TEPPARE-TAI

**TEPPARE-TAI** is a unit under LATCH! consisting of Tetsumichi Udaka, Wataru Minato, and Hayate Kita. They debuted with the song SUNRISE!!.

## Background

Tetsumichi, who had been constantly pressured into joining LATCH! by the people around him but kept refusing, finally accepted when the legendary Rion Shoji invited him to join. Wataru and Hayate inherited their positions in LATCH! around the same time as well, and the three were teamed together.

At first they were seen as somewhat of an eccentric unit with a noticeable age difference, but thanks to Wataru's careful follow-up the formation came to be without leaving even the youngest Hayate behind. With each being passionate about their favorite things, they hit it off with their shared attitude of working hard and playing even harder. They have since gained a fanbase that is attracted to the mutual respect regardless of age or position.

## Etymology

The name **TEPPARE-TAI** means *"steel, iron, rail(way)"* (鉄), *"sunny, clear weather"* (晴れ), and *"group, party, team"* (隊).

An English translation would be something akin to *"Sunny Steel Squad"*.

 "Ahh~, that was a nice exhibition!"
 "The special exhibition part was good as well. It's been a long time since I've gone through one so thoroughly."
 "Same here. To think that the three of us could come see it like this... Udaka-san, thank you for inviting us here today!"
 "Thank you very much~!"
 "No, I should be thanking the two of you for taking your time off. Look, we have to come up with a name for our unit, don't we? I figured we could find good hints this way."
 "You're right! I was just focused on enjoying the exhibition."
 "No matter how many times I see the remains of the old station building's cornerstone, it always fills my pecs with strength!"
 "Does it make your chest feel all tight?"
 "Yes!!!"
 "Heh, I like Kita-kun's enthusiasm."
 "Udaka-san, don't you feel the same way too when you come here?"
 "Of course. The Shimbashi station opened in 1873, right? To this day, even though they are sometimes tossed by the tides of the times, railways have continued to be a part of people's lives. Thinking about that warms my heart."
 "...Udaka-san."
 "What is it?"
 "Kita-kun."
 "Yes?"
 "Why don't we include something related to railways in our unit name?"
 "That's a good idea. Personally, I like the word itself... But if we include it as is, it wouldn't sound very idol-like, would it?"
 "Um...! I actually wrote down some candidates for the unit name at the exhibition! We could start from there, if you don't mind!"
 "So that's what you were so focused on writing down before."
 "Kita-kun, tell us, tell us~!"
 "Yes!"

 "Alright... I'll read them out loud."
**Tetsumichi** &  "Okay."
 "The first one. *Shisakanko-tai.*"
 "I like it!"
 "The second one. *Tetsubun zenkai-gumi.*"
 "That sounds like something you'd come up with, Kita-kun."
 "The third one. *Muscle Burning Alright!!!!*"
 "Very muscular all of a sudden!"
 "So, what do you think...?"
 "I like *Shisakanko-tai*, but *Muscle Burning Alright* also sounds fun. It has a cheerful feeling to it."
 "Thank you very much!!"
 "I think I like *Tetsubun zenkai-gumi!* Maybe we could have something to do with railways plus *-tai* or *-gumi?*"
 "Certainly... It might be more like us if it wasn't written in a western style."
 "Yes, Japanese names are easier for older people to remember as well."
 "Then... Obviously we should have the kanji for 'steel' in it, right?"
 "That would be great. It's a kanji that really embodies us, so it's crucial."
 "Yes!"
 "And then... Hmm..."
 "It seems that walking activates the brain for thinking! How about it? Why don't we try walking back to the Zero Mile Post?"
 "Oh, do you want to see it again? Didn't have your fill yet?"
 "The weather is nice, so let's take a stroll and think."
**Wataru** &  "Yes!"

 "A unit name with the word 'steel' in it..."
 "I think it's going to be something like *Tetsu* something-something *gumi.*"
 "Something-something?"
 "Yeah, I'm thinking what word should come after the first one."
 "What would be good, indeed..."
 "Something like 'love' or 'happiness'... A word with a positive meaning, right?"
 "That's right."

 "Ah, it sure is fine! The double-headed wrought-iron rail and the Zero Mile sign... It just revitalizes every single muscle in your body every time you see it!"
 "Mm-hmm. You can feel the romance of history~"
 "I talked about it a little while ago, but with the development of railways, the world has undergone a big change. Not only has it become easier to move around, but it has also become possible to transport things that are essential to our lives farther and faster."
 "I know, right? It's easy to say that it's "essential to our lives", but somehow, railways... I can't really put it into words, but there's something that draws me to them from the bottom of my heart."
 "You can go see the people who are separated from you, and you can all go out together!"
 "Oh yeah~! That's really great!"
 "I may be lumping life and railways into one, but I always feel positive when I think of long stretches of tracks and cars running on them. That's why I'm working hard every day and doing LATCH! activities as well, thinking that it would be nice if I could bring a little sunshine to the passengers' hearts."
**Wataru** &  "Udaka-san..."
 "Ahaha, I'm rambling, aren't I?"
 "Not at all! I could listen to you talk forever!"
 "Is that so? I'm glad."

 "Railways... Everyone... Sunshine..."

 "Kita-kun?"
 "What's the matter?"
 "I have an idea! For the unit name!!"

 "How about *Teppare-tai!?*"
 &  "*Teppare-tai?*"
 "That's right! Like Udaka-san just said, *bringing sunshine to everyone's hearts through railways!*"
 "Eh, wait, what? Isn't that brilliant???"
 "Yeah. I think it's great as well. Let's go with this."
 "Yes! From today onwards, we're *Teppare-tai!!*"

 "Alright, let's take a photo to commemorate the unit name!"
 "Yeah, let's do that!"
 "Can you send it to me later, Minato-kun? I want to upload it to my social media."
 "Of course! Well, here we go~!"
**All:** "Teppare-tai~!"

1. ↑ The site of the original Shimbashi station now houses a railway history exhibit
2. ↑ Literally *"Team Pointing and Calling"*. *Shisakanko* (指差喚呼), pointing and calling, is an occupational safety method that's common on Japanese railways
3. ↑ Literally *"Team Full Power Iron"*
4. ↑ Both suffixes that mean *"group, party, team"*
5. ↑ *"Iron"* and *"steel"* are both written with the same kanji (鉄, *tetsu*). Furthermore, it is also used in *"railway"* (鉄道, *tetsudou*, lit. *steel road*)
6. ↑ A distance marker that was driven into the site of the former Shimbashi Station as a starting point during the construction of the railway
7. ↑ So, Teppare-tai (鉄晴隊) comes from *"iron, steel, rail(way)"* (鉄, *tetsu*), *"bright, sunny"* (晴れ, *hare*), and *"group, party, team"* (隊, *tai*)

## Songs

*All STATION IDOL LATCH! songs can be found here.*

TEPPARE-TAI's first song is "SUNRISE!!", included on the EP STATION IDOL LATCH! 02.

Tracks:

1. Salt & Sugar
2. **SUNRISE!!**
3. Regret

Release Date: September 8, 2021

TEPPARE-TAI's first single is "PEACE!!".

Tracks:

1. PEACE!!

Release Date: September 14, 2022

## Trivia

* Out of all the units, TEPPARE-TAI has the biggest age gap between its members: 33 years between Hayate (25) and Tetsumichi (58).