Masato Shimon

Masato Shimon, born Masaharu Fujikawa in Tokyo on January 4, 1944, is a retired Japanese singer and music producer best known for children’s songs and anime theme tracks. Under various stage names, including Koichi Fuji and Akira Tani, he began his career in 1966 as a pop singer but initially struggled with commercial success. Shimon continued as a studio vocalist and gained widespread fame in 1971 with "Let's Go!! Rider Kick", the theme song for Kamen Rider, which sold over 1.3 million copies. His biggest hit came in 1975 with "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun", featured on the children's show Hirake! Ponkikki. The single topped the Oricon charts for 11 consecutive weeks and became Japan’s best-selling single, earning multiple music awards. He followed this success with more hits like "Hone Hone Rock" and performed extensively on TV, becoming known for his afro hairstyle and glasses. After briefly leaving the entertainment industry in the 1980s to work in musical production, he returned as a freelance artist in 1987. He remained active in anime and game music through the early 1990s. Though he unofficially retired from public life in the mid-1990s, his legacy lives on through best-of compilations and enduring popularity of his signature song "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun".

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