Ishibashi Takaaki is a comedian, talento, businessman, former singer, and member of the comedy group and former J-pop group Tunnels.
He is also the current owner and co-founder of the talent agency Arrival since 1994.
History[]
He was born into a poor family and lived in poverty starting in elementary school. He started appearing on live television as a child to bring in some income for his family. He attended Teikyo High School in Tokyo planning to become a professional baseball player, however this all changed when he met his future comedy partner Kinashi Noritake from another athletic club. The duo began doing standup for fun and won the Owarai Star Tanjou! contest in 1980, and permanently entered the entertainment industry as "Tunnels." He made his singing debut with the group in 1981 and major label debut in 1984.
After Tunnels ceased activity as a musical unit in the mid 1990s, Ishibashi moved to the group Yaen in 1998 and continued musical activities. After Yaen disbanded in 2001, Ishibashi unofficially retired from singing, as he did not make a solo debut after Tunnels stopped producing music, but continued with his comedy and talento activities.
In November 2024, Ishibashi participated in a Tunnels reunion concert, but did not announce a solo debut or plans to continue his musical career.
In April 2025, Ishibashi announced that he had been diagnosed with early stage esophageal cancer and would be going on hiatus from entertainment for treatment.[1]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ishibashi has been married twice.
- Iwata Masayo (1988-1998)
- Suzuki Honami (1998-2021)
- He has four daughters, one with his first wife and three with this second. His eldest daughter, actress Ishibashi Honoka, lived with her mother in the United States for two and a half years after her parents divorce and had little contact with her father at that time. When she returned to Japan for her middle school education, they regained regular contact.
- He also has one grandchild through his eldest daughter.
- Although Akimoto Yasushi is good friends with both Ishibashi and Kinashi, he is better friends with Ishibashi. It was often Ishibashi who would inspire him to write lyrics not only for Tunnels but other musical projects he has worked on throughout his life.
- His career almost ended in 1984 when he grabbed onto a video camera during a televised performance of Ikki! and caused it to fall, breaking it beyond repair. The camera was worth 15 million Yen (approximately $300,000 USD at the time adjusted for 2024 inflation), and Ishibashi offered to end his entertainment career as an apology. However, the camera was covered by accident insurance, so Ishibashi was not forced to retire, he only had to tone down his physical comedy in subsequent appearances.