Miki Maya (真矢みき, Maya Miki, born January 31, 1964 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture)[1] is a Japanese actress and former top star of the Takarazuka Revue. Her real name is Miki Sato (佐藤美季, Satō Miki). She joined the Takarazuka Revue in 1981. Her debut performance was "Takarazuka Haru no Odori" and she became the top star of the Flower Troupe for her role in East Of Eden in 1995. She retired in 1998 after her last show 'Speakeasy', based on the 17 John Gay ballad opera The Beggar's Opera,[2] in which she sang the theme song Kaze no machi no junjō na akutō tachi (風の街の純情な男たち).
Career
She entered the Takarazuka musical school at the age of 15 and joined the Takarazuka Revue Company in 1981.
She debuted in the Flower troupe and soon became a rising star among the Revue fans. She and Mira Anju who was a year ahead of her formed the official YANMIKI combination in 1986 Bow Hall performance "Goodbye Peppermint Night." YANMIKI has been one of the most famous otokoyaku (male role) combinations to date. Maya and Anju reunited on stage in 1997 "Goodbye Tokyo Takarazuka", 2004 Takarazuka 90th Anniversary, and 2014 Takarazuka 100th Anniversary.
Without transferring, she became the top star of Flower troupe in 1995 and retired in 1998.[3]
She is the first Takarasienne to have a solo photo book shot by Kishin Shinoyama, called "Guy".[2] She is also the only Takarasienne to appear in NHK's Top Runner in December 1997. Furthermore, her concert, "Miki In Budokan", had a sell-out crowd of 30,000 in just 2 days.[2] Her other talents include Japanese dance and baton work.
Since her retirement, she has enjoyed popularity as a drama, stage and movie actress and has acted in various dramas including "Himitsu no Hanazono", "Kaze no Haruka" and "Attention Please". She has also shot commercials for Wella, Hagen Daz and Kikkoman, among others.
In 2008, she returned to the stage with Chariteau Versailles to commemorate her 10th year after leaving the Tarazuka stage. In the same year, she married ballet dancer, Nishijima Kazuhiro.[4] The wedding ceremony took place in April 2009 at the famous Meiji Jingu Shrine, where she and her husband were surrounded by the press and their fans.[5]
Commercial actress
Since leaving Takarazuka, Maya has found success appearing in commercials for products such as instant ramen and laxative vegetable juices. In November 2011, Maya was mentioned prominently in media reports surrounding controversy over a brand she promoted, a facial soap called Cha no Shizuku. The soap, produced by Yuuka, since 2009 has produced severe allergic reactions 471 consumers, with 66 of those hospitalized. The media speculated that because Maya had personally recommended the soap, claiming health benefits, she might be one of those potentially held liable for the damages caused to the soap's victims.[6]
