Itsuki Hiroshi - From the Showa to the Heisei era, a national singer who spun lyricism 1970s - 2000s

Itsuki Hiroshi - From the Showa to the Heisei era, a national singer who spun lyricism 1970s - 2000s

Hiroshi Itsuki (real name: Kazuo Matsuyama, born in 1948 in Mihama-cho, Mikata-gun, Fukui Prefecture) has long been loved as a national singer for his unique singing style that straddles enka and uta-yoku. He made his debut in the early 1970s with "Yokohama Tasogare (Twilight in Yokohama)" at a time when people were beginning to feel lonely and nostalgic as the period of rapid economic growth ended and urbanization progressed. This song lyrically portrayed urban melancholy, and resonated with many people who had moved from the countryside to the city, opening up a new genre of urban enka. Since then, he has continued to release representative songs such as "Yozora," "Kiri," and "Hosoyuki," especially "Kiri," which won the Japan Record Award and is known as one of the most representative songs of the 1980s.

His style of singing, which emphasizes emotion and smoothness rather than power, and walks the line between enka and pop music, won him a wide following. While his contemporary Shinichi Mori created a world of emotional and earthy songs, and Saburo Kitajima symbolized the sorrows of the common people and the power of enka, Itsuki distinguished himself by pushing forward an urban and smart style of expression. As a result, his music was accepted not only by traditional enka fans but also by a wide range of people.

Even as enka's popularity gradually declined after the 1980s, Itsuki continued his TV appearances and concert activities, always up to the challenge. In the transition from the Showa to the Heisei era, his songs served as a bridge between the urban and the rural, the traditional and the modern, and reflected the atmosphere of the times. Many of his best-known songs are still sung today, and he himself continues to build a solid position as a national singer.