Kōhaku Uta Gassen
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Kōhaku Uta Gassen | |
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![]() Logo since the 58th edition (2007) File:Kouhaku Hosts from 2013.png The hosts of the 64th edition (2013) | |
Presented by | Various (see below) |
Ending theme | Hotaru no hikari |
Country of origin | Japan |
Original language | Japanese |
No. of episodes | 69 contests |
Production | |
Production locations | Tokyo Takarazuka Theater (1959–1972) NHK Hall (1973–2020; 2022 onwards) Tokyo International Forum (2021) |
Running time | 4 hours 30 minutes |
Production company | NHK |
Original release | |
Network | NHK General TV (1953–present) NHK Radio 1 (1951–present) NHK World Premium (Worldwide) (1964–present) |
Release | January 3, 1951 present | –
NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen (NHK紅白歌合戦, Enueichikei Kōhaku Uta Gassen; "NHK Red and White Song Battle"[1]), more commonly known simply as Kōhaku, is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK network and by some overseas (mainly cable) broadcasters who buy the program. The show ends shortly before midnight. Before the show began broadcasting on television in late 1953, the show was held on 3 January and only consisted of a radio broadcast.
The program divides the most popular music artists of the year into competing teams of red and white. The "red" team or akagumi (赤組, 紅組) is composed of all female artists (or groups with female vocals), while the "white" team or shirogumi (白組) is all male (or groups with male vocals). At the end of the show, judges and the audience vote to decide which group performed better.[2] The honor of performing on Kōhaku is strictly by invitation, so only the most successful singing acts in the Japanese entertainment industry can perform. In addition to the actual music performances, the costumes, hair-styles, makeup, dancing, and lighting are important. Even today, a performance on Kōhaku is said to be a big highlight in a singer's career because of the show's wide reach.
Song selection process
The songs and performers are examined by a selection committee put together by NHK. The basis for selection are record sales and adaptability to the edition's theme.
At the same time, a demographic survey is conducted regarding the most popular singers for each and what kind of music people want to hear. This and the song selection explain the amalgamation of the musical genres and its artists.
There are, however, exceptions to the process. Momoe Yamaguchi chose to sing her favorite song "Hito Natsu no Keiken" (ひと夏の経験) with its suggestive lyrics during the 25th edition, despite NHK's pick of a different song.
Show
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Kohaku1953.jpg/220px-Kohaku1953.jpg)
When the show was first broadcast on radio in 1951, each team had a few performers, all of whom would perform within an hour. Since 1989, the program goes on for at least four hours as both teams, each having at least 25 performers, perform their songs.
At the end of the show, the audience and a panel of judges—notable celebrities who may or may not have a connection to the music industry—vote to select the winning team. In the past, the audience vote has been composed of a head count of the venue audience members, who can vote for either team (NHK Hall, which has been the venue for most Kōhaku editions since 1971, can seat 3,000 people). This counted as one vote.
As of the 54th (2003) and 55th editions (2004), viewers who watch the program through ISDB-S on NHK BS Hi-vision could vote by having their own head count in their respective households. Although it is still sketchy to determine in the 55th, the audience vote is counted as two votes: one for the venue audience and one for ISDB-S viewers.
The audience vote(s) are added to those of the judges who each have to vote for one team. The team with the most votes wins.
The above process was done differently for the 56th edition (2005). Instead, the NHK Hall head count, the vote count from cellphone users and the vote count from ISDB-S viewers each counted as one vote. As stated above, the team that got at least two votes won.
In the 57th edition (2006), aside from cellphone and ISDB-S viewers and the NHK Hall audience, 1seg users voted. Its format had been reverted to the ball voting system—from the audience head count and the judges' votes.
From the 58th edition (2007) to the 63rd edition (2012) and again in the 65th (2014), 66th (2015), and 68th editions (2017), the winner was determined through an overall head count, all from cellphone, ISDB-S viewers, 1seg users, and the NHK Hall Audience (including guests). Voting reverted temporarily to judges plus audience-unit votes in the 64th edition (2013) and 67th (2016) except that viewing audience votes (from internet, cellphone, digital TV, and 1seg voting) during halftime and end of show would each count as one vote and the NHK Hall head count as another single vote.
