Masayoshi Tsuruoka

Masayoshi Tsuruoka was born on 2 September 1933. Kyodo News and NHK describe him as being from Akita Prefecture, and the Akita Sakigake Shimpo calls him a native of the former town of Hiraka (now part of Yokote City). In a 2014 NHK radio interview, Tsuruoka himself recalled being born in China, where the sky seemed enormously high and the night stars were beautiful, and coming back to Japan on a repatriation ship after the war. On board he heard someone playing guitar and singing Koga Masao melodies, and that moment made him want to play the guitar. Some profiles also mention a theory that he was from Ojiya in Niigata Prefecture.

He described himself as a precocious child who sang popular songs at a time when children were scolded for doing so. He started learning guitar in middle school, and as a boy his three dreams were to become a musician, a painter or an astronomer.

Tsuruoka's musical training was through masters rather than a conservatory. He studied composition under Koga Masao, one of the most important composers of Japanese popular song, and learned classical guitar from Abe Yasuo, a guitarist associated with Koga. He then worked for several years in guitar ensembles with Antonio Koga, and he recorded in Koga Masao's guitar group projects. Details of his formal schooling have not been made public.

In the late 1950s Latin music swept Japan. When Trio Los Panchos first visited Japan, Tsuruoka heard their leader's requinto, a small guitar tuned higher than a classical guitar, and decided it was the sound he wanted. No such guitar existed in Japan, so he had one custom built. In 1960 he formed the Latin group Trio Los Caballeros.

His first composition was "Futari no Sekai" (二人の世界), recorded by Yujiro Ishihara and released in 1965. It became a big hit and a film of the same name followed. Further hits followed with "Nakaseru ze" and "Aeru ja nai ka Mata Ashita".

In the mid 1960s (1965 or 1966 depending on the source) he founded the vocal group Tokyo Romantica, named after Koga Masao's Koga Guitar Romantica. With Masato Sanjō's sweet high lead vocal, a male chorus and Tsuruoka's requinto, the 1967 single "Otaru no Hitoyo" became a million seller, reported at 1.5 million copies. Hits that followed included "Tabiji no Hitoyo" (1968), "Kimi wa Kokoro no Tsuma dakara" (1969), "Kitaguni no Machi" (1969), "Wakare no Chikai" (1970), "Tsuioku" (1971) and "Kuchizuke" (1972). The group sang at NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen six consecutive times from 1968 to 1973 and were regulars on Fuji TV's Yoru no Hit Studio from November 1968 to 1974, where Tsuruoka also appeared in comedy sketches.

The group released records on Teichiku, Kit Records and Nippon Columbia, CBS Sony, Jupiter, Toshiba EMI, King Records and Universal Music. Tsuruoka kept leading the group and composing for decades, releasing new singles as late as 2022 ("Yosan-sen Ryojō, Iyonada-hen"). He also composed for the younger mood kayō duo Hayabusa, including "Yogiri no Serenade", and gave them the label "new mood kayō".

Tsuruoka was married to Keiko Tsuruoka, who served as chief mourner at his funeral. Broadcaster Kazuo Tokumitsu said on air that she had been one year above him at middle school. Information about any children has not been made public.

He was known for a gentle, unflappable manner. His former singer Hiroya Hama said that in twelve years in the group Tsuruoka never once got angry. He kept to two meals a day, liked to keep his fingers busy and to walk without overexerting himself, and said that the most important thing was never to think of yourself as old.

Tsuruoka's motto was "Shinu made seishun" (死ぬまで青春), youth until death. He disliked the way Japanese people use "old" as an insult, saying that old or new does not matter and that people should not turn themselves into old people at 70 or 80. He told young musicians to be free and do the music they wanted, rather than imitating older groups, and he believed that a sense of play in music only comes after long accumulation of work. To his singers he stressed keeping strict pitch and rhythm, saying the emotion would follow naturally.

Tsuruoka is credited with establishing the requinto guitar in Japanese popular music. His tremolo intros gave Tokyo Romantica an instantly recognisable sound and helped define the urban mood kayō style that blended Japanese melancholy with Latin rhythm. "Otaru no Hitoyo" remains a standard, and singer Chiharu Matsuyama called it unforgettable for people in Hokkaido. Kazuo Tokumitsu recalled that Tsuruoka's one boast was that he had spread the requinto from Mexico to Japan. Many obituaries described his death as the passing of the last of the men who led the mood kayō era.

Tabiji no Hitoyo won Tokyo Romantica a singing award at the Japan Record Awards in 1968, according to the group's official profile. The group appeared at NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen six times in a row (1968 to 1973). Tsuruoka received a Merit Award (功労賞) at the 56th Japan Record Awards on 30 December 2014, organised by the Japan Composer's Association.

Selected compositions: "Futari no Sekai" (Yujiro Ishihara, 1965), "Otaru no Hitoyo" (1967), "Tabiji no Hitoyo" (1968), "Kimi wa Kokoro no Tsuma dakara" (1969), "Hoshizora no Hitoyo" (1969), "Kitaguni no Machi" (1969), "Wakare no Chikai" (1970), "Kuchizuke" (1972), "Naminda Tsuma" (1973), "Aa Hokkaidō ni wa Yuki ga Furu" (1974), "Akantare" (TV drama theme, 1976), "Ai wa Sabaku" (1979) and "Yogiri no Serenade" (for Hayabusa).

On television he was a regular on Yoru no Hit Studio, and in 1991 the group appeared in TV commercials including for Mizkan and Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical. A memorial segment was announced for the Japan Singers Association music festival broadcast on BS TV Tokyo from 1 December 2026.

Tsuruoka's last stage was his annual birthday dinner show on 2 September 2026, his 93rd birthday, in Chōfu, Tokyo, with Hayabusa and singer Miyoko Tashiro as guests. He had decided to retire from performing there and focus on composition. He fell ill after the event and was hospitalised in October. He died of pneumonia at 1:48 am on 1 November 2026 at a hospital in Tokyo, aged 93. His agency announced the death on 5 November 2026. The funeral was held privately with close family, his wife Keiko serving as chief mourner, and a memorial gathering was being planned.