If I'm not mistaken, this was performed on a recent episode of either "Uta Con"（うたコン）or "Shin BS Nippon no Uta"（新・BS日本のうた...Songs of Japanese Spirit）. "Samurai Nippon" is an intrepid but upbeat march of the honour-bound and duty-bound warrior which was the theme song for the 1931 Nikkatsu movie of the same name, itself based on Jiromasa Gunji's（郡司次郎正）novel. It was written by Yaso Saijo（西條八十）and composed by Nobuhiro Matsudaira（松平信博）. The original singer was Tamaki Tokuyama（徳山璉）who was not only a singer of kayo kyoku in the early Showa era but also a baritone in opera and chanson. What is interesting about "Samurai Nippon" is that the last several notes before Tokuyama's first vocals which repeat themselves throughout the song sound almost happily comical.
On his Wikipedia profile, Tokuyama was born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1903. Graduating from what would become part of Tokyo University of the Arts, he became a faculty member of the music conservatory Musashino Academia Musicae but then signed a contract with Nippon Victor Company in 1930. With "Samurai Nippon" coming out the following year, it became a big hit for Tokuyama after which he also enjoyed more success in his records. Considering the times back then, the singer also became famous for his military music. Sadly, his life would be short since he would die at the age of 38 in 1942 from sepsis.
It took a bit of doing but I was eventually able to find out when and where Yukio Hashi's（橋幸夫）cover of "Samurai Nippon" was recorded. A track on his April 1972 album "Enka"（艶歌）, his version is completely swathed in a glorious cloak of enka right from Note One. Even those comical notes that I mentioned in Tokuyama's original come off sounding more dutiful and serious.
I think the Japan's national football team (samurai blue) could use this as their theme this very very successful year!
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