Once again, NHK's "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新・BS日本のうた）came to the rescue with another new enka discovery although the actual song is a few decades old.
Enka singer Ichiro Toba（鳥羽一郎）has been famous for his debut single and hit "Kyodai Bune"（兄弟船）from 1982, and I'm gathering that he may leave this mortal coil (not soon, I certainly hope) being known as the oceangoing enka master.
What he sang on that episode of "Shin BS Nihon no Uta" was another enka devoted to the sea, "Umi no Inori" (A Prayer for the Sea), which was his 8th single from May 1985. Created by the same duo behind "Kyodai Bune", lyricist Tetsuro Hoshino（星野哲郎）and composer Toru Funamura（船村徹）, you couldn't have another more manly-man enka than "Umi no Inori" with its blasting trumpet, tempestuous strings and gentle guitar representing the fickleness of the great blue. Just like "Kyodai Bune", there's very much of a man in his grand element...his home and mate for life is the great blue ocean.
I can somewhat comprehend why there are numerous songs that feature the sea or are about the sea in Japan. The sea surrounding Japan is not only beautiful but also mysterious, dangerous, and even protective of the country.
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