<figure id="attachment_275386" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-275386" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a9d62cba"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/11/2010111500271.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-275386" class="wp-caption-text">Kiyoko Suizenji, Toru Funamura, Tetsuro Hoshino, Saburo Kitajima, and Harumi Miyako cut the ribbon after the completion of the Tetsuro Hoshino Memorial Hall (from left).</figcaption></figure>
 Toshio Ishikawa, Entertainment Reporter, &#8220;Behind the Scenes&#8221; of the entertainment industry: &#8230;&#8230;
 It was a time when I felt that television is amazing.
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 The program &#8220;Life, There is a Song&#8221; (BS Asahi) was broadcast on November 12 to commemorate the 13th anniversary of lyricist Tetsuro Hoshino&#8217;s death (he died on November 15). I thought it was great to see a program that played great songs in the midst of the disappearance of song and enka programs from ratings-conscious TV.
 Recently, Showa songs have become well-loved even by some Heisei-born people. I was attracted by the fact that the program was not created only with sponsors in mind.
 The show was hosted by Hiroshi Itsuki and Natsuko Godai as MCs. There were too many enka and uta stars to name, including Kiyoko Suizenji, Sachiko Kobayashi, and Sayuri Ishikawa, all of whom appeared on the program like glittering stars.
 I am here because of my hometown,&#8221; he said.
 Mr. Hoshino has cherished his hometown, Suo Oshima-cho, Yamaguchi, saying, &#8220;I am where I am because of my hometown. He has been named an honorary citizen of Suo Oshima Town and was the first honorary citizen of Koganei City, Tokyo, where he later moved.
 So Yukio Iwata, chairman of Yamaguchi Broadcasting Corporation, has broadcast special programs on local treasures on numerous occasions. Mr. Hoshino graduated successfully from what is now Maritime University, although he had to take a leave of absence due to tuberculosis. He once worked for Maruha Nichiro and became a crew member of a pelagic fishery.
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 A few years later, he had to leave the ship due to kidney stones. He underwent kidney removal surgery and began a life of struggle in his hometown. This struggle against illness gave birth to the great lyricist, Mr. Hoshino.
 His encounter with composer Toru Funamura was also significant. Mr. Funamura invited him to come to Tokyo. With Mr. Funamura&#8217;s advice, he joined Nippon Columbia. Later, he moved to Crown Records when it was founded. He has written more than 4,000 songs.
 Mr. Hoshino sings &#8220;far-off songs&#8221; in which he sings his lyrics from afar. He also sings &#8220;En-uta,&#8221; songs about encounters with people, and &#8220;En-uta,&#8221; songs to encourage people. He also said that the first two lines of his lyrics determine the song he writes.
 The character of Mr. Hoshino, who was loved by his friends and continued to be loved by his juniors, can be felt in all of his poems, and many of them are memorable. He was calm and
 &#8216;I have never heard his loud voice. He was polite to his juniors,&#8221; said an industry insider.
 said an industry insider. Incidentally, it was Ms. Hoshino who named Ms. Suizenji &#8220;Cheetah. The nickname came from the fact that she was &#8220;little Tamiko (her real name),&#8221; and it became a nickname loved not only by those in the music industry but also by her fans.
 While conversing with fellow lyricists, he would quietly jot down phrases that popped into his head on the back of a coaster and take them home, and then have his wife transcribe them. It is a well-known story that this was the groundwork for writing new poems.
 The program fully satisfied the listeners, with Aki Yashiro singing &#8220;Midaregami&#8221; by the late Hibari Misora.
 The second half of the program featured lyricist Rei Nakanishi.&#8217; Mr. Nakanishi, who passed away in December 2008 at the age of 82, left behind a number of masterpieces. Sachiko Kobayashi and Yoshimi Tendo sang Mieko Hirota&#8217;s &#8220;Ningyo no ie (A Doll&#8217;s House),&#8221; and Yukino Ichikawa sang Chiyoko Shimakura&#8217;s &#8220;Ai no sazanami (The Ripple of Love).
 The program was a perfect fit for the concept of &#8220;famous songs sung by gorgeous singers. I wish such a good program was broadcast not only on BS but also on terrestrial digital broadcasting&#8230;.

 Born in Tokyo in 1946. He has a unique career path from the Shochiku Advertising Department to a women's magazine reporter to an entertainment reporter. He has appeared on "The Wide" and "Information Live Miyaneya" (both on Nippon Television Network Corporation), and currently appears regularly on "Mentai Wide" (Fukuoka Broadcasting System), "Su Matan" (Yomiuri TV), and Rainbow Town FM.

 Toshio Ishikawa (Entertainment Reporter)

 Kyodo News

 The feature on lyricist Tetsuro Hoshino aired on BS Asahi's "There's a Song in My Life". What did the veteran entertainment reporter feel when he saw a variety of singers singing his many masterpieces...

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