Tsuda Kōji (津田 耕治, 1934-2023) was a Japanese singer-songwriter known for his involvement in modern enka. His first name is sometimes spelled Kōji (耕次).

Tsuda Kōji
津田 耕治
Personal details
Born (1934-09-17) September 17, 1934 (age 90)
Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, Empire of Japan
DiedApril 30, 2023(2023-04-30) (aged 88)[1]
Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
OccupationMusician
Websitewww2.plala.or.jp/yukyoden/

Biography

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Tsuda was born in 1934 in the city of Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture under his real name Sakaida Teruyoshi (坂井田 照義). He graduated from the Gifu Technical High School where he was the leader of an ōendan team.[2] In Osaka, he studied music under the naniwabushi master Hirosawa Kikuharu II [ja] (1914-1964) and thence became involved in enka.[3] Tsuda's style came to be influenced by Kawachi ondo.

In 1967, he performed the eponymous theme song to the yakuza film Kawachi Yūkyōden [ja] written by Hoshino Tetsurō [ja].[4] After 1970, Tsuda studied the music of Soeda Azenbō and made a number of his own recordings of Azenbō's songs.

Tsuda died of malignant lymphoma on April 30, 2023.[1]

Selected works

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  • Vicissitudes - A Chivalrous Heart of Tsuda Kōji (流転・A CHIVALROUS HEART OF TSUDA KOJI) (1970, LP, Crown Records GW-6023)
  • Azenbō's World (AZENBOの世界) (1979, LP, Crown Records GWA-33)
  • Lyrical Travelogue of the Enka Life (演歌人生うた紀行) (1997, CD, Crown Records CRCN-48501)
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References

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  1. ^ a b "歌手の津田耕治さん死去 Singer Tsuda Kōji Passes Away". jiji.com. Jiji Press. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  2. ^ "「甲子園原頭」あれから数十年III". 岐阜工業高校同窓会 Gifu Technical High School Alumni Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  3. ^ "津田耕治ベスト「河内遊侠伝」 (日本クラウン創立55周年記念企画) Kawachi Yūkyōden - The Best of Tsuda Kōji (Nippon Crown 55th Anniversary Project)". El Sur Records (in Japanese). Nippon Crown Co., Ltd. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  4. ^ "河内遊侠伝 Kawachi Yūkyōden". KineNote (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 February 2022.