Noriko Matsumoto

{{Infobox person

| native_name = 松本典子

| native_name_lang = ja

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|1|30|df=y}}

| birth_place = Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Singer
television personality

}}

| years_active = 1984–1992; 2011–present

| spouse = {{marriage|Kenji Tomashino|1992}}

| awards = Japan Record Awards New Artist Award (1985)

}}

{{nihongo|Noriko Matsumoto|松本典子|Matsumoto Noriko|born 30 January 1968|lead=yes}} is a Japanese singer and television personality. After winning the Grand Prize at the 1984 Miss Seventeen Contest, she debuted as an idol singer with her song "{{ill|Shunshoku no Airmail|ja|春色のエアメール}}" and had four more singles chart in the Oricon Singles Chart Top 30 and a Japan Record Awards New Artist Award, and she was a regular cast member at the variety show {{ill|Shimura Ken no Daijobu dā|ja|志村けんのだいじょうぶだぁ|italics=yes}}. She went on a career break after her 1992 marriage to baseball player Kenji Tomashino, before making a comeback in the early-2010s.

Biography

Noriko Matsumoto was born on 30 January 1968 in Mitaka, Tokyo.{{Cite book |title=DJ名鑑 1987 |date=1987 |publisher=Sansai Books |pages=142}}{{Cite magazine |title=松本典子巻頭特集 |magazine=Bomb |pages=21–51 |issue=November 1985}} Her real given name {{nihongo|Miwako|美和子}} is said to have the meaning of {{nihongo|Utsukushiku itsu made mo heiwa na ko dearu yō ni|美しくいつまでも平和な子であるように||{{lit|May you be a beautiful and peaceful child forever}}}}. She moved to the Jindaiji area of Chōfu when she was three, to Akishima, Tokyo when she was five, and due to her father's job, Isesaki during her third year of junior high school. After she chose a co-ed high school instead of a girls' high school due to the cuteness of school uniforms, she began studying at {{ill|Kyoai Gakuen Junior High School|ja|共愛学園中学校・高等学校}}.

In August 1984, she and {{ill|Naoko Amihama|ja|網浜直子}} won the Grand Prize at the Miss Seventeen Contest. Her sister had recommended the magazine to her before she entered the pageant. In 1985, she made her idol debut with her song "{{ill|Shunshoku no Airmail|ja|春色のエアメール}}". It charted at #28 in the Oricon Singles Chart, and four more singles charted in the Top 30: "Aoi Kaze no Beachside", "Sayonara to Iwarete", "Nijiiro Scandal", and "No Wonder". She was awarded the New Artist Award at the 27th Japan Record Awards for her song "Sayonara to Iwarete".{{Cite web |title=第27回日本レコード大賞 |url=https://www.jacompa.or.jp/record/27.php |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=Japan Composer's Association |language=ja}} In 1987, she joined the Fuji TV variety show {{ill|Shimura Ken no Daijobu dā|ja|志村けんのだいじょうぶだぁ|italics=yes}} as a regular cast member. In 1992, she married baseball player Kenji Tomashino, and afterwards began a career hiatus to focus on raising her children.

In the early-2010s, she returned from her career hiatus. In September 2011, she made her first singing appearance in nineteen years, on the NHK BS Premium music show J-Pop Seishun no '80.{{Cite news |date=2011-08-27 |title=松本典子が19年ぶり歌います |url=https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/f-et-tp0-20110827-826007.html |access-date=2024-01-28 |work=Nikkan Sports |language=ja}} On 29 April 2018, she made her first gravure appearance in twenty years in the magazine {{ill|Flash (Japanese magazine)|ja|FLASH (写真週刊誌)|italics=y|lt=Flash}}.{{Cite news |date=2018-04-29 |title=松本典子 20年ぶりのグラビア撮影で「また歌を聴かせられたら」 |url=https://smart-flash.jp/entame/39720/ |access-date=2024-01-28 |work=Smart Flash |language=ja}} In December 2019, she made her first radio appearance in 26 years on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting's {{ill|Sposta Mix Zone|ja|スポスタ☆MIX_ZONE|italics=y}}, appearing alongside her husband.{{Cite news |date=2019-12-12 |title=元アイドル・松本典子夫・笘篠賢治氏と26年ぶりのメディア共演結婚の裏話など語る |url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2019/12/12/kiji/20191212s00041000209000c.html |access-date=2024-01-28 |work=Sponichi Annex |language=ja}}

She and her husband have three sons. She is the sister-in-law of baseball player Seiji Tomashino and the paternal aunt of actors {{ill|Kazuma Tomashino|ja|笘篠和馬}} and {{ill|Hitomi Tomashino|ja|笘篠ひとみ}}.{{Cite news |date=2015-10-02 |title=楽天・笘篠Ｃの娘、姫歌ひな乃退団 |url=https://www.daily.co.jp/gossip/takara_topics/2015/10/02/0008452188.shtml |access-date=2024-01-28 |work=Daily Sports Online |language=ja}}

Discography

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" \| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" \| Year ! scope="col" rowspan="2" \| Details ! scope="col" colspan="2" \| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" \| Sales
scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" \| JPN ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" \| JPN Hot
scope="row"\| "{{ill\|Shunshoku no Airmail\|ja\|春色のエアメール}}" \| 1985 \| Released: 21 March 1985 \| 28{{Cite web \|title=松本典子のシングル売上TOP7作品 \|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/220591/rank/single/ \|access-date=2024-01-28 \|website=Oricon News}} \| — \| —
scope="row"\| "Aoi Kaze no Beachside" \| 1985 \| Released: 21 June 1985 \| 30 \| — \| —
scope="row"\| "Sayonara to Iwarete" \| 1985 \| Released: 21 September 1985 \| 17 \| — \| —
scope="row"\| "Nijiiro Scandal" \| 1986 \| Released: 26 February 1986 \| 28 \| — \| —
scope="row"\| "No Wonder" \| 1986 \| Released: 21 May 1986 \| 29 \| — \| —
colspan="6" style="font-size:90%;"\| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Year

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Details

! scope="col" colspan="2" | Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Sales

scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | JPN

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | JPN
Hot

scope="row"| "{{ill|Shunshoku no Airmail|ja|春色のエアメール}}"

| 1985