Hokuto Matsumura of the popular group SixTONES received the 50th Elan d'or Awards in 2026 and attended the awards ceremony held in Tokyo on February 4th. Surprised by a surprise appearance by director Makoto Shinkai, author of the original novel for his starring film 5 Centimeters per Second, who rushed to celebrate, Matsumura said with a smile, "While the other award winners knew who was coming, I had no idea at all, and I was thinking, 'Maybe I'll get a bouquet...'"
Matsumura said, "I am truly happy to have been able to stand in such an honorable position," and expressed his gratitude, saying, "I believe this award is thanks to the people who chose me for their work, those who dedicated their time and effort on set, and those who were moved by seeing my work and kept me in their hearts."
He added, "If the people who supported me feel a sense of accomplishment after the fact, thinking, 'I'm glad we worked hard together for Matsumura,' then that will make me happy too."
Director Shinkai expressed his expectations, saying, "By gaining the treasure that is Hokuto Matsumura, I believe the range of stories that Japanese films and dramas can tell has definitely increased. On top of that, he's an idol, right? Congratulations on the 6th anniversary of SixTONES. He's a miraculous presence who usually sprinkles sparkle on us, and at the same time broadens the scope of Japanese works. I hope to see many more miracles from Hokuto."
The Elan d'or Awards are an awards system that began in 1956. This year, the Newcomer Award was removed and the winners were Amane Okayama, Kaho, Jiro Sato, Akari Takaishi, Matsumura, and Kyoko Yoshine. The Producer's Award went to Chieko Murata of the film "National Treasure," and Ayaka Sugita and Izumi Maruyama of the TBS drama series "So, You Make It," while the Producer's Encouragement Award went to Shota Okada of the film "Bomb" and Rena Oda of the Nippon Television drama series "Hot Spot."