Aside from the performances, there are special performances where certain performers do their act together, and the so-called "Ring Show" where performers from both teams take part in a "singing exercise." At the end of the show, all the performers sing "Hotaru no Hikari" (蛍の光) together. The song is based on the Scottish "Auld Lang Syne" that is commonly sung at New Year parties in the west.
Results
No. | Date | Red team host | White team host | Mediator | Winning team |
Overall record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SHOWA PERIOD EVENTS | ||||||
1 | 3 January 1951 | Michiko Katō | Shuuichi Fujikura | Masaharu Tanabe | White | 1-0 |
2 | 3 January 1952 | Kiyoko Tange | Shuuichi Fujikura | Masaharu Tanabe | White | 2-0 |
3 | 2 January 1953 | Suga Honda | Teru Miyata | Masayori Shimura | White | 3-0 |
4 | 31 December 1953 | Takiko Mizunoe | Keizo Takahashi | Seigoro Kitade | Red | 3-1 |
5 | 31 December 1954 | Natsue Fukuji | Keizo Takahashi | Shōzaburō Ishii | Red | 3-2 |
6 | 31 December 1955 | Teru Miyata | Keizo Takahashi | Shōzaburō Ishii | Red | 3-3 |
7 | 31 December 1956 | Teru Miyata | Keizo Takahashi | Shōzaburō Ishii | White | 4-3 |
8 | 31 December 1957 | Takiko Mizunoe | Keizo Takahashi | Shōzaburō Ishii | Red | 4-4 |
9 | 31 December 1958 | Tetsuko Kuroyanagi | Keizo Takahashi | Shōzaburō Ishii | Red | 4-5 |
10 | 31 December 1959 | Meiko Nakamura | Keizo Takahashi | Shōzaburō Ishii | Red | 4-6 |
11 | 31 December 1960 | Meiko Nakamura | Keizo Takahashi | Shōzaburō Ishii | White | 5-6 |
12 | 31 December 1961 | Meiko Nakamura | Keizo Takahashi | Toshiaki Hosaka | White | 6-6 |
13 | 31 December 1962 | Mitsuko Mori | Teru Miyata | Shōzaburō Ishii | White | 7-6 |
14 | 31 December 1963 | Eri Chiemi | Teru Miyata | Shōzaburō Ishii | Red | 7-7 |
15 | 31 December 1964 | Eri Chiemi | Teru Miyata | Shōzaburō Ishii | White | 8-7 |
16 | 31 December 1965 | Michiko Hayashi | Teru Miyata | Shōzaburō Ishii | White | 9-7 |
17 | 31 December 1966 | Peggy Hayama | Teru Miyata | Shōzaburō Ishii | Red | 9-8 |
18 | 31 December 1967 | Yumiko Kokonoe | Teru Miyata | Shōzaburō Ishii | Red | 9-9 |
19 | 31 December 1968 | Kiyoko Suizenji | Kyu Sakamoto | Teru Miyata | White | 10-9 |
20 | 31 December 1969 | Yukari Ito | Kyu Sakamoto | Teru Miyata | Red | 10-10 |
21 | 31 December 1970 | Hibari Misora | Teru Miyata | Shizuo Yamakawa | Red | 10-11 |
22 | 31 December 1971 | Kiyoko Suizenji | Teru Miyata | Shizuo Yamakawa | White | 11-11 |
23 | 31 December 1972 | Naomi Sagara | Teru Miyata | Shizuo Yamakawa | Red | 11-12 |
24 | 31 December 1973 | Kiyoko Suizenji | Teru Miyata | Shizuo Yamakawa | Red | 11-13 |
25 | 31 December 1974 | Naomi Sagara | Shizuo Yamakawa | Masao Domon & Yōzō Nakae | Red | 11-14 |
26 | 31 December 1975 | Naomi Sagara | Shizuo Yamakawa | Hiroshi Aikawa | White | 12-14 |
27 | 31 December 1976 | Naomi Sagara | Shizuo Yamakawa | Hiroshi Aikawa | Red | 12-15 |
