Kyu sakamoto grave

Iku had two sons from an earlier relationship and Hiroshi three sons and three daughters. Kyu was their third and last child together. In the summer of during the air raids over the greater Tokyo area, including Kawasaki, Iku fled with the younger children, including Kyu, and his siblings Teruaki, Yachiyo and Azuma to their grandparents, Seri and Aou Oshima who lived on the countryside in Kasama.

The rest of the family stayed and miraculously survived the violent air raids. In the summer of the family was reunited and moved back to Kawasaki. Like many other Japanese companies, Hiroshi's office was disbanded by the American occupation forces. Shortly after that, he started a restaurant together with Iku. In when Sakamoto was still in junior high school his parents divorced.

It was Hiroshi's heavy drinking and long history of economic problems that made them separate.

Kyu sakamoto last photo

Iku was given custody over the minor children they had together and they were given the surname "Oshima" while the remaining children kept the family name "Sakamoto". When Sakamoto began high school his interest in music grew and he started playing the trumpet in the school band. He began singing later and became very popular.

In he joined the Japanese pop-band "The Drifters" as a singer. In May , when Sakamoto was 16 years old he joined the Japanese pop-band The Drifters that had been formed three years earlier. Sakamoto was unhappy about his position in the band as second singer and this often led to fights with the other members. His big breakthrough as a band member came August 26, when he sang at the annual music festival "Western Carnival" at the Nichigeki hall.