# Kyu Sakamoto (坂本九)
**Kyu Sakamoto** (坂本九; legal name Ōshima Hisashi, 大島九; 10 December 1941 – 12 August 1985) was a Japanese singer and television personality who, recording as a member of Danny Iida and the Paradise Kings and then as a soloist, became the first Japanese artist to reach No. 1 on the United States Billboard Hot 100, with the 1963 single "Sukiyaki", the original title of which was 「上を向いて歩こう」 (Ue o Muite Arukō).[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2005107198.html) • [2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) The Library of Congress authority record gives the authorized romanization "Sakamoto, Kyū" with the variant "Ōshima, Hisashi" and lists his occupations as singer and television personality.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2005107198.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name and dates | 坂本九, romanized Sakamoto Kyū; legal name Ōshima Hisashi (大島九); born 1941, died 12 August 1985[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2005107198.html) |
| Birthplace | Minamichō, Kawasaki ward, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture; childhood evacuation to Kasama, Ibaraki[3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576) |
| Signature record | 「上を向いて歩こう」, released 15 October 1961 on Toshiba Records (JP-5083); over 300,000 copies sold in Japan within three months[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) |
| US chart run | As "Sukiyaki" (Capitol, 3 May 1963): No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and on Cash Box for four weeks; No. 18 R&B; No. 1 adult contemporary; gold certified[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) • [3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682) |
| Worldwide sales | Over 10 million copies in more than 70 countries per Universal Music Japan; over 13 million per the Jisho reference entry[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) • [5](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%9D%82%E6%9C%AC%E4%B9%9D) |
| Death | Aged 43, in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 on 12 August 1985, which killed 520 people[6](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/211028/) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682) |
| Memorials | Annual memorial concerts at Kawasaki Lufon, 19 editions by fiscal 2024; the song is the departure melody at JR Kawasaki Station and a song monument stands at the east-exit plaza[3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576) |
## Early life and debut
Sakamoto was born in Minamichō, Kawasaki ward, the youngest of nine children of freight-handling contractor Sakamoto Hiroshi and his wife Iku (née Ōshima), whose family name he carried as his legal surname.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) • [3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576) As a child he was evacuated to his mother's family home in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture.[3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576)
He began singing out of admiration for [Elvis Presley](https://www.edgepedia.org/elvis-presley) and was discovered at a jazz café (ジャズ喫茶) by Manase Production. In 1958 (Shōwa 33), at age 16, he debuted as a member of Danny Iida and the Paradise Kings.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) • [3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576) Oricon dates his debut differently, to 1960 with the solo single 「悲しき六十才」; the two records are consistent if the 1958 date marks his group debut and 1960 his first solo single, but the sources do not reconcile them explicitly.[6](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/211028/)
## "Ue o Muite Arukō" and the "Sukiyaki" phenomenon
「上を向いて歩こう」 was composed by Hachidai Nakamura with lyrics by [Rokusuke Ei](https://www.edgepedia.org/rokusuke-ei) and was first sung on NHK's 「夢であいましょう」 in 1961.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) The single, backed with 「あの娘の名前はなんてんかな」, was released on 15 October 1961 on Toshiba Records (catalog JP-5083), sold over 300,000 copies within three months, and topped Music Life magazine's domestic chart from November 1961 to January 1962.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/)
The English-market retitling is attributed by AllMusic to Louis Benjamin, president of the UK label [Pye Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/pye-records), who heard "Ue O Muite Aruko" on a business trip to Japan and renamed it after his favorite Japanese cuisine, sukiyaki; a Pye jazz artist's version became a UK Top Ten hit.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682) Japanese-language accounts, including [Universal Music Japan](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-japan)'s official chronology, state only that the song was released abroad as 「スキヤキ」 without naming who chose the title, so the Benjamin attribution rests on the English-language source alone.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682)
In the United States the record first gained airplay through DJ Richard Osborne on KORD in Pasco, Washington, and [Capitol Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/capitol-records) then bought the US distribution rights.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682) Released as "SUKIYAKI" on 3 May 1963, it entered the Billboard chart at No. 79 on 11 May and reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100 by 15 June 1963, making Sakamoto the first Japanese artist with a US No. 1.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) AllMusic records that it spent three weeks at No. 1 Pop, reached No. 18 R&B and No. 1 adult contemporary during the summer of 1963, went gold, and stands as the first number-one pop record performed entirely in Japanese; the B-side was "Anoko No Namaewa Nantenkana".[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682) The Kawasaki City Library adds that he remains the only Japanese singer to hold No. 1 for four weeks on Cash Box and three weeks on Billboard.[3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576)
## Career in Japan, 1963–1985
Sakamoto debuted on the 12th [NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen](https://www.edgepedia.org/nhk-kohaku-uta-gassen) on 31 December 1961 with 「上を向いて歩こう」 and appeared on the year-end program 11 consecutive times.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) In August 1963 he appeared on the Steve Allen Show in Hollywood, recorded 15 August and broadcast 27 August, performing 「上を向いて歩こう」 and "I Could Have Danced All Night".[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) His US follow-up, "China Nights" backed with "Benkyo No Cha Cha Cha", peaked at No. 58 pop in late summer 1963, and his only US LP, *Sukiyaki and Other Japanese Hits*, was released in 1963.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682) A four-track EP issued in France by Pathé-Marconi in August 1963 was followed by releases in Norway, Denmark, Italy, and Spain.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/)
