Hadaka no Johnny's

[Ricci]

Being curious what artists who had once been under contract with JE did after quitting, I checked the lives of 51 former JE artists. This is a short overview, what they did after quitting, what they did during their time in JE. Of those 51, Mori Mitsuko cannot really be said to have "quit" JE, because though she retired from doing much artistic work with the company, she is still affiliated with them.
I listed solo artists in the beginning, which also includes artists who were at one time part of a JE group. After that I list the female artists, then, sorted by group, artists who quit from their groups, but never went solo with JE. I hope that's not too complicated. ^_^;; Oh, and just for the record, please DO NOT REPOST this anywhere. Or I'll get really pissed off. 'kay?

The short version:
Most artists stayed in showbiz even after quitting Johnny's Entertainment, in the fields of acting, voice acting, theater, radio, singer / songwriter / composer. Some pursued their education. Some worked normal jobs. A few turned criminal. Another few have their own production now.
One interesting thing I noted is that in most cases, Mary is the one who deals with the media, putting restrictions on appearances and castings, not Johnny. I've been looking for "proof" of this quite a long time now, since I have the theory that Johnny mostly does auditions and anything related to the stage (theater / concerts), while Mary is the one pulling the strings when it comes to TV.

For the long version, read on! ^_~


Solo artists
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Aoi Teruhiko (member of "Johnny's"): debut 1962, quit Johnny's after the disbanding of the group in 1967, afterwards worked as voice actor (and released a song in 2004, before that his last single appeared 1987). His eldest son was also under contract with JE for a while.

Nagata Eiji (member of "Four Leaves"): debut 1966 with the group, went solo 1969, quit Johnny's 1980 and is now director of music agency Office Touch. Also works as composer.

Uchida Yoshirô: changed to JE after his agency Daiei went bankrupt, debuted as a solo singer 1970. Quit JE because of a gossip affair not long after, married a fan and opened a pub with her.

Go Hiromi (member of "Four Leaves"): debut 1972 as actor and singer before entering JE, became part of the already existing Four Leaves, went on to become one of THE top male idols of the 80's. Quit JE surprisingly in 1976 and moved to Burning Production, which supposedly caused Johnny Kitagawa a huge shock. Kitagawa is quoted as saying that Go is everything an idol should be. After staying in the U.S. for several years, Go is now back in showbiz. He released 87 singles and 76 albums altogether.

Kozaka Masaru (part of the six member background dancer team for Go Hiromi): was scouted by JE in 1972 and did some solo work, became part of the backdancer team "Junior Ace" but expressed dissatisfaction (he wanted to backdance for the Four Leaves) and subsequently left JE in 1974. Has since disappeared from showbiz.

Inoue Junichi: entered JE in 1974, but left in 1975 and debuted as solo singer. Gained some fame for his short and curly hair character and appeared in a movie and several dorama. Is more known for his work as actor than as singer.

Toyokawa Jô: grew up as an orphan, got his stagename from JE vice president Mary Kitagawa. Was scouted during his parttime job and came to Tokyo on Mary Kitagawa's invitation. Debuted as a singer 1975 just five months after coming to Tokyo, was also part of JE's background band "Joes". Gained a lot of fame for his voice and was frequently on the cover of idol magazines. Got into fights with the management and left JE 1977. JE forbade him to continue using the name Toyokawa Jô. Mary Kitagawa expressed her bitterness over his leaving in a magazine interview. Made up with Mary 1981 and came back to JE. Appeared several times on stage, but finally decided against a new start with JE. Continued to be a musician / singer with various bands, until 1996 he became involved with credit fraud and other criminal behaviour.

Kawasaki Mayo (part of "Sundays"): entered JE at the age of 13 (1977), debut with 14 with the single "Love shock". Was a very popular idol, as much as Go Hiromi, especially because of his "bishônen looks", his high nose and long legs. Quit JE in 1989. Married model Kaiya in 1990, has been appearing in dorama and variety shows ever since.

