Kamifūsen (紙ふうせん, Paper Balloon) is a Japanese folk duo formed in 1974 by Etsujirō Gotō (後藤悦治郎, b. April 29, 1946) and Yasuyo Hirayama (平山泰代, b.
The artists were previously part of the Kansai folk group Akaitori (赤い鳥), which was known for its unique sound blending light rock with choral harmonies.
[3] Akaitori was discovered by producer Kunihiko Murai (村井邦彦) after winning the 1969 Yamaha Light Music Contest Grand Prix Award for "Takeda's Lullaby.
In September 1974, Gotō and Hirayama started Kamifūsen, continuing to perform "Tsubasa wo Kudasai", which became part of the standard choral repertoire in elementary schools.
[5] The song reached number 4 on the Oricon Singles Chart, with lyrics written by Gotō, and music composed by Tadashi Urano (浦野直).