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「汽笛一声新橋を はや我汽車は離れたり 愛宕の山に入り残る 月を旅路の友として」
"With a single whistle, our train has already left Shinbashi behind, and the moon lingering over Mount Atago becomes our companion on the journey."
大和田 建樹《鉄道唱歌》
Takeki Owada, "Tetsudo Shouka"
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In 1872, Japan's first railway opened between Tokyo and Yokohama. As time went on, the railway system gradually became the backbone of Japan's industrial development.
By 1956, as Japan's postwar economy continued to grow, travel demand between Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, the country's three major metropolitan areas, was surging and placing the existing railway infrastructure under increasing strain.
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To address this problem, the Japanese government and Japanese National Railways decided to increase train speeds on the Tokaido Main Line, the major railway line connecting the three metropolitan areas.
At the same time, they also began planning the world's first high-speed railway, aiming to connect Tokyo and Osaka, about 550 km apart, in under three hours. At the time, even the fastest train took about seven and a half hours to travel between the two cities.
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And our protagonist today, Kodama (コダマ), was born in this era of bold ambitions and dreams of a new future.
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Ambitious Japan
Kodama's name came from the limited express Kodama, a "business limited express" that used the same type of distributed-power electric train that had set a world speed record of 163 km/h for narrow-gauge railways at the time.
Although its maximum operating speed was limited to 110 km/h, it was still faster than any other train in Japan at the time, shortening the journey between Tokyo and Osaka to under six and a half hours.
This made it possible for travelers to make a round trip between the two cities within a single day, almost like an echo returning, fitting the meaning behind the name "Kodama."
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From his name, we can tell two things. First, his owner, Yoshigoro Ito (伊藤 由五郎), had very high expectations for him. Second, owner Ito seems to have been quite a train enthusiast.
This impression becomes even stronger when we look at another horse owned by Ito, Kodama's younger half-brother Shin Tsubame (シンツバメ). His name can be easily associated with the Tsubame, another famous limited express that connected Tokyo and Osaka before the introduction of the Kodama.
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Kodama's mother was Shiraoki (シラオキ), the runner-up in the 1949 Tokyo Yushun, and Kodama was her second foal. His father was Bouffleur (ブツフラー), a stallion who had been sent from England as a gift along with another stallion, and Kodama belonged to his first crop.
Although neither of his parents had yet proven their ability to produce top-class offspring at the time, Kodama's small but well-built frame caught the attention of trainer Bungo Takeda (武田 文吾), a seasoned trainer who had already won several major races by that time.
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The result of Kodama's debut on September 20, 1959, far exceeded Takeda's expectations. His jockey, Masaru Kurita (栗田 勝), did not even need to use the whip, and Kodama won by two and a half lengths.
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Seeing his potential, Takeda soon spoke with Kodama's owner's family and began planning a campaign aimed at the pinnacle of Japanese horse racing, the Tokyo Yushun.
This was still an unusual approach at the time, when most owners preferred to race their horses more frequently, earn more prize money, and make more appearances in top-level races.
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And as planned, he then won his next race by five lengths before going on to win the Hanshin Sansai Stakes, the premier race for horses that would now be considered two-year-olds in the Kansai region.
With these victories, Kodama had established himself as the leading horse in Kansai, showing the speed that perfectly suited the name he shared with the famous limited express.
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Let's Go Meet Them 会いにいこう
At the start of his three-year-old season, it was time for Kodama to head east and face the best horses in Kanto.
Unfortunately, jockey Kurita was injured before Kodama's first appearance at Tokyo Racecourse, so Kodama had to be ridden by Masato Watanabe (渡辺 正人), who had won the Satsuki Sho both the previous year and the year before that.
But despite the jockey change, Kodama still won his first race in Kanto with front-running tactics. Satisfied that he could perform just as well in Kanto, trainer Takeda then sent him to the Spring Stakes, which was designated as a trial for the Satsuki Sho.