Tahara Toshihiko ("Tanokin Trio"): sent his resume 1976 to JE out of admiration for the Four Leaves, but didn't get any answer. Went directly to JE three months later and appealed to the staff, who were impressed by his dedication. Entered JE shortly after. 1979, he appeared in "3nen Bgumi Kinpachi-sensei" along with two other JE idols, the three became the group "Tanokin Trio" and went on to idol fame. Suddenly retired after some problems with Kôhaku Utagassen appearances (rumours say JE forced him because they wanted to push Otokogumi). In 1989, weekly magazine FOCUS published photos of him in the nude which they supposedly had gotten from Kitagawa himself. Tried to establish his own production 1994, but is said to have had to succumb under the pressure of JE and the media. Is currently forbidden to enter any production which also features JE idols, under orders of Mary Kitagawa, but still works as actor and singer. Has recently released a single with his new agency. Released 60 singles and 37 albums altogether.

Nomura Yoshio ("Tanokin Trio"): was scouted by Johnny Kitagawa himself who watched him drive a go cart in Yoyogi Park, entered the Jimusho in 1977 (age 13). Also appeared in "3nen Bgumi Kinpachi-sensei" in 1979 and became part of the Tanokin Trio. Was part of several other groups after TT, left JE after pausing activities in 1990. Married a porn actress in 1992. Later worked as guitarist, composer and producer, also together with other artists (he was part of the backband for Kondo Masahiko's "Midnight Shuffle"). Appeared suddenly in "Waratte ii to mo!" 2006 after being absent from TV for 12 years.

Noo Yoshiyuki ("JaPAni-zu"): went solo 1983, became affiliated with theater Gekidan Shiki after quitting JE.

Hikaru Ippei (real name Taniguchi Ichirô): entered JE at the age of 14 (1978), appeared in the 2nd season of "3nen Bgumi Kinpachi-sensei", later debuted as singer. Was mainly active as singer and idol in the 80's. Married Sano Keiko whom he'd met in Kinpachi-sensei. Is now active as actor in theater, movies, dorama, owns a 100 yen shop, and works as instructor for children's roles.

Nakamura Shigeyuki (nickname Shige): entered JE in 1982, became part of JaPAni-zu Junior. Founded the group "Eagles", debuted 1983 with a record. Went solo in 1985. Left JE at the end of the 90's, is now under contract with Minakuru Company. Has a child, but got a divorce from his wife in order to focus on acting.

Akagi Satoshi: went solo 1979 with JE, had a very successful single but dropped from the public eye shortly after. Left JE and now operates a snack bar in Tokyo.

Uchida Kazunori: entered JE in the beginning of the 80's, was part of the successful Otokogumi in 1985, but rebelled against Kitagawa and kicked him in the stomach. Was immediately dropped.

Oozawa Hidetaka: left JE 1989 and moved to T-Artist, under a different name. Moved away from Japan in 2000.

Nishina Masaki (in JE as Meguro Masaki): son of an actor/actress couple, went to Horikoshi Gakuen but dropped out. After leaving JE, he moved to Shochiku Entertainment and still works as actor.



Female solo artists
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Iino Yasuyo: Japanese entry for "Miss Universe" 1968, also "Miss Tokyo". Appeared naked in several magazines, did several dorama and movies, had a fallout with Mary Kitagawa and was forced to quit JE. Afterwards, she earned her money as a hostess in a high class Ginza club (called "Hime"). Died in a fire caused by a kotatsu. Naoki price winning novelist Yamaguchi Yôko wrote a documentary novel about her.

Shimada Jun: Japanese entry for the "Miss Universe" contest 1970, was half Japanese, half foreign, did several photobooks, appeared in musicals of the Four Leaves, later married Four Leaves member Aoyama Takashi in Los Angeles.

VIP: Kawamura Nobuko, Yoshimoto Kazuko

Mori Mitsuko: actress who became involved with JE out of her interest for the company, since the 90's she is affiliated with JE (she was born 1920) . She is on very good terms with Shonentai's Higashiyama Noriyuki.



Group members who quit JE (i.e. who never went solo, but retired from their groups)
****************************

From "Johnny's"
Iino Osami: after the group was disbanded in 1968, he went to the U.S. on an exchange and entered the theater group Gekidan Shiki after his return in 1972. He appeared in several musicals and later married another actress from the group. His last appearance was in 1987, he's disappeared from showbiz afterwards.

