Yamagishi Riko

Yamagishi Riko (山岸理子) is a member of Tsubaki Factory, a Hello Pro Kenshuusei unit under Hello! Project. She joined Hello Pro Kenshuusei in June 2012 and was introduced at the June 2012 recital alongside Nomura Minami.

Early Life
Yamagishi Riko was born on November 24, 1998 in Chiba, Japan.

2012-2015: Hello Pro Kenshuusei
In June 2012, Yamagishi joined Hello Pro Kenshuusei after auditioning for the program. She was officially introduced as a member on June 17 at the June 2012 recital alongside Nomura Minami. Later that summer, she participated in the Morning Musume 11ki Member "Suppin Utahime" Audition alongside several other members of Hello Pro Kenshuusei, but failed.

Begining in 2013, Yamagishi began to take part of activites outside Hello Pro Kenshuusei starting with the Winter 2015 Hello! Project concert tour, where she was a back-dancer fo several performances. She then continued participating in every Hello! Project concert tours, as well as Soto Fest and the annual Hinatsuri Festival and Countdown Lives, as a trainee, until mid-2015.

After the conclusion of the winter Hello!Con, she participated in the stage play Nettai Danshi, which ran from February 7th to February 17, 2013, alongside Kaga Kaede. On March 6th, she particpated in a fanclub event for newcomers Ichioka Reina and Makino Maria.

Starting on April 2013, Yamagishi was starring on the Hello Pro Kenshuusei original webshows Hello Pro Kenshuusei no Tadaima Kenshuuchuu!. The show concluded in September. Soon after, on October 5 a new webshow titled ~Onedari Entame!~ Hapi★Pure began airing. Hapi★Pure concluded on September 27, 2014, one year after it began airing.

In fall 2013, Yamgishi participated in Morning Musume's fall 2013 tour alongside several other trainees as a back-dancer. She was later chosen to be part of the opening and challenge act for Morning Musume's fall 2014 Budokan concert, S/mileage's summer 2014 Budokan concert, Berryz Koubou's fall 2014 Budokan Concert, and ℃-ute's spring 2014 concert tour, ℃-ute no Hi concert at Nippon Budokan and spring 2015 concert tour alongside other seleted trainees.

In late 2013, Yamagishi auditioned for role for an Engeki Joshibu and passed. She starred in the Engeki Joshibu musical Bokutachi Karen na Shounen Gasshoudan, which ran from March 14 to March 23, 2014, which also features Yasuda Kei, Ogawa Makoto and several other trainee. At around the end of the year, she participated in the stage play Kurukuru to Shi to Shitto, starring Niigaki Risa and Kikkawa Yuu. The stage play ran from December 3rd to December 11, 2014.

In 2015, Yamagishi was featured in the music video for ℃-ute's 27th single "Tsugi no Kado wo Magare," released on April 1st, alondside Kaga Kaede, Ichioka Reina and Horie Kizuki as back-dancers.

2015-Present: Tsubaki Factory
On April 29, 2015, it was announced that Yamagishi would be debuting in a new unit named Tsubaki Factory alongside Kishimoto Yumeno, Niinuma Kisora, Asakura Kiki, Ogata Risa and Tanimoto Ami. Yamagishi's response regarding the new unit: "That I entered the Kenshuusei and then am going to debut in such short fashion makes me nervous, but when I was chosen, I was also surprised. To think that all of those that have supported me until now will be with me forever makes me happy. In Hello! Project there are a lot of groups with varied personalities, I want us to become a group that can reliably put out our personality for everyone to see."

Yamagishi had her first performance as a member of Tsubaki Factory on May 4, during the Hello Pro Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2015 ~Haru no Koukai Jitsuryoku Shindan Test~ event. On May 16, 2015, Tsubaki Factory's official blog was announced and Yamagishi made her first post.

Personal Life
Yamagishi has a nephew. She owns a miniature dachshund named Annie, whom she had since she was in her first year in elementary school.

Yamagishi was a second year middle school when she initially joined Hello Pro Kenshuusei in June 2012. When she joined Tsubaki Factory in April 2015, she was in her second year of high school. She is currently in her second year in high school.

