Rui Sakuragi

Rui Sakuragi
Born	Miki Ebisawa March 8, 1970[1] Japan
Other names	Masako Ichinose Miki Aizawa
Ethnicity	Japanese
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 4 ^1⁄2 in)

Rui Sakuragi (桜樹ルイ Sakuragi Rui), is a former Japanese AV Idol, gravure idol and erotic dancer who has been described as a "real AV Queen",^[2] the "top Japanese AV idol of the mid-1990's"^[3] and the "biggest star" in AV in 1992.^[4] She has also appeared widely in mainstream films and videos and on TV.

Life and career

Rui Sakuragi was born on March 8, 1970. After having previously been a "gravure" (non-sex) model, she made her adult video (AV) debut for the VIP label in April 1989 under the name Masako Ichinose but took the name Rui Sakuragi the following year.^[5] She sometimes worked for other studios but VIP (and its successor Atlas21) was her main label for the next two years. Her work for them included a 7-man orgy in Golden Pavilion Temple 2^[6] and cosplay in The Uniform Connection Special.^[7] Sakuragi announced that her April 1992 release for VIP, The Last of Rui Sakuragi would be her final work and left with a tearful farewell.^[8]

According to a 1992 article, whereas an attractive leading lady in AV could command 1.5 to 2 million yen (about $10,000 to $15,000) for a video, "Sakuragi, the biggest star at present" made 3 million yen (more than $20,000) per project.^[4]

Sakuragi had married just before her retirement and bored with nothing to do started a career as a stripper in clubs throughout Japan.^[9] Almost 4 years later and once again single (and poor),^[9] Sakuragi returned to AV with a contract with Atlas21 for 3 videos beginning with Phoenix Once Again in March 1996.^[2] After the third video, Super AV Idol Legend, fan response convinced her to do a fourth and final film, Good Bye Rui Sakuragi.^[10] Since her retirement, Atlas21, Kuki, and Alice Japan have all released compilations of her earlier videos.^[11]

During her AV career and after her retirement, Sakuragi also worked extensively in mainstream movies and softcore pink film and V-Cinema productions.^[12][13] In February 1992 she appeared in Sakuragi Rui: Gushonure Kahanshin, directed by the noted pink film woman director Sachi Hamano.^[14] Another early movie was the March 1992 Paris Fantasy (幻想のＰａｒｉｓ Gensō no Paris), a drama of romance and revenge set in the Parisian fashion industry where she co-starred with Kayo Matsuo.^[15] She also had a leading role in an episode of the long-running TV drama Kaseifu ha mita (家政婦は見た!) broadcast by TV-Asahi on December 4, 1997.^[16][17] Later, she was a regular on the NTV love story/suspense drama Tsumetai tsuki (冷たい月) which ran in 10 episodes from January to March 1998.^[18] In 2002, she had a voice role in the anime erotic-horror film Youjuu Kyoushitsu Chapter 2 (Demon Beast Invasion Chapter 2) with another former AV Idol, Riria Yoshikawa.^[19]

Partial filmography

Release date[20]	Video title	Company	Director	Notes
1990-06-16	Suddenly, Like a Fire 突然、炎のように	VIP 7B-044	Kunihiro Hasegawa
1990-10-06	I Wanna Lick Your Balls & Chains たまにはしゃぶりつきたい	Stella STV-1023
1991-01-01	Bizzare Bride ビザールの花嫁	Kuki Vinl JF-62
1991-03-22	Golden Pavilion Temple 2 金閣寺２ Kinkakuji 2	VIP 8B-017	Shuji Onizawa
1991-05-17	Queen Rui I World - Fascination Lingerie Lage 女帝ルイＩ世　悩殺ランジェリーラーゲ	VIP 8B-031	Manichi Kurita
1991-07-12	Hole Do Up 3 ホールどアップ 3	VIP 8D-047	Pusuke Yamada
1991-08-03	The Practice - Give me a Real Workout ザ・修行　私をしごいて	Stella STV-1053	Fumito Mitsuoka
1991-08-30	The Uniform Connection Special 出血大制服スペシャル	VIP 8B-059	Kei Morikawa
1991-10-07	DOUBT	Royal Art / Deluxe Paris DP-031	Akira Ishigaki
1991-11-09	Super Bondage 2 スーパー・ボンテージ 2	Stella STV-065	Hiroshi Amatsu
1991-11-22	Flash Paradise フラッシュパラダイス	Alice Japan KA-1435	Rokurō Mochizuki
1991-12-27	Rui Sakuragi Raped! 桜樹ルイを犯る！	Stella STV-1072	Jun Hirayama
1992-01-17	Special Ecstasy スペシャル・エクスタシー	Alice Japan KA-1445	Akira Ishigaki
1992-02-21	Rui Sakuragi's Recorder of Love 桜樹ルイの愛のリコーダ	VIP 9B-013	Akira Takatsuki
1992-02-28	Sakuragi Rui: Gushonure Kahanshin[14] 桜樹ルイ　ぐしょ濡れ下半身 V: 桜樹ルイ　欲望下半身	Xces	Sachi Hamano	Pink film With Kan'ichi Hiraga
1992-04-10	The Last of Rui Sakuragi ザ・ラスト・オブ 桜樹ルイ	VIP 9B-027
1992-06-19	Flash Paradise - 8 Renpatsu!! フラパラ8連発!!	Alice Japan KA-1479	Rokurō Mochizuki	With Hitomi Nishina, Izumi Morikawa, Mariko Kishi, Mirei Asaoka, Mizuki Sakaori, Reika & Riria Yoshikawa
1992-10-02	Rape Rave 8 Renpatsu!! レイプ狂い8連発!	Alice Japan KA-1500		With Izumi Morikawa, Miyuki Shoji & 5 other actresses
1996-03-29	Phoenix Once Again 不死鳥ふたたび	Atlas21 6A-035	Shuji Onizawa
1996-04-23	Fuck Rui Sakuragi!! 桜樹ルイとＦＵＣＫする！！	Atlas21 6A-044	Eitaro Onuma
1996-05-25	Super AV Idol Legend 超AVアイドル伝説	Atlas21 6A-054	Akira Takatsuki
1996-07-16	Good Bye Rui Sakuragi さよなら桜樹ルイ	Atlas21 6A-071	Hidekazu Takahara
1996-09-17	Premium Collection Vol.1 プレミアムコレクションＶｏｌ．1	Atlas21 6A-092	Tsukasa Hashimoto	Compilation including Suddenly, Like a Fire and The Last of Rui Sakuragi
1996-10-15	Premium Collection Vol.2 プレミアムコレクションＶｏｌ．２	Atlas21 6A-101	Tsukasa Hashimoto	Compilation including Phoenix Once Again, Good Bye Rui Sakuragi and behind the scene images
1997-01-24	AV Memorial Chapter 2 Rui Sakuragi AVメモリアルchapter2 桜樹ルイ	Kuki HKD-042		Compilation from four earlier films
1997-11-21	痴漢手記　午前８時の性衝動 Chikan Shuki: Gozen Hachi-ji no Seishōdō	Caress Communications	Tarō Sugiyama	78 min. V-Cinema With Yōko Satomi (as Saki Shiratori)
2002-10-25	BEST 4 Hours Rui Sakuragi BEST 4時間　桜樹ルイ	Atlas21 AVD-114		Compilation of 4 of her earlier films
2003-07-25	BEST 4 Hours Rui Sakuragi 2 BEST 4時間　桜樹ルイ 2	Atlas21 AVD-150		Compilation of 4 of her earlier films
2006-01-27	BEST 4 Hours Rui Sakuragi 3 BEST 4時間　桜樹ルイ3	Atlas21 AVD-292		Compilation of 3 of her earlier videos
2007-10-12	Alice Pink File with new mosaic standard, Rui Sakuragi アリスピンクファイル あの新基準モザイクで魅せる! 桜樹ルイ	Alice Japan Pink PDV-025		Compilation of scenes from earlier videos with the new thinner censorship mosaic

