Yakkun Sakurazuka

Saitō was also known as Sukeban Kyoko—a persona characterized as a delinquent schoolgirl always seen carrying a shinai bamboo sword. He appeared in the TV comedy show Enta no Kami-sama, a comedy show.

Saitō died after being involved in a traffic accident on October 5, 2013, aged 37, on the Chugoku Expressway in Mine, Yamaguchi, while en route to a concert in Kumamoto Prefecture. He was hit by another car and killed when exiting his car after a slight collision.

In 2010, Saitō launched a band in which the members all cross-dressed.

Following the disbandment of Abare Nunchaku, Saitō went on to make his singing debut in 2006 on the television show Quiz $ Millionaire. He advanced to the top prize question, but answered wrong, missing out on ¥10,000,000 but still winning ¥1,000,000. He subsequently released six singles, including "Geki Maji Mukatsuku", "1000% So Zakune", and "ChristMaster". He later would perform under the aliases of Hiromi Ueda and, most famously, Yakkun Sakurazuka.

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Saitō first started in the entertainment business for a few years during his high school years as a member of the Johnny's company, although it reportedly went nowhere, and he departed from the label in order to attend a university. In 1999, at the age of 23, Saitō formed a comedy duo called Abare Nunchaku with fellow up-and-coming comedian Kosuke Takeuchi. This marked his official debut in the Japanese mainstream as Abare Nunchaku had some success until disintegrating in 2005.

Yasuo Saitō (斎藤 恭央 , Saitō Yasuo, September 24, 1976 – October 5, 2013) , also known by the stage name Yakkun Sakurazuka (桜塚 やっくん , Sakurazuka Yakkun) , was a Japanese comedian, singer, and voice actor.