Ichiro Fujiyama & Roppa Furukawa in the Afternoon (藤山一郎と古川ロッパが生き返った午後)

Did you know that Ichiro Fujiyama splurged on fancy cars after being royally paid for his undercover part-time work at Colombia Records? I certainly didn't. But I got to know this and other wild shenanigans Mr. Fujiyama was up to back then at an event called "Utaeba Tengoku" some time ago.

Utaeba Tengoku was a record appreciation event that revolved around ryukoka's leading man Ichiro Fujiyama (藤山一郎) and comedic star Roppa Furukawa (古川ロッパ). Hosted by early Showa enthusiasts Tadaaki Kitakawa (北河忠昭) and Taira Ozawa (小沢たいら), records from their personal collection were played on a 97 year-old gramophone in a little cafe off the streets of Jimbocho. Facilitating the show was veteran emcee Yuichi Hayashida (林田雄一). 

Outside of karaoke recitals, I never knew there were public record appreciation and talk events that showcased enka and early Showa kayo until I found that community on Twitter. You can imagine my surprise when I saw the Utaeba Tengoku promos a few months back. Ryukoka being blasted in a public space among ryukoka fans? That's like a dream come true! BUT gone were the days of dive-in-head-first-think-later Noelle and I hesitated. After all, I'd only just begun to appreciate Mr. Fujiyama's works and I barely knew who Roppa was. I also knew next to nothing about the intricacies of SP records and gramophones, had no idea what an event like that would be like, and that's not to mention being daunted by the language barrier. But I figured that it'd be a good step-off point to try immersing myself in the community I knew existed but never knew where to find it. Plus, can't be bad to learn more about Mr. Fujiyama and Roppa, right? And so, with much internal and external convincing, I reserved my spot and headed for Jimbocho on the afternoon of September 17th.

I'd say that, in all, it turned out to be a great experience... Y'know, besides my brain blanking out at first and forgetting to do a self-introduction when the spiffily dressed hosts welcomed me into the cafe (Sorry, guys :')). That aside, the provided pamphlets were already quite something. There was the event's program, listing Fujiyama and Roppa's hits and hidden gems, then there was a reference materials booklet, filled with never-before-seen photos, news articles, and record lyric sheet scans from both artists. I think what floored me the most were the tables showcasing Mr. Fujiyama's record releases down to the minute detail. While I had seen event prep sneak-peeks over on Kitakawa's socials, I could not have imagined that it amounted to the said pamphlets in my hands. The amount of work put in was impressive.

"Utaeba Tengoku"

The main thing that puzzled me since seeing the poster was why this event revolved around Mr. Fujiyama and Roppa. Besides them being the respective favourites of Kitakawa and Ozawa, I couldn't see any connection between the singer and comedian. But, as it turns out, both artists crossed paths on multiple occasions: both were in the same record company (Victor) for a period of time and collaborated on various projects, from songs to films. One such collaboration included a song this very event was named after, "Utaeba Tengoku" (歌えば天国... Singing paradise) a light jazz ditty from 1941 that was sung with Akiko Futaba (二葉あき子) and was the theme song to the movie of the same name. 

As for the show itself, the best way I could describe the show is that it was part record show-and-tell, part lecture, part natsumelo TV program "Natsukashi no Utagoe" (なつかしの歌声) or "Osakabe-Takehei Showa no Utagoe" (刑部たけ平昭和の歌声) podcast episode. I reckon other events like Utaeba Tengoku are of a similar style, but it did make for a rather bizzare experience for me in a good way - three things I tune in to separately converging into one. So Mr. Fujiyama's and Roppa's tunes were played in alternating fashion and according to year of release, each preluded by a brief (sort of) introduction and anecdotes the hosts dug up from the various books and resources.  

"Oka wo Koete"

Hayashida's emceeing was the icing on top of the cake, his humour melting the ice and encouraging the nervous hosts. Occasionally, he even indulged us by rattling off the classic natsumelo program song intros to a few tunes. One such occasion was right at the beginning as "Oka wo Koete" (丘を越えて... Over the hill) blared from the gramophone and reverberated through the quaint, antique-filled cafe. This classic from 1931 is one of my favourites by Mr. Fujiyama, hearing it first with Hayashida's intro gave me that same feeling of excitement as when a tune you'd been hoping to hear starts playing on a TV program. Plus, it is the song to get the ball rolling for any program with its bright and chirpy melody. Considering this evergreen tune is an ode to the joys of youth, I felt that it aptly encapsulated the vibe of the event: 2 young folks eagerly sharing about the music and artists they love.

"Otoko no Junjo"

Many of the Mr. Fujiyama and Roppa anecdotes relayed were insane, but the most insane of them all (to me) was the former getting into a physical altercation with a taxi driver on the way to a music recording in 1936. When Fujiyama turned up at the studio, his head was covered in blood and he had to get patched up in the infirmary. What song was he to record at that time? "Otoko no Junjou" (男の純情... A man's pure heart/dedication) ... There is a twisted sense of irony in there and I'm here for it. That afternoon, my long-held impression that Mr. Fujiyama was the primmest and most proper singer out there flew out the window like my ability to follow social rules. 

"Sensuikan no Daidokoro"

Let's not forget Roppa. This comedy legend, on par with Eno-Ken, was loved for his slap-stick comedy just as much as his witty song parodies and showcased his hearty vocals in many a tune during his career. This event served as my gateway to Roppa's amusing discography that happens to be steeped in social commentary. The Roppa ditty I enjoyed quite a bit was "Sensuikan no Daidokoro" (潜水艦の台所... Submarine Kitchen Song) from 1944. Roppa singing with such gusto made what would likely have been a dank and dreary place with food barely passing as edible sound like a homey shokudo.

After close to three hours (this was with Hayashida speeding things up), the show came to a close. It began with one of the natsumelo intros, so it wouldn't be right to not end things off on one of the natsumelo outros: "Aoi Sanmyaku" (青い山脈... Blue Mountain Range). 

Oh - SS rare Mr. Fujiyama

"Aoi Sanmyaku"

Similar to our intro, "Aoi Sanmyaku" can be seen as an ode to youth, but it also spoke of forgetting the past and starting anew with everyone together, hand-in-hand. A very uplifting tune for its time and it seemed to have a firm position in the postwar collective consciousness as it was ranked 1st by viewer vote on NHK's "Showa no Uta Kokoro ni Nokoru Best 200 Kyoku" (昭和の歌 心に残るベスト200曲) back in 1989. Another feature of "Aoi Sanmyaku" and its role as the natsumelo program shime (ending) is that all the singers present have to be on stage and sing it chorus style. And so, to keep in tradition, we all sang "Aoi Sanmyaku" with Mr. Fujiyama and Mitsue Nara (奈良光枝).  A fitting way to end a ryukoka-filled afternoon. 

Overall, I enjoyed my time at Utaeba Tengoku and I think our young presenters and Hayashida put up a good show. I have to take my hat off to them. An event like this, though small in scale, helps to bring the spotlight on to a part of Showa era music that's quickly becoming sidelined in the current public and media discourse on "Showa Kayo" and "Showa Nostalgia." It's also admirable to have folks so passionate about what they love that they'd do extensive research and organize an event like this. I could never - wait a minute...

I also feel like I learned a lot not just about wild Fujiyama and gourmet Roppa, but also about what these record events are like. This has certainly given me more confidence to attend other like events should they pop up on my radar. Learning opportunities in all sense of the word aside, I wouldn't want to miss a chance to "see" some of the artists I enjoy come back to life for just an afternoon either.