Matsutoya wrote the lyrics after the death of a childhood friend who suffered from muscular dystrophy.
The lyrics about a "child who looked at the sky before death" resonate deeply with the character of Naoko, Jiro’s wife, who battles tuberculosis while supporting his dreams. Kaze Tachinu - Hikoukigumo
The song was not originally written for the film. It was the debut single of (then Yumi Arai), released in 1973 when she was just a high school student. Matsutoya wrote the lyrics after the death of