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Minoru Obata (April 30, 1923 – April 24, 1979) was a singer from Pyongyang, North Korea. His real name was Kang Young-cheol (강영철). In 1937, inspired by the Korean tenor singer Nagata Monjiro, he moved to Japan at the age of 16 and enrolled in the Japan Music School. He studied vocal music while struggling financially and graduated in 1941, after which he became a student of Eguchi Yoshi. It is said that he adopted the surname Obata and claimed to be from Akita because he was taken care of by Obata Iku, the landlady of his lodgings, who was from Odate, Akita Prefecture. Incidentally, Iku's son, Obata Tatsuo, died in the so-called Communist Party lynching incident. He debuted in February 1941 with Genghis Khan from Polydor, concealing his Korean origins and listing his birthplace as Akita Prefecture. Later, he moved to Victor, and in 1942, his duet with Ryoko Fujiwara, Onna Keizu no Uta (Yushima no Shiroume), became his breakthrough hit. In 1943, he had another hit with Kantarō Tsukiyo Uta, also a duet with Ryoko Fujiwara, and attracted attention as a rising star singer. His career truly took off after the war. He moved between record labels, from Teichiku to King Records to Columbia Records and back to his former label, Victor Records, but with his sweet crooning style, he produced many hit songs after the Pacific War, including Kobanzame no Uta, Bara o Meshimase, America Kayoi no Shiroi Fune, Nagasaki no Zabon Uri, Kogen no Eki yo Sayonara, Yama no Hashi ni Tsuki o Deru Koro, Aoi Nagare ni, London no Machikado de, and Hana no Sandogasa. In particular, Hoshikage no Komichi is a masterpiece that showcases Obata's unique singing style, in addition to its romantic melody based on French chanson and the novelty of using the English phrase I love you in the lyrics. Around the 1970s, he began traveling to rural areas in his car, singing his new songs without a microphone while sitting on top of an orange crate, and selling records by hand, driven by the desire to have another hit. It caused quite a stir when a veteran singer who had established an unshakeable position half-abandoned everything and launched a campaign like a fresh-faced newcomer, but his efforts paid off, and Hoshi no Nai Nagisa and Yunomachi Shigure became hits. Alongside this, he also energetically engaged in stage performances, visiting prisons, and mentoring younger generations of singers. On April 24, 1979, at 4:40 p.m., Obata collapsed while playing golf at the Murasaki Country Club Sumire Course in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture. He was rushed to a local hospital but died at 5:10 p.m. from acute heart failure. He was 55 years old. Obata was a regular customer, visiting the course 5 or 6 times a month. On that day, he arrived alone at 10 a.m. and was playing with three people he had just met. He collapsed on his second shot on the 16th long hole during the first half of the round, and was unconscious when his caddy rushed to his side. His death came suddenly, just six days before his 56th birthday. After one reburial, his grave was moved to Manbulsa Temple in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, which is the family grave of his wife's family. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.