28 | 31 December 1977 | Naomi Sagara | Shizuo Yamakawa | Hiroshi Aikawa | White | 13-15 |
29 | 31 December 1978 | Mitsuko Mori | Shizuo Yamakawa | Hiroshi Aikawa | White | 14-15 |
30 | 31 December 1979 | Kiyoko Suizenji | Shizuo Yamakawa | Yōzō Nakae | Red | 14-16 |
31 | 31 December 1980 | Tetsuko Kuroyanagi | Shizuo Yamakawa | Yōzō Nakae | Red | 14-17 |
32 | 31 December 1981 | Tetsuko Kuroyanagi | Shizuo Yamakawa | Keiichi Ubukata | White | 15-17 |
33 | 31 December 1982 | Tetsuko Kuroyanagi | Shizuo Yamakawa | Keiichi Ubukata | Red | 15-18 |
34 | 31 December 1983 | Tetsuko Kuroyanagi | Kenji Suzuki | Tamori | White | 16-18 |
35 | 31 December 1984 | Mitsuko Mori | Kenji Suzuki | Keiichi Ubukata | Red | 16-19 |
36 | 31 December 1985 | Masako Mori | Kenji Suzuki | Masaho Senda | Red | 16-20 |
37 | 31 December 1986 | Yuki Saito & Yoriko Mekata | Yūzō Kayama & Masaho Senda | Seiichi Yoshikawa | White | 17-20 |
38 | 31 December 1987 | Akiko Wada | Yūzō Kayama | Seiichi Yoshikawa | Red | 17-21 |
39 | 31 December 1988 | Akiko Wada | Yūzō Kayama | Keiko Sugiura | White | 18-21 |
HEISEI PERIOD EVENTS | ||||||
40 | 31 December 1989 | Yoshiko Mita | Tetsuya Takeda | Sadatomo Matsudaira | Red | 18-22 |
41 | 31 December 1990 | Yoshiko Mita | Toshiyuki Nishida | Sadatomo Matsudaira | White | 19-22 |
42 | 31 December 1991 | Yūko Asano | Masaaki Sakai | Shizuo Yamakawa | Red | 19-23 |
43 | 31 December 1992 | Hikari Ishida | Masaaki Sakai | Shizuo Yamakawa | White | 20-23 |
44 | 31 December 1993 | Hikari Ishida | Masaaki Sakai | Miyuki Morita | White | 21-23 |
45 | 31 December 1994 | Emiko Kaminuma | Ichiro Furutachi | Yasuo Miyakawa | Red | 21-24 |
46 | 31 December 1995 | Emiko Kaminuma | Ichiro Furutachi | Ryūji Miyamoto & Mitsuyo Kusano | White | 22-24 |
47 | 31 December 1996 | Takako Matsu | Ichiro Furutachi | Ryūji Miyamoto & Mitsuyo Kusano | White | 23-24 |
48 | 31 December 1997 | Akiko Wada | Masahiro Nakai | Ryūji Miyamoto | White | 24-24 |
49 | 31 December 1998 | Junko Kubo | Masahiro Nakai | Ryūji Miyamoto | Red | 24-25 |
50 | 31 December 1999 | Junko Kubo | Nakamura Kankurō V | Ryūji Miyamoto | White | 25-25 |
51 | 31 December 2000 | Junko Kubo | Motoya Izumi | Ryūji Miyamoto | Red | 25-26 |
52 | 31 December 2001 | Yumiko Udo | Wataru Abe | Tamio Miyake | White | 26-26 |
53 | 31 December 2002 | Yumiko Udo | Wataru Abe | Tamio Miyake | Red | 26-27 |
54 | 31 December 2003 | Yumiko Udo & Takako Zenba | Wataru Abe & Tetsuya Takayama | Tōko Takeuchi | White | 27-27 |
55 | 31 December 2004 | Fumie Ono | Wataru Abe | Masaaki Horio | Red | 27-28 |
56 | 31 December 2005 | Yukie Nakama | Koji Yamamoto* | Mino Monta and Motoyo Yamane | White | 28-28 |
57 | 31 December 2006 | Yukie Nakama | Masahiro Nakai | Tamio Miyake & Megumi Kurosaki | White | 29-28 |
58 | 31 December 2007 | Masahiro Nakai** | Shōfukutei Tsurube II | Kazuya Matsumoto & Miki Sumiyoshi | White | 30-28 |
