Visiting Bin Uehara (上原敏に会いに行く）

ビンさん、約束の通りに会いに来ましたよ。

This will be a long Bin san appreciation post, so buckle up, folks.

For my summer vacation mini trip, I'd decided to head up to Akita. This part of Tohoku wasn't high on my list of go-to places - I'd actually wanted to go to the neighbouring Aomori. But cementing my decision to visit the prefecture rich with cultural heritage this summer was none other than Bin Uehara (上原敏). Bin san's memorial plaque in Odate city was a spot I knew I had to visit some time, but having done projects on him and his death anniversary coming up, I felt like the time was now. And so, up north I went in late July.

But before we get into that, I don't think I've given Bin san a proper intro on KKP, so I'll do so here for some background info on the bespectacled singer. This intro is brought to you by the following: Kiyomaro Kikuchi's (菊池清麿) "Showa Enka no Rekishi", Masato Mori (毛利眞人) and Yuki Kobari (小針侑起) from the album liner notes in "Oya Koi Dochu Uehara Bin 1936-1943", the introduction in Odate Museum, and the J-Wiki : 

From the Odate Museum.

Uehara was born as Rikiji Matsumoto (松本力次) on 26th August 1908 in Odate city, Akita. He learned the violin from a young age and honed his singing skills from music teacher Aira Owada (大和田愛羅) when he moved to Tokyo to attend Senshu University. He didn't pursue music despite his love for it and joined the sales department of Wakamoto Pharmaceuticals in 1934 after he graduated. But opportunity to enter the world of kayo came a knocking when Polydor Records' Jugo Chichibu (秩父重剛) scouted Matsumoto at a baseball game between both companies' teams. Considering his love for baseball, the fact that Matsumoto got his dream career via his favourite sport was quite the amusing coincidence. He made his debut as Bin Uehara (combination of author Bin Ueda (上田敏) and actor Ken Uehara (上原謙)) in July 1936 with "Tsukimi Odori" (月見踊り), an ondo duet with geisha singer Kiyoko Shinbashi (新橋喜代子). Following which came smash hits starting with "Tsuma Koi Dochu" (妻恋道中), "Ruten" (流転), and "Uramachi Jinsei" (裏町人生), and he was loved for his sentimental tenor with a rustic, minyo flavour. He was described as a serious but earnest individual - my impression is that he seemed rather... square, but by no means is that bad at all.

"Tsuma Koi Dochu"

Despite his success, by the early 40s, he intended to throw in the towel and start a ranch in Chiba with his wife when he realised that the harsh recording and performing schedule was taking a toll on his health and voice, and that his popularity was declining in light of the war. Unfortunately, the ranch plan never came to pass as he was drafted into the infantry in 1943 (possibly by mistake) and shipped off to Papua New Guinea, where he never returned. Some say malaria got him, some say an air raid. Maybe both. I was reading about this in visceral detail via Kikuchi's fantastic summary just to make sure I was leaving no stone unturned for my paper and presentation. At 7am. Needless to say, reading about one's favourite singer's tragic end on the morning rush hour train is not advisable. 

Oh, Bin san, you poor thing (;-;).

Odate from Keijo Park

Despite his short life and career, Uehara's legacy lives on, albeit on a much smaller scale despite (still) being overshadowed by fellow Akita native and Polydor Records senior, the great, still-like-a-lamp-post Taro Shoji (東海林太郎). His hits have become enka-kayo standards today, and a plaque was erected in his memory in his hometown in 1976. The monument stands in the historical Keijo Park which overlooks the town. Not only does it relate Bin san's life and achievements, but it also serves as the "Tsuma Koi Dochu" music plaque. Bin san doesn't have a grave stone (as far as I know), so this plaque seems to serve as a stand-in. It's where Uehara fans regularly gather to pay their respects to the singer on the morning of his death anniversary on 29th July in the annual Ruten Ki (流転忌... Ruten Memorial... I'm not too sure on the last kanji's pronunciation), among many other tribute activities, according to Yuta Inoue's (井上裕太) findings. If you can read Japanese, Inoue did articles detailing memorial activities and sites dedicated to various musicians including Bin san - interesting stuff. 