Notes

1. Infobox data from "桜樹 ルイ Sakuragi Rui" (in Japanese). I-Dic accessdate=2009-07-07. External link in |publisher= (help)
2. "Phoenix Once Again". AV Idol Directory. Retrieved 2010-08-09. External link in |publisher= (help)
3. Payne, Peter (May 17, 2002). "Greetings from J-List May 17, 2002". www.peterpayne.net. Retrieved 2009-07-08. External link in |publisher= (help)
4. Fornander, Kjell (July 1992). "A Star is Porn". Tokyo Journal. Archived from the original on 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2007-02-18. External link in |work= (help)
5. "1989" (in Japanese). AV 研究所 (AV Research Laboratory). Retrieved 2009-07-07. External link in |publisher= (help)
6. "Golden Temple 2". AV Idol Directory. Retrieved 2010-08-09. External link in |publisher= (help)
7. "Uniform Special". AV Idol Directory. Retrieved 2010-08-09. External link in |publisher= (help)
8. "The Last of Rui Sakuragi". AV Idol Directory. Retrieved 2009-07-08. External link in |publisher= (help)
9. "桜樹ルイ の部屋へようこそ (Welcome to Rui Sakuragi's Room)" (in Japanese). www.b-v.co.jp. Retrieved 2009-07-08. External link in |publisher= (help)
10. "Good Bye Rui Sakuragi". AV Idol Directory. Retrieved 2010-08-09. External link in |publisher= (help)
11. "Rui Sakuragi". AV Idol Directory. Retrieved 2010-08-09. External link in |publisher= (help)
12. 桜樹ルイ (in Japanese). JMDB. Retrieved 2009-07-08. External link in |publisher= (help)
13. "桜樹ルイ サクラギルイ(Rui Sakuragi)" (in Japanese). MovieWalker. Retrieved 2009-07-08. External link in |publisher= (help)
14. 桜樹ルイ　ぐしょ濡れ下半身 (in Japanese). JMDB. Retrieved 2010-08-09. External link in |publisher= (help)
15. 幻想のＰａｒｉｓ (in Japanese). MovieWalker. Retrieved 2009-10-19. External link in |publisher= (help)
16. ""Kaseifu ha mita" Shinkon Fufu no Himitsu (1997)". IMdB. Retrieved 2009-07-08. External link in |publisher= (help)
17. "Kaseifu ha Mita!(Drama)". en.accessup.org. Retrieved 2009-07-08. External link in |publisher= (help)
18. "Tsumetai tsuki [冷たい月]". JDorama. Retrieved 2009-07-08. External link in |publisher= (help)
19. "Youjuu Kyoushitsu Chapter 2". www.sazuma.com. Retrieved 2009-07-08. External link in |publisher= (help)
20. Filmography from "Rui Sakuragi 桜樹ルイ". Urabon Navigator. Retrieved 2009-07-07. External link in |publisher= (help) and "Rui Sakuragi". AV Idol Directory. Retrieved 2010-08-09. External link in |publisher= (help)

Sources

• "Rui Sakuragi on IMdB". Retrieved 2009-07-08.
• "Rui Sakuragi on JMDB" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2009-07-08.
• "Rui Sakuragi Interview" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2009-07-08.