Kyu sakamoto biography of christopher

Japanese singer and actor (1941–1985)

The native form of this personal name is Sakamoto Kyū. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Hisashi "Kyu" Sakamoto (Japanese: 坂本 九, Hepburn: Sakamoto Hisashi or Sakamoto Kyū, 10 December 1941 – 12 August 1985), legally registered as Hisashi Ōshima (大島 九, Ōshima Hisashi) since 1956, was a Japanese singer and actor.

Kyu sakamoto biography of christopher

He was best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Arukō" (known as "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached number one in the United States Billboard Hot 100 in June 1963, making Sakamoto the first Asian recording artist to have a number one song on the chart.

He was also the first Japanese artist to have a number one single on the Australian singles chart.^[1]

Sakamoto died on 12 August 1985 in the crash of Japan Air Lines Flight 123, along with 519 others on boa