Masaki Koh, the biggest star of Japanese gay porn, has passed away from a burst appendix.
The star was not only hugely popular in Japan but around Asia – he had a Chinese boyfriend and was a fixture of Bangkok’s G-Circuit parties as well as appearing in a Thai movie (a legit one – I think!)
For some reason, I was quite saddened by the news. Perhaps it was because unlike porn’s other muscle-pumped fantasy objects, Masaki had always seemed quite – well, real. He had boy-next-door looks, but he wasn’t stunning handsome. The kind of guy you might easily sit next to on the Tokyo subway. He posted pics of himself online pulling stupid faces and eating lunch in family restaurants with his boyfriend and buddies, and taking little holidays, and he seemed normal and well-adjusted and – happy. Like a nice guy who was just enjoyed his life.
He was also one of the very, very few Japanese “celebrities” who seemed to acknowledge and enjoy his gayness. He wasn’t coy about it (how could he be?), he was – weirdly perhaps for a porn star – quietly dignified. He liked to party, was often seen out at gay bars but also had a rather sweet and lowkey domestic side, as seen in the video below which he shot for Japanese Vice about being part of a gay couple in Japan.
And here is one more video to remember him by, which he recently shot for Japanese superstar Ayumi Hamasaki: “How Beautiful You Are”.
Previous blog post on Masaki Koh here.
ilbonito blog 2007 