Saburō Kitajima

is a Japanese enka singer, lyricist, actor and composer. Background He was born Minoru Ōno (大野 穣), in Shiriuchi, Hokkaidō, to a fisherman. He was very poor due to the effects of World War II, and was forced to work while he studied. Music career When he was about to graduate from high school, he decided to become a singer. His debut single was called “Bungacha-Bushi,” which was released in 1962. He has many famous songs, including “Namida Bune” (1962), “Kyōdai Jingi” (1965), “Yosaku” (1978) and “Kita no Ryōba” (1986). His 1965 song “Kaerokana” was written by lyricist Rokusuke Ei and composer Hachidai Nakamura. He is very popular in Japan partly due to his looks of a physical laborer, and he mostly sings in the spirit of Japan’s working class and rural laborers. Kitajima regularly appeared on Kōhaku Uta Gassen, an annual end-of-year TV program where many major Japanese singers gather to perform, before announcing his retirement from the show in 2013. He participated a record 50 times, was the “anchor” (final solo performer) 13 times and led the grand finale 11 times. His participation included the infamous DJ Ozma performance at the 57th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen. He returned at the 69t