Kyu Sakamoto

Kyu Sakamoto (坂本九 Sakamoto Kyū), born Hisashi Oshima (大島九, Ōshima Hisashi, November 10 1941 - August 12 1985) was a popular Japanese singer and actor.

He was born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture. His

Kyu Sakamoto (坂本九 Sakamoto Kyū), born Hisashi Oshima (大島九, Ōshima Hisashi, November 10 1941 - August 12 1985) was a popular Japanese singer and actor.

He was born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture. His most popular song, Ue o muite arukō ("Let's walk while looking up") known as Sukiyaki in the West, was a hit in Japan and topped the Billboard pop charts in the United States in 1963 - the first and only song to date to do so sung entirely in Japanese. The song text is a pretty tragic story, which many westerners are unaware of.