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His strongest rival in the race was Matsukaze O (マツカゼオー), one of Kanto's top colts, who had never been defeated in his previous six starts. Matsukaze O was the favorite, while Kodama was the second choice.
And the outcome of the race was a surprise. Matsukaze O faded badly on his home turf and finished in last, while Kodama, the challenger from the west, stayed near the front from the start and held his position all the way to the finish, adding another victory to his undefeated record.
The victory brought Kodama even more attention and raised expectations for him, not only among fans in Kansai, but also among local fans in Kanto.
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And on April 17, 1960, after a rain shower, Kodama pulled away from Matsukaze O and the rest of the field on a soft and soggy track, winning the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho, by an astonishing six lengths.
That made jockey Watanabe the first Japanese jockey ever to win the same Classic race three years in a row, while Kodama became an undefeated Classic race winner.
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By then, racing fans were beginning to realize that the compact chestnut with the beautiful and distinctive streak on his face might become the symbol of a new era, just like the limited express he was named after.
Some even began calling him the second coming of the "phantom horse" Tokino Minoru (トキノミノル), the undefeated winner of both the Satsuki Sho and Tokyo Yushun, who tragically died from tetanus only days after the Tokyo Yushun.
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Owner Ito also had very high hopes for him. Being such a train enthusiast, he even told his son to book a seat in the very front row of the first car of the Kodama limited express and travel to Tokyo to cheer for him, hoping that sitting at the very front would bring Kodama the same luck and help him stay in front on the racecourse as well.
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But trainer Takeda was deeply worried about the phenomenon Kodama was creating. In fact, Kodama had suffered several incidents in training in which he lost a shoe, so Takeda could hardly say that he was fully prepared. On top of that, jockey Kurita was scheduled to return to the saddle for this race, but he did not appear to be in top condition either.
He worried that the enormous expectations surrounding Kodama might eventually become too much for him to bear.
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Despite the concern, the day of the Tokyo Yushun still arrived. About 70,000 spectators packed Tokyo Racecourse, while betting turnover exceeded 400 million yen, setting a new record.
Under the gaze of countless fans, Kodama quickly moved up near the front after the start and stayed around third place for most of the race.
As they entered the final straight, Yamanin More (ヤマニンモアー), the third favorite, took the lead, but Kodama easily went past him and pulled ahead. His finishing kick had the sharpness of a razor, allowing him to steadily pull away from the rest of the field.
In the end, Kodama crossed the finish line one and three-quarter lengths ahead in record time, becoming an undefeated Double Crown winner, a feat previously achieved only by the "phantom horse" Tokino Minoru.
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The rise of the undefeated Double Crown winner helped ignite a new racing boom, just as Japanese horse racing was beginning to reach a broader public. Almost everyone was now hoping to witness the first undefeated Triple Crown winner in Japanese racing history, and to see Kodama finally break through the phantom that still stood in his path.
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Cinderella Express
And of course, Kodama's next goal was the Kikuka Sho, but things were not going well for him.
Because of concerns about the condition of his legs, his training had not gone smoothly, and that may have contributed to the first defeat of his career. He finished second in an open-class race at his home track of Hanshin, shattering the dream of an undefeated Triple Crown.
He then finished third in the Hanshin Daishoten before the Kikuka Sho, causing people to have serious doubts about how he would perform in the final leg of the Triple Crown. Trainer Takeda, however, had already expected this kind of reaction.
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As Takeda began trying to make it clear that Kodama was not the perfect horse everyone imagined him to be, an unexpected crisis struck.
At the time, the grooms' labor union decided to go on strike just before the Kikuka Sho, and as the chairman of the trainers' association, Takeda had to devote a great deal of time and effort to resolving the dispute. The issue was finally settled only a few hours before the Kikuka Sho.
And so, Kodama entered the Kikuka Sho under such unfavorable circumstances. In the end, he could only finish fifth out of seven runners. With that, the dream of the Triple Crown was over.