She is good friends with Kobushi Factory member Nomura Minami, who she considired to be her rival in Hello Pro Kenshuusei back in December 2013 because they joined at the same time but Nomura has gotten more reliable, so she wants to become a presence that stands above the rest in something.

Profile

 * Name: Yamagishi Riko (山岸理子)
 * Official Nickname: Rikoriko (りこりこ)
 * Birthday:
 * Birthplace: Chiba, Japan
 * Blood type: B
 * Height: 155cm
 * Hello! Project Status:
 * 2012-06: Hello Pro Kenshuusei Member
 * 2015-04: Tsubaki Factory Member
 * Tsubaki Factory Member Color: Light Green
 * Hello! Project groups:
 * Hello Pro Kenshuusei (2012-Present)
 * Tsubaki Factory (2015-Present)
 * Hello! Project Station Dance Club (2015-)

Television

 * [2013-2014] ~Onedari Entame!~ Hapi★Pure

Theater

 * [2013] Nettai Danshi
 * [2014] Bokutachi Karen na Shounen Gasshoudan
 * [2014] Kurukuru to Shi to Shitto
 * [2015] Thank You Very Berry

Internet

 * [2013] Hello Pro Kenshuusei no Tadaima Kenshuuchuu!

Magazines

 * [2014.11.22] Cool-up Girls (with Yamaki Risa)

Name Meaning
Yamagishi's given name, "Riko", means truth (理; ri) combined with child (子; ko). It's a feminine Japanese given name and surname.

Nicknames
The following is a list of nicknames that have been used to refer to Yamagishi Riko:
 * Rikoriko (りこりこ): Official nickname. Given to her since joining Hello Pro Kenshuusei.

Trivia

 * Her specialties are badminton, dancing, and cartwheels.
 * Her hobbies are reading books and collecting pens.
 * Her motto is Everyone is different, everyone is good (みんなちがって､みんないい).
 * Her favorite foods are beansprouts, grated yam, edamame, natto, ume and fruit, while her least favorite foods are shiitake mushrooms, pickled carrots, sea urchin, and persimmon. Her favorite school lunch item is miso cheese salad.
 * Her favorite colors are yellow-green and pink.
 * Her favorite sports is badminton.
 * Her favorite animal are Dogs. Her favorite dog breeds are Miniature Dachshund, Shiba Inu, and Toy Poodle.
 * She admires Suzuki Airi and Fukumura Mizuki.
 * As of May 2015, her favorite songs are "Gamusha LIFE", "Bishoujo Shinri", "Love take it all", "THE FUTURE" and "Adam to Eve no Dilemma", all by ℃-ute. Back in November 2013, her favorite songs were "Bagel ni Ham & Cheese" by ℃-ute, "Hatsukoi Cider" by Buono!, and "Shin•Nippon no Susume!" by S/mileage.
 * Her favorite movies are Cinderella and Birigal.
 * Her favorite animes are Chibi Maruko-chan, Sazae-san, Crayon Shin-chan and Doraemon.
 * She wanted to join Hello Pro Kenshuusei because she liked Minimoni when she was little.
 * She thinks she won't lose to any other member in the droopiness of her eyes.
 * She wants to be someone who makes everyone energetic and to be able to dance cool and sing.
 * For her, the hardest thing about being a Hello Pro Kenshuusei is when she isn't chosen for things and when she feels like she hasn't improved at all.
 * When asked what group she'd like to join, she answered Morning Musume. When asked again later, she said that her dream was to join a Hello Pro Kenshuusei unit.
 * She wants to try singing "Crazy Kanzen na Otona" by ℃-ute.
 * She sang "Kono Machi" for the Hello Pro Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2013 ~Haru no Koukai Jitsuryoku Shindan Test~ event and her number for the event was 15.


 * She says that everything has gotten easier since she joined the program. She's progressed in singing and dancing and has gotten people below her. She thinks she's probably competent when it comes to rhythm but not so much with pitch. Still, she finds the lessons fun and is glad she joined the program.
 * As of November 2014, she and Kaga Kaede have the most theater work from the Kenshuusei.
 * Fukumura Mizuki and Uemura Akari said that they are curious about Riko.