Rui Sakuragi

Rui Sakuragi (桜樹ルイ, Sakuragi Rui), is a former Japanese AV Idol, gravure idol and erotic dancer who has been described as a "real AV Queen", the "top Japanese AV idol of the mid-1990's" and the "biggest star" in AV in 1992. She has also appeared widely in mainstream films and videos and on TV.

Life and career

Rui Sakuragi was born on March 8, 1970. After having previously been a "gravure" (non-sex) model, she made her adult video (AV) debut for the VIP label in April 1989 under the name Masako Ichinose but took the name Rui Sakuragi the following year. She sometimes worked for other studios but VIP (and its successor Atlas21) was her main label for the next two years. Her work for them included a 7-man orgy in Golden Pavilion Temple 2 and cosplay in The Uniform Connection Special. Sakuragi announced that her April 1992 release for VIP, The Last of Rui Sakuragi would be her final work and left with a tearful farewell.

According to a 1992 article, whereas an attractive leading lady in AV could command 1.5 to 2 million yen (about $10,000 to $15,000) for a video, "Sakuragi, the biggest star at present" made 3 million yen (more than $20,000) per project.