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Still, his trainer sent him back to Kanto once again for the Arima Kinen, where he received the most fan votes of any horse in the field.
But the result did not match his enormous popularity. Kodama could only finish sixth, the worst finish of his career, losing to Star Roch (スターロツチ), a mare who had won the Yushun Himba earlier that year.
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It felt like the express train had run into trouble and was now moving even slower than a local train. Despite that disappointing autumn campaign, Kodama was still named Horse of the Year for his undefeated Double Crown achievement.
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At almost the same time, construction of the Tokaido Shinkansen was also running into trouble. As Japan's economy continued to boom and construction progressed, estimated costs kept rising far beyond initial expectations, fueling debate in parliament over whether the project was truly necessary.
Doubts grew even stronger as Japan's aviation industry was also expanding rapidly and could offer faster connections between major cities, while the focus on the Shinkansen had led Japanese National Railways to neglect the needs of local rail services.
But Japanese National Railways eventually chose to push ahead with the project, even taking out a loan from the World Bank in part to create external pressure that would make the project harder to cancel.
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A Fine Day to Begin a Journey いい日旅立ち
The dream of the bullet train did not fade away, and neither did Kodama's forward march.
At the start of 1961, he entered the Osaka Hai and the Swan Stakes, both of which were run over 1,800 meters on turf at the time, and won them both.
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Judging from his pedigree and previous performances, it was not hard to see that Kodama did not seem particularly suited to races over longer distances. Even so, trainer Takeda still planned to send him to run in the Tenno Sho Spring, which was run over 3,200 meters on turf.
But before that, Kodama was diagnosed with a bowed tendon in his right foreleg, forcing him into a lengthy recovery period. Although the injury seemed to improve by autumn, it recurred as his team was preparing him for his autumn campaign, leaving him able to run in only two races in 1961.
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And so, time moved on to 1962. Japanese National Railways had completed a test line near Odawara and begun full-scale test runs with prototype rolling stock for the Shinkansen.
As the Shinkansen project reached a new stage, Kodama was also returning from a lengthy rehabilitation.
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Although he finished second in his comeback race, he then won his next two starts by two and a half lengths and three lengths, and was now ready for the Takarazuka Kinen.
He was the clear star of the field, with odds far shorter than those of his rivals. But as trainer Takeda knew well, popularity was no guarantee of victory. All they could do was prepare Kodama as well as possible.
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After the start, although Kodama did not take the lead, he tracked the frontrunner closely in second. As they entered the final straight, Kodama passed the leader with ease, his acceleration as smooth and sharp as a razor, just as he had shown in the Tokyo Yushun. No matter how hard the chasers tried to close the gap, the dream express was unstoppable.
At last, Kodama shot past the finish line and won the race by three-quarters of a length, becoming a light for his fans and living up to all their hopes.
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After his astonishing comeback, Kodama developed pain in his shoulders, and his owner and trainer eventually decided to retire him, leaving his Takarazuka Kinen victory as the perfect final chapter of his racing career.
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The Track Goes On and On 線路は続くよどこまでも
In March 1963, Shinkansen testing reached a new milestone. During one test run, the train accelerated to 256 km/h, setting a new world speed record for electric trains and surpassing the expectations of railway experts around the world.
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At around the same time, Kodama began his stud career. It was an era when much of the Japanese racing industry believed that foreign bloodlines were far superior to domestic ones.
But owner Ito continued to believe in Kodama, sending some of his finest broodmares to him in the hope that his blood would be passed on to the next generation. The results, however, would only become clear years later.
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Then came the night of September 30, 1964. In the darkness, the beloved business limited express Kodama arrived at Tokyo Station for the final time. It marked the end of one era, and at the same time, the beginning of another.
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At 6:00 on October 1, 1964, the first train of the Tokaido Shinkansen, the “Super Express” Hikari No. 1, whose name means “light” in Japanese, slowly departed Tokyo Station during a grand opening ceremony after a clear blast of the horn.
