Ikuta Erina

"Morning Musume's reputation is heavy. But, I've decided I'll make it even heavier."

- Ikuta Erina, August 2013

Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈) is a Japanese pop singer under Hello! Project. She is a ninth generation member and sub-leader of Morning Musume and a member of units Harvest and HI-FIN.

Early Life
Ikuta Erina was born on July 7, 1997 in Fukuoka, Japan to a couple whose names are undisclosed. At a young age, Ikuta expressed her desire to become an idol.

Prior to auditioning for Morning Musume she was a model under "Elegant Promotion" for a short period of time.

2011
On January 2, at the first Hello! Project 2011 Winter ~Kangei Shinsen Matsuri~ A gana Live concert, Tsunku announced Ikuta as one of the new members of Morning Musume's ninth generation. She joined alongside Fukumura Mizuki, Sayashi Riho, and Suzuki Kanon. The ninth generation made their concert debut the same day, participating in the song "Tomo" and "Aozora ga Itsumademo Tsuzuku You na Mirai de Are!".

Ikuta's debut single in Morning Musume is titled "Maji Desu ka Ska!".

On June 12th, Ikuta's first e-Hello DVD was announced; "Greeting Ikuta Erina" which was later released on July 2nd.

On August 25, it was announced that Ikuta replaced Ogawa Saki from S/mileage on the children's morning program Oha Suta as a member of the show's idol unit Oha Girl Maple.

Ikuta starred in a new stage play titled Reborn ~Inochi no Audition~ along with Niigaki Risa, Tanaka Reina, the other 9th Generation members, and Kudo Haruka.

2012
On March 27, Ikuta, along with the other Oha Girl Maple members graduated from Oha Suta.

On April 18, it was announced that Tanaka Reina and Morning Musume's 9th & 10th Generation members will star in a new stage play, titled Stacey's Shoujo Saisatsu Kageki. The musical ran from June 6 through June 12.

On May 13, information was released about an event for the 9th and 10th generation members of Morning Musume as well as S/mileage’s 2nd generation members, titled Mosuma FC Event ~Gachi☆Kira~, was set to take place on June 15th, 18th, and 20th at Yokohama Blitz.

On July 4, Ikuta annonced on her Ustream show that she will change her official member color from Purple to Yellow-Green in the fall.

On October 10, it was announced that Ikuta would be a member of the new unit Harvest alongside Ishida Ayumi, Sato Masaki, and Takeuchi Akari.

2013
Ikuta was featured in a special gravure mook titled “Graduation ~Chuugaku Sotsugyou~”. The mook had various photos and interviews about going from middle school to high school, it was released on February 27.

On March 2, it was announced that Ikuta would be a member of new SATOUMI Movement unit Plumeria, alongside Nakajima Saki, Fukuda Kanon, Hagiwara Mai, and Ishida Ayumi.

On May 22, it was announced that Ikuta will host another Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai, entitled "Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai Dai Nikai Kaigou ~Ikuta no Tanjoubi dakedo, Yappari Kyou mo Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai~". It takes place on July 7, Ikuta's 16th birthday, with Iikubo Haruna and Oda Sakura as guests.

Ikuta had a birthday event titled Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai Dai Nikai Kaigou ~Ikuta no Tanjoubi dakedo, Yappari Kyou mo Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai~ with guest Iikubo Haruna and Oda Sakura.

2014
On July 7, Ikuta celebrated her 17th birthday. The special event is called Morning Musume '14 ~Ikuta Erina Birthday Event 2014~, the event featured one performance in Tokyo.

On November 12, Ikuta participated in the 2014 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Pacific Ocean Masters Pro-Am Charity Golf Tournament as a celeberty guest alongside AKB48/SKE48 member and rival Yamauchi Suzuran.

On November 23, Ikuta was appointed Sub-leader of Morning Musume by Michishige Sayumi. It was officially announced during Michishige's graduation concert on November 26. Ikuta will share the position with Iikubo Haruna, who was sub-leader since May 2013.

2015
On March 5, Ikuta announced that she will be a regular on the NHK Education channel show Karada Ugokasu TV. She will make her first appearance in the show on March 25.

Personal Life
Family= Ikuta has a younger brother, as well as a cousin named Takigawa Aya.

When she auditioned for Morning Musume, Ikuta was a 2nd year middle school student. She graduated from middle school on March 20, 2013. As of April 2014, she is currently attending her second year of high school.
 * -|Education=

The following list are notable friendships Ikuta Erina has acquired:
 * -|Friendships=
 * Fukumura Mizuki: Ikuta met Fukumura Mizuki when she joined the 9th generation and became close friends since.
 * Ishida Ayumi: She also gets along well with Ishida Ayumi.
 * Motomura Aoi: She was friends with HKT48 member Motomura Aoi from before they became idols.

