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) |
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 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]