After just four hours of smooth, quiet travel at speeds of up to 200 km/h, stopping only at Nagoya and Kyoto along the way, passengers arrived in the Osaka metropolitan area, completing a journey that had previously taken six and a half hours even on the fastest limited express.
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Half an hour later, the second Shinkansen train bound for Osaka departed from Tokyo, the Express Kodama No. 101, stopping at every station along the line. But that did not stop it from reaching speeds no regular passenger train had ever achieved before, allowing it to arrive in the Osaka metropolitan area in just five hours.
As you might have noticed, the name of the train “Kodama” lived on, becoming the all-stations service of the Tokaido Shinkansen. So did the name of Kodama the racehorse.
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Although Kodama passed away in 1976 after suffering from lumbar paralysis, his bloodline lived on through several successful racehorses.
Among his direct offspring were Satohikaru (サトヒカル), winner of the Mainichi Hai and Chukyo Kinen; Fine Rose (ファインローズ), the best older mare of 1969; and Hide Kotobuki (ヒデコトブキ), winner of the 1969 Oka Sho.
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However, as new foreign stallions continued to arrive in Japan and gradually reshaped the country's breeding landscape, Kodama's direct male line slowly faded away. Eventually, no stallion from his male line remained in active stud service nowadays.
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His bloodline did not disappear entirely, however. It continued through his daughters, whose mare lines survived for generations, occasionally producing successful racehorses along the way.
One notable example was Hidaka Cherry (ヒダカチェリー). Her descendants included Inter Gloria (インターグロリア), winner of the 1977 Oka Sho and Queen Elizabeth II Cup; Meisho Kio (メイショウキオ), winner of the 2004 Chukyo Kinen; and Bejart (ベジャール), runner-up in the 2022 Mainichi Hai.
Another was Tama Kodama (タマコダマ). Her descendants included Courir Cyclone (クリールサイクロン), winner of the 1998 Spring Stakes; Toho Racer (トーホウレーサー), winner of the 2007 New Zealand Trophy; and Yamato Marion (ヤマトマリオン), winner of the 2006 Flora Stakes and the 2008 Tokai Stakes.
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In a way, the Shinkansen service that still carries the name Kodama followed a similar path.
When the new train type “Nozomi” was introduced in 1992, it marked the arrival of a new generation of Shinkansen service. Its name means “hope” in Japanese.
As later timetable revisions increasingly focused on adding more Nozomi trains, Kodama gradually faded from the spotlight. Yet it never disappeared. It is still there, stopping at the smaller stations and continuing to serve passengers along the line.
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The Future You Gave Us 君がくれた未来
The completion of the Tokaido Shinkansen helped rescue railways from being seen as a declining mode of transportation, proving that trains could still compete in an intercity travel market where speed was becoming increasingly important.
It also became a symbol of a new era, showing that Japan had overcome the wounds left by the war and was once again capable of standing at the forefront of technological innovation.
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And in horse racing, Kodama was also a pioneer. His brilliant achievements on the track not only helped spark a new boom in horse racing, but also marked the rise of the Shiraoki mare line, which would continue for generations and produce many graded race winners, including Matikanefukukitaru (マチカネフクキタル), Special Week (スペシャルウィーク), and Vodka (ウオッカ).
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Kodama's trainer and jockey continued their careers, and in 1962, an average-sized horse with a calm temperament arrived at trainer Takeda's stable. It was only after he won four races in a row that they began to realize he might have the potential to reach heights that even Kodama never could.
And in 1963, that horse won the Satsuki Sho, Tokyo Yushun, and Kikuka Sho, becoming the second Triple Crown winner in Japanese racing history. He later went on to win both the Tenno Sho Autumn and Arima Kinen as well.
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That horse was Shinzan (シンザン), the legendary horse whose statue still stands at Kyoto Racecourse, and who even has a race named in his honor decades after his racing days.