From "Four Leaves":
Kita Kôji: was scouted by Johnny Kitagawa himself who saw him in a theater and received the stage name "Kita Kôji" from him. The "Kita" comes from "Kitagawa". Debuted with the Four Leaves 1968. They established the typical idol repertoire of dancing and singing and were considered THE idols of the 70's. Incidently, Kita was the first singer to do a backflip on stage. The group was disbanded in 1978. He got arrested for drug abuse, but later returned to showbiz as actor in dorama and movies. In 1988 he published his book "Hikaru Genji he" in which he accused Johnny Kitagawa of having sexually harrassed him. The book became a bestseller, but was ignored by the media. He had several clashes with JE afterwards and could no longer appear on TV. In 2002, the Four Leaves reunited and up till now are doing live shows. They appeared in August 2006 on NHK's "38th Omoide no melody", where Kita showed that he still could do a perfect backflip with his 57 years.

Aoyama Takashi: after the FL were disbanded, he married 1977 in L.A., has two kids with his wife, but got divorced again. Married another woman, but did not return to showbiz until the FL reunited. His younger brother also was under contract with JE.

Egi Toshio: married a normal girl when he was 29, has a daughter. Worked as actor after the breakup of FL, founded the showbiz production Office Kiddo. Was arrested for drug abuse and dealing in 1999. Also reunited with the other FL members in 2007.

Orimo Masao: caused a lot of gossip when he was dating "golden half" Mori Maria during his FL times. Continued to work as talento, actor and singer, collaborated with Mr. Children, also works as "gourmet reporter" for various food related programs. Reunited with the others 2007.

From "Shibugakitai":
Yakumaru Hirohide: married a singer and has a son who is also an actor (SHO), altogether he's the father of four children. Debuted with Shibugakitai 1982. When they were broken up in 1988, he appeared in dorama, movies and variety programs. He's most famous for the "Hanamaru Market / Hanamaru Café" show which still airs today. He's now with the agency Three Season.

Fukawa Toshikazu: stayed in showbiz after Shibugakitai was disbanded, was with the agency M's Entertainment until 2006, is now with Empty Kikaku. Married another singer and has three children. Works as actor, voice actor and appears in several variety shows.

Motoki Masahiro: works as actor, under contract with From First Production. Appears in several dorama (for example, in "Konya hitori no beddo de" 2005).

From "The Good-Bye" (rock band inside JE, debuted 1983 with a single, stopped activites 1991. Reunited in 2003 and released a best of album and an original album 2004. Did another live tour and also are doing a live tour in July 2007.)
Soga Yasuhisa: singer, songwriter, musical actor. Stopped showbiz activities until 2003.

From "Otokogumi" (idol group / rock band inside JE, debuted 1985, was disbanded in 1993.)
Narita Shôji: originally his older brother was living in the dormitories of Johnny's Junior in Tokyo, but during a concert of Kondo Masahiko in Nagoya, Narita met Johnny Kitagawa and asked if he could join JE too. He got permission and entered the agency. Married in 1992, the same year his daughter was born. Worked solo as a singer after the disbanding and subsequent leaving of JE, founded the band "What's" in 2001, but released another independent single in 2004. Changed his stage name in 2006 (same reading, different kanji).

Takahashi Kazuya: entered JE 1982 at the age of 13. Received several awards for his singing excellence 1988/89. After the final stage of Otokogumi's stageplay "Slap boys" he rebelled against the agency and angered vice president Mary Kitagawa who holds the authority inside JE and made him quit. At the same time, she disbanded Otokogumi. At the moment, he is still banned from any shows featuring JE idols, according to Mary Kitagawa's wishes, even with former fellow member Okamoto Kenichi who is still with JE. Worked in small scale theater productions afterwards and now is still active as actor and voice actor for Korean series.

Maeda Kôyô: entered JE at the age of 15 (1983), became leader of Otokogumi. Plays keyboard and drums. After the disbanding, he stayed in showbiz and had several appearances with different bands. Nowadays he's worried about his weight and appears as a regular in the show "Narutomo". He has a daughter which was born in 2007, of his second marriage.