Pairing names
 * PonPon (ぽんぽん): Her and Fukumura Mizuki's pairing name is "PonPon" and their catchphrase is "Mizupon desu, Eripon desu. Futari Awase PonPon desu!".
 * HoneyPon (ハニーぽん): Her and Iikubo Haruna's pairing name is "HoneyPon", however, it is used also used as Iikubo's pairing name with Fukumura Mizuki.
 * Suberi Combi (スベリコンビ): Her and Ishida Ayumi's pairing name is "Suberi Combi" which translates to "Bomber Squad". It comes from the word "Suberi-Gei" which is a kind of comedy with failing jokes. They both have bad jokes, so they were given this pairing name.

Ikuta's given name, "Erina", means clothing (衣; e), pear (梨; ri) and a kind of plant (奈; na). It's a feminine Japanese given name and surname.
 * -|Name Meaning=

Here is a list of nicknames that was used to refer to Ikuta Erina:
 * -|Nicknames=
 * Eripon (えりぽん): An official nickname for Ikuta Erina originated by Tsunku.
 * KY Ikuta (KY生田): She is known to be a KY (Kuuki Yomenai), an expression meaning one "can't read the air/atmosphere, clueless of the situation".

"Ganbatte-Ikuta!"
"Ganbatte-Ikuta!" is Ikuta Erina's catchphrase. Ganbatte-Ikuta means ganbatteiku (I'll do my best + Ikuta). When Ikuta said "Ganbatte", public reply "Ikuta!".

Profile
Stats=
 * Name: Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈)
 * Nicknames: Eripon (えりぽん), KY Ikuta (KY生田), Eri-chan (えりちゃん), Namata (なまた) , Eri (えり)
 * Birthdate: 
 * Birthplace: Fukuoka, Japan
 * Height: 159cm
 * Bloodtype: A
 * Hello! Project Status:
 * 2011-01-02: Member
 * 2011-01-02: Morning Musume Member
 * UP-FRONT AGENCY Status:
 * 2011-01-02: Member
 * 2012-10-01: Transferred to UP-FRONT PROMOTION (as part of Morning Musume)
 * UP-FRONT PROMOTION Status:
 * 2012-10-01: Member
 * Years in Morning Musume: 4 Years
 * Official Kaomoji: |||9|‘_ゝ‘)
 * Morning Musume Color:
 * Purple  (2011-2012)
 * Yellow-Green (2012-Present)
 * Former Oha Girl Maple Color:
 * Red (2011-2012)
 * Audition Song: "Little♡Princess☆Pri!" by Lilpri
 * Hello! Project Groups:
 * Morning Musume (2011-)
 * Hello! Project Mobekimasu (2011-2013)
 * Harvest (2012-)
 * HI-FIN (2013-)
 * Other Groups:
 * Oha Girl Maple (2011–2012)
 * Reborn Eleven (2011)
 * Ganbarou Nippon Ai wa Katsu Singers (2011)
 * -|Q&A=
 * Hobbies: Dancing, golf
 * Favorite Foods: Strawberries, ham
 * Favorite Drink: Strawberry juice
 * Least Favorite Food: Vegetables
 * Favorite Colors: White, black, red and yellow
 * Motto: "Determination is key!!"
 * Favorite Word: Daisuki (I love you)
 * Favorite English Phrase: "No thank you"
 * Favorite Manga: Love★Com (Lovely Complex)
 * Special Skills: Can "sleep anywhere", being fast at texting and typing on her cellphone, being good at doing handsprings.
 * Quality that she won’t lose to anyone: Being in high spirits
 * Things that she want to do in her life: Grow her hair long, go to the Vatican city, sing a solo song
 * Favorite Morning Musume Song: Ookii Hitomi, Kono Ai wo Kasanete, Shouganai Yume Oibito
 * Other Favorite Song: Entenka, "CLASSIC" by Shonan no Kaze, "Naseba Naru no Sa Nanairo Tamago" by T-Pistonz+KMC
 * Looks up to:  Niigaki Risa, Takahashi Ai, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina, Maeda Yuuka, Maeda Atsuko, Takahashi Minami, Kojima Haruna.

