My Take
Okay, can we talk about that voice? The man is well into his seventies and those crystal-clear high notes still sail out like he's defying gravity, and I genuinely don't know how. What kills me is the contradiction: here's an engineering grad who went on to study architecture, a real left-brain guy, and yet he writes a song called "I Can't Put It Into Words" while putting it perfectly into words every single time. He famously won't do Kohaku, he doesn't chase trophies, he just quietly keeps making gorgeous songs from Off Course's "Sayonara" through "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni," which somehow moved millions. Married his middle-school classmate and stayed put, exactly the romantic his lyrics promise. Half a century, zero drift. I just admire the guy.
Overview
Kazumasa Oda is a Japanese singer-songwriter born on September 20, 1947, in Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa. He co-founded the band Off Course while studying at Tohoku University and made his professional debut in April 1970; the group achieved widespread popularity in the late 1970s and disbanded in 1989. His 1991 solo single "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni," the theme song for the Fuji TV drama Tokyo Love Story, sold over 2.7 million copies and topped the Oricon annual singles chart. He holds a master's degree in architecture from Waseda University's Graduate School of Science and Engineering and has continued releasing original work and touring nationally well into his seventies.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kazumasa Oda
- Name (Japanese)
- 小田和正
- Reading
- おだ かずまさ
- Born
- September 20, 1947 (age 78)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Boar
- Origin
- Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
- Blood type
- A
- Height
- 172 cm
- Agency
- Far East Club
- Active years
- 1970–present
- Occupation
- Singer-songwriter / Musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Kanto Gakuin Mutsuura Elementary School / Yokohama Municipal Hakkei Elementary School
- Junior high
- Seiko Gakuin Junior High School
- High school
- Seiko Gakuin High School
- University
- Tohoku University, Faculty of Engineering / Waseda University Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Master's in Architecture
- Debut
- April 1970 — professional debut with Off Course on the single "Gunshū no Naka de"
Awards & achievements
- 1985 Oricon Weekly Singles Chart No. 1 ("Ima dakara")
- 1991 Oricon Annual Singles Chart No. 1, over 2.7 million copies sold ("Love Story wa Totsuzen ni")
- 2007 Tohoku University 100th Anniversary Cultural Contribution Award (Arts and Culture Division)
- 2009 Agency for Cultural Affairs 59th Art Encouragement Prize, Minister of Education Award (Popular Entertainment Division)
- 2015 65th Kanagawa Cultural Award
Timeline
- 1969Formed Off Course while enrolled at Tohoku University; placed 2nd nationally at the Yamaha Light Music Contest
- 1970Professional debut with Off Course on the single "Gunshū no Naka de"
- 1979Expanded to a five-member lineup; "Sayonara" became a major hit and brought the band mainstream recognition
- 1982Member Yasuhiro Suzuki departed; Oda married in September
- 1989Off Course disbanded after a final concert at Tokyo Dome
- 1991Solo single "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni" sold over 2.7 million copies, theme of Fuji TV drama Tokyo Love Story
- 1993Actively pursued solo career, releasing the album Oh! Yeah! among other works
- 2008Nationwide 52-show tour "Kyō mo Dokoka de," including dome concerts
- 2022Released original album "early summer 2022"
- 2024Released best-of album "Jiko Best-3," first in 17 years
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Keiko Arai (married September 1982; junior high school classmate)
- Children
- None (publicly stated)
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Older brother Hyoma Oda (pharmacist)
4. Personality
Hobbies
- Golf
- Watercolor painting
Specialties
- Lyric writing
- Composing
- Architecture
Motto
Just give it a try.
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Song | Sayonara (Off Course) | Songwriter and vocalist | 1979 |
| Song | Kotoba ni Dekinai (Off Course) | Songwriter and vocalist | 1982 |
| Song | Yes-No (Off Course) | Songwriter and vocalist | 1980 |
| Song | Love Story wa Totsuzen ni | Songwriter and vocalist | 1991 |
| Song | Tashika na Koto | Songwriter and vocalist | 2004 |
| Song | Ima dakara (co-written with Yumi Matsutoya and Kazuo Zaitsu) | Songwriter and vocalist | 1985 |
| Album | Jiko Best | Best-of album | 1998 |
| Album | Jiko Best-2 | Best-of album | 2007 |
| Album | early summer 2022 | Original album | 2022 |
| Album | Jiko Best-3 | Best-of album | 2024 |
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.