Maiko Kozakura -- Kokorogawa（こころ川）

 

Well, I've heard the variations on the aidoru: baradoru (young TV personalities or aidoru who often appear on Japanese variety shows), mamadoru (aidoru or female celebs who have become mothers) and gravia aidoru (pin-up girls). Perhaps I missed out on the memo, but for the first time, I've read the term endoru. Endoru（エンドル）refers to those young women who become professional enka singers; they may have made the transition from a conventional aidoru group such as Misaki Iwasa（岩佐美咲）, formerly of AKB48, or Sanae Jounouchi（城之内早苗）who was once a member of Onyanko Club（おニャン子クラブ）, or they may have simply gone straight into enka but have been called endoru because of their young age. According to J-Wiki, the term was first coined sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

Maiko Kozakura（小桜舞子）, who was born Naomi Tanaka（田中直美）of Kanagawa Prefecture, was also given that label when she first premiered in 2001 just on the cusp of turning 23. I've had this particular song of hers, "Kokorogawa" (River of the Heart), in the backlog for some time, but I think I found out about her 9th single from July 2010 through an episode of "Uta Kon"（うたコン）last year.

Written by Toshiya Niitani（仁井谷俊也）and composed by Tensho Nakamura（中村典正）, "Kokorogawa" is the quintessential enka tune with the koto and the strings but I have to say that it's Kozakura's pure and clear voice that makes the song. As she sings about her relationship with life as represented by the river, there's just something very light and elegant and refreshingly old-fashioned about listening to "Kokorogawa". Plus, we're entering spring so it's quite timely putting it on right now. The single was able to get as high as No. 41 on Oricon.