59 | 31 December 2008 | Yukie Nakama | Masahiro Nakai | Kazuya Matsumoto | White | 31-28 |
60 | 31 December 2009 | Yukie Nakama | Masahiro Nakai | Wataru Abe | White | 32-28 |
61 | 31 December 2010 | Nao Matsushita | Arashi*** | Wataru Abe | White | 33-28 |
62 | 31 December 2011 | Mao Inoue | Arashi | Wataru Abe | Red | 33-29 |
63 | 31 December 2012 | Maki Horikita | Arashi | Yumiko Udo | White | 34-29 |
64 | 31 December 2013 | Haruka Ayase | Arashi | Yumiko Udo | White | 35-29 |
65 | 31 December 2014 | Yuriko Yoshitaka | Arashi | Yumiko Udo | White | 36-29 |
66 | 31 December 2015 | Haruka Ayase | Yoshihiko Inohara | Tetsuko Kuroyanagi | Red | 36-30 |
67 | 31 December 2016 | Kasumi Arimura | Masaki Aiba | Shinichi Takeda | Red | 36-31 |
68 | 31 December 2017 | Kasumi Arimura | Kazunari Ninomiya | Teruyoshi Uchimura & Maho Kuwako | White | 37-31 |
69 | 31 December 2018 | Suzu Hirose | Sho Sakurai | Teruyoshi Uchimura & Maho Kuwako | White | 38-31 |
REIWA PERIOD EVENTS | ||||||
70 | 31 December 2019 | Haruka Ayase | Sho Sakurai | Teruyoshi Uchimura & Mayuko Wakuda | TBD | 38-31 |
71 | 31 December 2020 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBD | TBD |
The white team has won 38 of the 69 contests. |
* In the 56th edition, the roles of mediator and team host were blurred as all four hosts intermingled with both teams.
** Masahiro Nakai is the first male team host of the Red team since Teru Miyata in the 6th and 7th editions. Red team hosts (even in pairs) are usually female.
*** All five members of Arashi act as one host-unit, although at least one member would appear on stage to take the role.
Popularity
Kōhaku was once the most-watched show on Japanese television of the year. One major factor was that New Year's Eve in Japan is a holiday traditionally spent at home (see Ōmisoka). Over the years, the annual event's popularity has declined from an all-time high of an 81.4 rating (14th event) to an all-time low of a 30.8/39.3 rating (55th event) in the Kantō region.[3] Despite the drop, Kōhaku is consistently the top-rated musical event each year.[4]
Notable participants
Japanese entertainers
The following is a list of acts with notable contributions to the Japanese entertainment industry, and have a minimum of five appearances on Kōhaku to their credit (appearance numbers in parentheses are as of the 69th edition):
Pop and rock
- AAA (7)
- Ai Otsuka (6)
- Aiko (13)
- AKB48 (11)
- Akina Nakamori (7)
- Angela Aki (6)
- Arashi (10)
- Aya Matsuura (5)1
- Ayaka (8)
- Ayaka Hirahara (8)
- Ayumi Hamasaki (15)
- BoA (6)
- Chemistry (5)
- Da Pump (6)
- Dreams Come True (15)
- E-girls (5)
- Every Little Thing (8)
- EXILE (12)
- Four Leaves (7)
- Gackt (5)
- Gospellers (6)
- Hikaru Genji (6)
- Hiromi Go (31)
- Hiromi Iwasaki (14)
- Ikimono-gakari (10)
- Junko Sakurada (9)
- Kana Nishino (9)
- Ken Hirai (8)
- Kobukuro (7)
- Kome Kome Club (5)
- Kumi Koda (8)
- Kyōko Koizumi (5)
