On the theme of Hachi and Mr. Nakano being my 2-in-1 dose of fangirling, this article will also be a 2-in-1: It will both be an addition to the Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎) Centenary Project and a nod to Tadaharu Nakano's (中野忠晴) 125th birthday.
A few months back, I did an article introducing some of Hachi's works that were composed by Mr. Nakano. At the time of writing, I mentioned that I'd yet to go through every single Hachi-Nakano piece. I still haven't, but I'd been digging around for more since that article. One such tune I uncovered was "Kiso wa Koishiya" (Yearning for Kiso/Beloved Kiso).
"Kiso wa Koishiya" was released on October 1960. Going by the title, I would consider it a bokyo kayo, a song about homesickness. From my understanding, Hiroshi Yokoi (横井弘) painted us a picture of a Nagano native who'd moved to the big city (likely Tokyo). Life in the concrete jungle makes our protagonist yearn for the grand mountain ranges, clear blue rivers, and warm hometown festivals back in Kiso. Adding to that bokyo atmosphere, I feel, is Yokoi's inclusion of the Nagano minyo "Kiso Bushi" within the lyrics.
According to the J-Wiki, as the title implies, the "Kiso Bushi" is the native minyo to the Kiso region in southwestern Nagano. Basing off the Kiso kawa-nagashi (川流し), or boatmen who ferry logs around the region's rivers, the "Nakanori-san" featured refers to the boatmen stationed in the middle of the flat wooden boat. Nagano's tallest mountain, Mt. Ontake, got a shout-out as well. Sandwiching this minyo into the kayo brings to mind the image of the protagonist breaking out into their hometown's folk song in a fit of nostalgia.
You can hear the original "Kiso Bushi" in the video below.
Accompanying Yokoi's words was Mr. Nakano's mambo/cha-cha-inspired melody. Having heard the "Kiso Bushi", I'm inclined to say that the Cuban styled music blends well with it despite the seemingly wildly contrasting images. Personally, it conveys a rather cool and refreshing atmosphere that matches the image of the Nagano mountains and rivers in Yokoi’s words. The fun vibe of the mambo beat on top of the trilling flutes and rattling bongos also makes one feel like you're in the midst of a summer festival. On the note of the flutes and bongos combo, I noticed that that seemed to have been one of Nakano's favourite styles between the late 50s and early 60s. And within this combo, the flute somehow gives the composition a somewhat Japanese-leaning flavour, while the bongos provide the Western spice... Butter in miso soup.
I like mambo-inspired kayo just as much as I do its early day brethren, the tango-influenced kayo. And so, it's no wonder that I enjoy "Kiso wa Koishiya" A LOT. I think we have a new contender for my Hachi Favourite list. Y'know, I began listening during trip to Fukushima in early April, so it was often on repeat as I took in the mountains, rivers, and villages/towns of that Tohoku prefecture. Admittedly, it felt kinda weird to listen to a Nagano song in Fukushima, especially now that I know that it had strong inspiration from the "Kiso Bushi". And as a result of the constant repeats, "Kiso wa Koishiya" is now ironically tied to Fukushima in my head. If you happen to be from either Nagano or Fukushima, please do not come after me.
Hello, Noelle, and thanks for another in the Kasuga-Nakano series. The nostalgia is indeed there because I used to hear this style of kayo on the stereo all the time as a kid. I wonder though how people felt first felt when the original version was given the mambo treatment.
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