Musicians - Princess Tenko

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	Musicians - Princess Tenko

Princess Tenko is the stage name of Mariko Itakura (born 1959), a pop singer turned magician specialising in grand illusions. Her name is taken from Tenko (Isao Hikita), a male Japanese magician who was managed by the same person as Mariko and to whom Mariko was apprenticed in 1976. The older Tenko passed his craft to her before he died, creating controversy over the fact that she is a woman.

In 1990, Princess Tenko was named Magician of the Year by the Academy of Magical Arts and Sciences. The same award had been previously given to David Copperfield, Doug Henning, Siegfried & Roy, and other famous magicians. She debutted in North America at the Radio City Music Hall in 1994, and subsequently achieved worldwide fame. She was famous to the extent that an American magical girl-inspired cartoon series based on her character was created and Mattel produced a line of fashion dolls named after her. In 1996 she became an honorable goodwill ambassador of the African Wild Animal Conservation Fund. A plan for the opening of multiple theme parks based on her shows was mentioned but appears not to have proceeded.

Besides being an illusionist, she is also known as a singer, stage director, movie director, video photographer and painter.

Cartoon

Princess Tenko and the Guardians of Magic, the cartoon series based on her, is centered around Princess Tenko leading a team of warriors (Bolt, Hawk and Steel) called the Guardians who tried to amass the magical Starfire Gems, each of which had a special power. Standing against them were twin villains Janna and Jason, who felt cheated out of their destiny when Tenko was named the new leader of the Guardians. The cartoon ran for a single season of 13 episodes.

Trivia

In the game Perfect Cherry Blossom, "Princess Tenko -Illusion-" is the name of a spell in the extra stage.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Princess Tenko ]

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