Fuji Keiko
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(5 July 1951 – 22 August 2013), known primarily by the stage name was a Japanese singer and actress. She had success in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s with her
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
-type songs. She was married on-and-off with Teruzane Utada, and was the mother of Japanese pop singer
Hikaru Utada , also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for w ...
.


Life and career

Fuji (sometimes credited as Keiko Fujita) was born in
Iwate Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture (behind Hokkaido) at , with a population of 1,165,886 (as of July 1, 2023). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Pre ...
, where her father was a singer. Her mother was a player . As a child, Fuji sometimes accompanied her parents and sang with them when they were on tour. Her song "Keiko no Yume wa Yoru Hiraku" (Keiko's version of " Yume wa Yoru Hiraku") won the Mass Popularity Award at the Japan Record Awards in 1970. She also performed this song in the 21st ''
Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...
'' New Year's Eve TV special. Her debut album, , released 5 March 1970, topped the
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
album chart for 20 consecutive weeks, and her next album , released 5 July 1970, continued topping that chart for 17 consecutive weeks. She topped the Oricon album chart for a 37 consecutive weeks, an incredible record in Japan's music history. Her debut album's number-one record of 20 consecutive weeks remains the longest consecutive number-one record in
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
history. She married the singer Kiyoshi Maekawa and retired from singing in 1979, announcing her retirement during a TV show on 30 December of that year. The marriage ended in divorce, after which she emigrated to the United States, where she became active in music again by 1981. There, she married Teruzane Utada, a record producer. Their only child,
Hikaru Utada , also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for w ...
, was born in 1983 in New York City (and later themself became a record-setting pop star in Japan by their late teens). The couple married and divorced seven times.


2006 confiscation of money by the DEA

On 3 March 2006, U.S. DEA officials confiscated more than $420,000 in American, Canadian, and Australian currencies from Keiko Fuji's carry-on luggage at JFK Airport, New York, as she waited to board a flight to Las Vegas. Keiko denied any wrongdoing, and was not charged with any crime. However, the government initiated forfeiture proceedings, seeking to seize the money, which it alleged represented proceeds of drug sales or was intended to be used to buy drugs. Keiko disputed the government's claim. In August 2008, the matter remained pending in Federal District Court in New York. On 27 January 2009, the Federal District Court in New York ordered the confiscated money returned to her, citing lack of evidence.


Death

Keiko Fuji died on 22 August 2013 after jumping from the thirteenth floor of a
condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...
building in
Shinjuku, Tokyo , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...
. No foul play was suspected. Her body was found on the grounds of her apartment building. Police said that her slippers were found at the end of her balcony, with no suicide note found. However, her child
Hikaru Utada , also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for w ...
claims there was a suicide note.


Discography


Like U3

For U3 discography see
Hikaru Utada discography The album discography of Japanese-American singer Hikaru Utada consists of eleven studio albums, one extended play, two live albums, five compilation albums, and eleven video, video albums. Utada began as a musician in the early 1990s as a memb ...


Solo


LPs

* ''Shinjuku no Onna / "Enka no Hoshi" Fuji Keiko no Subete'' – 5 March 1970 * ''Onna no Blues'' – 5 July 1970 * ''Utaitsugarete 25-nen Fuji Keiko Enka o Utau'' – 5 December 1970 * ''Saihate no Onna'' – 5 March 1971 * ''Keiko no Jinsei Gekijō'' – 5 July 1971 * ''Fuji Keiko Recital'' – 5 October 1971 * ''Keiko no Warabeuta'' – 25 December 1971 * ''Shiranai Machi de'' – 25 December 1971 * ''Fuji Keiko On Stage'' – 25 May 1972 * ''Wakare no Tabi'' – 25 June 1972 * ''Original Golden Hits Collection'' – 5 August 1972 * ''Tōkuheikitai / "Enka no Tabi"'' – 5 December 1972


CDs

* ''Fuji Keiko Densetsu no Meikyoku'' – 21 October 1999 * ''Kiite Kudasai Watashi no Jinsei: Fuji Keiko Collection'' – 20 December 2000 * ''Fuji Keiko Complete Single Collection: 15-nen no Kiseki'' – 21 September 2005 * ''Golden Best Fuji Keiko'' – 26 October 2005 * ''Super Best'' – 11 December 2005 * ''Golden Best Fuji Keiko Hit & Cover Collection Enka(艶歌) to Enka(縁歌)'' – 8 December 2010


