Uchikubi Gokumon Doukoukai -- I wish I could speak English

 

I met my student online last night for the first time in a month. Over the past few weeks, he'd been very busy as not only a university professor in Tokyo but also as the head of a group of students visiting the state of Washington in the United States for a two-week exchange between their university and their American equivalent. By all accounts, the trip was a successful one.

However, my student and longtime friend also admitted that he had been a little worried about the students' English proficiency although they had been taking some lessons before going over. That makes a great segue for me to proudly introduce the rock band Uchikubi Gokumon Doukoukai（打首獄門同好会）or GOKUMON for short. Their name translates directly to Friendship Society for Beheading and Sticking the Head Onto a Pike In Front of the Prison. Charming. So I gather that the three band members don't lose their heads over losing their heads.😃

Anyways, the three current members are vocalist/guitarist Atsushi Osawa（大澤敦史）, bassist/vocalist Junko and drummer/vocalist Asuka Kawamoto（河本あす香）. They've been together since 2004 and they're proud of pioneering a certain genre of rock known as Life-Immersed Loud Rock according to their website. They've also got a sense of humour as well after I watched the colourful music video for their latest single which was released at the end of February, "I wish I could speak English". In their Loud Rock, Osawa reflects what every Japanese company man fears when told to go on that international business trip, and that had been the case with my student years ago. But hopefully, Osawa has gained or will gain the confidence and fluency needed to communicate with GOKUMON's fans overseas.