Takeo Ischi

Takeo Ishii (石井 健雄), Germanized as Ischi, is a Japanese yodeler active in Germany.

Biography
Ischi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. In high school, he was a loner, but it was during this time that he first heard yodeling on the radio. Following his father, Ischi went to university for mechanical engineering. In his spare time he became engrossed with the zither and the hammered dulcimer, and learned to play these instruments. Using Franzl Lang's records, he taught himself to yodel, and began performing on Japanese television. During a six-month period where he studied abroad in Germany, Ischi went to Switzerland, where he sang at a beer hall in Zurich. He soon started earning money from this. From there he sang in front of Franzl Lang (The Jodlerkönig), his idol, and Lang took him under his wing. He performed on television with Maria Hellwig, and after that became known in German language circles as the "Japanese yodeler"..

Ischi met his wife Henriette in 1981 and proposed to her three years later at an onsen (hot spring) in Japan, where he yodeled his proposal to her. They married in 1985 and had five children, four sons named Maximilian, Michael, Andreas and Lukas, and one daughter named Julia.

A collaboration with The Gregory Brothers, "Chicken Attack", was released on January 25, 2017, and has received over 20 million views on YouTube. In 2019, a cover featuring the Taiwanese metal band Chthonic was released.

Ischi collaborated with The Gregory Brothers again for a series that was released on January 17, 2020. The first song in their series is "Chicken Pig Attack", with more songs promised in the future. The next song in their series, "Rat Attack", was released on January 24, 2020, followed by "Cow Attack" on January 28, 2022.

In 2021, he had a guest appearance in Belgian reality TV series The Mole.

Discography
Der Küstenjodler
 * 1) Der Küstenjodler
 * 2) Wer hat nur Dir das Jodeln beigebracht
 * 3) Bockwurst, Bier und Blasmusik

New Bibi-Hendl
 * 1) New Bibi-Hendl (Rap)
 * 2) New Bibi-Hendl (Heimatsender-Mix)
 * 3) New Appenzeller
 * 4) New Bibi-Hendl (Extended Dance-Version)
 * 5) New Bibi-Hendl (Karaoke-Version)

Bockwurst, Bier und Blasmusik Wer hat nur Dir das Jodeln beigebracht
 * 1) Bockwurst, Bier und Blasmusik
 * 2) Ich fang den Tag mit einem Jodler an
 * 1) Wer hat nur Dir das Jodeln beigebracht
 * 2) Bockwurst, Bier und Blasmusik
 * 3) Ich fang den Tag mit einem Jodler an

Der Import-Hit aus Japan
 * 1) Bibi-Hendl
 * 2) Der Import-Hit aus Japan
 * 3) Zwei Spuren im Schnee
 * 4) Appenzeller
 * 5) In jeder Sprache klingt es gleich
 * 6) Wer hat nur Dir das Jodeln beigebracht
 * 7) Der Liebes-Jodler
 * 8) Bergvagabunden
 * 9) Der Küsten-Jodler
 * 10) Bockwurst, Bier und Blasmusik
 * 11) Ich fang den Tag mit einem Jodler an
 * 12) Jagertee im Pulverschnee - gemeinsam mit Maria & Margot Hellwig
 * 13) Bibi-Hendl (Extended Dance-Version) (bonus track)

Die hr4-Weihnachts-CD
 * Zwei Spuren im Schnee - Takeo Ischi

Edelweiss der Volksmusik - Volume 1
 * Wer hat nur Dir das Jodeln beigebracht - Takeo Ischi

Festival der Volksmusik Volume 1
 * Der Küstenjodler - Takeo Ischi

Schlager & Gute Laune Festival Die Hits von CD 2
 * Takeo Ischi * New Bibi-Hendl (Rap)

Lieder die von Herzen kommen Volume 1
 * Der Küsten-Jodler - Takeo Ischi

Maria Hellwig - Ich möcht so gerne Urgroßmutter sein
 * Takeo Ischi - Der Küstenjodler

Trivia
Takeo Ischi was shown at the 9th season of the Belgian show De Mol in 2021. The candidates of this show played a challenge in which they recorded a videoclip with him, entitled Der Maulwurf (EN: 'The Mole') to earn money. This song described the behaviour of the mole in this show.