The Rise and Fall of Japan's Fortune-Telling Queen

Hosoki Kasuko, Japan's once-celebrated fortune-teller, gained fame despite her predictions often being inaccurate.

### The Rise and Fall of Hosoki Kasuko: Japan's Fortune-Telling Phenomenon
* 📺 In Japan, fortune-telling broadcasts became immensely popular, with the show "**Rakin In Isuka Kasu**" achieving a remarkable **20% viewership rating**, leading to Hosoki Kasuko being named the **Queen of TV Ratings**.
* 💰 By 2006, her appearance fee peaked at **4 million yen per hour**, and she launched a successful fortune-telling website that garnered **over 1 million subscribers**, generating an annual income of **1.2 billion yen**.
* 🏯 Kasuko established a large Yukusei fortune-telling temple in Kyoto, which included an **impressive main gate costing 100 million yen** and a luxurious residence filled with **designer furnishings**.
* 🏠 The total construction cost for her shrine reached **7 billion yen**, contributing to an estimated total worth of **over 60 billion yen**, showcasing her **immense financial success** in the fortune-telling industry.
* 📉 Despite her initial fame, Kasuko's popularity waned after 2008, as many of her predictions were found to be **inaccurate**, including a notable misprediction regarding **Japan's national soccer team** and various celebrities.
* 📚 Her controversial past, including connections to the **yakuza** and a **high-profile scandal** involving a famous singer, further complicated her public image and led to her eventual **disappearance from the media**.
* ⚖ In 2006, she filed a lawsuit against a reporter for **exposing her past**, only to drop it later as the claims were proven **true**, and she passed away in 2021, leaving her daughter **Hosoki Kaori** to continue the fortune-telling legacy.
* 🌟 The acceptance of her predictions by the public mirrors contemporary trends in other cultures, where individuals often view **celebrity insights as truth**, highlighting the **enduring influence of figures like Hosoki Kasuko**.

Hello. In Japan, there was a time when broadcasts featuring fortune-telling by participants were quite popular. During that period, a show called Rakin In Isuka Kasu gained attention for its predictions. Each episode achieved a viewership rating of 20%, and she was dubbed the Queen of TV Ratings in the Japanese broadcasting industry. The networks were eager to plan programs featuring Hosoki Kasuko and tried hard to recruit her by offering high appearance fees.

In 2006, a show named Hosoki Kasuko's Emergency Great Predictions Series, named after her, began airing. During this time, her appearance fee reached an astounding 4 million yen per hour, marking the peak of her career. Hosoki Kasuko started to paddle into incoming waters by creating a fortune-telling website accessible via mobile. The subscription fee was 300 yen, and more than 1 million members signed up at that time. This fortune-telling site reportedly generated an annual income of 1.2 billion yen.

Aside from that, by creating gatherings for lectures or personal emotional studies, we can generate an additional income of 2.4 billion yen. Hosoki Kasuko became famous after founding a fortune-telling method called Yukusei and being featured on TV, where predicting the future of celebrities became immensely popular. First, let’s take a look at the Yukusei fortune-telling temple she established. This place is in Kyoto, Japan. Her temple is built in Kyoto and is quite large. From here, this will be how it looks. It’s said to be about 700 tsubo in size. And from this view, you can see how it is divided. This part and the other area are separated into two sections; this area is the main temple, and this area is the residence of Hosoki Kasuko. The residence is also quite substantial. Right now, this is the main gate of Hosoki Kasuko's residence. If you go this way, you can see construction work happening. The land is so extensive that a temple was built right next to it.

The appearance of the temple is like this. The door you saw earlier is the entrance to the residence, and this will be the entrance to the temple. There is a main gate for the temple, and the construction cost for just this main gate is said to be 100 million yen. This main gate alone costs 1 billion yen. The main gates of the temple and the residence are located side by side. In the case of the residence designed by Hosoki Kasuko, it was revealed by a famous Japanese YouTuber, Hikaru, that a large mansion was built on this 700 tsubo plot of land. Yes, this mansion is quite luxurious, with all the furniture and accessories covered in designer brands. Notably, the carpet laid on the floor reportedly cost a staggering 25 million yen, and it is said to have been made from a famous Persian rug. There was also a bowl made of pure gold, which was valued at 20 million yen. Inside the mansion, there is a garage, and the cost of constructing just that garage was 100 million yen. And now, this large mansion...

