Oshi-Katsu Chronicle: The 1960s — The Beatles Arrive, 300+ Group Sounds Bands and TV Takes Over

In 1960s Japan, television spread into homes, and singers and animated characters became part of the living room. In 1963 came the TV anime Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy), whose hero is a boy-shaped robot.

In 1966 the British band the Beatles visited Japan. Homegrown bands appeared one after another, too.

The 1960s at a glanceThe living-room decade

1961Shabondama HolidayA weekly music variety show begins
1963Tetsuwan AtomTV anime begins; Sukiyaki tops Billboard
1964Budokan opensBuilt for the Tokyo Olympics judo events
1966The Beatles at BudokanUltraman also begins
1967Late-night radioPack in Music and All Night Nippon
1968Tigers at BudokanShonen Jump launches

Television, radio and live halls each added a new way to follow your oshi.

Two women in the 1960s enjoying music on a record player

The “Gosanke” Singers, and Kyu Sakamoto’s Worldwide Hit

Yukio Hashi, Kazuo Funaki and Teruhiko Saigo were known as the “Gosanke,” or Big Three, and drew young female fans. Hashi won the newcomer award at the Japan Record Awards in 1960 for “Itako Gasa.” Funaki’s debut song “Koko San-nensei” (Third-Year High School Student) and Saigo’s “Kimi Dake o” (Only You) also became popular. (Japan Composers Association, 1960; 1963, both in Japanese)

Some programs let you keep seeing your favorite singers. Shabondama Holiday (Soap Bubble Holiday), a music variety show that began in 1961, was built around the twin duo the Peanuts. (Records on the program, in Japanese)

Overseas, Kyu Sakamoto’s “Ue o Muite Arukou” (I Look Up as I Walk) became a hit under the title “Sukiyaki.” In June 1963 it took No. 1 for three straight weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. (Universal Music Japan, in Japanese)

Group Sounds Take Off, and Bands Get Their Own Oshi

In the late 1960s, the music of bands playing electric guitars and drums was a craze known as “group sounds,” or “GS” for short. At its peak there are said to have been more than 300 groups. (Records on group sounds, in Japanese)

Bands and songs that drew fans in the GS boom

The Spiders"Yuhi ga Naite Iru" (The Sunset Is Crying): A 1966 hit. The Spiders became one of the bands that represented the GS boom.
The Tigers"Hana no Kubikazari" (Flower Necklace): They debuted in 1967 with "Boku no Mary" (My Mary), and this song became a hit the following year.
The Tempters"Emerald no Densetsu" (Legend of the Emerald): It hit No. 1 on the Oricon chart in 1968. Its vocalist, Kenichi Hagiwara, also drew a following.

(The Spiders; The Tigers; The Tempters, all in Japanese)

The Beatles Play Budokan, and Japanese Bands Take the Same Stage

The Nippon Budokan opened as a venue for the judo competition at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It was originally a hall built for the martial arts. (Nippon Budokan, in Japanese)

From June 30 to July 2, 1966, the Beatles played five shows there. Each show was about 35 minutes and 11 songs. They went ahead under tight security, despite voices opposed to the concerts. (Record of the Japan visit, in Japanese)

Two milestones at one venueBudokan before and after 1966

1964

Built for martial arts

Opened for the Tokyo Olympics judo events
Not yet a music hall

June 30 to July 2, 1966

The Beatles

Five shows in total
About 35 minutes and 11 songs each
Held under tight security

1968

The Tigers

First Japanese band to hold a concert there
Fans gathered for a domestic band

A martial-arts hall became a place where fans gather for music.

Watching Atom and Ultraman on TV Every Week

In January 1963, the TV anime Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy) began. The official Osamu Tezuka site presents it as Japan’s first serialized animated series made for television. Its peak rating was 40.7%. (Osamu Tezuka official site, in Japanese)

That same year Toei Animation’s Okami Shonen Ken (Wolf Boy Ken) aired, and in 1966 the special-effects program Ultraman began too. (Toei Animation, in Japanese; Explainer on the kaiju boom, in Japanese)

Monster picture books and soft plastic “sofubi” figures were also popular items.

The spread of these programs also owed something to the growing number of households with TVs. According to the research firm Chuo Chosa-sha, the household penetration rate for black-and-white TVs rose from 25.5% in 1959 to 92.7% in 1969. (Central Research Services, in Japanese)

Song shows reached many homes too, and the 1963 Kohaku Uta Gassen recorded a household rating of 81.4% in the Kanto region. That is not a share of people but a figure based on the households surveyed. (Ratings record, in Japanese)

Cinema Audiences Shrink, and Baseball Broadcasts Become a Home Pleasure

Total annual cinema admissions, about 1.014 billion in 1960, fell to about 284 million in 1969. The number of cinemas also dropped, from 7,457 to 3,602. As TV spread, cinema attendance dropped sharply. (Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, in Japanese)

The screen moves homeTelevision up, cinema down

25.5% to 92.7%: Black-and-white TV household penetration, 1959 to 1969
1.014 billion to 284 million: Annual cinema admissions, 1960 to 1969
7,457 to 3,602: Number of cinemas