From "Hikaru Genji" (most successful idol band of the 80's, originally two groups "Genji" and "Hikaru". "Big brother" of SMAP. Founded 1987, in 1994 two members retired after which the group was named "Hikaru Genji Super 5". Disbanded in 1995, it's said that one of the members had a fallout with the management.)
Oosawa Mikio: entered JE at age 11 (1982), was also part of the group "Eagles". Changed middle schools several times because he was mobbed for being a JE idol. Quit JE when HG was disbanded. Went solo and released several singles and albums, is still active as singer and actor (movie, dorama, stage) today.

Morohoshi Kazumi: after the disbanding of HG, he continued to work as singer and actor in all genres of showbiz. Released a CD "Naa" in 2007 under Tsunku Produce [Note: the Tsunku who is behind Morning Musume / Hello!Project]

Satô Hiroyuki: entered JE at the age of 13 (1983). Quit JE in 1994 together with Oosawa. Is doing internet radio shows today.

Yamamoto Junichi: entered JE at the age of 14 (1986). Was the most acrobatic among the members. Released several ending songs for NHK education programs as "Junichi & J Jr". Went solo and away from JE in 2002. Has opened an advertising internet service in 2006 (called "milliondollarhappy").

田代秀高: [Note: I don't have a clue as to the reading of his name, sorry.] entered JE in 1985, retired after the disbanding. Signed a contract with another agency and appeared in several variety shows.

From "CHA-CHA" (which is not a band of JE!)
Nakamura Nobutoshi: entered JE at the age of 13. Debuted with "Shônen Ninja", and again with "Omede-tai", produced by Hagimoto Kinichi. Debuted again with CHA-CHA in 1988, and moved agencies several times. Teaches calligraphy.

From "Ninja"
Yanagizawa Susumu: entered JE at the age of 15 (1982), appeared in the musical dorama "Natsu no ô-sama" in the same year. Worked as backdancer for Kondo Masahiko and Shônentai. Was part of "Shônen Ninja", the backdancer group for above artists. The group name got changed to "Ninja" in 1990, they debuted the same year with a single. Left JE when the group was disbanded in 1995 and moved to Yoshimoto Kôgyô, but changed to Tokyo Yûshô in 2005. Is regular member of a TV show, but hasn't many other TV appearances.

Masaki Shinya: entered JE at the age of 13 (1982). Debuted in "Omede-tai" and later released a CD with "Ninja" 1990. Is currently under contract with Office J&T. Works mainly in theater and radio, but is also still active as singer.

Shiga Yasunobu: entered JE at age 16 (1984), became part of "Ninja". Quit JE in 1994 when it was discovered that he had already married. Has one child. Changed agencies five times after leaving JE, works now as free actor (theater) since quitting his last agency Spice in 2000.

Furukawa Eiji: entered JE at the age of 17 (1988), was first part of Hikaru Genji backdancer group "Heikeha", but then became part of "Ninja". Quit JE in 1994 because he had gained too much weight and because his marriage was discovered. He quit showbiz altogether and worked in a ramen shop and in an onsen in his hometown for a while, before starting to work as a host in Shinjuku's Kabukichô, in a club called "Top Dandy", in 2005.

From "SMAP"
Mori Katsuyuki: he and his brother brought their resume directly to Johnny's Family Club, as a result they entered JE in middle school. In 1987, he became a part of the group "Skateboys", in 1988 SMAP was founded and he released a CD with the group in 1991. Quit JE in 1996 because he wanted to pursue a career in racing. Was very active as racer from 2000 to 2004, is still active in the world of racing today, appears in commercials. Is the father of one child.

