The concept of Idol as a performer in Japan has been around for more than half of the last century, and during that time the definition of what makes an idol has changed vastly. From the secretive solo performers of the 70s and 80s to today’s ‘alternative’ idols like BiSH and Necronomidol, idols have been a staple of Japanese entertainment in some way or another for longer than we realize.

To help better understand the history of where our favorite idols of today come from, I am going to write a series regarding the History of the Japanese idol, from Japan’s “First Idol” Ashita Matsuko to the modern Idol Warring States. This post is meant to be an overview for that series; as posts are completed, I will provide links here to the respective new post.

As a general rule, Japanese idol history can be broken up into 5 main eras:

The Beginning, when the concept of idol was new or completely nonexistent. groups like The Peanuts and solo singers like Sakurada Junko were heavily inspired by French singer Sylvie Vartan and became what we think of today as “Idols”

The Golden Age, from the latter half of the 1970s til the late 80s, when solo artists such as Matsuda Seiko, Matsumoto Iyo, and Okada Yukiko ruled the airwaves. Onyanko Club’s formation by Akimoto Yasushi in 1985 and subsequent breakup in 1987 started the decline of the golden age.

The Idol Ice Age, starting in 1989 and ending in 1998. Groups like Wink and soloists like Amuro Namie achieved success, but the overall success and wide spread of idols as we had seen in the 1980s was long one. Many groups and soloists started and ended their careers without ever making a hit.

The Group Idol Age, starting in 1999 and ending as recently as 2009. During this period, Morning Musume (and, by extension, Hello! Project) created a phenomenon in Japanese entertainment and established practices for idol groups that we still see today. Heavily themed groups like SweetS and HINOI TEAM started, and the modern ‘Akihabara-kei Idol’ was born, following the steps of Nakagawa Shouko and Leah Dizon.

Finally, the period we are currently experiencing is the Idol Warring States era (アイドル戦国時代), which started in 2010 with the advent of AKB48’s peak. This period has popularized the concept of idols that the fans can grow close to, meet, and know on a much more personal level than what was possible before. Groups like SUPER GiRLS, Tokyo Girls’ Style and Momoiro Clover Z hit their peak during this era, while local idol groups such as Negicco from Niigata, LinQ from Fukuoka and Himekyun Fruit Kan from Ehime brought the ability to become idols to young girls everywhere.

After I’ve gone through these 5 eras of idol history, I’d like to open discussion on the future of idols. Is the Warring States era ending? Will AKB48 and Nogizaka46 see their decline? Where will your favs be when the shit hits the fan?  I will discuss this and more.

In the meantime, please join the conversation with me on twitter and in the comments here on this site, and look forward to more posts from me! I have finally gotten my own computer and would love to make more use of this blog when I have the time.