On an even smaller scale, I reckon there are also folks like me trying to showcase Uehara and his works through other outlets. In my case, while I'm still stumbling around with my work, I wanted to show that Uehara was a significant figure in the world of kayo and worth remembering; he wasn't just "Shoji Taro No.2". It was part of the reason why I chose him as the center of my past couple of music-related school projects. I toiled over them, especially my recent one, and I don't know if they really amounted to much (besides grades I can acknowledge), but I guess I just wanted to make Bin san proud some how.

"Ruten"

Anyways, on the note of Inoue, I believe he was the same person whose tweet I saw on the Twitter (...*sigh* X) grapevine about the Ruten Ki when I was planning my pilgrimage. That made me determined to travel all the way to Odate on 29th July. I was curious and wanted to know what the current Bin san fan demographic was like. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch the memorial as it was held at 9am - my train to Odate was at 9.44am from Akita city at the earliest, and it was a 1 hour 45 minute ride (one way) plus a 15 minute bus ride to the park. Slightly regrettable, but I made it to Odate at around noon nonetheless. 

Odate (大館市), north of Akita city, is by no means miniscule. It's also the home of the world renowned Akita Inu and Japan's best tasting poultry, the Hinai chicken. There were some tourists, local and foreign. Yet, like most countryside towns in the mountains I've been to, barely anyone roamed the streets. Perhaps the unseasonably high temperatures (still better than Tokyo and Saitama) had most taking refuge indoors. Keijo Park, the site of the Odate castle ruins, was also mostly empty save for a a grand total of 2 people sitting in the shade and a group of teens taking school group photos. It was quiet. But I appreciated the quaint afternoon atmosphere.

"Hatoba Katagi"

For the occasion, I'd been listening to Bin san's stuff the whole journey there and had "Hatoba Katagi" (波止場気質) playing as I neared the park. This was the song that made me aware of his existence and the lyrics are some of the most bittersweet I've heard, especially with the singer's gentle yet forlorn delivery. It ended just as I stood before the plaque. I joked with my friends over a naan that I'll cry when I "see" him, but that clown statement *almost* became more than a statement. All the more so when I said, "Hi, Bin san. I've come to see you as promised." Oh, boy, that still gets me.

But this was why I was glad for the near empty park and for missing the Ruten Ki. I wanted quiet time to pay my respects to one of my beloved artists and tell him about how my projects on him fared. Doing so on his death anniversary only made it more impactful. As you would've seen in the previous pictures, I also brought my bromide along for the ride. Just because.

Here are some close-ups of the front with his introduction and the first stanza of "Tsuma Koi Dochu". The back was in the shade and harder to discern the carved words, but it detailed how he fell victim to the war. Apparently, folks will sing "Tsuma Koi Dochu" and "Ruten" during the Ruten Ki. I naturally went for "Hatoba Katagi" and "Shunkoden" (春香伝) first.

"Shunkoden"

After saying my piece, I went to do a little sight-seeing around town before my train back. Since I had bromide Bin san with me, I decided to do what the young'uns have been doing as of late: Oshi-katsu, which refers to doing activities revolving around your favourite artist or character. Technically, me visiting his memorial plaque is one such activity, but another includes taking photos of your favourite personality's acrylic stand, plushie, etc. against the backdrop of something. So, that's what I did. At the Akita Inu museum and the Ishida Rose Cafe. With Bin san's bromide... Look, it took me 500 years to get to the town and I planned the trip around this one specific day, so I wanted to be as extra as I could. This brand of oshi-katsu was a first for me, but I have a feeling it won't be the last because it was oddly... fun? (Not gonna lie, I feel slightly guilty for the extra special treatment I gave to Bin san compared to Hachi and Haru san... But my boi deserved it.) 

