KOSEKI, Yuji

Born in Fukushima City in 1909, Yūji Koseki joined Nippon Columbia as a composer in September 1930. During the pre-war years he composed well-known songs such as Akatsuki ni inoru (Prayers to Dawn) and Roei no uta (Bivouac Song). During the immediate post-war era of social desolation he composed many famous songs that helped raised the morale of the general public and encouraged their aspiration to a better life in the future including Tongari-bōshi (Peaked Cap) and Nagasaki no kane (Bells of Nagasaki).
Together with Kazuo Kikuta, from 1947 onwards he concentrated especially on work in the field of broadcasting, composed the enormously popular theme songs for the NHK radio dramas Kane no naru oka (The Hill on Which the Bell Tolls), Sakuranbō Taishō (General Cherry) and Kimi no na wa (Your Name). He was presented with the NHK Broadcast Cultural Award in 1953 in recognition of his extensive contribution to broadcasting. In 1964 he composed the Olympic March performed to usher in the athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympic Games, marking the first time that the Olympic Games had been held in Asia.
He composed more than 5,000 songs and pieces that were performed at sporting events and in radio dramas and in the theatre along with popular songs, school songs and office songs. His achievement brought him award of the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1969 and met with further recognition through his nomination as Honorary Citizen of Fukushima City in April 1979.
He also made a significant contribution to stimulating interest in baseball through his musical activities, as a consequence of which he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023.