Next to it, a shrine for the six lines of fortune-telling has been built. The construction cost of this shrine was said to be 7 billion yen. If it was 7 billion yen, it must have cost over 60 billion yen in total. Did they cover the walls with gold? Next to it, there is a quiet residential area that is quite well-maintained. This is how it goes down. From this place, the inside of the shrine can be seen a little, and this building is what was constructed for 7 billion yen. It is also said that she owns a building in Tokyo. Therefore, while making her name known as the most famous fortune-teller in Japan, she amassed a tremendous fortune. However, due to certain circumstances, her popularity declined, and since 2008, she has been absent from the public eye. After she revealed this on a broadcast, she stated that it was to focus on her main work, but there was actually another reason. The reason she became the most famous fortune-teller in Japan was that most of her predictions and fortunes turned out to be accurate.

Was it very popular? In fact, it was the opposite. Her psychic predictions and divinations were horrifically inaccurate. What predictions did Kosuko Hosoki make? In 2004, during a broadcast, the coach of the soccer national team, Jihou, appeared, and Kosuko Hosoki told Coach Jihou that 2004 would not go well and that he would eventually be dismissed. Shortly after that, in the 2004 Asian Cup, the Japanese soccer national team won the championship. Ah, you can see it here. What on earth was built that incurred such high construction costs? There is indeed a luxury-looking car parked, but at that time, the Japanese national team’s victory in the Asian Cup became an important stepping stone for them to leap to a global level, which was completely contrary to Kosuko Hosoki's prediction.

It happened that Ji-ho served as a director until 2006. Now, there was another prophecy made by a Japanese comedy duo called London Boots. Their show, London Hearts, is quite famous. One of the members, Tamura Ryo, predicted that he would get divorced in 2007. However, he has not divorced and is living well as of now. Of course, there was a scandal involving Tamura Ryo, and it is likely that this was the reason for the prediction of his divorce, but he has maintained his marriage until now. The surroundings are just starting to be landscaped, so the interior is now visible. This is the house, and this is the office. Now, what other prophecy was made? There was a comedian named Osaru who said that if he changed his name to Monkey Key, within two years he would...

In Japan, there is a term called Wankan Broadcasting, which refers to broadcasting under one's own name. It is said that one would predict becoming an MC of Wankan Broadcasting. So what happened? Upon hearing this prediction, Osaru immediately declared on the show that he would change his name. After that, he began to work under the name Mon Kiki. However, after changing his name, his work significantly decreased, and eight years later, he changed back to his original stage name, Osaru, and resumed his activities. 

There is also a well-known comedy duo called Cream Stew. They were predicted to gain more popularity if they changed their team name to Green and Pink, but Cream Stew did not change their name after hearing this prediction. Instead, they continued to work under their original name and gradually became more popular. 

Additionally, there was a comedian named Masashi Tashiro, who was once called the King of Comedy for having more than ten regular shows. He had a connection with Kosoki Kasuko.

In a broadcast, a prophecy was made that Tashiro Masashi would do even better in the future. However, shortly after that broadcast, he was arrested for being caught under a woman's skirt. This incident is referred to as the Mini-Skirt Incident. After his arrest, Tashiro Masashi claimed that he did it for the sake of mini skirts. I heard this so clearly that it was almost deafening. Following this incident, Tashiro Masashi faced additional issues and eventually disappeared from the entertainment industry. Furthermore, Kosugi Kasuko predicted in 2005 that a major earthquake would occur in the Kanto region and that Shinzo Abe would not be able to become Prime Minister. However, all these predictions turned out to be incorrect, although there were a few that did come true, such as the prediction that Hiro would soon get married.

There was a prophecy made, and two months later, I got married. However, there were rumors circulating among broadcasting officials about the possibility of divorce, which led to various predictions and discussions. Most of the prophecies made by Hosoki Kasuko did not come true, so why was Japanese broadcasting so desperate to feature her? 

To understand this, we need to go back to 1977, when there was a very famous figure, Shimakura Chiyoko. At that time, she was the main singer in the Hongbae Gahap Jeon and was a superstar. However, she was facing a significant issue: she had a debt of 1.6 billion yen, nearly 150 million. In 1977, that was an enormous amount. She lacked funds for promotional expenses for her new song, composition costs, and legal fees for her divorce, leading her to borrow 300 million yen from loan sharks.

