Taro Tojirin

Singer. Born in Akita Prefecture. After graduating from the School of Commerce at Waseda University, he joined the South Manchuria Railway, but retired after eight years, with his last position as head of the Tieling Library. Hoping to make a living in classical music, he moved to Tokyo and studied under Shimohachigawa Keisuke. In 1933 (Showa 8), he won a top prize in a music contest run by the Jiji Shimpo newspaper, and joined King Records. In 1934, Polydor released "Akagi no Komoriuta" (lyrics by Sato Sounosuke, music by Takeoka Nobuyuki), which became a huge hit and laid the foundation for the Matatabi pop song. He was famous for his elegant singing style, standing motionless in his tailcoat. Other hits included "Kokkyo no Machi," "Murasaki Kouta," and "Nozaki Kouta," and in 1965 (Showa 40) he became the first popular singer to receive the Purple Ribbon Medal.

[Akira Saito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

歌手。秋田県生まれ。早稲田(わせだ)大学商学部卒業後、南満州鉄道に入社したが、鉄嶺(てつれい)図書館長を最後に8年間で退職。クラシック音楽で身をたてようと上京、下八川圭祐(しもやがわけいすけ)に師事する。1933年（昭和8）時事新報の音楽コンクールで上位入賞し、キングレコードに入社。34年ポリドール発売の『赤城(あかぎ)の子守唄(うた)』（佐藤惣之助(そうのすけ)作詞、竹岡信幸作曲）が大ヒットし、股旅(またたび)歌謡曲の基礎をつくった。燕尾服(えんびふく)姿で直立不動、端正な歌いぶりで有名。ほかに『国境の町』『むらさき小唄』『野崎小唄』などのヒット曲があり、65年（昭和40）には流行歌手として初の紫綬褒章(しじゅほうしょう)を受章した。

［斎藤　明］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例