Masachika Ichimura -- Shoufu no Tetsugaku（娼婦の哲学）

 

It's almost been a couple of years since I posted the first article for bon vivant, actor and singer Masachika Ichimura（市村正親）. For his "Hotel Blue"（ホテル・ブルー）, I noted that he has had the flamboyance and showmanship of Takeshi Haga（鹿賀丈史）from "Ryori no Tetsuji"（料理の鉄人...The Iron Chefs） fame, and I guess another thing that the two entertainers have in common is that they both had their City Pop phases.

"Hotel Blue", for example, was his City Pop 2nd single from November 1982. Well, Ichimura also put out a lone album titled "Kagiri naku Yasashiku"（限りなく優しく...Gently Without End） in March 1982 whose tracks were all written by Rei Nakanishi（なかにし礼）and composed by Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）. One track is the playful but urbane "Shoufu no Tetsugaku" (Philosophy of a Prostitute).

Thanks to that slightly tinny piano, there is a feeling of old-time jazz but then the City Pop rhythm quickly flows in and the disco strings hint at a time now gone by. I guess it's because of Ichimura's showman style but I can imagine the fellow welcoming tired inbound guests at Narita Airport and then having them get their second wind by simply showing them the bright lights and big city of Tokyo. His vocals are indeed the key here. Considering the title, I'm not sure whether he is leading them to Kabukicho or the area between Shinjuku and Shin-Okubo.

Outside of any "Miss Saigon" Japanese revivals, the last time I've seen the entertainer was as the occasional host of the NHK infotainment series "Ashita ga Kawaru Torisetsu Show"（あしたが変わるトリセツショー...The Instruction Manual Show to Change Your Future）.