Kōki Tanaka

Koki Tanaka (田中 聖, Tanaka Kōki, born November 5, 1985) is a Japanese singer–songwriter, actor and former Japanese idol. He was a member of Jpop idol boy band KAT-TUN from their debut until September 30, 2013 when his contract with Johnny & Associates (the company that manages KAT-TUN) was terminated.When he was a member of KAT-TUN, he was recognized as the rapper in the group and has a hip-hop-influenced style. Out of the other members, Tanaka was most often paired up with Yuichi Nakamaru and they even formed a comedy duo 'TaNaka'. After leaving Johnny & Associates, Tanaka formed a new rock band called INKT.

History

On September 30, 2013 Tanaka's contract with Johnny & Associates was officially terminated due to several contract violations. In November of the same year, he formed his own Indie rock band called INKT and was the lead vocalist in the band, and they finally released their debut album on November 8, 2014. On September 1, 2017 it was announced on the band's website that INKT has now officially disbanded. After the band's disbandment, Tanaka still continues to perform in live shows as a solo artist.

On May 24, 2017 Tanaka was arrested for marijuana possession during a traffic stop, despite claiming the cannabis in his car were not his he was tested positive to the drug and was detained for 2 weeks while investigations were ongoing. He was eventually released from jail on June 7, on June 30 it was reported that Tanaka will not be prosecuted for marijuana possession charges as the police were not able to obtain enough evidence to prosecute him.

Tanaka can play several instruments. His main instrument is the guitar; he can also play the piano and the shamisen. He wrote most of the rap lyrics for KAT-TUN's songs and his solos, going by the pen-name of "JOKER". While in INKT, he wrote all the band's songs under his name 'KOKI'.

As an actor, Tanaka has appeared in a string of Japanese TV series and movies and has won 2 awards for his acting work in My Boss My Hero.

Tanaka loves to design things and is very artistic. He has a talent for sewing and he designs his own apparel. Since April 2018, Tanaka has been collaborating with the Japanese clothing brand 'Black by VANQUISH' to produce his own clothing line.

Early life

Born in Chiba, Chiba prefecture; Japan on November 5, 1985, Tanaka is the second oldest of 5 siblings, all brothers and raised by their single mother. His younger brother Juri is also an actor and signed with Johnny & Associates. Juri along with Tanaka's youngest brother Subaru even appeared alongside Tanaka in the first episode of the TV series Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go in which Tanaka played the lead role. His younger brother Hyouga is also an actor, and Tanaka's older brother is named Kazunaru.

Before Tanaka was born, his mother thought he would be a girl, so she thought of the name Maria (Saint). But he turned out to be a boy instead, so the Kanji letter of his name '聖' was kept, but its pronunciation was changed to “Kōki” (“Kōki” also means “Saint” in Japanese). Furthermore, when he was little his face was so cute and feminine that he was often mistaken for a girl.

Tanaka joined Johnny & Associates in 1998. He once stated the reason why he applied was “My mother sent the application form behind my back. So I went to the audition without knowing anything at all. She told me it was because my cousin applied too. Therefore, we went to the audition together. But in the end, my cousin failed, while I passed.”

Tanaka graduated from Horikoshi High School, and eventually went to study at Josai International University, but he quit halfway. He loves animals so much that he originally wanted to become a veterinarian.

INKT

Studio albums

Concerts

This is a list of all the live concerts that Tanaka has performed at and will perform in either solo or with his rock band INKT.

Stage shows

Books

• 田中聖 10845: Released on July 15, 2015

• 50th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for My Boss My Hero (2006)
• 2006 TVNavi Awards: Best Newcomer for My Boss My Hero (2006)