Hiroshi Itsuki

Hiroshi Itsuki is a Japanese singer and composer known for his contributions to the Enka genre. Born on March 14, 1948, Itsuki started his music career in 1965 under the stage name Masaru Matsuyama but had difficulty finding commercial success. After changing his stage name to Eiichi Ichijō in 1967 and then Ken Mitani in 1969, he still struggled to make an impact in the music industry. However, in 1971, Itsuki adopted the stage name Hiroshi Itsuki and found his breakthrough with the song "Yokohama Tasogare," which became a hit, topping the Oricon weekly singles chart. Itsuki continued to release several Top 10 tracks, including "Nagasaki kara fune ni notte" (1971), "Anata no Tomoshibi" (1972), "Yozora" (1973), "Hamahirugao" (1974), "Omae to futari" (1979), and "Shiawase sagashite" (1980). In 1987, he had sold 20 million singles and 4 million LP albums, cementing his status as a beloved and successful artist. Over the course of his career, Itsuki has released over 70 albums, with Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni (1974), Yoru no Hit Studio (1976), Tsugarukaikyo Ferryboat (1977), Haru Yo Koi (1980), Yurikago no Uta (1982), Toki no Nagare ni Mi wo Makase (1983), Yokohama Tasogare (1984), Ai no Sanpomichi (1985), Kimi yo Funawo Noke (1986), and Hoshi no Konya (1987), widely considered as containing some of the greatest Japanese pop songs of all time. Throughout his career, Itsuki has been recognised for his contributions to music, winning a Japan Record Award for his single "Yozora no Hoshi" in 1980 and the Japan Lyricist Association Award for his song "Yurikago no Uta" in 1982. He has also received several honors, such as the Medal with Purple Ribbon and the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette. In 2023, Itsuki released a new version of his classic song "Dakedo YOKOHAMA," which peaked at number 4 on the Top 10 - Single Enka/ Kayokyoku charts.