Onyanko Club

Onyanko Club (おニャン子クラブ, Onyanko Kurabu, "Kitty Club") was a large all-girl Japanese pop idol group in the 1980s. Some members of the group participated in spin-off groups, such as Nyangilas, Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi and Ushirogami Hikaretai, with the latter two groups providing most of the theme songs to the popular 80s anime series High School! Kimengumi and Tsuide ni Tonchinkan.

Onyanko Club
おニャン子クラブ
Members of Onyanko Club with the main cast of Sukeban Deka II
Background information
OriginTokyo, Japan
GenresJ-pop, pop
Years active1985–1987, 2002 (released ONE Single), 2010 (for one BOSS COFFEE Commercial)
LabelsPony Canyon
Associated acts
Past memberssee below

The group debuted on 1 April 1985 on Fuji TV's variety show Yūyake Nyan Nyan with nine high school girls and two high school graduates, namely Sayuri Kokusho (number 8) and Satomi Fukunaga (number 11). They were selected from participants in Fuji TV's All Night High School Girl Special (オールナイトフジ女子高生スペシャル, Ōru Naito Joshi Kōsei Supesharu) aired in February that year. The show "Yūyake Nyan Nyan" had a segment where five candidates participated in a week-long audition from Monday to Friday for becoming a new Onyanko Club member. Most of the Onynako Club members except the first 11 members and other members who joined through the Miss Seventeen Contest were admitted to the group by winning the audition. In August 1986, Onyanko Club B-Gumi, which was the junior version of Onynako Club and consisted of junior high school girls, was formed. Onyanko Club disbanded after "Yūyake Nyan Nyan" was cancelled on 31 August 1987 and they had two-day final concerts at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on 19 and 20 September 1987. There have been several reunion appearances, including one on an episode of Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ in 2012. Several big-name idols stemmed from the group, one of the best known being Shizuka Kudō.

Members

Listed in order of joining Onyanko Club. Members 1 to 11 were the original members of the group when it started on 1 April 1985, and were assigned member numbers randomly. Subsequent members of the group were assigned numbers based on the order of their joining. Members 12 to 16 joined during April 1985.

