Oshi-Katsu Chronicle: 1980 — Momoe Yamaguchi Retires, Seiko Matsuda Debuts, Record Output Peaks
In 1980, Momoe Yamaguchi, the defining singer of the 1970s, retired. Seiko Matsuda and Toshihiko Tahara, meanwhile, made their singing debuts that year.
Anime fans had pleasures of their own: writing in to magazines, making doujinshi (fan-made books) and building Gundam plastic models.
- Engagement announcedMomoe Yamaguchi and Tomokazu Miura
- Seiko Matsuda debutsHadashi no Kisetsu, an eKUBO commercial song
- Toshihiko Tahara debutsAishu Date
- Gunpla beginsThe 1/144 Gundam plastic model
- Sayonara ConcertAt the Nippon Budokan
- Japan Record AwardsTahara wins Best Newcomer
A retirement and several debuts in the same twelve months.
Momoe Yamaguchi’s Farewell Concert, a Last Stage Preserved on Film
On October 5, Momoe Yamaguchi held her “Sayonara Concert” at the Nippon Budokan. She had announced her engagement to the actor Tomokazu Miura in March, and the show closed her career as a singer. (nippon.com, in Japanese)
The image of her setting the microphone down on the stage and walking away after her last song continued to be presented as the symbol of her retirement.
Seiko Matsuda and Toshihiko Tahara Debut: Rookies You Meet Through Commercials and Dramas
Seiko Matsuda’s debut song “Hadashi no Kisetsu” (Barefoot Season) was the commercial song for Shiseido’s cosmetics line eKUBO. After its April release, new singles followed: “Aoi Sangosho” (Blue Coral Reef) in July and “Kaze wa Aki-iro” (The Wind Is Autumn-Colored) in October. The third, “Kaze wa Aki-iro,” gave her her first No. 1 on the Oricon chart. (Seiko Matsuda official site, in Japanese)
Toshihiko Tahara became known for playing a student in the drama 3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi-sensei (Teacher Kinpachi of Class 3-B), which had begun the year before. Together with Masahiko Kondo and Yoshio Nomura he was called the “Tanokin Trio” and drew a following, and in June he made his singing debut with “Aishu Date” (Melancholy Date). (Bunshun Online, in Japanese)
- 01Meet themA commercial or a drama
- 02Follow themSong shows and records
- 03Support themPostcards and requests
- 04Celebrate themNewcomer awards at year-end
Matsuda came through a cosmetics commercial; Tahara through a school drama.
At the year-end Japan Record Awards, Toshihiko Tahara won the Best Newcomer award for “Hatto Shite! Good.” The other newcomer awards went to Yoshimi Iwasaki, Naoko Kawai, Seiko Matsuda and Kazuko Matsumura, while Momoe Yamaguchi received a special popular award at the same ceremony. Young viewers who had discovered Matsuda through her television commercials and Tahara through his school drama roles bought their debut singles at neighborhood record shops and tuned in each week to see how high their songs would climb. (Japan Composers Association, in Japanese)
Casting a Vote for Your Oshi’s Song: The Best Ten and Postcards
TBS’s The Best Ten is a live music program that announces a weekly song ranking. It began in 1978, and 1980 was its third year on the air. (Records on the show, in Japanese)
- 1Record sales
- Which songs are being bought in stores.
- 2 and 3Cable broadcasting and radio
- Song requests sent to each.
- 4Viewer postcards
- Requests sent to the program were also reflected.
According to a director of the time, postcards arrived at more than 200,000 a week at peak. Votes sent in bulk with the same handwriting or postmark were also checked and removed by hand by the production staff. (NEWS Postseven, in Japanese)
Compared with today’s in-app voting, it took physical effort to take part: you bought a postcard, wrote the singer’s name and song title by hand, stuck on a stamp and dropped it into a mailbox, hoping your vote would push your favorite idol higher on Thursday night’s live broadcast.
