Shibugakitai (The Cool Kid Trio[1]) (シブがき隊) was a Japanese boy band active from 1982 to 1988, managed by (the then-named) Johnny & Associates.
Toshikazu Fukawa (Fukkun), Masahiro Motoki (Mokkun), Hirohide Yakumaru (Yakkun) were the three members of the group.
Despite being a male act, Shibugakitai is also considered part of the "Flower Group of '82" (花の82年組, Hana no 82-nen gumi): a group of successful idol acts that all debuted in 1982 (which includes Akina Nakamori, Kyoko Koizumi, Yu Hayami, fellow Senpachi-sensei co-star Hiroko Mita, and others).
Kitagawa reportedly sought inspiration from the French Japonisme art styles and blended them with other traditional Japanese religious, ninja, noh and kabuki essences to form the group's image and the themes of their songs during this period.
[14] However, the poor translation, added to the fact that neither member of the group had any proficiency in English whatsoever, did not bode well for the single.
[19] Although Motoki and Fukawa were willing to bear it out and try to co-exist with the newcomers, Yakumaru was strongly against forming relationships with them; aside from showing hostility towards the other acts (particularly Kikkawa), Yakumaru also began showing hostility towards Motoki and Fukawa for associating with their rivals.
[18][19][20] On August 7, 1988, the group announced at Tokyo Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan that they had made the decision to disband and to pursue solo careers.
[29] Yakumaru transitioned into a successful solo career as an actor, author, and talk show host.
From 1996 to 2014, he co-hosted the long-running TBS morning show Hanamaru Market alongside the late Kumiko Okae.
[32][33] On June 4, 1990, Yakumaru held a press conference announcing he had married Hidemi Ishikawa (also a member of the Flower Group).
[34] The couple announced that Ishikawa was eight months pregnant with their first child, and that they had kept the relationship a secret until she was far enough into the pregnancy to avoid any chance of their respective agencies' disapproval.
[36][37][38] Yakumaru commutes often from Hawaii to Japan, while Ishikawa, who retired from show business after marriage, owns and operates a chain of jewelry stores in Waikiki.