Sayuri Ishikawa -- Kaze no Bon Koi Uta（風の盆恋歌）

In another half-hour, I'll be taking my seat to catch another episode of NHK's "Uta Con"（うたコン）once more. However, last week's episode included enka veteran Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）performing a single that I hadn't heard before.

Ishikawa is no stranger to dramatic enka, and this one is no different. "Kaze no Bon Koi Uta" (Love Song for the Bon Dance of the Wind) has that laconic rhythm for a more romantic enka but I think I've also picked up on some interesting chord changes within Kei Wakakusa's（若草恵）arrangement of Takashi Miki's（三木たかし）melody that really caught my ear. Plus throughout the song above, there is something that actually sounds like a sad muted trumpet...never heard that in an enka before; a Mood Kayo, yes, but not in an enka tune. Kinda too bad that the uploader cuts things abruptly right near the end.

Rei Nakanishi（なかにし礼）was responsible for the lyrics in this June 1989 single for Ishikawa, and he was inspired by author Osamu Takahashi's（高橋治）romance novel of the same title to provide the words. Takahashi's magnum opus not only was the source for Ishikawa's hit but also for a couple of TV dramas, a play and a manga. In turn, Takahashi based his "Kaze no Bon Koi Uta" on the Owara Kaze no Bon（おわら風の盆）festival that takes place annually in Toyama Prefecture. In fact, it would have taken place last week but with COVID-19, it was probably cancelled regrettably. As such, the song has been recognized as a go-touchi kayo or a song in tribute to a geographical region.

I think with the live performances, that sad trumpet has been replaced by some emotional strings. As mentioned above, Ishikawa had another hit with "Kaze no Bon Koi Uta" as it peaked at No. 22 and ended the year as the 85th-ranked single. It also won a few awards including Best Performance at the Japan Record Awards. Ishikawa has performed the song at least twice on the Kohaku Utagassen in 1989 and 1998.

Have a look at the actual festival itself brought to you by SORAiro.