  1. Mika Okuda (The original member, left the group on 25 April 1985 due to underage smoking referred to as the Shūkan Bunshun Smoking Scandal)
  2. Michiko Enokida (The original member, left the group on 25 April 1985 due to the Shūkan Bunshun Smoking Scandal)
  3. Kayoko Yoshino (The original member, left the group on 25 April 1985 due to the Shūkan Bunshun Smoking Scandal)
  4. Eri Nitta (The original member, in the second "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, married an employee of Fuji TV, took a break from entertainment but is now working in the field again)
  5. Miharu Nakajima (The original member, in the first "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, married the manager of Japanese owarai group Tunnels)
  6. Aki Kihara (The original member, in the fifth "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, member of Nyangirasu)
  7. Mamiko Tomoda (The original member, left the group on 25 April 1985 due to the Shūkan Bunshun Smoking Scandal)
  8. Sayuri Kokushō (The original member, in the fifth "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, still working in entertainment, currently living with her ex-husband)
  9. Mika Nagoya (The original member, in the second "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, member of Nyangirasu)
  10. Mayumi Satō (The original member, left the group on 25 April 1985 due to the Shūkan Bunshun Smoking Scandal)
  11. Satomi Fukunaga (The original member, in the second "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, had four solo singles and two solo albums, married after retiring from entertainment)
  12. Sonoko Kawai (One of the first three members who joined the group by the audition, the first member to went solo, in the first "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, married bassist, songwriter Tsugutoshi Gotō after retiring from entertainment)
  13. Kazuko Utsumi (One of the first three members who joined the group by the audition, was a child actress in the 70s, in the fifth "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, had four solo singles, an solo album and a nude photobook after Onyanko Club broke up)
  14. Harumi Tomikawa (One of the first three members who joined the group by the audition, the longest member of Onyanko Club when the group broke up, was going to have a solo single while being in Onyanko Club, which was aborted due to her high school's restrictions on such activity)
  15. Rika Tatsumi (Member of Nyangirasu, had a solo single, married in 1991, has a son, once worked for Pony Canyon after graduated from university, was an editor of a magazine, worked for an advertising agency)
  16. Mamiko Takai (Member of Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi, married lyric writer Yasushi Akimoto in 1988 and retired from the entertainment business. Akimoto later became the producer of AKB48 Group)
  17. Sanae Jōnouchi (Member when the group broke up, currently an enka singer, married a television producer in 2004)
  18. Ruriko Nagata (Member when the group broke up, had nickname Ruri-ruri)
  19. Yukiko Iwai (Member when the group broke up, member of Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi, had stage name "Yuuyu" for a while after Onyanko Club broke up, married in 1998 and retired from the entertainment business)
  20. Yōko Teramoto (Left the group in September 1985)
  21. Tamaki Gomioka (Left the group in September 1985, was going to have a solo single entitled Don't Become Cheap (チープにならないで, Chīpu ni Naranai de) in 1988, which was aborted, suddenly retired from entertainment shortly afterward)
  22. Mako Shiraishi (Member when the group broke up, member of Nyangirasu, worked for Jaguar Japan after graduation, mother of four children, currently a yoga instructor as well as a child therapist)
  23. Kaori Hayashi (Osaka regional member, honorably left the group in March 1986)
  24. Fumiyo Mita (Hiroshima regional member, honorably left the group in March 1986, was member 611 of the Momoko Club (a 1980s variety show on TBS), was once studying theatre in New York City)
  25. Akie Yoshizawa (Made her acting debut as Yukino Yajima in Sukeban Deka II: Shōjo Tekkamen Densetsu, released several solo singles and albums, retired from entertainment in 1992)
  26. Yoshie Akasaka (Member for one week, was member 2142 of the Momoko Club)
  27. Aki Matsumoto (Member 1861 of the Momoko Club)
  28. Mutsumi Yokota (Member when the group broke up, the winner of the Young Paradise campaign girl contest, currently a yoga instructor)
  29. Minayo Watanabe (Member when the group broke up, runner-up of the Young Paradise campaign girl contest, still working in entertainment, mother of two sons)
  30. Chiaki Mikami (Joined after becoming runner-up of the Young Paradise campaign girl contest, left the group in the spring of 1986, later became a flight attendant)
  31. Yūko Yajima (Joined after becoming runner-up of the Young Paradise campaign girl contest, left the group in the spring of 1986)
  32. Kumiko Susan Yamamoto (The only mixed-race member, in the second "graduating group" of Onyanko Club)
  33. Tomoko Fukawa (Member when the group broke up, sister of Toshikazu Fukawa from Japanese boy band Shibugakitai)
  34. Mami Yumioka (In the third "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, joined after graduating from junior high school on 14 March 1986)
  35. Takako Okamoto (In the third "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, joined at the same time as Mami Yumioka)
  36. Marina Watanabe (Member when the group broke up, still works in entertainment, married Jun Nagura from owarai conte group Neptune in 2005)
  37. Kaori Ōnuki (Appeared on stage one day only after joining Onyanko Club, was member 1809 of the Momoko Club, currently a tarento and model)
  38. Shizuka Kudō (Member when the group broke up, member of Ushirogami Hikaretai, was member 480 of the Momoko Club, currently a singer, married Takuya Kimura from Japanese boy band SMAP)
  39. Maki Takabatake (In the third "graduating group" of Onyanko Club)
  40. Akiko Ikuina (Member when the group broke up, member of Ushirogami Hikaretai, made her solo debut after Onyanko Club broke up, became a regular member of the cast of Abarenbō Shōgun for several seasons, still works in entertainment)
  41. Noriko Kaise (Member when the group broke up, the winner of the 1987 Miss Seventeen Contest)
  42. Makiko Saitō (Member when the group broke up, member of Ushirogami Hikaretai, runner-up of the 1987 Miss Seventeen Contest, made her solo debut after Onyanko Club broke up, married in 1998 and retired from entertainment)
  43. Toshie Moriya (In the fourth "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, runner-up of the 1987 Miss Seventeen Contest)
  44. Naoko Takada (In the fourth "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, received a special award in the 1987 Miss Seventeen Contest)
  45. Yumiko Yoshida (In the fourth "graduating group" of Onyanko Club)
  46. Sanae Nakajima (In the fourth "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, was member 1319 of the Momoko Club, had a role in Uchū Keiji Gavan as a child)
  47. Yuriko Yamamori (Member when the group broke up, was accepted into the group on her second try)
  48. Kayo Agatsuma (Made her solo debut after the group broke up, sister of idol Naomi Serizawa, has been married and divorced)
  49. Mitsuko Yoshimi (Member No. 1 of Onyanko Club B-Gumi, recipient of a special award in the 1987 Miss Seventeen Contest, was member 1956 of the Momoko Club)
  50. Miyuki Sugiura (Member No. 2 of Onyanko Club B-Gumi, recipient of a special award in the 1987 Miss Seventeen Contest, became a race queen after Onyanko Club broke up, currently a model and actress)
  51. Kumiko Miyano (Member No. 3 of Onyanko Club B-Gumi, recipient of a special award in the 1987 Miss Seventeen Contest, formed idol group "Kiss" after Onyanko Club broke up, currently working as a wedding moderator)
  52. Wakako Suzuki (The last member of Onyanko Club)

