Teruhiko Saigō

Who is Teruhiko Saigō?

Teruhiko Saigō is a Japanese singer and actor. As a singer, he is known as one of the three "Gosanke", referring to gosanke, the three great Tokugawa houses.

Saigō made his debut in 1964 with the song "Kimi Dake o", for which he won a Japan Record Award for best new artist.

As an actor, he has portrayed people as varied as 20th century Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka and 16th century samurai Katakura Kagetsuna. A native of Kagoshima, he has played the roles of native sons such as Kuroda Kiyotaka and Saigō Tsugumichi, but his characters also include Tokugawa Ieyasu, Yagyū Jūbei and Hattori Hanzo. His roles in Chūshingura tales have included Mōri Koheita.

Saigō has starred in various prime-time television series. These include Edo o Kiru, Genkurō Tabi Nikki Aoi no Abarenbō, Abare Hasshū Goyō Tabi, and Abare Isha Ranzan. NHK has tapped him for various Taiga drama roles as well. Among them are Mōri Hiromoto, Sanada Yukimura, and Honda Masanobu in addition to Katakura Kagetsuna. Other NHK roles have included the contemporary daytime drama Niji no Sekkei and the uncle of the title character in the asadora Wakaba.