Biography
Born Fujima Takako in Tokyo in 1977, she grew up in a family deeply rooted in the performing arts, including her kabuki artist father, uncle, and brother. Her sister acted in films and later married someone from the entertainment industry. Her mother, Norika, is a businesswoman, and her niece is also a kabuki actress. Her sister's husband is an actor as well. She made her theatre debut at sixteen and appeared in the NHK serial Kura at seventeen. At nineteen, she hosted NHK's annual New Year's Eve show Koohaku Uta Gassen. The following year, she debuted her single "Ashita, Haru Ga Kitara" on the same program, launching her career as a singer of soft pop music with regular album releases and tours. She has collaborated with Universal Music. Although she enrolled at Asia University, she eventually dropped out. In 2003, she expanded her career by publishing a photo essay book. She won Best Actress awards at the 29th Hochi Film Award and the 28th Japan Academy Prize for her role in the samurai film The Hidden Blade. In 2007, she married guitarist Sahashi Yoshiyuki, and they welcomed a daughter in 2015. They met while working on the 2001 song "Hana No Youni" ("Like A Flower") and toured together, becoming a couple in 2004. Sahashi is sixteen years her senior and had divorced in 1998, making this his second marriage—facts that upset her father. Despite this, she proceeded without a wedding party. After marriage, she took the name Sahashi Takako. Previously, she had been linked to actor Oizumi Yo. For traditional Japanese dance, she uses the name Matsumoto Kouka. Her performances in 2009's Villon's Wife and Confessions earned her multiple awards. In 2011, she left the Papado management agency to start her own. She provided voice acting and singing for the Japanese dub of Frozen in 2014. She returned to Koohaku Uta Gassen in 2017. Continuously active on stage, she has also endorsed various corporate products, including beverages, financial services, and cosmetics. Reportedly, she is one-quarter Korean. She plays the piano and lists tofu as her favorite food. Initially known for her long feminine hair, she adopted a boyish look by cutting her hair at the start of her tenth year as a singer.
