Well, this one caught me by surprise. I was just watching the first "Uta Con"（うたコン）episode of the year which was the usual clip show as a review of the past year. I had wondered whether last year's Kohaku Utagassen would be doing a tribute to all of those singers and musicians that had been lost in 2023 but instead, "Uta Con" opted to do their own special segment to end the episode for people such as Shinji Tanimura（谷村新司）and Junko Ohashi（大橋純子）.
However, one whose departure from this mortal coil that I hadn't been aware about until tonight was enka singer Shoji Koganezawa（小金沢昇司）. I hadn't come across any notice on the news regarding his death online or on TV but I did find the above TV Asahi announcement just now that had been posted a week ago. The native of Kanagawa Prefecture died on January 11th 2024 at the age of 65 from respiratory failure.
Probably his most famous hit was his "Arigato...Kansha"（ありがとう…感謝）from 2003 but I already posted about that one back in 2017. So I've decided to go to his beginnings and write on his debut single "Omae Sagashite" (Looking For You) which was released in August 1988. Sung tenderly by Koganezawa, the lyrics by Ou Yoshida（吉田旺）are actually a mix of anger and relief and reassurance from a lover who had been searching for his significant other for two years. Finally tracking her down, he gives her a solid chew out for running away from him but at the same time, promises his continued love for her. Seiichi Sakurada（桜田誠一）was responsible for the boisterous music. I wonder if a lot of Koganezawa's friends and fellow singers are feeling the same way about their colleague leaving them so early.
My condolences go to Koganezawa's family, friends and fans.
Shoji Koganezawa was pretty cool looking and stylish when he was young! Well, may he rest in peace!
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