After borrowing money, the interest eventually ballooned to 1.6 billion yen. The enka singer Shimakura Chiyoko went to consult with her acquaintance, a man named Kuza, who was active in Shinjuku. At that time, Kuza introduced her to a woman named Hosoki Kasuko, who was 39 years old and was associated with the yakuza. Shimakura Chiyoko directly approached the loan shark, stating, I will repay the 300 million yen I borrowed, but I will not repay the remaining 1.3 billion yen in interest, as that is illegal. She then left after making this declaration.

The loan shark who had lent money to Shimakura Chiyoko recognized Hosoki Kasuko at a glance and, without saying a word, decided to clear Shimakura Chiyoko's debt. Plagued by threats, Shimakura Chiyoko became involved with Hosoki Kasuko, who had repaid her debt.

and promises to repay the debt. Thus, Chiyoko became the slave of Kasuko Hosoki. The superstar Kasuko Hosoki made Chiyoko perform live on the small stage of a cabaret, and that too every day. Chiyoko refused, saying she needed permission from her agency, but Kasuko Hosoki insisted that if she repaid the 300 million yen, she would have to perform in places like this as well, forcing her into live events. After that, Chiyoko traveled across the country, performing live in cabarets every day. Although she was a star who could easily earn 300 million yen in about a year of broadcasting activities, for some reason, despite singing every day in the cabaret for three years, her debt did not decrease. Eventually, Chiyoko Shimakura's status began to decline, and the agency, noticing this, went to Kasuko Hosoki to discuss her remaining debt with the agency.

I decided to settle the matter. Hosoki Kasuko told her that she had 200 million yen left. This means that the then-great star, Shimakura Chiyoko, had only repaid 100 million yen over three years. Shimakura Chiyoko's agency could not understand this, but knowing who Hosoki Kasuko was, she handed over the 200 million yen in cash right there, and Shimakura Chiyoko became a free person. This fact is described in detail in the autobiography that Shimakura Chiyoko published in 2005. It is quite strange that someone like Hosoki Kasuko, who did such things in the past, suddenly appeared on TV and started fortune-telling for celebrities, making a lot of money. In fact, this is also related to the Japanese political world. Hosoki Kasuko was born in Shibuya and started working in her family's business from the first year of middle school. However, that family business was an adult entertainment establishment.

Katsuko dropped out of high school and, at the age of 20, opened a club in Ginza. She started providing entertainment by giving fortune-telling readings to her guests while thoroughly respecting their privacy. Whether it was by chance or not, her accurate readings led to her club gaining a reputation, and soon, politicians from Japan began to visit. In 1983, Katsuko was involved in a scandal when she became engaged to Masahiro Yasuoka, who was known as the mentor of Japanese prime ministers during the Shōwa era. He was also a notable figure in the Heisei era. However, the engagement ended in turmoil because Yasuoka was 85 years old and suffering from dementia at the time. His relatives, suspicious of Katsuko's intentions, vehemently opposed their marriage, preventing it from taking place.

Kasco, who had been enjoying fortune-telling, began to publish books on the subject. This marked the start of her lecture series. At her lectures, she would instill anxiety and fear in attendees regarding their inheritance issues or the installation of graves, offering to assess grave sites and headstones, which earned her a lot of criticism. Consequently, in 1994, she faced a lawsuit for damages. In her mid-forties, Kasco created a new form of fortune-telling called vocal fortune-telling and published it in book form. Utilizing her network for various promotional activities, the book ultimately became a huge hit. However, there were suspicions that she had directly copied the work of Japan's famous fortune-teller, Jin Kirei, particularly his six major predictions. As the vocal fortune-telling book gained popularity, Japanese broadcasts began inviting Kasco to their programs. Eventually,

As she appeared on various regular broadcasts, Hosoki Kasuko became the top-grossing broadcaster. Hosoki Hisayo, her younger brother, has run for election five times, but he was defeated due to a history of being arrested for extortion and fraud, which was revealed during his campaigns. Additionally, Hosoki Kasuko's younger sister is unmarried. She adopted her daughter at the age of three and raised her, officially becoming mother and daughter. The daughter's name is Hosoki Kaori, and she also continues the legacy of fortune-telling. At that time, Hosoki Kasuko was earning 4 million yen per hour while broadcasting. However, she announced her intention to cease her activities because an increasing number of viewers claimed to have found answers in her strange prophecies and stories, which attracted peculiar attention.

