Held twice a year, finding a venue was a challenge… What was “Kohaku” like when “Boogie Woogie” Shizuko Kasaoki was on the show?
Kohaku Uta Gassen: That Day, That Time - "Kohaku Doctor" Michito Goda, Author and President of the Singers' Association of Japan, talks about the Kohaku Uta Gassen.
Shizuko Kasagi’s last “Kohaku” performance was in the era of Hibari Misora.
However, the popular star Kasagi did not appear in the following fifth and sixth Kohaku.
This was later revealed in an interview when Kasagi talked about his “memories of Kohaku. One time I had to have dental work done. The other time was when I had to appear on commercial TV, and I had a big argument about it….
In 1955, Radio Tokyo (now TBS) aired “All-Star Singing Contest” as a back program of “Kohaku,” completely copying the content of “Kohaku,” and the TBS side included not only Kasagi but also Noriko Awatani, Hibari Misora, Chiyoko Shimakura, Columbia Rose, and a man named Hirokichi Takada, The following year, “All-Star~” was broadcast again, this time on TBS.
The following year, “All-Star” was held again, but this time Kasaki appeared on the NHK side, and sang “Hey Hey Boogie” in “Kohaku” on the 7th Grand New Year’s Eve, again playing the last song in the Kohaku group.
The following year, however, Kasagi retired from singing. The reason was that she had gained weight and could no longer sing and dance. She decided to give up her position as queen and pursue a career as an actress, with Shizuko as her name.
The singing world had changed from the Kasagi era to the Hibari Misora era, who came out as an impersonator of Kasagi, and the baton was passed to Hibari for the closing of “Kohaku” as well.
Speaking of Kasaki’s mimicry, the latest is that “Miracle Hikaru,” and on the 2nd day of the New Year, I will be the host of the “New Year 12 Hour Song Festival,” which I will deliver from 12:00 pm to 12:00 pm on BS TV TOKYO, starting with Miracle’s “Tokyo Boogie~. Many songs from that TV starting period will be played, followed by “Osaka Boogie Woogie” by Minoriko Nakamura and “Kaimono Boogie” by Miyuki Kawanaka. Please enjoy this as well.
Text by： Michito Goda
Michito Goda made his debut as a singer/songwriter with Watanabe Productions in 1979 while still in high school. Since then, in addition to composing and directing music programs, hosting TV shows, and supervising and commentating on CDs, he has also written for newspapers and magazines, composed poetry, and served as a radio DJ, demonstrating his versatility in a variety of fields. His books include "The Mystery of Doyo," "The Mystery of the Shrine," "The Mystery of Showa Songs" (Shodensha), and "The Truth of the Monster Program Kohaku Uta Gassen" (Gentosha), and his current book "The Mystery of the Doyo Who Sang Seasonal Poems" (Kasama Shoin) is a hit. The program of the Japan Singers Association, of which he is the president, "New Year 12 Hour Song Festival" will be broadcast on BS TV TOKYO on January 2, from 12:00 to 24:00 noon.
