Yasuha

Yasuha
Born	Ebina Yasuha (海老名 泰葉) (1961-01-17) January 17, 1961 Taitō, Tokyo, Japan
Occupations	Singer songwriter tarento record producer businessperson
Years active	1981 (1981)–1988 (1988) 2007 (2007)–present
Spouse	Shūnpūtei Koasa ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 2007)​
Parents	Hayashiya Sanpei I Kayoko Ebina
Relatives	Hayashiya Shōzō IX (brother) Hayashiya Sanpei II (brother) Midori Ebina (sister) Hayashiya Shōzō VII (grandfather) Kisaburō Nakane (uncle)
Musical career
Genres	J-pop city pop Kayokyoku
Instruments	Vocals piano
Labels	Polydor Broadway Universal Music Iron Candles Sanpeido Yasuha Entertainment Tsubasa Records
Website	Yasuha Official Site & Blog

Yasuha Ebina (海老名 泰葉, born January 17, 1961), known professionally as Yasuha, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, tarento, record producer, and entrepreneur. Ebina's personal life has often sparked controversy and received widespread media coverage. As well as her singing career, she was also successful as a tarento, appearing in numerous Japanese television and radio programs.

Ebina was born in Taitō, Tokyo as a child of a rakugo performer Hayashiya Sanpei I and a novelist Kayoko Ebina. She established her singing career in 1981. As a singer, Ebina is best-known for "Flyday Chinatown" (1981), which peaked at number sixty-nine on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart. She also embarked on the tarento career, appearing in the Japanese variety television program Gogo wa MaruMaru Omoikkiri TV (1987–1988) as a host. In 1988, Ebina retired from the entertainment business after her marriage with a rakugo performer Shūnpūtei Koasa.

After a messy divorce with her ex-husband, Ebina officially returned to the entertainment industry in 2007, founding a production company Iron Candle.

Early life

Yasuha Ebina was born on January 17, 1961, in Taitō, Tokyo, as the second child of a rakugo performer Hayashiya Sanpei I and a novelist Kayoko Ebina. Her grandfather, Hayashiya Shōzō VII was also a rakugo performer, as well as her two brothers, Hayashiya Shōzō IX and Hayashiya Sanpei II. Her sister, Midori Ebina is a former actress. As a child, Ebina learned classical music, however, after failing to enter college of music, she began pursuing a career as a J-pop singer instead.

Career

In 1979, Ebina began her tarento career, appearing in the numerous television and radio programs such as the Japanese television variety shows Variety Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do (1979–1982) and Gogo wa MaruMaru Omoikkiri TV (1987–1988).

Ebina established her singing career in 1981, releasing her debut single "Flyday Chinatown" via Polydor Records. The song was a moderate success, peaking at number sixty-nine on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart and selling approximately 56,000 copies. As a singer, she has released seven studio albums and two compilation albums as of June 2020. She has also written few songs for other artists, including Shohjo-Tai's hit "Motto Charleston" (1986), which reached number sixteen in Japan.

In June 1988, Ebina married a rakugo performer Shūnpūtei Koasa, and subsequently retired from the entertainment industry to support Koasa as a president of his production company, Haru Haru Dō. However, in November 2007, the couple announced the divorce in the press conference at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, and the relaunch of Ebina's entertainment career. Ebina drew mass public attention for publishing a book about the divorce, "Kaiun Rikon", and appearing in the professional wrestling match with Yoji Anjo as a player. In November 2008, she released her first single in the last twenty-two years, "Ohisama yo Hohoende" via her own record label, Iron Candles.

Personal life

Relationships

Ebina married a rakugo performer Shūnpūtei Koasa in June 1988 and retired from the entertainment business in order to support Koasa as a wife. Ebina and Koasa announced their separation on November 12, 2007, in the press conference. The divorce drew big public attention and widespread media coverage after Ebina slurred Koasa, calling him a "blonde pig asshole", and published a book "Kaiun Rikon", in which she wrote about her divorce with Koasa.

On September 20, 2017, Ebina announced that she engaged with an Iranian businessman, Mehdi Kazempour, whom she met on Facebook. The couple called off the engagement and parted ways in April 2018.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Title	Album details
Transit	Released: November 1, 1981 Label: Polydor Format(s): CD, LP
Vivid	Released: April 25, 1982 Label: Polydor Format(s): LP
Waffusshigii. (わっ不っ思議ー。)	Released: June 11, 1982 Label: Polydor Format(s): LP
Reserved	Released: March 25, 1983 Label: Polydor Format(s): LP
Waffusshigii. Part.2 (わっ不っ思議ー。 Part.2)	Released: November 1, 1983 Label: Polydor Format(s): LP
White Key	Released: September 5, 1984 Label: Polydor Format(s): LP
Yahhoo!	Released: September 25, 1986 Label: Broadway Format(s): CD, LP

Compilation albums

Title	Album details
Yasuha: Single Collection	Released: March 25, 1986 Label: Polydor Format(s): CD
Golden Best Yasuha	Released: March 1, 2006 Label: Universal Music Format(s): CD

Singles

As a lead artist

Title	Year	Album
"Flyday Chinatown" (フライディ・チャイナタウン)	1981	Transit
"Blue Night Blue" (ブルーナイト・ブルー)	1982	Vivid
"Mizuiro no One Piece" (水色のワンピース)		Waffusshigii.
"Paul Poly Paula" (ポール・ポーリー・ポーラ)	1983	Yasuha: Single Collection
"Cool Town"		Waffusshigii. Part.2
"Natsu no Koi, Jealousy" (夏の恋・ジェラシー)	1984	White Key
"Shitamachi Swing" (下町スウィング)
"Sincerely Yours"	1986	Yahhoo!
"Ohisama yo Hohoende" (お陽様よほほえんで)	2008	Non-album singles
"I Believe"	2009
"Sakura Mau Hi wa" (桜舞う日は)	2015
"Smile"	2017
"Shinnai no Mythology" (深愛のmythology)	2018

Songwriting credits

Title	Year	Artist	Album
"Meguro no Jikka e Kaerimasu" (目黒の実家へ帰ります)	1986	Yuko Igarashi	Non-album songs
"Fushigi nanowa Sayonara no Hoho" (不思議なのはサヨならの方法)		Iyo Matsumoto	Tenshi no Baka
"Baby's Rock"		Shohjo-Tai	Untouchable
"Yes It's My Heart"
"Motto Charleston" (もっとチャールストン)			ABCD...
"Misty Morning Stranger"			Shohjo-Tai Complete Singles Forever 1984-1999
Rubber Sole
"Cheer Girl no Houkago" (チアガールの放課後)	1987		Zoo

Bibliography

Date	Title	Publisher	Code
Feb 2008	Kaiun Rikon (開運離婚)	Shogakukan	ISBN 4093637180

Selected filmography

Television roles

Year	Title	Role	Note
1979–1982	Variety Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do	Host
1987–1988	Gogo wa MaruMaru Omoikkiri TV	Host
2009, 2012	Beat Takeshi no Zettai Micha ikenai TV	Narrator	Also performed "Flyday Chinatown"

External links

• Yasuha Official Blog (in Japanese)