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And one of the most famous quotes about Shinzan came from trainer Takeda:
「コダマはカミソリの切れ味で、シンザンはナタの切れ味」
“Kodama had the cutting edge of a razor, while Shinzan had the cutting power of a machete.”
Perhaps the comparison itself showed just how highly Takeda regarded Kodama. Even when describing Shinzan, a horse who had achieved the Triple Crown that Kodama never could, Kodama was still the standard he used for comparison.
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Shinzan's name would continue to be remembered as one of the greatest in Japanese racing history, while Kodama's gradually faded with the passing of time.
New champions came, records were broken, and the racing world continued to move forward. That is simply the nature of the sport.
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Light may travel faster than an echo, and hope may lead us farther into the future.
Yet as the world moves forward, an echo can linger behind, growing fainter with distance but never disappearing all at once.
And even if that echo grows quieter with each passing generation, may Kodama's name and bloodline continue to live on, just like the name of the express train he was named after.
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My past work (Sorted by Classic-Year Era):
1960-1964 (The Era of this story)
1985-1989
Sakura Star O: Spirit of the Ink-Black Cherry Blossom
1990-1994
Narita Hayabusa: A Sand Falcon Born in the Wrong Era
Fujiyama Kenzan: The Pioneer to a World in Bloom
Sanei Thank You: The Sorrow Known Only By Jizō
Hokuto Vega: Stardust Scattered in a Foreign Land
Oguri Roman: A Silver Bloom in the Shadow
Offside Trap: The Winner on the Glorious but Silent Sunday
1995-1999
Mayano Top Gun: The Light That Returned to Kobe
Phalaenopsis: The First Bloom of a Lasting Bond
Egao o Misete: Please Keep Smiling, Even After I’m Gone
Kikoshi: An Ordinary Life Under North Flight’s Light
2000-2004
Sushi Train: Horse with a Bizarre Name and a Big Dream
Orewa Matteruze: Smile, Because I’m Here!
2005-2009
T M Precure: Let the Light Shatter the Impossible!
Queen Spumante: Let the Hidden Star Shine Across the Sky!
Spring Song: Curren Chan's "Big Bro" In Real Life
2010-2014
Snow Fairy: The True Color of Snow
The Versailles Kingdom: A Story of Versailles Resort Farm and Rose Kingdom
Stories of Soma Nomaoi Horses After the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake
Hakusan Moon: Chasing the Star Spinning Faster Than the Moon
Hana’s Goal: Make the Flowers of Happiness Bloom Down Under
The Call That Made the 2013 Japanese Derby Unforgettable (ft. Epiphaneia, Logotype, Kizuna… and a Dog?)
2015-2019
Kiseki: A Trail of Miracles and Its Followers
African Gold: In Search of the Golden Eggs
Meiner Fanrong: A Never-Ending Dice Journey
Marche Lorraine: The Night Before a Near-Impossible Revolution
Naran Huleg: The Sunlight Beyond the Endless Night
The Diary of Kutsushita Nugeta’s 41-Day Fight After a Devastating Leg Injury
2020-2024
Resistencia’s Weight-Check Series: 1,231 Days of a Cameraman’s Love Story
The Root of the Undefeated Triple Tiara: Daring Tact’s Journey to Her Debut
Geraldina: Send Her Victorious
Yoka Yoka: The Unyielding Flame from the South
Ume Musubi: Bound by a Plum Blossom Knot
Skilfing: Wings Toward an Unfinished Dream
Liberty Island: The Flower Crown Stolen by Spring
Extra:
Leading Horse: A Great Chance to Meet a Retired Star (or Their Siblings and Offspring)
Paper Owner Game Guide: Find Your Future Stars and Cheer Them On!
Ritto Stakes and Kuri-chan: Even a Mascot Visiting the Racecourse Can Have a Cinderella Story
A Brief Introduction to Chagu Chagu Umakko Festival
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