Tsunehiko Kamijo with Rokumonsen -- Tabidachi no Uta ~ Ushinawareta Toki wo Motomete（出発の歌 -失なわれた時を求めて-）

 

Over three years ago, I wrote about an old kayo chestnut titled "Dareka ga Kaze no Naka de"（誰かが風の中で）from January 1972 by singer/actor Tsunehiko Kamijo（上條恒彦）. It reminded me of those heroic theme songs for American Western shows such as "Gunsmoke" or "Bonanza", except that it was used as the theme song for a samurai drama. We are talking about Japan after all.

Well, a few months earlier in November 1971, there was a previous single, "Tabidachi no Uta ~ Ushinawareta Toki wo Motomete" (The Song for Setting Off on a Journey ~ In Search of Lost Time) that was a collaboration between Kamijo and the folk group Rokumonsen（六文銭）. Two of the members from that group, Kohei Oikawa（及川恒平）and Hitoshi Komuro（小室等）, were responsible for words and music respectively (Komuro also composed "Dareka ga Kaze no Naka de"). And this was another rousing song that has actually lingered in my mind as well.

As is the case with the later "Dareka ga Kaze no Naka de", there is a heroic quality to this particular song as once again Kamijo sounds much older than his 31 years when "Tabidachi no Uta" was released and comes across as a wiser and older man proudly exhorting listeners to take that bold step into the future. The heroism isn't with a lone wolf here, it's more with everyone. However, the singer's words and music don't dissipate into the crowd but still packs as much punch into all who listen to it as "Dareka ga Kaze no Naka de" does into that samurai.

I have to thank the uploader for providing the video of Kamijo's appearance at the 1972 edition of NHK's Kohaku Utagassen, and indeed he did get that honour after ultimately selling approximately 700,000 records with "Tabidachi no Uta" peaking at No. 5 on Oricon. As for any questions on the first two kanji of the title: yes, that actually does read as shuppatsu（出発...departure） but in the name of the message for the song, I think tabidachi（旅立ち...setting off on a journey） has more of that dramatic and optimistic flair.

Tsunehiko Kamijo -- Dareka ga Kaze no Naka de（誰かが風の中で）

Heroes or superheroes, whether they be on TV or in movies, need to have their theme songs. The original campy 1960s TV version of "Batman" had that Batusi-inducing go-go boots theme while "Peter Gunn" owned that classic down-&-dirty jazz theme by Henry Mancini in which a young John Williams provided the piano notes that anchored the whole thing. And speaking of the now-legendary Williams, I gather that you must have heard his own compositions for "Superman" and "Star Wars".

As a kid growing up in the 1960s and 1970s (yes, that terrifying and mystifying age decades before the Internet and social media), our family used to watch a lot of Westerns since they provided a huge chunk of prime-time entertainment on the tube back then. And shows like "The Rifleman" and "Gunsmoke" had some great heroic themes, but for me, it was always "Bonanza". I did love that theme song. Even within "Bonanza", the show had variations on the iconic theme. For me, it will always be the version with the full horns in there instead of the twangy guitar.

Back on Tuesday night, on the first "Uta Kon"（うたコン）since the Winter Olympics ended, there was a singer/actor by the name of Tsunehiko Kamijo（上條恒彦）who sang a song that signaled off some hints of remembrance. His "Dareka ga Kaze no Naka de" (Someone in the Wind) had that same feel of those heroic theme songs from American Westerns long past.

But of course, it wasn't about the Western in Japan (although "Rawhide" and maybe "Bonanza" were televised there). It was about the samurai drama, especially on that lone vagabond traveling on the ancient byways of the country, doing good and vanquishing evil for the locals every episode before making his stoic and lonely way again. That description certainly applies to "Kogarashi Monjirō"（木枯し紋次郎）, a Fuji-TV show that had its run between 1972 and 1973.

When I think of theme songs for samurai shows, they usually came in the form of the Mexican trumpet leading some urgent Latin music. With "Kogarashi Monjirō", though, it was "Dareka ga Kaze no Naka de" which sounded much more like something that originated north of the US/Mexico border on the lines of the famous theme song for "The Magnificent Seven". But Kamijo's rendition is a bit mellower; no less heroic but it also has a feeling of a lullaby for a lone wolf. Perhaps the Marlboro Man needs to turn in for the night.

"Dareka ga Kaze no Naka de" was released as a single in January 1972. Written by Natto Wada（和田夏十）and composed by Hitoshi Komuro（小室等）, it broke into Oricon's Top 10 by peaking at No. 8, selling 230,000 records in 1972 alone. I never saw "Kogarashi Monjirō" so I wondered how I could remember this song.

Apparently, the song was used in a Toyota commercial in the late 90s which probably explains how I did.