Associate members
  • Hiroko Tominaga (Member No. 4 of Onyanko Club B-Gumi, recipient of a special award in the 1987 Miss Seventeen Contest, in the fourth "graduating group" of Onyanko Club)
  • Mayumi Yamazaki (Member No. 5 of Onyanko Club B-Gumi, in the fourth "graduating group" of Onyanko Club, made her solo debut after Onyanko Club broke up, became a gravure model, worked with Yellow Cab for a short time, now a housewife and a lecturer on Hawaiian quilts)
  • Yolinda Yan (Trainee member of Onyanko Club, only non-Japanese member, later became a popular cantopop singer in her native Hong Kong, active from late 80s to mid 90s)

Discography

Singles
  1. "Sailor Fuku o Nugasanai de" ("Don't Make Me Take Off My Sailor Suit") (セーラー服を脱がさないで, Sērāfuku o Nugasanai de) / Speeding Generation (早すぎる世代, Haya Sugiru Sedai) (1985-07-05, 7A0502 (EP))
    • Lead vocalists (hereinafter referred to as "front vocals") are Nitta (#4), Nakajima (#5), Fukunaga (#11) and Utsumi (#13). It debuted at number 34 on the Oricon's Japanese single chart, reached number five and remained charted for 17 weeks.
  2. "Oyoshi ni Natte ne Teacher" ("Better Be Good, Teacher") (およしになってねTEACHER, Oyoshi ni Natte Tīchā) / Teddy Bear Time: The Sweet Scent of a Young Girl (テディベアの頃-少女の香り-, Tedi Bea no Goro: Shōjo no Kaori) (1985-10-21, 7A0530 (EP))
    • Front vocals are Nitta, Nakajima, Fukunaga and Utsumi. The B-side was sung by Nitta as a lead vocal, Nakajima, Fukunaga and Utsumi as backing vocals. It debuted at number two on the Oricon's Japanese single chart and remained charted for 15 weeks.
  3. "Jā ne" ("See Ya") (じゃあね, Jā ne) / Uh-oh-oh-oh (アレレレ, アレレレ) (1986-02-21, 7A0555 (EP))
    • Front vocals are Nakajima for the A-side, Nitta, Nakajima, Fukunaga and Utsumi for the B-side. It debuted at number one on the Oricon's Japanese single chart and remained charted for nine weeks.
  4. "Otto Chikan!" ("Uh-oh Pervert!") (おっとCHIKAN!, Otto Chikan!) / Memory of a Beautiful Woman (思い出美人, Omoide Bijin) (1986-04-21, 7A0575 (EP))
    • Front vocals are Fukunaga, Utsumi, Jōnouchi (#17), Nagata (#18), Yokota (#28) for the A-side and Utsumi for the B-side. It debuted at number one on the Oricon's Japanese single chart and remained charted for eight weeks.
  5. "Osaki ni Shitsurei" ("Excuse Me Until Next Time") (お先に失礼, Osaki ni Shitsure) / Summer Print (プリントの夏, Purinto no Natsu) (1986-07-21, 7A0607 (EP))
    • Theme song from the Toho film Onyanko the Movie: One Shot Danger! (おニャン子 ザ・ムービー 危機イッパツ!, Onyanko za Mūbī: Kiken Ippatsu!)
    • Front vocals are Tomikawa (#14), Iwai (#19), Fukawa (#33), Watanabe (#36) for the A-side and Utsumi for the B-side. It debuted at number one on the Oricon's Japanese single chart and remained charted for nine weeks.
  6. "Koi wa Question" ("Love is the Question") (恋はくえすちょん, Koi wa Kuesuchon) / The Great Anmistsu Battle (あんみつ大作戦, Anmitsu Taisakusen) (1986-11-01, 7A0646 (EP))
    • Opening and ending themes for Anmitsu Hime anime series.
    • Front vocals are Nagata, Iwai, Shiraishi (#22) and Ikuina (#40). It debuted at number one on the Oricon's Japanese single chart and remained charted for seven weeks.
  7. "No More Renai Gokko" ("No More Make-Believe Love") (NO MORE 恋愛ごっこ, No Moa Ren'ai Gokko) / Good Night to Only You (あなただけおやすみなさい, Anata Dake Oyasumi Nasai) / Onyanko Message (おニャン子メッセージ, Onyanko Messēji) (1987-01-21, 7A0676 (EP), 10P3042 (cassette)
    • Front vocals are Tomikawa, Nagata, Iwai and Shiraishi for the A-side. The B-side was sung by all members at the time of the release. The "Onyanko Message" is found only on the cassette. It debuted at number one on the Oricon's Japanese single chart and remained charted for six weeks.
  8. "Katatsumuri Samba" ("Snail Samba") (かたつむりサンバ], Katatsumuri Sanba) / Pistils and Stamens (めしべとおしべ, Meshibe to Oshibe) (1987-05-21, 7A0718 (EP))
    • Front vocals are Tomikawa, Kudō (#38), Yoshimi (#49), Sugiura (#50) for the A-side, Nagata, Shiraishi, Kaise (#41) and Agatsuma (#48) for the B-side. It debuted at number one on the Oricon's Japanese single chart and remained charted for five weeks.
  9. "Wedding Dress" ("Wedding Dress") (ウェディングドレス, Uedingu Doresu) / Please Treat Me Well (私をよろしく, Watashi o Yososhiku) (1987-08-21, 7A0758 (EP))
    • Front vocals are Tomikawa, Nagata, Shiraishi, Yokota and Fukawa. It debuted at number two on the Oricon's Japanese single chart and remained charted for seven weeks.
  10. "Shōmikigen" (ショーミキゲン) / Classmates (同級生, Dōkyūsei) (2002-11-20, OCCA-70026 (CD))
    • Front vocals are Nitta, Kokushō (#8), Utsumi, Jōnouchi, Iwai, and Watanabe (#29). It debuted at number 48 on the Oricon's Japanese single chart and remained charted for five weeks.

