Mari Yaguchi

**Mari Yaguchi** is a singer, actress, and TV personality. She was a former second generation member and leader of Morning Musume.

In 2009, she graduated, with the rest of the Elder Club, from Hello! Project. She has since released two singles and is now part of the OG member group called Afternoon Musume and Dream Morning Musume.

## History

### Early Life

Mari Yaguch was born on January 20, 1982 in Kanagawa, Japan.

### 1998-2000

On May 3, she, along with Kei Yasuda and Sayaka Ichii, were chosen to be a part of the second generation of singers to be recruited into Morning Musume.

On November 18, she debuted with Morning Musume's first sub-group, Tanpopo.

She made her movie debut in the film Morning Cop, alongside the other Morning Musume members and Hello! Project soloist Heike Michiyo.

On October 20, she created and formed Morning Musume's sub-group Minimoni. She had an idea for a sub-group whose members were 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in height or shorter. Yaguchi, and Morning Musume's songwriter and producer Tsunku, selected two of Morning Musume's newest members Ai Kago and Nozomi Tsuji, for the new sub-group and the trio began performing in concerts as Minimoni. American-born Mika Todd, of Coconuts Musume, was later added into the group to give the group "an international flavor" and Tsunku made them official.

Their debut single, Minimoni Jankenpyon! / Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu Daisukki!, was a #1 hit.

### 2001-2005

On February 7, she released her first photobook titled Yaguchi.

She starred in another film called Nama Tamago alongside Kaori Iida, Nozomi Tsuji, & Maki Goto. The film was released in VHS format on March 15 and later in DVD format on May 15.

Yaguchi became Morning Musume's sub-leader in May, after the graduation of Kei Yasuda.

On March 29, she graduated from Minimoni, having Mika Todd replace her as the leader. The group lasted another year until Mika Todd's graduation from the group and Hello! Project altogether.

In July, she debuted with ZYX as leader. In ZYX, Yaguchi acted as a mentor to the Hello! Project Kids, showing them the ropes of being a performing member of Hello! Project. ZYX was the first unit that Hello! Project Kids officially joined.

She also made a guest appearance in one episode of the drama Kochira Hon Ikegami Sho.

She released two more photo books, one titled Love Hello! Mari Yaguchi, part of an idol DVD she had. The other being Pocket Morning Musume, Volume 2, which also featured Natsumi Abe, Maki Goto, and Kaori Iida.

On October 10, she released her first essay book entitled Oira - MARI YAGUCHI FIRST ESSAY.

On January 30, after the graduation of Kaori Iida, Yaguchi became leader and Hitomi Yoshizawa then became her support as sub-leader.

On April 14, it was reported by tabloid magazine FRIDAY that Yaguchi was in a relationship with actor Oguri Shun. She said she had "betrayed [her] position as an idol" and that she "want[ed] to move on with [her] career as an adult." As such, Yaguchi resigned from Morning Musume without a graduation ceremony.

Her first post-Morning Musume recording, Nigiyaka na Fuyu, done as a collaboration with Berryz Koubou, appears as the coupling track on Berryz Koubou's November 2005 single Gag 100kaibun Aishite Kudasai.

### After Morning Musume

In April, it was reported that Yaguchi and Oguri broke up.

In 2006, she continued to appear on television and at live events on behalf of Hello! Project. She also co-hosted two weekly TV shows of her own (Yaguchi Hitori and Kanrui! Jikuu Times), starred in two dramas, and frequently guest starred on other variety shows.

At the start of 2007, she started to perform during Hello! Project concerts again.

In Summer, Yaguchi was cast to host a new Gyao TV show, Midtown TV, thus appearing in a third TV show on air. Midtown TV aired on weekdays and Yaguchi hosted it on Thursdays. Also, Mari and seven H!P Eggs appeared live and with an audience on Ciao TV, a Kids Station show, on September 2, from 19:00 to 19:30, on what appeared to be yet another new TV show for her, which made four Yaguchi Mari TV shows being aired simultaneously.