- 200,000+
- Postcards a week to The Best Ten at peak
- about 194.94 million
- Analog discs produced in 1980
- about 140,000
- Walkmans sold within seven months of launch
Sources: NEWS Postseven (postcards, in Japanese); Recording Industry Association of Japan (discs, in Japanese); nippon.com (Walkman, in Japanese)
Record Output Hits an All-Time High, and Cassettes Take Music Outdoors
According to the Recording Industry Association of Japan, analog disc production in 1980 was worth about ¥181.2 billion (roughly $1.2 billion), the all-time record for analog discs. Output was about 194.94 million discs across singles and LPs. These are production statistics for records shipped by manufacturers, not the total retail amount fans spent in stores. (Recording Industry Association of Japan, in Japanese)
At home you lowered a stylus onto vinyl records in the living room, while more people dubbed favorite songs onto cassette tapes to carry outdoors. Sony’s first portable cassette player, the Walkman TPS-L2, released in July the year before, was reported to have reached about 140,000 units in total within seven months of its release, turning train commutes and walks to school into private listening time with headphones. (nippon.com, in Japanese)
For Anime Fans, the Pleasures of Reading, Making and Gathering
The 1980 Comic Market drew 380 circles and about 6,000 participants at the 14th event in May and 340 circles and about 7,000 at the 15th in September. The venue was Kawasaki Citizens’ Plaza in Kanagawa Prefecture. Critic and co-founder Yoshihiro Yonezawa took over as representative around this time; the organizers’ chronology dates it from the 13th Comic Market in December 1979, while Meiji University exhibition materials say 1980. (Meiji University Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library of Manga and Subcultures, in Japanese)
The monthly anime magazine Animage (founded by Tokuma Shoten in 1978) introduced not just a work’s story and artwork but its directors, animators and voice actors, and printed reader illustrations and fan club notices that connected anime fans across Japan. (Agency for Cultural Affairs: explainer on anime magazines, in Japanese)
In July, Bandai released the “1/144 Gundam” plastic model kit for ¥300. It began the Gunpla series, in which fans assemble and paint a mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam themselves and recreate scenes from the anime on their desks, sparking long lines at toy shops nationwide. (Bandai Hobby Site, in Japanese)
Key Events of the Year
- Mar."Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur" is released, the first Doraemon film of the spring seriesAnime
- Mar.Momoe Yamaguchi announces her engagement to Tomokazu MiuraIdols
- Apr.Seiko Matsuda debuts with "Hadashi no Kisetsu"Idols
- MayThe 14th Comic Market (Kawasaki Citizens Plaza, about 6,000 people)Fan works
- JuneToshihiko Tahara debuts with "Aishu Date"Idols
- Sept.The 15th Comic Market (about 7,000 participants)Fan works
- Oct. 1Seiko Matsuda's "Kaze wa Akiiro" reaches No. 1 on the Oricon chart for the first timeIdols
- Oct. 5Momoe Yamaguchi retires at her "Farewell Concert" at the Nippon BudokanIdols
- Dec.Pia introduces an office computer, moving to computerized editing of its pagesMedia
- Dec. 31The 22nd Japan Record Awards. The Grand Prize goes to Aki Yashiro's "Ame no Bojo"Music
- Dec. 31The 31st NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen reaches a viewer rating of 71.1%Media
- Full yearAnalog disc production value reaches 181.238 billion yen, an all-time highBusiness
Words of the Year
- Shin'eitai (fan guard squads)
- Cheering squads that fans organized on their own. They matched calls at venues and also took on the role of physically protecting the idol
- Kooru-hyo (call sheets)
- Papers listing the wording and timing of chants. They were handed out to squad members so everyone shared the same way of cheering
- Tanokin Trio
- The name for Toshihiko Tahara, Masahiko Kondo and Yoshio Nomura, who rose to popularity playing students in "Sanen B-gumi Kinpachi Sensei"
“Tanokin” is a nickname combining the first characters of the surnames of Toshihiko Tahara, Yoshio Nomura and Masahiko Kondo. The chart lists not only singers’ nicknames but also words tied to organized fan cheering at concerts and studio recordings, such as shineitai (idol cheering squads) and “call sheet.” (Explainer on the Tanokin Trio, in Japanese; Records on the shineitai, in Japanese)
The next installment, 1981, covers the activities of Masahiko Kondo and YMO, contributions to late-night radio, and the popularity of the character Arale-chan.
FAQ
What happened with idols in 1980?
Momoe Yamaguchi retired, while Seiko Matsuda and Toshihiko Tahara made their singing debuts. Some fans followed rookies they had first met on TV song shows and dramas through records and magazines.
When and where did Momoe Yamaguchi retire?
At her "Sayonara Concert" at the Nippon Budokan on October 5, 1980. People still tell the story of how, after her encore, she set her microphone down on the stage and walked away. She had announced her engagement to Tomokazu Miura that March.
How well were records selling in 1980?
According to Recording Industry Association of Japan statistics, analog disc production in 1980 was worth ¥181.238 billion, or 194.943 million discs. That value is the all-time record for analog discs.
How were The Best Ten rankings decided?
Four inputs: record sales, requests to cable (*yusen*) broadcasting, requests to radio, and viewer postcard votes. Postcards reportedly arrived at more than 200,000 a week at times, and block votes with the same handwriting or postmark were removed by hand.
How big was Comic Market in 1980?
According to the chronology of the Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library, the 14th, in May, had 380 circles and about 6,000 participants, and the 15th, in September, had 340 circles and about 7,000 participants. Yoshihiro Yonezawa took over as its leader around this time; the organizers' chronology dates it from the 13th Comic Market in December 1979, while Meiji University materials say 1980.
