Yakkun Sakurazuka


Yasuo Saitō, also known by the stage name Yakkun Sakurazuka, was a Japanese comedian, singer, and voice actor.

Biography

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Saitō first started in the entertainment business for a few years during his high school years as a member of the Johnny's company, although it reportedly went nowhere, and he departed from the label in order to attend a university. In 1999, at the age of 23, Saitō formed a comedy duo called Abare Nunchaku with fellow up-and-coming comedian Kosuke Takeuchi. This marked his official debut in the Japanese mainstream as Abare Nunchaku had some success until disintegrating in 2005.
Following the disbandment of Abare Nunchaku, Saitō went on to make his singing debut in 2006 on the television show Quiz $ Millionaire. He advanced to the top prize question, but answered wrong, missing out on ¥10,000,000 but still winning ¥1,000,000. He subsequently released six singles, including "Geki Maji Mukatsuku", "1000% So Zakune", and "ChristMaster". He later would perform under the aliases of Hiromi Ueda and, most famously, Yakkun Sakurazuka.
Saitō was also known as Sukeban Kyoko—a persona characterized as a delinquent schoolgirl always seen carrying a shinai bamboo sword. He appeared in the TV comedy show Enta no Kami-sama, a comedy show.
In 2010, Saitō launched a band in which the members all cross-dressed.

Death

Saitō died after being involved in a traffic accident on October 5, 2013, aged 37, on the Chugoku Expressway in Mine, Yamaguchi, while en route to a concert in Kumamoto Prefecture. He was hit by another car and killed when exiting his car after a slight collision.

Notable voice roles