Rui Sakuragi (Japanese: 桜樹ルイ, Hepburn: Sakuragi Rui), is a former Japanese AV Idol, gravure idol and erotic dancer who has been described as a "real AV Queen",[2] the "top Japanese AV idol of the mid-1990s"[3] and the "biggest star" in AV in 1992.[4] She has also appeared widely in mainstream films and videos and on TV.
Rui Sakuragi | |
|---|---|
| 桜樹ルイ | |
| Born | Miki Ebisawa March 8, 1970[1] |
| Other names | Masako Ichinose Miki Aizawa |
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 4+1⁄2 in) |
Life and career
Rui Sakuragi was born on March 8, 1970. After having previously been a "gravure" (non-sex) model, she made her adult video (AV) debut for the VIP label in April 1989 under the name Masako Ichinose but took the name Rui Sakuragi the following year.[5] She sometimes worked for other studios but VIP (and its successor Atlas21) was her main label for the next two years. Her work for them included a seven-man orgy in Golden Pavilion Temple 2[6] and cosplay in The Uniform Connection Special.[7] Sakuragi announced that her April 1992 release for VIP, The Last of Rui Sakuragi would be her final work and left with a tearful farewell.[8]
According to a 1992 article, whereas an attractive leading lady in AV could command 1.5 to 2 million yen (about $10,000 to $15,000) for a video, "Sakuragi, the biggest star at present" made 3 million yen (more than $20,000) per project.[4]
Although Sakuragi had married just before her retirement, she became bored with her new lifestyle and started working as a stripper in clubs throughout Japan.[9] Almost four years later, divorced, and in need of money,[9] Sakuragi returned to AV with a contract with Atlas21 for three videos beginning with Phoenix Once Again in March 1996.[2] After the third video, Super AV Idol Legend, fan response convinced her to do a fourth and final film, Good Bye Rui Sakuragi.[10] Since her retirement, Atlas21, Kuki, and Alice Japan have all released compilations of her earlier videos.[11]
During her AV career and after her retirement, Sakuragi also worked extensively in mainstream movies and softcore pink film and V-Cinema productions.[12][13] In February 1992 she appeared in Sakuragi Rui: Gushonure Kahanshin, directed by the noted pink film woman director Sachi Hamano.[14] Another early movie was the March 1992 Paris Fantasy (幻想のＰａｒｉｓ, Gensō no Paris), a drama of romance and revenge set in the Parisian fashion industry where she co-starred with Kayo Matsuo.[15] She also had a leading role in an episode of the long-running TV drama Kaseifu ha mita (家政婦は見た!) broadcast by TV-Asahi on December 4, 1997.[16][17] Later, she was a regular on the NTV love story/suspense drama Tsumetai tsuki (冷たい月) which ran in 10 episodes from January to March 1998.[18] In 2002, she had a voice role in the anime erotic-horror film Youjuu Kyoushitsu Chapter 2 (Demon Beast Invasion Chapter 2) with another former AV Idol, Riria Yoshikawa.[19]
Notes
Sources
- "Rui Sakuragi on IMdB". IMDb. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- "Rui Sakuragi on JMDB" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- "Rui Sakuragi Interview" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2009-07-08.
