Shuntaro Tanikawa, one of Japan’s most beloved lyricists and poets, has passed away at the age of 92. Across his remarkable career, Tanikawa penned the lyrics for the Astro Boy theme song, the closing score, “The Promise of the World,” from Howl’s Moving Castle, and translated the timeless comic strip, Peanuts, into Japanese.
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The news was broken via NHK who confirmed Shuntaro Tanikawa passed away at 10:05pm JST on November 13th. The poet died in a hospital in Tokyo from old age. According to a tweet from his son Kensaku, Shuntaro Tanikawa was accompanied by his daughter in hospital at the time of his passing. Kensaku’s post read, “I was on my way back from a performance in China and couldn’t make it in time, but my sister rushed over and was with him at the end. It was a peaceful end. Like everyone else, I was surprised and impressed by Shuntaro’s poems, they made me laugh and cry, and I enjoyed it. It may be a clichรฉ, but his poems will always be with you. Thank you.”
Shuntaro Tanikawa was born in Tokyo in 1931, and became enamoured with poetry in high school. He published his first collection of poems, titled Two Billion Light Years of Solitude, in 1952. Since then, Tanikawa had published over 60 poetry books. His prose and verses were adored across the world, and are commonly taught in Japanese schools. As well as bringing contemporary Japanese poetry to the Western world, Tanikawa was also responsible for bringing American cartoons to Japan. He famously translated Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts comic strips into Japanese.
In animation, Shuntaro Tanikawa wrote the lyrics to the opening theme song for the original 1964 Astro Boy anime. Modern anime fans will better remember Tanikawa for writing the lyrics to the closing song of Studio Ghibli’s timeless Howl’s Moving Castle โ a loose adaptation of the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. Joe Hisaishi’s “Merry-Go-Round of Life” is the most popular score from the movie (thanks in part to social media trends), but Tanikawa’s “The Promise of the World” is a moving song with inspiring lyrics about friendship, optimism, and the beauty of life.
In a 2022 interview with Associated Press, the poet and lyricist said he was looking forward to his final moments, curious about where he would go. Ever the poet, Tanikawa said, “I am more curious about where I will go when I die. Itโs a different world, right? Of course, I donโt want pain. I donโt want to die after major surgery or anything. I just want to die, all of a sudden.”
Across social media, fans have shared their condolences for Tanikawa’s family, and their own experiences of enjoying his work. Fans of his poetry have shared their favorite verses and poems, while anime fans have shared screenshots and soundbites from Tanikawa’s work on Howl’s Moving Castle.
Shuntaro Tanikawa is survived by his two children and several grandchildren. The family held a private funeral service to commemorate his life and passing.