At home his hits included 「見上げてごらん夜の星を」, 「明日があるさ」, 「悲しき六十才」, and 「九ちゃんのツンツン節」.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) • [6](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/211028/) For the Tokyo Olympics he recorded 「東京五輪音頭」 (lyrics by Takashi Miyata, music by Masao Koga), released on Olympic Day, 23 June 1964.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/)
**Television and welfare work.** From October 1976 he appeared on STV's 「ふれあい広場・サンデー九」, a program the Kawasaki City Library describes as pioneering in commercial broadcasting for its frank portrayal of the lives of people with disabilities, the elderly, and welfare workers in Hokkaido; it ran for nine years.[3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576) His final single, 「心の瞳」 (22 May 1985, Fan House), became a widely known choral piece included in Japanese middle-school textbooks.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/)
## Personal life
Sakamoto married the actress Kashiwagi Yukiko (柏木由紀子) on 8 December 1972 at Kasama Inari shrine.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) Kashiwagi later published a memoir, *星を見上げて歩き続けて* (Kobunsha, 2021), which the Kawasaki City Library lists in its Sakamoto bibliography alongside Satō Gō's study *上を向いて歩こう* (Iwanami Shoten, 2011).[3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576)
## Death on Japan Airlines Flight 123
Sakamoto's last performance was the NHK-FM "Kayō Special" on 12 August 1985; after the recording he boarded Japan Airlines Flight 123 and died in the crash at age 43.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) The disaster near Tokyo killed 520 people.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682) Oricon and the Kawasaki City Library both record the date and his age at death.[6](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/211028/) • [3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576)
## By the numbers
The song's commercial reach is reported at two levels. Universal Music Japan's official chronology states over 10 million copies sold in more than 70 countries; the Jisho reference entry gives over 13 million copies, and the two figures are reported here as a range rather than merged.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) • [5](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%9D%82%E6%9C%AC%E4%B9%9D) The chart durations also differ by publication: three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and four weeks on Cash Box.[3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576) • [6](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/211028/) Domestic performance is measured on the Music Life magazine chart, where the single led from November 1961 to January 1962.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/)
## Legacy, covers, and memorials
**Covers.** In 1981 the American group A Taste of Honey recorded 「上を向いて歩こう」 with English lyrics and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100; the song won the JASRAC Award foreign division in 1982 and again consecutively in 1986 and 1987.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) AllMusic also records a hit version by the 1990s R&B group 4 P.M.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682)
**Honors and anniversaries.** In November 2024, 「上を向いて歩こう」 received the Japan Composers Association Meikyō Shō (名曲顕彰) at the 66th [Japan Record Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/japan-record-awards).[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) A commemorative CD box, *THE BOX of 上を向いて歩こう SUKIYAKI*, was released on 15 June 2023 for the song's 60th anniversary, following a CD single issued 13 July 2011 for the 70th anniversary of his birth.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) On 20 August 2025 Universal Music Japan launched the 昭和100年！坂本九『明日(あした)』へのプロジェクト, a commemorative initiative for the centenary of the [Shōwa era](https://www.edgepedia.org/showa-era), with celebrity comment installments published through December 2025.[7](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/)
**Kawasaki memorials.** Memorial concerts have been held annually on his death anniversary at Kawasaki Lufon by the station's east exit since fiscal 2006, reaching 19 installments by fiscal 2024.[3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576) 「上を向いて歩こう」 serves as the departure melody on the Tōkaidō Line at JR Kawasaki Station and the approach melody at Keikyū Kawasaki Station, and a song monument stands in the JR Kawasaki east-exit plaza.[3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576)
**Assessment.** "Sukiyaki" made Sakamoto the first Japanese artist to top the US pop chart.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682) Japanese-language sources give a broader account: a Kōhaku regular across 11 consecutive year-end broadcasts, the host of a nine-year welfare program regarded as a landmark of commercial television, and the voice of songs such as 「見上げてごらん夜の星を」 and 「明日があるさ」.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/) • [3](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576) In 2024 「上を向いて歩こう」 received the Meikyō Shō at the 66th Japan Record Awards.[2](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/)
## References
1. [Sakamoto, Kyū — Library of Congress Name Authority Record](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2005107198.html)
2. [BIOGRAPHY — 坂本九 — Universal Music Japan](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/history/)
3. [川崎市立図書館：坂本九（川崎ゆかりの人物）](https://www.library.city.kawasaki.jp/contents?pid=15576)
4. [Kyu Sakamoto — Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kyu-sakamoto-mn0000493682)
5. [Jisho.org: 坂本九](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%9D%82%E6%9C%AC%E4%B9%9D)
6. [坂本九のプロフィール | ORICON NEWS](https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/211028/)
7. [坂本九 — Universal Music Japan (artist page)](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/sakamoto-kyu/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › East and Southeast Asian pop scenes › J-pop and the Japanese popular music scene › Artists, groups, and people: J-pop and the Japanese popular music scene › Pop singers, singer-songwriters, and million-seller acts*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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