It was a fulfilling day, I'd say. Rather, it was cathartic. And I headed back to Akita with a feeling of accomplishment. Next, I intended to go check out Akita city's Taro Shoji museum. While he's not one of my favourites, I still respect him considerably and I figured it'd be good to have a look see. Or so I thought.

Remember Inoue? As expected, he gave an update on the earlier Ruten Ki on Twitter (I can't with X). But on the next day (30th), he added a tweet about a visit to the Odate Museum (大館郷土博物館)... which had some Bin san artefacts on display... To go, or not to go? That was my question. The 9.44am Odate-bound train had already left. Taro museum, then? But it felt like a crime to choose that over the one with some Uehara stuff on my Bin san tribute trip. It'll be a "Shoji Taro No.2" moment! The audacity. I could NEVER. 

So, I jumped on the 11.40am train back to Odate.

Thinking it'd save some time over taking the only bus that'll take me only half of the way there at the time, I decided to walk the 40 minutes there. It took me through the fields of the town and I got to appreciate what Akita's nature and farmlands. But I never felt more like a melting popsicle until then.

Mt. Ho-Oh (Hōō) in the back with a "大" (for Odate... 大館) carved into it.

Somehow, I made it to the museum without melting into a puddle and I found what I was looking for. Indeed, as per Inoue's tweet, there was only 1 record (an "Ore no Funanori" (俺は船乗り) record), Uehara's script from a movie he appeared in ("Yaji Kita Kaidan Dochu" (弥次喜多怪談道中)), and 2 bromides (1 signed). But I was happy nonetheless. You don't get to see Bin san artefacts every day.

Also, I always say that Bin san looked the most ordinary and plain out of my 5. Again, not to say that it's bad. He looked quite cute with that little grin and, somehow, it's that aforementioned serious nature and simple charm that makes him... like an adorable guinea pig to me. Particularly a brown, short-haired one that looks like a potato. But that tuxedo shot was uncharacteristically spicy. Marubell, please, just print this one. I only ask for just this one. Please.

With Bin san pilgrimage II done, I checked out as much of the larger-than-expected museum as I could before my last bus (thank goodness there was one scheduled) back into town for my last train to Akita city. Besides the famous dog and chicken breeds, Odate is home of mage wappa, the art of bent woodwork. Basically the woodworker would take an extremely thin slice of wood and turn it into rounded objects, most notably bento boxes and buckets. It used to be a mining town as well, but one with quite a dark history. I shall not go into that here, but you can look up the "Hanaoka Incident" (花岡事件) if you're keen. It is grim and controversial, but I'm glad the town clearly noted what happened without any skewed viewpoints.

In the end, I didn't have the time for Shoji's museum, but I did check out his statue and memorial plaque near Senshu Park on my first day, so I may do a short Shoji piece featuring those. Next time, I'll make sure I have time to call on Shoji.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in Akita and learned a lot more about the northern prefecture than I thought I would've since this short summer vacation essentially turned into 200% Bin san oshi-katsu time. Even my Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎) and Haruo Minami (三波春夫) pilgrimages weren't to that extent - and I've been to both places twice! But I guess that was the idea...? I don't know. Perhaps it's because it's exceedingly rare to find anything on Bin san compared to the others due to his short life and the earlier time period in which he was active, so the fact that there were even some things was enough to make me happy. Perhaps it was also because his tragic end really tugged at my heartstrings. And perhaps because there was way more emotional significance attached to the trip. Either way, I'm glad that I could pay tribute and convey my message to him. And it was oddly fun to tour Odate and Akita city "with" him. I hope he'll be happy. And where ever he is, I hope he is at peace.

Nagasu namida wa koi janai

Honni (Bin san) no shiawase wo

Ureshii namida de inoru no sa

P.S. Inoue actually reached out and so graciously gave me a heads up on the Bin san memorial activities just recently. Turns out that the fan club heads to the local community center for a song fest after the Ruten Ki. That sounds like great fun. Maybe next summer...? I believe next year will be 80 years since Bin san's passing, so I wonder if there'll be special stuff planned... Ack, but next year is Hachi's centenary too!