Person: Matsu Takako 3j3b13

Matsu Takako, born Fujima Takako (藤間 隆子), is a Japanese actress and pop singer/songwriter born on June 10, 1977 in Tokyo, Japan. The style of her music is often laid-back and relaxing.

She was born into a traditional buyou house, and her buyou name is Matsumoto Kouka (松本幸華). Her father is Matsumoto Koshiro IX, kabuki actor and head of the buyou house; her uncle is Nakamura Kichiemon II; her older brother is Ichikawa Somegoro VII; her sister, six years her elder is Kiyo Matsumoto. Her mother's name is Noriko Matsumoto. She selected her last name as "Matsu" to honor her parents. In one interview, she notes that she and her two brothers are relatively close to her mother. Her highest education is Asia University, from which she did not graduate.

Takako debuted in theater when she was sixteen years old, in Ninjo Hanashi Bun Nana Motoyu (Emotions Inscribed in Seven Hair-tying Paper Cords) at Tokyo Kabuki-za in 1993. Her first lead role in television was in the NHK Drama Hana no Ran (War of Roses) in 1994. Afterwards, she increased in succession the number of lead role appearances in theater and television drama, becoming preeminent as a young actress.

Because Shirayuri Gakuen, the high school Matsu enrolled in, strictly prohibited working in the entertainment industry, she transferred to Horikoshi High School citing obstruction to her work. At that time, Tsuyoshi Domoto of Kinki Kids, two years her junior, was at the school and remarks, "Matsu was excellent".

In the drama Long Vacation, which she played a lead role in 1996 following matriculating to college, she became popular as "the woman who dumped Kimutaku (Kimura Takuya of SMAP)". Since the drama was a major hit, she began to establish in full-scale her position as an actress. In the same year, she hosted Kouhaku Uta Gassen at the age of 19, the youngest for hosting the show, making 1996 a year of rapid progress for her. She is also well-known for starring opposite Takuya Kimura in another drama in the same period, Love Generation.

In late 2004, when Takako was told that she had won the Best Actress of the Year by her manager, she was so happy and said to have remarked "I am fortunate to have been born a Japanese". Her manager later said, "She normally doesn't show so much emotion for an award that I was taken aback."

She won the award for best actress at the at the 29th Hochi Film Award for The Hidden Blade.

In July 2006, Matsu and Kimura starred in a special one night edition of Hero. While a remake of this drama has been refused for years, some believed that recent surge of white collar crimes and arrests such as that of Livedoor president Takafumi Horie had inspired the demand for a special production.

In October 2006, Matsu was in a weekly drama for the first time in over three years titled "Yakusha Damashii" for FNN alongside 73-year old actor Makoto Fujita, a family friend. While Fujita was quite excited at his first work with Matsu, she stated earlier that she was quite attracted by his performance ability.

Besides acting, Matsu has an established career as a songwriter and singer. She debuted in 1997 with the single, "Ashita, haru ga kitara." She has worked with many different producers, but in her third album, Sakura no Ame, Itsuka, she is noted for working on every song (either composing the melody or lyrics) on the album. This was her most successful album recorded with Universal Music.

Toki no Fune, released September 2004, was composed by the Japanese singer Akeboshi. It's very similar to his song, A nine days' wonder, which was released after the Toki no Fune single. The single also contains a cover of Akeboshi's White reply previously recorded on her sixth album, harvest songs.

In May 2007, Matsu kicked off her third concert tour to commemorate her tenth year as a singer. In her Tokyo stop on June 21, she reflected that although it has been a decade, it is not appropriate for her to compare against other artists who have done nothing but music in the same time period. She also performed the song, "A Piece of Life," on the keyboard in a duet with a violinist. Fans who attended the concerts included famous people such as singer/songwriter Mariya Takeuchi and actress Eriko Sato.

In releasing her latest album, "I Cherish" in 2007, the song "Ashita Haru ga Kitara" was redone to combine Matsu's voice as a 20 year old with her current one. As of now, she has released nineteen singles and ten albums (of which, seven are original studio albums), achieving success as a singer.

She has also published a photo essay book, Matsu no Hitorigoto (Matsu Talks to Herself), through Asahi Shinbun Publishers.

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Official club: http://www.matsutakako.jp/