TOKYO —

Former samurai actor Ken Matsudaira, 54, known to fans as Matsuken, has released a new album of Hawaiian music, called “Honeymoon under starry sky.” In 2004 and 2005, Matsudaira, sporting a samurai haircut and wearing a flashy kimono, danced the samba, and his act was a big hit all over Japan.

Matsuken said he decided to try Hawaiian-style music because of his wife. “She likes this ballad music because it’s more peaceful than samba. I think I’ll be able to have a good summer with this new song.”

5 Comments

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  KyouNoNippon at 02:12 PM JST - 12th June

  Alo~ha! Ima Alo~ha! MA! TSU ! KE! N! A! LO! HA~~~! Luau!

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  capone at 06:47 PM JST - 13th June

  couldn't act, and can't sing...pretty well-rounded

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  presto345 at 08:21 PM JST - 13th June

  I enjoyed watching Abarenbo Shogun for a quarter of a century, (that's how long it was on the air) and so did millions of others. Dismissing Matsudaira's acting with 'couldn't act' is cheap, but everyone is entitled to one's opinion. Sifting through my collection of vinyl I found an LP of Ken from the 1960s! What a handsome young man he was. He's a bit older now, but still very popular. I wish him success with his new album.

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  plasticmonkey at 08:37 PM JST - 14th June

  many Japanese "yearn" for Hawaii, it's almost like a fetish

  an exotic distant cousin who knows how to live, like how the Russians used to romanticize Arabia . . .

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  DenshaDeGO at 10:40 PM JST - 16th June

  Shouldn't that be "Honeymoon under a Starry Sky" ?

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