Discography

 * See Also: Ikuta Erina Discography Featured in

Solo DVDs

 * [2011.08.13] Greeting ~Ikuta Erina~  (“e-Hello!” DVD)
 * [2014.10.31] It's a lovely day (“e-Hello!” DVD)

Fanclub DVDs

 * [2012.06.27] Ikuta Erina ga 5 Gousha ni Niigaki Risa Fanclub Tour in Shizuoka (Fanclub DVD)
 * [2012.12.25] Ikuta Erina no "Niigaki-san wo Ouen Suru Kai Dai Ikkai Kaigou ~Niigaki-san no Tanjoubi wo Katte ni Iwau Kai~" (Fanclub DVD)

Publications

 * See Also: Ikuta Erina Publications Featured in

Digital Photobooks

 * [2011.10.28] Alo-Hello! Morning Musume 2011 (アロハロ！モーニング娘. 2011)
 * [2012.12.27] Alo-Hello! Morning Musume 2012 (アロハロ！モーニング娘. 2012)
 * [2013.02.28] Alo-Hello! Morning Musume Qki (アロハロ！モーニング娘. Q期)
 * [2013.04.09] Morning Musume Alo-Hello Qki (モーニング娘. アロハロ！モーニング娘. Q期)

Film

 * [2011] Sharehouse (シェアハウス)

Theater

 * [2011.10.08-17] Reborn ~Inochi no Audition~ (リボーン～命のオーディション～) (as Ono no Komachi)
 * [2012.06.06-12] Stacey's Shoujo Saisatsu Kageki (ステーシーズ 少女再殺歌劇) (as Tamayo)

TV Programs

 * [2011] Bijo Gaku (美女学)
 * [2011–2012] Hello Pro! TIME (ハロプロ！ＴＩＭＥ)
 * [2011–2012] Oha Suta  (as Oha Girl)
 * [2012-2013] Hello! SATOYAMA Life (ハロー! SATOYAMA ライフ)
 * [2014-] The Girls Live
 * [2015-] Karada Ugokasu TV (Regular)

TV Dramas

 * [2012] Suugaku♥Joshi Gakuen (数学♥女子学園)  (as Nakano Riko)

Internet

 * [2011] UstreaMusume
 * [2011] Michishige Sayumi no "Mobekimasutte Nani??" (道重さゆみの『モベキマスってなに？？』)
 * [2013-] Hello! Project Station (ハロ！ステ)

Radio

 * [2012–] Morning Musume no Morning Jogakuin ~Houkago Meeting~ (モーニング娘. のモーニング女学院～放課後ミーティング～)

Commercials

 * [2011] Nestle Milo (as Oha Girl)

Rankings

 * She was voted 8th favorite member in the 2012 "Hello! Project Music Awards" event.

Trivia

 * She wants to be the "Number 1 Idol".
 * She'd like to go to fujikyu with Ishida Ayumi.
 * Sayashi Riho, Makino Maria and Aikawa Maho think Erina is the coolest member of Hello! Project.
 * She is learning English.
 * She goes to karaoke to reduce stress.
 * She said that she’s not very good at cooking, but she likes it and can make delicious gratin.
 * When asked what aspect of her makeup she is most particular about, she replied "no eyeshadow!".
 * Before joining Morning Musume, she had a blog.
 * She is the second member of Morning Musume to be from Fukuoka (the other being Tanaka Reina).
 * She was #244 for the ninth generation audition.
 * She was the first Morning Musume member to change her color in 2012. The second was Iikubo Haruna.
 * She and her fellow member Ishida Ayumi are only current Morning Musume members both to be the members of the same units Harvest and HI-FIN of SATOYAMA and SATOUMI movements respectively.
 * On the day of her middle school graduation ceremony, Ikuta dyed her hair brown. She is the second ninth generation member to dye their hair, with the first one being Fukumura Mizuki.
 * She is one of only three current Morning Musume members to have dyed hair.
 * She became a fan of Morning Musume after hearing their single "Mr.Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~".
 * She began liking Hello! Project starting with Minimoni.
 * When she first joined the Hello! Project, Ikuta said that Maeda Yuuka was her favorite Hello! Project member.
 * She said that if she could become another Hello! Project member, she would be Niigaki Risa, because she admirers her very much.
 * She is a fan of AKB48 and was in 17 Ameblo fangroups for them.
 * She has said that she would like to try flamenco dancing.
 * She said she'd like to try dying her hair blonde.
 * She along with Ishida Ayumi are the only members in Morning Musume to be born in the same year the group was formed in 1997.
 * Tsunku commented on her: "In both good and bad ways she's the one to stand out. But in the end that's a good thing. In showbiz one has to stand out no matter what, after all. She's still not happy with various things about herself, but compared to how she was 4 years ago she's improved greatly. Her dancing really stands out".
 * Tsunku wrote on his blog about the dad mentioned in "Otome no Timing" being inspired by Ikuta's real dad. When Ikuta had just passed the Morning Musume audition, she was going to cut her hair a bit. So she said she wanted to call her parents first and tell them that she would cut it. She didn't call her mom, she called her dad and was all "dad? Erina's gonna cut her hair now, okay?". Tsunku saw that and was all "she must be close with her dad, he must be a nice guy", and thus he had the line in "Otome no Timing" - Erina gets to sing it too.
 * She is in the most sub-units out of the 9th generation being in two; Harvest and HI-FIN
 * Within ℃-ute she especially likes the way Hagiwara Mai dances.