Singles

* "Shinjuku no Onna" (25 September 1969) * "Onna no Blues" (5 February 1970, Oricon number 1) * "Keiko no Yume wa Yoru Hiraku" (25 April 1970, cover of "Yume wa Yoru Hiraku" by En Mari, Oricon number 1) * "Inochi Azukemasu" (25 July 1970) * "Onna wa Koi ni Ikiteiku" (25 October 1970) * "Sai Hate no Onna" (5 February 1971) * "Koi Jingi" (5 May 1971) * "Michinoku Kouta" (5 June 1971) * "Ai no Junrei " (5 July 1971) * "Shiranai Machi de " (25 October 1971) * "Kyōto kara Hakata made" (25 January 1972) * "Wakare no Tabi" (25 May 1972) * "Hana wa Nagarete" (25 September 1972) * "Kanashimi no Machi" (5 December 1972) * "Ashita kara Watashi wa" (25 March 1973) * "Hana Kouta" (July 1973) * "Henreki " (25 August 1973) * "Koi no Yuki wa Risō " (5 November 1973) * "Kyoto Blues" (5 April 1974) * "Hi no kuni Kouta" (June 1974) * "Watashi wa Kyōto e Kaerimasu" (5 July 1974) * "Inochi Bi" (25 August 1974) * "Anata no Uwasa " (January 1975) * "Ikiteru dake no Onna" (25 April 1975) * "Sasurai" (September 1975) * "Hashigo zake" (5 November 1975) * "Onna dakara" (25 April 1976) * "Kiite Kudasai Watashi no Jinsei" (25 August 1976) * "Aishū Sakaba " (5 February 1977) * "Anata Hitosuji" (25 June 1977) * "Omokage Heiya" (5 November 1977) * "Ginza Nagare-uta" (May 1978) * "Yoi-yoi Sakaba" (October 1978) * "Kita no Minatomati" (March 1979) * "Kawaii Onna " (October 1979) * "Hotaru Bi" (October 1981) * "Aitsu ga Warui " (1984) * "Chōyo Hanayo to" (October 1984) * "Tokyo Meiro" (June 1986) * "Shinjuku Banka" (25 February 1987) * "Tabiji" (1988) * "Shinchi no Ame" feat. Katsurasanshi (February 1989) * "Sake ni You hodo" (April 1994) * "Tengoku" (August 1996) * "Tsumetai Tsuki – Nakanaide" with Cubic U (September 1996) * "Sennen no Kagaribi" (October 1996) * "Otoko to Onna" (October 1997) * "Oya Ko Bune" (13 February 2014)


Select filmography


Movies

* ''Eiga Sakariba Nagashi-uta Shinjuku no Onna'' (1970,
Nikkatsu is a Japanese film studio located in Bunkyō. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Motion Pictures". Shareholders are Nippon Television Holdings (35%) and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (28.4%). ...
) * ''Zubekō Banchō Yume wa Yoru Hiraku'' (1970,
Toei Company , simply known as Toei Company or Toei, is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, it is involved in film and television production, distribution, video game development, publishing, and ownership of 34 movi ...
) * ''Namida no Nagashi-uta Inochi Azukemasu'' (1970,
Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...
) * ''Joshi Gakuen Yabai Sotsugyō'' (1970,
Nikkatsu is a Japanese film studio located in Bunkyō. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Motion Pictures". Shareholders are Nippon Television Holdings (35%) and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (28.4%). ...
) * ''Fuji Keiko waga Uta no aru Kagiri'' (1971,
Shochiku is a Japanese entertainment company. Founded in 1895, it initially managed '' kabuki'' theaters in Kyoto; in 1914, it also acquired ownership of the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo. In 1920, Shochiku entered the film production industry and establis ...
)


Television

* ''Gozonji Kinsan Torimonochō "Shibai no Inochi Hi"'' (Episode 16, 1974, Nihon Educational Television/NET) * ''Furimuku na Tsurukichi "Kantsubaki"'' (Episode 16, second part, 1975,
NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...
) * ''Ikiteru dake no Kyōaku'' (Chapter 41-story license the second series of ruthless, NET, 1975) * ''Hyōteki'' (Ryōko Ogura, 1979, KTV) * ''Shin-kaikyō Monogatari'' (1981,
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
) * ''Nichiyō Emi Gekijō "Sabushiro no The Hatarake Kōgyō"'' (1986/1987, ABC)


Kōhaku Uta Gassen Appearances


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuji, Keiko 1951 births 2013 deaths 2013 suicides 20th-century Japanese actresses Enka singers Female suicides Hikaru Utada Japanese women pop singers Japanese film actresses Japanese television actresses RCA Records artists Sony Music Entertainment Japan artists Suicides by jumping in Japan Victor Entertainment artists Singers from Iwate Prefecture Actors from Iwate Prefecture People from Ichinoseki, Iwate