Sources: [1][2]

Albums

Studio albums

Live albums
  • Onyanko Sailing Yume Koujou '87 LIVE (おニャン子Sailing夢工場'87 LIVE) (1987)

Compilations
  • Super Best (1986)
  • NON-STOP Onyanko (1986) (1993; CD re-release)
  • Kahou (家宝) (1987)
  • Onyanko Club Best (1987)
  • Forever Idol Best Series: Onyanko Club (1989)
  • Best Selection (1989)
  • ULTRA NYANKO OMOTE SPECIAL (1997)
  • ULTRA NYANKO URA SPECIAL (1997)
  • Onyanko Club A-sides Collection volumes 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 (1999)
  • Onyanko Club B-sides Collection volumes 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 (1999)
  • EURO Onyanko (2000)
  • My Kore! (Myこれ!) series
    • My Kore! Ction: Onyanko Club BEST (2001; digitally remastered)
    • My Kore! Choice 14: Yume Catalog + Single Collection (2008)
    • My Kore! Lite: Onyanko Club (2010)
  • Onyanko Club Mini Best (2002)
  • Onyanko Club Solo & Units Mini Best (2002)
  • 30–35 VOL. 3 "Onyanko Club" Tokushū (30–35 VOL.3 「おニャン子クラブ」特集) (2005)
  • Debut Album ni Hari wo Otoshite... Onyanko Club-hen (デビューアルバムに針を落として… おニャン子クラブ編) (2006)
  • Onyanko Club SINGLES Complete (2007)
  • The Premium Best Onyanko Club (2012)

Box sets
  • Onyanko Club Daizenshū (おニャン子クラブ大全集) (2005) (2008; re-release)
  • Kessei Sanjū Shūnen Kinen CD-BOX Single Record Fukkoku Nyan Nyan (結成30周年記念CD-BOX シングルレコード復刻ニャンニャン) (2015)

Subgroups

Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi

Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi (うしろゆびさされ組) was the first sub-group with members Mamiko Takai and Yukiko Iwai (aka "Yuuyu"), and released six singles and three albums, from 1985 to 1987.

Nyangilas

Nyangilas (ニャンギラス, Nyangirasu) was the second of three offshoot groups within the Onyanko Club. They had the shortest run with only two singles and one album. Members consisted of Aki Kihara (6), Mika Nagoya (9), Rika Tatsumi (15), and Mako Shiraishi (22).

Ushirogami Hikaretai

Ushirogami Hikaretai (うしろ髪ひかれ隊) consisted of members Akiko Ikuina, Shizuka Kudo and Makiko Saito, and released five singles, two studio albums and one live album, in 1987 and 1988. now are having a revival group "Watarirouka Hashiritai" From AKB48

See also
  • Musukko Club, an all-male group started at about the same time

References
  1. "Onyanko Club: Singles". Encyclopedia Idollica. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  2. おニャン子クラブ大全集 下巻 限定CD-BOX BOOK 2 [Onyanko Club Complete Works Collection Vol.II Limited Edition CD-Box Book 2] (CD insert booklet). Onyanko Club. Tokyo, Japan: Pony Canyon. 2008. pp. 17–19. PCCA-50002.CS1 maint: others (link)
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