Yaguchi appeared in a Japanese drama series called Sento no Musume!? (銭湯の娘!?, daughter of public bathhouse). She was one of the main stars in a Japanese day time drama series called Gyarusa (ギャルサ, Gal Circle), along with her show Yaguchi Hitori, and being an MC at Hello! Project concerts. From May 25, and up to June 6, Yaguchi performed in Damn Yankees, a popular 1955 Broadway musical at the Tokyo Aoyama Theater.

Yaguchi Mari participated in the Minna no Fitness event on April 27. Minna no Fitness is a free internet workout.

When asked about the comebacks of former Hello! Project members Maki Goto and Ai Kago, she replied that she hasn’t been in contact with them and doesn’t know any of the details.

It was announced on October 19, on the official Hello! Project website, that Yaguchi would graduate from the Elder Club and Hello! Project altogether on March 31, 2009.

She graduated, with the rest of the Elder Club, at a graduation concert held at Yokohama Arena on February 1.

Yaguchi Mari's first solo single debuted live on the TV show Quiz Hexagon, which also brought about popular groups Pabo and Shuchishin. The CD single was a collaboration with AIR BAND and included a randomly chosen photo card of either Mari or AIR BAND. It was an emotional performance for Mari who had not performed on live television in over four years.

In April, it was announced that Yaguchi would be writing a “blog-like” column in Famitsu, one of the most respected video game magazines in Japan and the world. She would be talking about how girls are also passionate gamers. The column also featured photos of Yaguchi. The column was originally released on May 1. The column was titled “I’m a Gamer.“

In November, Yaguchi Mari was rendered into a CG (computer graphic) character for a Yakuza-themed video game titled Ryuu ga Gotoku: Densetsu wo Tsugumono.

In December, the cover for Yaguchi Mari to Straw Hat’s single, titled Kaze o Sagashite, was released. "Yaguchi Mari to Straw Hat" was the name of the Hexagon family unit for the song which featured Yaguchi as the main singer. The song was used for the opening of the anime One Piece.

In February, Yaguchi announced on her blog that she was opening a restaurant called Shabushabu Onyasai Roppongi. The restaurant opened on March 19. She mentioned on her blog that she was fussing about the interior design, sampling food from the new menu, suggesting new menu ideas, working on staff uniforms and even working on a new uniform for her, so it seems that the restaurant was suited to Yaguchi’s personality.

On Yaguchi's Blog, it was announced that she and Maeda Yuuka would appear in a film titled Hoshisuna no Shima no Chiisana Tenshi ~Mermaid Smile~.

In March, It was revealed that Yaguchi Mari, Satoda Mai and Michishige Sayumi were to be regulars on the midnight TBS show Aimai na!. The air date was set for April 19th.

Also in March, Yaguchi opened up a Gree blog.

In June, Yaguchi became be a regular on a local Nagoya show titled Go! Bungee Police along with Wada Ayaka. The show was scheduled to start on June 6.

In August, It was announced that Yaguchi Mari and S/mileage would appear on Downtown DX. The show was scheduled to air on September 9th

On August 7, Mari joined the new promotional unit Afternoon Musume with seven other OG members to promote Georgia coffee drinks.

On January 2, some media outlets reported that Yaguchi Mari would be getting married to her boyfriend, actor Nakamura Masaya. According to a related source, Yaguchi already said that she would be getting married, and now she needed to report her marriage and decide the day to register the marriage.

On January 28, It was announced that Mari was part of the OG member group Dream Morning Musume and that they would be releasing the groups first album, called Dorimusu ①, on April 20th.

On May 21, it was announced that she had registered her marriage to Nakamura Masaya for May 22, 2012. Originally, the couple planned to marry in March but, due to the earthquake, their plans were postponed.

On May 22nd, Yaguchi Mari and Nakamura Masaya held a wedding ceremony at St. Grace Cathedral in Aoyama. She has changed her name to Nakamura Mari, but continued to use "Yaguchi Mari" as her stage name.

On March 2nd and 3rd, Yaguchi participated in Forest For Rest ~SATOYAMA e Ikou~ SATOYAMA movement in YOKOHAMA along with other Hello! Project and UP-FRONT PROMOTION members.

From April 4 to April 9, Yaguchi performed in the stage play Ikinukukiseki ~Juunenme no Negai.