From "TOKIO"
Kojima Hiromu: entered JE at the age of 13 (1989). Became part of the backdancer group "SMAP Gakuen" in the beginning of 1990 together with Kokubun, Matsuoka, Nagase, Sakamoto and Inohara. Later in 1990, TOKIO was founded, with Kokubun and Matsuoka from "SMAP Gakuen" and Joshima from "TOKIO Band". Later Joshima joined too, again a bit later "TOKIO Band"'s Yamaguchi also joined. Kojima suddenly quit in 1994, the reason is still unknown though there are several speculations (that he wanted to go to the U.S. to become a pilot, for example, or that he had a big fight with Matsuoka, or had a relationship with a fan). As substitute for Kojima, Nagase entered the band, who had previously been a "supporting member". Kojima disappeared from showbiz.

Nishihara Seisu: substituted Matsuoka at the drums for a while. Quit JE and became part of the visual kei band "GAYME" (pronounced "geimu" *laughs*).

From "NEWS"
Moriuchi Takahiro (now Morita Takahiro, after the divorce of his parents): after quitting JE shortly after his debut with NEWS in 2003 (he was 15 at the time), he had some trouble with school. Is now part of the band ONE OK ROCK, as vocal "Taka". Had his major debut with the band in 2007.

From "Musical Academy / MA" (founded 1999, mainly a backdancer group, had lots of different members, could be headed for debut with its current four members)
Hara Tomohiro: entered JE at the age of 14 (1993). Entered the entertainment class of Horikoshi Gakuen (together with Hamasaki Ayumi, btw). Acted in several dorama / musicals in side roles. Started backdancing for Shônentai's musical "PLAYZONE" in 1999, along with Arashi's Ono Satoshi, current members Akiyama Jun and Machida Shingo and Yara Tomoyuki who was still under contract with Gekidan Shiki back then. Left JE shortly after his good friend Kohara Yûki quit. Has been active as actor (dorama / musical) and voice actor ever since.

Kohara Yûki: entered JE at the age of ten in 1991. Was part of several subgroups (MA, FIVE, Hara Hara Conbi). Suddenly announced he would quit JE to pursue his studies in 2000. After graduating from university, he has been working for a major advertisement company.

Hagiwara Yukito: entered JE in 1998, at the age of 14. Quit JE in 2003. Appeared in several promotion videos of other artists afterwards, last in 2006.

From "Ya-Ya-yah" (founded 2002)
Akama Naoya: entered JE in 2001, at the age of ten. Appeared in the Fuji TV dorama "Platonic Sex" in 2001, in the role of lead role Hoshino Mari's younger brother. Became part of Ya-Ya-yah, released the single "Yûki 100%" which was the ending song of the NHK anime "Nintama Rantarô". Continued backdancing for Arashi after quitting Ya-Ya-yah. Left the agency in 2004, together with Hoshino Masaki.
[Note: Okay, this is interesting - what IS IT with "Platonic Sex"? This dorama also proved to be the downfall of Kanjani8's Shibutani Subaru. If JE was worried about the boys' reputation through involvement with such a problematic topic, why did they let the boys act in the dorama at all? Akama was ten years old, Subaru barely twenty. I'm curious about this.]

Hoshino Masaki: entered JE at the age of 15 (2002). Became part of Ya-Ya-yah the same year. Left JE in 2004. Graduated from highschool in 2006 and now attends university. Appeared in a Converse commercial.

From "TOPS" (Johnny's Junior special skills unit)
Kobayashi Hirokazu: entered JE 1997 at the age of 12, quit in 2006 to pursue his figure skating career (he started at the age of three and went senior in 2004). Is on rank 9 in the national figure skating artist ranking.

[Link-Loki]

Thanks for this. That was very informative. I thought the 4th season of Kinpachi Sensei was the first with Johnny's but it seems that Johnny's have always been a part of Kinpachi, and I didn't know that Akama was in Platonic sex and since the 2005 countdown I was wondering who the woman Mori was. And I always wondered about the before SMAP years, seems there were a hell lot of artistes before that and not like now a "few"(they are quite a lot actually) groups.
Great site.

[I-chan]

So interesting!!!

I didn't know females could be part of JE

Thank you for the information!!!
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[phlowt]

where did moriuchi hiroki go?

[haiyabi]

guess we should add Ayukawa Taiyou too.
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kuchizuken
[RAINBOW GENERATION]

[DarkHarf]

田代秀高 is Tashiro Hidetaka
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