, is a Japanese singer and actress. After being discovered by the talent-search show Star Tanjà Â!, she received a newcomer award at the 20th Japan Record Awards (1978). She has been selected to compete twice on the NHK Kà Âhaku Uta Gassen.
Born in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, she is the elder sister of actresses YÃ Âko Ishino and .
Ishino is affiliated with From First Production Co., Ltd.
Born to a family of five, two younger sisters. Her parents ran a company that manufactured handbags made with beads. She enrolled at the Catholic school in April 1973, situated in Amagasaki, Hyà Âgo. After school she helped out with the home business. When she was 3rd year in junior high, she started taking lessons once a week at 's music school (then Hirao Masaaki kayà  gakuin, Osaka campus).
She moved on to Yuri Gakuin High School in April 1976. The father set a strict 4:30 pm curfew and needed to phone if running late due to extracurricular club activities. After being recruited to become singer, she transferred to Horikoshi High School (showbiz course) starting from the 3rd trimester of the 3rd (graduating) year of high school.
She submitted her application to try out on the Star Tanjà Â! show in the 1st year of High School at the recommendation of a music school teacher, with the permission from the father who was certain she would not qualify anyway. Ishino made her TV appearance in Star Tanjà Â! (Osaka) in February 1977, singing Danièle Vidal's Tenshi no rakugaki (""), and becoming Osaka regional champion, with an overwhelming score of 530 points (1000 points are divided among 4 contestants). Then in the national grand tournament (Tokyo) that aired in April 1977, she became grand champion, which was followed by various agencies' offers to sign her. She decided to join Burning Production, which had already offered to sign her even she didn't become national champion.
Ishino debuted with the song ("Who's afraid of the big bad wolf", March 25, 1978, Victor Records, lyrics by Yà « Aku; composed by Takurà  Yoshida; cover jacket photo by Kishin Shinoyama. This and her second single ("My mob boss") were both choreographed by
Her signature facial feature since debut was notably her yaeba (double-teeth upper canines) and tare-me (drooping eyed-ness), and her double-teeth image endured on, even though she had corrective dental surgery to align her teeth by 1985.
On August 27, she held a concert at Seibuen, .
Her (October 5, 1978) her third single, which won her the newcomer award at the year's-end 20th Japan Record Awards (December 31, 1978).ãÂÂ
Other accolades leading up to this are the newcomer award at the Japan Music Awards () in November, gold medal at the Shinjuku Music Festival on October 12, and the newcomer award at the on October 25.
She also received her first film role in the film adaptation of the Akutagawa Prize-winning 's novel (released December). Playing opposite , she performed a kissing scene; but as she was not familiar with men and never kissed before, it was quite trying, and though the scene was ok'd at the first cut, she was welling with tears afterwards.
She was cast in the TV series (aired February 1979).
Her subsequent discography includes ("Sunday is a stranger", 4th single, January 25, 1979), (5th song, April 5), (6th song, July 5), ("Jurë aka Kenji Sawada is the rival", 7th song, September 25).
She won "Golden Dove" for best second year achievement at the 5th Annual Nippon Television Music Festival in August 1979, having co-won the rookie award the previous year.
She appeared in the Kà Âhaku Uta Gassen tournament on New Year's Eve, 1979, singing "Jurë is the rival" as the first contestant.
Her ("Spring la la la!l", 8th single, January 1, 1980), with 160,000 in sales was her all-time best hit, followed by ("My heart is my game", 9th single, April 5, 1980), which achieved her highest Oricon chart ranking at 15th place.
In March she graduated from Horikoshi High School, having been held back 1 year. She was cast in the TV series ("Compassion hill inn", aired starting March 21) where 3 generations of proprietresses were portrayed by Isuzu Yamada, Etsuko Ichihara and Ishino.
Ishino replaced female host Ikue Sakakibara opposite Yosuke Tagawa for the NHK music show in April 1980, staying on til March 1981.
She was cast in the slot for Oyomechan ("little bride girl", aired starting May 25, 1980), co-starring So Yamamura, , script by , directed by , and legendary as producer.
Her ("Vertigo", 10th single, July 5, 1980) appeared.
She was again recipient at the 6th Annual Nippon Television Music Festival in August 1980, this time garnering the Top Idol prize.
She released ("He's my first love", 11th single, September 21, 1980) followed by (12th single, September 21, 1980).
She was selected for the Kà Âhaku Uta Gassen for the second year in a row, singing HÃÂto de shà Âbu.
She released ("Samba with all I've got", 13th single, February 5, 1981), followed by ("Season of coloration", 14th single, April 21, 1981),
Mid March 1981, Ishino and Kyu Sakamoto became the new emcees for the "Star Tanjà Â!" talent-seeking show.
In June 1981, she announced her intent to marry singer Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi and retire as singer by the end of August.
She released (15th single, June 21, 1981), followed by (16th single, July 21, 1981) which will be her last as idol.
She performed her farewell tour down and across the country, starting from Kanazawa, Ishikawa on July 26, culminating in the final concert of August 30 at Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo, which was telecast live.
Ishino married Nagabuchi in Hawaii in January 1982, but the marriage did not last. She separated in March 1983 and officially divorced in May.
Ishino returned to the entertainment business in 1983, at first mainly as an actress, appearing in
Ishino played the middle of three sisters in the TV drama , where the eldest sister played by Asami Kobayashi was the lead role.
She released her first single after a 4-year hiatus with ("Encounter", 19th single released June 21, 1985).
She was cast in the part of the younger sister of the lead actress in ("Life", started January 5, 1986), the year-long NHK Taiga drama for that year. Ishino portrayed Sachi, who had a crippled leg from a Tokyo air raid. In later years, the rerun of Inochi became a huge hit in Cuba with an 80% rating, and Ishino became the most well-known Japanese personality in that country.
On July 21, 1987, she released ("Glass Ferris Wheel"), followed on October 21 by ("Glass Ferris Wheel").
Her second marriage in 1990 to lasted until 1996.
Ishino was cast in the role of Swan Shiratori in the original Japanese Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger (2004âÂÂ2005). The show was remade into the American version Power Rangers S.P.D. soon after, and back-imported into Japan, dubbed, in 2011, with Ishino as the voice of the narrator. Ishino returned in the role of Swan in the 2024 feature film .