Reporter Madoguchi Art thoroughly investigates her. She was born as the strange daughter of a collector in Shibuya, and her story, which is linked to the yakuza and the Japanese political scene, was published in a book in 2006. Hosoki Kasuko filed a lawsuit against the reporter who published the book, claiming 600 million yen in damages. However, the content of the investigation was revealed to be entirely true, and Hosoki Kasuko ended up dropping the lawsuit. Shortly after, she announced that she would focus on her main career and suddenly disappeared from television. Hosoki Kasuko had also predicted the time of her death, but that was completely wrong, as she passed away in 2021 at the age of eighty. Her daughter, Hosoki Kaori, continues the legacy of fortune-telling. This form of fortune-telling is known to be founded by the most famous fortune-teller in Japan, and many Japanese people seek her out for readings.

I heard that in Korea, when famous figures come out and talk about their fields, many viewers tend to accept that as the truth. Especially when discussing family circumstances or parenting methods, many people take that as the correct approach and try to implement it. However, what works for one family cannot be a universal solution for all. Recently, while observing this trend in Korean broadcasting, I was reminded of the figure of Hosoki Kasuko, who was prominent in Japan at the time. Although there is a significant difference between astrology and professional discussions, the way people accept every word as truth seems somewhat similar to the situation in Japan back then. That’s all for today. I’ll see you in the next video.

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The Rise of Hosoki Kasuko: Japan's Fortune-Telling Queen

Hosoki Kasuko gained fame in Japan for her popular fortune-telling broadcasts, achieving a 20% viewership rating and earning the title of Queen of TV Ratings.

Her peak career moment came in 2006 with a show named after her, where she charged 4 million yen per hour and launched a successful fortune-telling website that generated 1.

Kasuko's influence expanded with the establishment of a large fortune-telling temple in Kyoto and a luxurious mansion, both featuring extravagant designs and high construction costs.

The Controversial Fortune-Teller's Legacy

A shrine for fortune-telling, costing 7 billion yen, was built by Japan's most famous fortune-teller, who also owned a building in Tokyo.

Despite her initial success and accurate predictions, her popularity declined, and she has been absent from the public eye since 2008.

Notable inaccurate predictions, including the Japanese soccer team's victory in the 2004 Asian Cup, raised questions about her psychic abilities.

The Impact of Predictions in Japanese Entertainment

Wankan Broadcasting in Japan refers to broadcasting under one's own name, with Osaru changing his name to Mon Kiki after a prediction, but later reverting to Osaru due to decreased work.

The comedy duo Cream Stew ignored a name change prediction and gradually became more popular.

Comedian Masashi Tashiro's successful career was derailed by the Mini-Skirt Incident, while Kosugi Kasuko's predictions, including a major earthquake and Shinzo Abe's premiership, largely proved incorrect, yet she remained a sought-after figure in broadcasting.

Shimakura Chiyoko's borrowed money led to a ballooning debt of 1.

6 billion yen, prompting her to seek help from Kuza and Hosoki Kasuko, a yakuza associate.

Chiyoko's refusal to repay the full amount resulted in Kasuko clearing her debt, but it came at the cost of Chiyoko's freedom, forcing her into daily cabaret performances.

Despite her efforts, Chiyoko struggled to repay the debt, and after three years, her agency intervened, ultimately paying the remaining 200 million yen and freeing her from Kasuko's control.

Katsuko's Journey: From High School Dropout to Fortune-Telling Mogul

Katsuko dropped out of high school and opened a club in Ginza at 20, gaining a reputation for her accurate fortune-telling.

Her engagement to influential figure Masahiro Yasuoka ended in turmoil, leading her to publish books and start a lecture series on fortune-telling.

Despite facing criticism and a lawsuit, she created vocal fortune-telling, which became a huge hit and led to her becoming the top-grossing broadcaster in Japan.

Hosoki Kasuko, the strange daughter of a collector in Shibuya, had a tumultuous life linked to the yakuza and Japanese politics, leading to a lawsuit against a reporter for 600 million yen.

The investigation's true content forced her to drop the lawsuit, after which she vanished from television and predicted her own death, which was wrong.

Her daughter, Hosoki Kaori, now carries on the legacy of fortune-telling, a practice that has gained popularity in Japan and draws parallels to the influential figures in Korean broadcasting.