Brothers Ryuzo Kimura and Tetsuji Kimura of the duo "Ryutetsu Nikki" appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) on March 30th. They talked about their activities with their father, Ichiro Toba, and their uncle, Yutaka Yamakawa.
The four of them—father, uncle, and brothers—often hold a "Kimura Family Concert." "The audience is always happy when all four of us are together. We think we're quite unique because there aren't many family concerts," he says. Apparently, Kabuki actor Bandō Tamasaburō became a fan after seeing their family concert on TV last year.
His uncle, Mr. Yamakawa, is suffering from stage 4 lung cancer. He is "not the type to complain much," so he doesn't say he's in pain. "He's still performing on stage and singing energetically while undergoing treatment," he says, adding that he encourages people who are ill, and "we also get power from him, so I hope we can continue singing together for a long time to come."
When Tetsuji made his debut as an enka singer, his father, Toba, gave him a handwritten piece of calligraphy. It read, "Even a drop of water can wear away a stone." He says, "I believe that if I continue to work steadily, I will one day achieve great success, and I keep that in mind as I do my best. It's one of the words that supports me."