Sources: Central Research Services (TV households, in Japanese); Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (cinemas, in Japanese)

In pro baseball, meanwhile, the Yomiuri Giants won nine straight Japan Series starting in 1965. The record, called “V9,” lasted until 1973. (Yomiuri Giants, in Japanese)

Late-Night Radio Contributions, and Magazines That Make Sound

In 1967, late-night broadcasts such as TBS Radio’s Pack in Music and Nippon Broadcasting’s All Night Nippon began. (Records on late-night broadcasting, in Japanese)

Some magazines came with records. Asahi Sonorama, launched in 1959, among others, included thin sheet-like records called “sonosheets” as extras. You could get songs from anime and tokusatsu shows along with the magazine. (National Diet Library, in Japanese)

Among manga magazines, Shonen Jump launched in July 1968 as a twice-monthly and went weekly the following year. (Shueisha: 55th anniversary article, in Japanese)

Key Events of the Decade

The decade when television began delivering your favorites to the living room every week

1960At the 2nd Japan Record Awards, Yukio Hashi wins the New Artist Award for "Itako Gasa"Music
June 1961"Shabondama Holiday" begins broadcasting, with The Peanuts as its starsMedia
Jan. 1963"Tetsuwan Atom" (Astro Boy) begins airing (produced by Mushi Production, on the Fuji TV network)Anime
June 1963Kyu Sakamoto's "Ue o Muite Aruko" (Sukiyaki) hits No. 1 on the US Billboard chartMusic
Nov. 1963Toei Doga's "Okami Shonen Ken" begins airing, the studio's first TV seriesAnime
Dec. 1963The 14th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen reaches a viewer rating of 81.4%Media
Sept. 1964The "Miyuki-zoku" of Ginza's Miyuki-dori are rounded up by police all at onceFans
Oct. 1964The Nippon Budokan opens as the judo venue for the Tokyo OlympicsSports
Oct. 1964The Tokyo Olympics open, and Japan wins 16 gold, 5 silver and 8 bronze medalsSports
1965The Yomiuri Giants begin their nine straight Japan Series titles (V9)Sports
June-July 1966The Beatles visit Japan for the first time and play five shows at the Nippon BudokanMusic
July 1966"Ultraman" begins airing, leading into the first kaiju (monster) boomAnime
Feb. 1967The Tigers debut with "Boku no Marie"Music
Oct. 1967Nippon Broadcasting System's "All Night Nippon" begins broadcastingMedia
Mar. 1968The Tigers become the first Japanese band to play the BudokanMusic
May 1968Shueisha launches Shonen Jump (published twice a month)Media

Words of the Era

Words of the era: entertainment and everyday life

Gosanke (the "Big Three"): The name for Yukio Hashi, Kazuo Funaki and Teruhiko Saigo. They won the support of teenage female fans
Group Sounds: Popular songs performed by bands built around electric guitars. It grew into a major boom from around 1966
Miyuki-zoku (the Miyuki tribe): Young people who gathered on Ginza's Miyuki-dori in 1964. They were known for their distinctive clothing
Kaiju boom (monster boom): The popularity of monsters that began with "Ultra Q" and "Ultraman." Illustrated guides and soft vinyl figures spread

In the chart, Miyuki-zoku is the name for young people who gathered on Ginza’s Miyuki Street in 1964 in distinctive outfits. It is not a word for a fan organization of any particular singer. (Records on the Miyuki-zoku, in Japanese)

In the next installment, the 1970s, idol support groups and anime fan activity spread, and the pleasure of carrying music around on cassette arrives.

FAQ

What kind of decade were the 1960s in oshi-katsu history?

It was the decade television became the center of fan support. The household penetration rate for black-and-white TVs rose from 25.5% in 1959 to 92.7% in 1969, and more people enjoyed their oshi's appearances on screen at set times every week.

Who were the Gosanke ("Big Three")?

The name for Yukio Hashi, Kazuo Funaki and Teruhiko Saigo, who won the support of teenage female fans in the 1960s. Hashi received the newcomer award at the 2nd Japan Record Awards in 1960 for "Itako Gasa."

How big was the group sounds boom?

It was a huge craze from 1967 to 1969, and at its peak there are said to have been more than 300 groups. By around the summer of 1968, when the boom peaked, more than 100 groups had made their record debuts.

When did the Beatles play in Japan?

They visited from June 29 to July 3, 1966, and gave five shows at the Nippon Budokan: the night of June 30, day and night on July 1, and day and night on July 2. Each show is described as about 35 minutes and 11 songs.

How did 1960s fans connect with each other?

Through fan club newsletters and pen pals, magazines' reader-contribution pages, and fan letters. In 1967, late-night broadcasts such as All Night Nippon began, adding a place where you could send a postcard and have your own words go out on the airwaves.

Where did 1960s TV anime begin?

Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy), which began airing on the Fuji TV network on January 1, 1963, is regarded as Japan's first serialized animated series made for television. It recorded a peak domestic rating of 40.7%.