is a song by Japanese singer Masato Shimon

Masato Shimon

is a retired Japanese vocalist from Meguro, Tokyo. He is most known for his contributions to the theme songs of various anime and tokusatsu series. In his career, he has sung under the names and . "Masato Shimon" is also his recording name, as he was born with the name...

, released by Canyon Records (now Pony Canyon

Pony Canyon

is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...

) on December 25, 1975. The B-side "Ippon Demo Ninjin" was sung by Japanese folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 singer Kenichi Nagira. However, the label claimed that the song was a children's song

Children's song

Children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that young children invent and share among themselves, or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home, or education...

 because the song was used in Japanese child television program Hirake Ponkikki. On the Oricon

Oricon

, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

 weekly chart, it became the first single to debut at number one in the Oricon history on January 5, 1976, and stayed there for 11 consecutive weeks. It surpassed the sales of "Onna no Michi

Onna no Michi

is the debut single by Shiro Miya and the Pinkara Trio released on May 10, 1972, in Japan. The lyrics are simple, but sad. The song is written about a woman who devoted herself to her only man but was deserted by him and was crying...

" and eventually sold over 4.53 million copies, becoming the best-selling song in Japan. This record was certified by Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...

. Despite the success, the company paid Shimon only 50,000 yen (approximately 170 dollars given the exchange rate at the time) as a guarantee. The single was re-released as a CD single that came with an anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

DVD by Pony Canyon in 2008.