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The story
Masahiko Kondo (62) appeared on comedian Tsutomu Sekine’s YouTube channel, updated August 29, and was asked point-blank about rumors of a “feud” with Toshihiko Tahara (65). Kondo replied, “Come on, we used to live together,” pointing back to the days of the Tanokin Trio, when the three of them shared meals and lodging at a Johnny’s dormitory. On the thread, users posted images showing Kondo and Tahara meeting up privately — contrary to the rumored feud — and the discussion turned into a nostalgic trip down memory lane about how much the third member, Yoshio Nomura, shows up at these gatherings these days, plus nicknames and stories from their Tanokin era. Meanwhile, opinions split on a side debate comparing the dance skills of different generations.
Masahiko Kondo asked point-blank about “feud” rumors with Toshihiko Tahara, responds: “Well…”
Singer Masahiko Kondo (62) appeared on TV personality Tsutomu Sekine’s (73) YouTube channel, “Sekine Tsutomu Channel,” updated on the 29th.
There was a moment where he was directly asked about “feud rumors” with Toshihiko Tahara (65), with whom he once shot to massive stardom as part of the “Tanokin Trio.”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Match and Yocchan (Nomura's nickname) hang out all the time — here's a photo from Mayo Kawasaki's X post this past January.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G9qQ_FJbkAEbvcy.jpg
The other one's probably Shigeyuki Nakamura, I think
These days everyone gets along, alumni and current members alike
Wasn't it from the very first generation of Johnny's talent? There was even a lawsuit over it at one point.
Didn't Hiromi Go quit because he hated that? Not sure though.
The Four Leaves won their lawsuit, so it's gotta go back to the very beginning.
Yocchan makes a living as a pro guitarist these days
He got popular as one of Ayu's (Ayumi Hamasaki's) backup dancers
Well, the band he formed was named "Abayo!" (roughly "See ya!"), so…
That's fine, isn't it — it just proves how close they are
Match talked casually with Hiroki Matsukata too, didn't he — that's just how he is with people he's close to
Are 60- and 70-year-olds really using polite speech with each other while playing gateball in retirement? People only use formal speech because managing the relationship any other way is a hassle. Like with AKB — juniors use polite speech toward seniors in public, but talk casually behind the scenes.
Whoever drew this floor plan is really bad at it, huh
They entrusted Kondo with a remake of a classic, and it flopped spectacularly — even though the supporting cast credits suggest it should've had solid backup.
If today's high schoolers saw Toshi-chan or Kimutaku dance, they'd just laugh it off
If today's high schoolers saw King Kazu (Kazuyoshi Miura) play, they'd laugh at that too
Look at these old guys flexing for no reason
You clearly haven't seen today's idols or dance units — Match's dancing looks lame next to that
Kind of sad, honestly — no real presence, so they have to dance their hearts out just to stay popular
Old guys flexing for no reason again — old folks who are still following idols
Masahiko Kondo → Match, I don't get that one.
Not Ma-chan or Masa-chan, huh.
I'm Atsushi, and I got called "Acchi" as a kid — this was before Match became famous.
It's a nickname from before his debut, from when his hairstyle looked like a matchstick.
"Match"
Back in his junior days, Kondo was at the dormitory one day when Hideki Matsubara — who was also the dorm head — asked him to do a party trick. Kondo rubbed his head against the floor shouting "Match!" as an impression, and it was a huge hit. From then on, Matsubara started calling him "Matchbou" (matchstick).
Over time "bou" got dropped, and the nickname settled into just "Match."
The commonly told version — that Matsubara named him "Matchbou" because as a Johnny's Jr. Kondo was skinny with short, small-looking hair, so from a distance he looked like a matchstick — is actually a misunderstanding on Kondo's own part.
Toshihiko Tahara, Masahiko Kondo, Yoshio Nomura
Theme song: Tomoko Ishizaka / "Arigatou"
From Manami Chiba's X post, August 27, 2026
s://i.imgur.com/rLCdyNb.jpeg
Background and Key Points of This Story
The Tanokin Trio was a three-member act — Toshihiko Tahara, Masahiko Kondo, and Yoshio Nomura — launched by Johnny’s Office around 1980, and it’s well known that all three lived communally in a dormitory at the time. Kondo’s remark is thought to be a reference to that period. Opinion on the thread split over two things: how much Yoshio Nomura actually turns up at these reunion-style get-togethers, and the generational gap over whether their era’s dancing should be judged by today’s standards. The former is backed up by photo evidence of sightings, while the latter remains an unresolved clash of pure opinion. There were also several posts touching on the sexual abuse committed by Johnny Kitagawa — worth noting that this isn’t a rumor but an established fact, since the agency has since investigated it, officially acknowledged it, and compensated those who were affiliated with it at the time.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou Sokuho+) thread “[Entertainment] Masahiko Kondo Asked Point-Blank About “Feud” Rumors with Toshihiko Tahara, Responds: “Come on, we used to live together. That…”“
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