- L'Arc~en~Ciel (5)
- Linda Yamamoto (5)
- Masaharu Fukuyama (11)
- Mayumi Itsuwa (5)
- MAX (5)
- Miho Nakayama (7)
- Mika Nakashima (9)
- Momoe Yamaguchi (6)
- Morning Musume (10)
- Namie Amuro (9)
- Nana Mizuki (6)
- Naoko Kawai (河合奈保子) (6)
- Naomi Sagara (佐良直美) (13)
- Perfume (11)
- Porno Graffitti (11)
- Saori Minami (8)
- Sandaime J Soul Brothers (7)
- Seiko Matsuda (22)
- Sekai no Owari (5)
- Sexy Zone (6)
- SMAP (23)
- TOKIO (24)
- Tomomi Kahala (5)
- T.M.Revolution (5)
- W-inds. (6)
- X Japan (8)
- Yo Hitoto (5)
- Yōko Oginome (5)
- Yuzu (8)
1. Matsuura has also appeared with DEF.DIVA and GAM. However, NHK does not count those appearances towards her count.
Enka and other contemporary
- Aya Shimazu (島津亜矢) (5)
- Ayako Fuji (21)
- Akiko Wada (39)
- Akira Fuse (25)
- Chiyoko Shimakura (35)
- Fuyumi Sakamoto (30)
- George Yamamoto (山本譲二) (11)
- Harumi Miyako (29)
- Hibari Misora (18)
- Hideaki Tokunaga (10)
- Hideki Saijō (18)
- Hiroshi Itsuki (48)
- Ichirō Toba (鳥羽一郎) (20)
- Kaori Kozai (19)
- Kaori Mizumori (16)
- Kenichi Mikawa (26)
- Kenji Sawada (17)
- Kiyoshi Hikawa (19)
- Kiyoshi Maekawa (18)
- Masako Mori (15)
- Masao Sen (千 昌夫) (19)
- Masashi Sada (19)
- Mina Aoe (18)
- Mitsuko Nakamura (中村美律子) (15)
- Miyuki Kawanaka (24)
- Natsuko Godai (伍代夏子) (22)
- Rimi Natsukawa (6)
- Ryōko Moriyama (10)
- Saburō Kitajima (50)
- Sachiko Kobayashi (33)
- Saori Yuki and Sachiko Yasuda (10)1
- Saori Yuki (13)
- Sayuri Ishikawa (41)
- Shinichi Mori (48)
- Shinji Tanimura (16)
- Takao Horiuchi (17)
- Takashi Hosokawa (39)
- Yōko Nagayama (14)
- Yoshimi Tendo (23)
- Yutaka Yamakawa (山川豊) (11)
1. Saori Yuki and Sachiko Yasuda are counted as a duet. Solo appearances by either of the two would not count towards the duet count.
Foreigners
Although Kōhaku is made up of mostly Japanese entertainers, foreign artists (artists who are not Japanese nationals) popular in Japan have competed in the program. Special appearances, supporting musicians or other methods of participation where the artist or group's performance was not accounted for in the overall scoring should not be added to this list. Below is a list of artists or groups who have done so, categorized based on the country of origin (Asian or non-Asian) the person or majority of the members in a group are from, along with the editions:
Asian
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Non-Asian
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References
- ^ Smith, Alyssa I. (November 16, 2017). "Twice and Daichi Miura among 10 debuts at this year's 'Kohaku'". The Japan Times. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "NHK sees ratings for 'Kohaku' music show sink to lowest ever". The Japan Times. January 2, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "NHK総合「紅白歌合戦」 - ビデオリサーチ". videor.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2005-01-21.
- ^ "視聴率データ|ビデオリサーチ". videor.co.jp.