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Rei Nakanishi

なかにし れい

Nakanishi Rei

Aliases: 中西 禮三（本名）
Pen Names: Rei Nakanishi（Used as a lyricist and author）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1938-09-02 （Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, Manchukuo (now Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, China)）
Died
2020-12-23 （Tokyo, Japan (hospital)） age 82
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Mudanjiang, Manchukuo (birthplace) → Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan → Aomori, Japan → Oimachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
novelist, lyricist, composer, author, scriptwriter, singer, radio personality, commentator
Active Years
1963-2020
Affiliations
Ishihara Productions, Ad Promotion, Bunka Hoso (radio broadcaster; program personality)
Influenced By
Chanson (French popular song tradition), Yujiro Ishihara (encounter and encouragement early in career)
Influenced
Later generations of lyricists and singers
Nominations
119th Naoki Prize nominee (for 'Kyodai / Brothers')

Education

Rikkyo University, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters / Department of French Literature
Degree: 学士（文学）
Period: 1958-1965
Year of Graduation: 1965
Country: Japan
One of the first graduates of Rikkyo University's French literature department

Awards

Japan Record Award
1968
Work: Tenshi no Yuuwaku (The Temptation of an Angel)
Organization: Japan Record Awards Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Record Award
1970
Work: Kyou de Owakare (Farewell as of Today)
Organization: Japan Record Awards Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Record Award
1982
Work: Kita Sakaba (Northern Tavern)
Organization: Japan Record Awards Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Lyricist Award
Organization: Japan Lyricist Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Lyricist Award
Organization: Japan Lyricist Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Naoki Prize
2000
Work: Nagasaki Burabura Bushi
Organization: Naoki Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tenshi no Yuuwaku (The Temptation of an Angel)

1968 Kayōkyoku (single)

A representative kayōkyoku single performed by Jun Mayuzumi. Notable for Nakanishi's lyrical lyrics and remains a staple of Japanese popular music.

lovetemptationparting

Kita Sakaba (Northern Tavern)

1982 Enka / Kayōkyoku

One of Takashi Hosokawa's signature songs. Uses the tavern as a setting to evoke life's melancholy and human drama.

nostalgiaalcohollife

Nagasaki Burabura Bushi

1999 Novel (human drama)

A 1999 novel set in Nagasaki that depicts the joys and sorrows of its people; it won the 122nd Naoki Prize in 2000.

localityfamilypostwar

Brothers

1998 Novel

A novel based on the life of his elder brother, Shoichi. It was a Naoki Prize nominee and is thematically linked to later posthumous collections.

siblingsfailure and recoveryfamily responsibility

Teru Teru Bouzu no Teruko-san

2002 Novel

A novel published by Shinchosha that served as the basis for NHK's morning drama 'Teru Teru Kazoku' (2003).

familyShōwa erahuman drama
Adaptations
  • [TV drama] Teru Teru Kazoku (2003)

Yoru no Uta (Song of the Night)

2016 Novel

A novel serialized and then published as a book during his fight with cancer; it explores illness and the feelings of aging.

illnessagingself-reflection

Bibliography

  • The Legend of Emerald (song collection)
  • Brothers
  • Nagasaki Burabura Bushi
  • Red Moon
  • Teru Teru Bouzu no Teruko-san
  • Night Thief
  • Sakura Legend
  • Song of the Night
  • Song of Blood (posthumous collection)

Adaptations

  • Teru Teru Kazoku (NHK Asadora TV series, 2003)
  • Toki ni wa Shōfu no Yō ni (1978 film; original story/screenplay/appearance)

Translations by Author

  • Japanese translation of Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' (final movement of Symphony No. 9)
  • Japanese translations of Mozart songs
  • Japanese translation of Offenbach's 'Orpheus in the Underworld' ('Tango of the Hours' / 'Infernal Galop')

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical style influenced by Shōwa kayōplain yet emotionally evocative lyricsnovelistic, strongly narrative character depiction
Recurring Motifs
war experience / repatriationsiblings / familynostalgia / hometowntaverns / nightparting

Health

  • esophageal cancer
    2012（診断） — 2012（治療・寛解）
    Announced esophageal cancer in 2012 and took leave for treatment. Researched and opted for proton therapy and later returned to activities.
  • cancer recurrence (announced/under treatment)
    2015（再発告知・休養）
    Announced a recurrence in 2015 and suspended his radio program and other activities; later reported treatment progress and resumed work.
  • heart disease (chronic cardiac condition, myocardial infarction)
    長期（生涯を通じて）／2016（ICD・ペースメーカー植込み）
    Suffered recurrent heart problems; implanted with an ICD and pacemaker in 2016. Died of myocardial infarction in 2020.

Legacy

A leading lyricist and author who supported postwar Japanese popular music. He wrote around 4,000 lyrics and left a body of work spanning popular song and literature. He also earned acclaim as a novelist, including winning the Naoki Prize.

Archives

  • NHK Archives (person record)
  • Rei Nakanishi official website (works list and information)
  • National Diet Library (collections of publications)

In Popular Culture

  • Featured in documentaries and specials as an important lyricist of Shōwa-era popular song
  • His songs continue to be used and re-evaluated in TV, film and theater

Trivia

  • He is credited with writing approximately 4,000 lyrics.
  • A chance meeting with Yujiro Ishihara prompted his shift toward writing Japanese lyrics.
  • He wrote the novel that became the basis for NHK's morning drama 'Teru Teru Kazoku'.
  • In 2016 an ICD and pacemaker were implanted in his body.
  • A posthumous collection of manuscripts, 'Song of Blood', was published after his death.