Saburo Kitajima

Kitajima Saburo (Japanese: 北島 三郎, October 4, 1936 - ) is a Japanese enka singer, actor, and talent. He was born in Shiriuchi, Kamii-so District, Hokkaido.

He is also active as a composer, using the pen name Hara Joji (原譲二). He is well known by the nickname "Sabuchan" (サブちゃん). His real name is Ono Minoru (大野穣).

He debuted in 1962 but did not gain popularity at that time. However, he persevered, and the release of "Namidabune" (涙船) sold 200,000 copies, earning him the New Artist Award at the Record Awards and laying the foundation for his career as an enka singer. The release of "Hakodate no Onna" (函館の女) in 1965 sold 1.5 million copies, bringing him attention as an enka singer, and he further increased his popularity by starring in the movie "Kyodai Ningi" (兄弟仁義) and singing the theme song of the same name.

He is a veteran in the Japanese music scene, not only in enka but also taking on new challenges such as singing anime theme songs and local government image songs. He is also active in film, television, and stage performances, appearing in yakuza films and period dramas.

In August 1985, he held an in-flight concert on a specially arranged stage in an airplane. This was the world's first full-scale concert on an airplane.

He participated in the "NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen" from 1963 to 2013 (excluding 1986), totaling 50 appearances, which is the highest record in history. However, the record for consecutive appearances is 23, as his participation in 1986 was canceled due to revelations of his connections with organized crime. Since 1972, he has served as the finale performer 13 times, which is also a record (jointly with Misora Hibari and Itsuki Hiroshi).

(From the Korean Wikipedia, translated. Text under CC BY-SA license.)