Koichi Hashizume

Koichi Hashizume
Native name	橋爪 浩一
Romanized	Hashizume Kōichi
Nationality	Japanese
Born	March 18, 1972 Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Died	July 9, 1999 (aged 26)
Occupations	Actor, model
Portrays	Akira Mimasaka

Koichi Hashizume (橋爪 浩一 (はしづめ こういち) , Hashizume Kōichi, March 18, 1972 – July 9, 1999) was a Japanese model and actor from Nagano Prefecture. He is best known for his roles in Hana Yori Dango, Picnic and Shomuni. Hashizume played Akira Mimasaka in Hana Yori Dango. In 1999, he passed away at the age of twenty-six under mysterious circumstances.

Biography

Early life

Hashizume was born on March 18, 1972 in Nagano Prefecture.

Career

Hashizume (far left) with his Hana Yori Dango costars

In the early 1990s, Hashizume entered the entertainment business as a model. He worked for publications like Men's Non-no. In 1994, he appeared in a commercial for the Nissan Lucino, which was directed by Shunji Iwai. Iwai subsequently cast Hashizume in his film, Picnic. He played Satoru, a patient at a mental hospital, and starred alongside Tadanobu Asano and Chara. The film was shot during the summer of 1994 and slated to release in 1995, but was delayed until 1996 as Eirin objected to some scenes. Hashizume was cast as Akira Mimasaka in Hana Yori Dango (1995) starring Yuki Uchida. He went on to appear in the television dramas, Doc (1996) and Shomuni (1998).

Death

On July 9, 1999, Hashizume passed away at twenty-six years old. His exact manner of death remains unknown as the incident was not widely reported at the time. Allegedly, his agency announced that he died as a result of a bike accident while in the United States. Hashizume was buried in his hometown of Ina, Nagano.

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Hana Yori Dango	Akira Mimasaka
1996	Picnic	Satoru
1998	Onna Keiji Riko Madonna no Fukaki Fuchi	Shinji Ayukawa
	Onna Keiji Riko Venus no Eien	Shinji Ayukawa	Direct-to-video

Television dramas

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Doc	Mitsuo Machida
	Shiyoyo 2	Toru Mizuki
1997	Kanojotachi no Kekkon
	Itoshi no Mirai-chan	Guest	Episode 5
	Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari	Daisuke	Television special
	Singles	Kaname Nakahara
1998	News no Onna	Shuji Watanabe
	Seizetsu! Yome Shuto Senso Rasetsu no Ie	Seiji Miyaji
	Shomuni	Yuzuru Akimoto
	Shomuni Special	Yuzuru Akimoto	Television special
1999	Heaven Cannot Wait	Saburo Amakasu	Episode 8
2000	Shomuni Special 2	Yuzuru Akimoto	Posthumous release

Notes

• Personal
• Connections

• Hashizume was a fan of Italy. During an episode of Sekai Ururun Taizaiki, he stayed in the small village of Farfa and learned Italian cuisine from a professional chef.

Hashizume appeared in News no Onna (1998) with Hana Yori Dango costar Norika Fujiwara.

External links

• Koichi Hashizume on Japanese Wikipedia
• Koichi Hashizume at the Internet Movie Database