In mid-May, multiple news agencies and magazines reported that Yaguchi had an affair and was cheating on her husband. It was also reported that she and her husband got into an argument on whether or not to have a child, and the two were now living apart. Nakamura Masaya's agency confirmed that the two were fighting, but that they were not getting a divorce. According to reports, Masaya caught Yaguchi sleeping with another man, Kenzo Umeda, back in February. Umeda immediately deleted his blog and Twitter account and Yaguchi apologized to the public. Yaguchi was thereafter seen without her wedding ring.

On May 21, she was seen at the Morning Musume Concert Tour 2013 Haru Michishige☆Eleven SOUL ~Tanaka Reina Sotsugyou Kinen Special~, watching Tanaka Reina's graduation.

On May 30, it was announced that Yaguchi and Nakamura Masaya had submitted their divorce papers, and Yaguchi claimed that there was domestic violence in their relationship.

According to new reports, Nakamura came home one day, and saw what looked like a bedroom that was just used for sex. Nakamura found Umeda hiding in the bedroom closet naked. Umeda was told to kneel down and bow while Nakamura took a photo of him for evidence. Nakamura said that "Our bed sheets were always changed to new ones whenever I came back home from other locations." Yaguchi has since left three TV shows that she was a regular on.

Tanaka Reina replaced her on her regular USTREAM for the time being.

On July 8, TouSpo reported that she was currently living with Kenzo Umeda and that she was planning to make a comeback later that year and make a public apology.

In Josei Jishin's August issue, Yaguchi's acquaintance said she would make her comeback once the issue died down. She apparently stated that she would return within the next 5 years (by 2019). It was rumored that she had 100 million yen in savings.

According to a friend of Kenzo, Yaguchi and Kenzo were talking about getting married.

On October 1, she was transferred to UP-FRONT CREATE.

On October 13, she blogged that she was going on an indefinite hiatus. She hoped to return to show business one day.

On October 23rd, Yaguchi appeared on "Miyaneya", an afternoon tabloid television show.

In November Yaguchi started blogging for the first time since her hiatus announcement.

In April it was announced that she had joined a girl group with fellow Morning Musume graduates Ai Takahashi and Nozomi Tsuji called "Datsumo Musume", under the management of Datsumo Labo for the promotion of their hair removal services.

On December 20, Yaguchi was announced as a founding member of the UP-FRONT esports club, and she was later named the club supervisor.

On March 13, it was reported that she would be marrying a 30-year old former male model sometime in the near future, possibly as soon as that month. The next day, Nikkan Sports reported that the couple, who had been dating for the past four years, set their marriage date for March 26. These reports were confirmed, when on March 26, Yaguchi officially announced on her blog that she had remarried.

On March 27, she began a live variety talk show on AbemaTV's The NIGHT channel, titled Yaguchi Mari no Kayou The NIGHT, with comedian Okano Yoichi as her assistant MC and various idols as guests.

On February 13, she digitally released the song "Shiroi HeLLO gOOdbye".

During the live broadcast of Yaguchi's AbemaTV show Yaguchi Mari no Kayou The NIGHT on April 2, she announced that she and her husband held a private ceremony in Okinawa last month on their first anniversary, confirming a report made by Josei Jishin earlier in the week, and that she was pregnant with her first child who was due to be born in the summer.

On August 9, Yaguchi gave birth to her first son.

On February 29 Yaguchi and Kei Yasuda were scheduled to hold a live event called "M-line club 10 Shuunen Kikaku 'Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari' FC Event" (M-line club 10周年企画「保田圭・矢口真里FCイベント」), but it was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On May 11, Yaguchi announced that she was pregnant with her second child, due to be born in the fall. Her son was born on October 1, which Yaguchi announced on social media a few days after.

On January 13, Yaguchi held Yaguchi Mari 40th Birthday Event 2023 ~Suoku-nen-buri no BD Event Yacchau yo!!~ in celebration of her fortieth birthday.

On May 26, Kei Yasuda and Yaguchi will hold an event with guests called Morning Musume Niki Yasuda Kei & Yaguchi Mari Presents "2 (ni)" to celebrate their 25th debut anniversary.

## Appearance

Mari wears a navy jacket over a cyan shirt, cyan joggers and blue shoes. She has blonde hair.

## Trivia

* Her official YouTube username is Mariberry Est. 1982.