani Books) - Photo CollectionANGELWani Books. 1998.
  • Nazenara Yasashii Machi ga Atta Kara (2009, Shueisha) - Photo Essay Collection[26]

References

  1. Jump up to:a b "Miho Nakayama reportedly to get divorce after 12 years"Japan Today. 29 March 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  2. Jump up to:a b c d "中山美穂の知られざる素顔、そして家族、年の離れた弟の存在"Entertainment Topics. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  3. Jump up to:a b c d e "TV Stars: Nakayama Miho"Japan-Zone. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  4. ^ Ashcraft, Brian. "The Idol Game Metroid's Co-Creator Made With Final Fantasy's Creator"Kotaku. G/O Media. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Miho Nakayama | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  6. ^ ブルーリボン賞ヒストリー (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  7. ^ 第17回ヨコハマ映画祭 1995年日本映画個人賞 (in Japanese). Yokohama Film Festival. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  8. ^ 報知映画賞ヒストリー (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  9. ^ "『葵上』/『弱法師』". The Globe Tokyo. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  10. ^ "キンプリ神宮寺勇太の言葉に中山美穂が涙「たくさん助けられました」"Oricon. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  11. ^ "中山 美穂"Narrow. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  12. ^ "中山美穂"Talent Dictionary. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  13. ^ Takenaka, Naoto (18 October 1997), Tokyo biyori, retrieved 17 October 2016
  14. ^ Love Story, 15 April 2001, retrieved 17 October 2016
  15. ^ Miho Nakayama (2009). Nazenara Yasashii Machi ga Atta KaraShueisha. pp. 89–91. ISBN 9784087805253.
  16. ^ "Miho Nakayama: J-pop star and actress found dead at 54"BBC News. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Japanese singer and actor Miho Nakayama dies aged 54"The Guardian. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  18. ^ "中山美穂さん 病死か 「驚きと悲しみで呆然と」所属事務所コメント発表"TV Asahi (in Japanese). 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  19. ^ "中山美穂さん 自宅で死亡、54歳 前日5日に「2、3日心がえぐられて」とSNSに投稿"Daily Sports (in Japanese). 6 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  20. ^ "女優・中山美穂さん、東京の自宅で死亡…54歳"Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 6 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  21. ^ "【詳報】中山美穂さんが急死、自宅浴槽で発見される、今日6日のライブは公演中止が急きょ発表された"TV Asahi (in Japanese). 6 December 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  22. Jump up to:a b "No foul play in death of actor-singer Nakayama Miho, Tokyo police say". NHK World-Japan. 8 December 2024. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  23. ^ "岩田剛典、映画「死刑にいたる病」で半顔隠れる謎の男を熱演"Natalie.mu. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  24. ^ "な・ま・い・き盛り"TV Drama Database. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  25. ^ Mama wa Idol TV Special 1988 on TBS
  26. ^ Miho Nakayama (2009). Nazenara Yasashii Machi ga Atta KaraShueishaISBN 9784087805253.

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Miho Nakayama, Japanese Music and Movie Star, Dies at 54

A top-selling pop singer as a teenager in the 1980s, she also had an award-winning career as a dramatic actress.

Listen to this article · 4:07 min Learn more
Miho Nakayama in 2016. She began acting in movies and on TV in 1985, but it was singing that established her as a star.Credit...The Yomiuri Shimbun, via Associated Press Images

Miho Nakayama, a reigning J-pop star of the 1980s who broke through to become a critically acclaimed dramatic actress and gained international attention for her starring role in the sentimental Japanese drama “Love Letter,” died on Friday at her home in Tokyo. She was 54.

Ms. Nakayama was found dead in a bathtub, according to a statement from her management company. The statement added, “We are still in the process of confirming the cause of death and other details.”

The Japan Times reported that Ms. Nakayama had canceled an appearance at a Christmas concert in Osaka, Japan, scheduled for that same day, citing health issues.

Ms. Nakayama — known by the affectionate nickname Miporin — rocketed to fame in 1985, becoming one of Japan’s most successful idols, as popular young entertainers there are known, with the release of her first single, “C.” That same year, she took home a Japan Record Award for best new artist.

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She exploded on both the big and small screens that same year with starring roles in the comedy-drama series “Maido Osawagase Shimasu” (roughly, “Sorry to Bother You All the Time”) and the film “Bi Bappu Haisukuru” (“Be-Bop High School”), an action comedy set on a dystopian campus filled with uniformed schoolgirls and brawling schoolboys.

Such stories were popular teenage fare at the time, as evidenced by her subsequent role in “Sailor Fuku Hangyaku Doumei” (“The Sailor Suit Rebel Alliance”), a television series that made its debut in 1986, in which Ms. Nakayama played a member of a group of martial arts-savvy girls who squared off against wrongdoers at a violence-marred high school.

She starred in the popular Japanese comedy series “Mama wa Aidoru!” (“Mama Is an Idol!”), about a widowed high school teacher who marries a pop star, which ran for one season in 1987, and the 1989 romantic comedy series “Kimi no Hitomi ni Koishiteru!” (roughly, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”).

But it was singing that established her as a star, something of a Japanese Britney Spears. Over the course of her career, she released more than 20 albums and notched eight No. 1 singles in Japan, notably “Catch Me,” “You’re My Only Shinin’ Star” and “Sekaiju no Dare Yori Kitto” (“More Than Anyone in the World”), recorded with the Japanese rock band Wands.

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A younger Ms. Nakayama, wearing a red sweater with what look like snowflakes on it, running toward the camera with a determined look on her face.
Ms. Nakayama gained international attention for her starring role in the sentimental Japanese drama “Love Letter,” released in 1995.Credit...Fuji TV

As an actress, Ms. Nakayama collected more than 50 film and television credits and scored a hit, not just in Japan but elsewhere in Asia, in “Love Letter” (1995), directed by Shunji Iwai. That film was also released in the United States, as “When I Close My Eyes,” and reviewed in The New York Times by Stephen Holden, who wrote that it “swirls with unsettling notions of multiple identity, memory and parallel lives.”

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In a nuanced performance, Ms. Nakayama played two roles: Hiroko, a grieving woman who sends a letter to an old address for her dead fiancé, Itsuki Fujii; and another woman, who happens to also be named Itsuki Fujii and who responds to the letter, starting an epistolary relationship between the two.

She was nominated for a Japanese academy award for her starring role in “Tokyo Biyori” (also known as “Tokyo Fair Weather”), a biographical 1997 film about Yoko Araki, the muse and wife of Nobuyoshi Araki, a notorious photographer known for his transgressive, sexualized work.

Miho Nakayama was born in the city of Saku in Nagano Prefecture on May 4, 1970, and raised in Tokyo. Her survivors include a son by her ex-husband, the writer, musician and film director Hitonari Tsuji. She also had two younger siblings, one of whom is the actress and former J-pop singer Shinobu Nakayama.

Ms. Nakayama took an extended sojourn from the spotlight after marrying and moving to Paris in 2002. She resumed her acting career in 2010. In 2019, she released “Neuf Neuf,” her first album in a decade. 


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Here are some Miho Nakayama songs:

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