Rutsuko Honda -- Kaze ga Hakobu Mono（風がはこぶもの）

 

I found this short and sweet folk song some weeks ago.

"Kaze ga Hakobu Mono", whose official English title is "Voice in the Wind", is folk singer Rutsuko Honda's（本田路津子）2nd single from February 1971. At only two-and-a-half minutes long, indeed it's short but it's also a very pleasant song performed with a pure voice by the Fukuoka-born Honda. I can just see her singing this under a summer tree with her guitar while a gentle breeze is flowing through the branches. Michio Yamagami（山上路夫）would provide the lyrics of sending her love through the wind while Susumu Sugawara（菅原進）from the folk duo Billy BanBan（ビリーバンバン）took care of the music.

I have to admit, though, considering that I have a passing interest in Japanese names, I was intrigued by Ms. Honda's first name. And according to her profile on J-Wiki, there is a reason behind what is considered to be a rather unusual given name for her. Both her parents were Christians (although in J-Wiki, it's pointed out that Honda herself didn't convert to Christianity until she got married) and so she was named after The Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible with some wrangling over the appropriate kanji to express the name.

Although at the time, a lot of folk fans (and presumably artists, too) were in thrall to Joan Baez, Honda actually admitted that she was more of an admirer of Judy Collins. Between 1970 and 1975, she would release 13 singles and 7 albums, and would appear on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen for the 1971 and 1972 shows (although not for this particular song). In 1975, she got married and would move to the United States, and after returning to Japan in 1988, Honda would become a gospel singer.