Akihiro Miwa
Akihiro Miwa | |
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Born | Shingo Maruyama 15 May 1935 Nagasaki, Japan |
Occupations |
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Akihiro Maruyama (丸山 明宏, Maruyama Akihiro) (born 15 May 1935 ), better known by his stage name Akihiro Miwa (美輪 明宏, Miwa Akihiro),[1] is a Japanese singer, actor, director, composer, author and drag queen.
Career
Miwa began his career aged 17 as a professional cabaret singer in the
.Miwa became well known in 1957 after his smash-hit "Me Que Me Que", which included a string of profanities not used in media at the time. He also became renowned for his effeminate beauty, making him a hit with the media, and performed a monthly show at Shibuya Jean-Jean called "Akihiro Miwa no Sekai" ("The World of Akihiro Miwa") from the 1970s until its closure in 2000, as well as touring Japan.
Social activism
As well as his entertainment career, Miwa has also written many books, and is known for his outspoken and often highly critical comments on social issues, the government and war, having been in Nagasaki at the time of its bombing in 1945, but having escaped relatively unhurt.
Miwa was against Japan's
Yoitomake no Uta
In 1964, Miwa first released "Yoitomake no Uta" ("The Song of the Yoitomake") after giving a show at a small mining town, due to a mistake by a producer. While he was not entirely willing to perform at first, he was touched at the sight of workers who had come to see him, having bought their tickets with the little wages miners received then. Miwa was "ashamed and embarrassed of [himself], standing before them in [his] flamboyant clothes", and also that he did not have a song "for them".
This experience inspired him to write "Yoitomake no Uta", as well as his rule to not crossdress or wear any of his usual extravagant clothing or make-up when he sang this song, wearing instead the shabby, dark clothes of a
After numerous covers were made of the song by artists such as
Television and film
Although Miwa is better known as a cabaret singer, he has also appeared in a number of films, beginning as a laundry boy in the film
In later years he
From 2005 to 2010, he co-hosted the successful weekly television program Ōra no izumi (The spring of aura) alongside spiritual counsellor Hiroyuki Ehara and Tokio member Taichi Kokubun. While the show initially aired as late-night program, its popularity bumped it up to a primetime slot in 2007.[4]
References
- ^ Canby, Vincent (September 18, 1991). "Review/Film; In Tokyo, A Queen Of Crime In Drag". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
- ^ Fukasaku, Kinji (January 25, 1969). "Kuro bara no (Black Rose Mansion)". Shochiku Ofuna, Shochiku. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ^ Ryall, Julian (September 6, 2006). "On Japanese Tv, The Lady Is A Man Cross-dressing 'onnagata' Are Popular For Being Outspoken". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ^ Seaton, Philip A.; Yamamura, Takayoshi (February 2, 2018). Japanese Popular Culture and Contents Tourism. Routledge. p. 110.
External links
- Official website
- Akihiro Miwa at IMDb