King Records calls him the “King of Enka” (演歌の王者), the “Master of Enka” (演歌の名人), and the “Preeminent Enka Singer” (演歌の第一人者). One of my friends calls him Anxiety Boi because I relayed how he was constantly worrying about his career. His fans call him Hacchan (八っちゃん), Kasuga Sensei (春日先生), and even Otou-san (お父さん).
I call him Hachi.
For some reason, no one calls him “Hachi” (ハッチー) - or, at least, I’ve not met anyone who does. It’s technically a canon nickname as the singer himself said so in the 80s in light of his buddies Michiya Mihashi (三橋美智也) and Hideo Murata (村田英雄) being called Michi and Muchi respectively.
 |
| Hachi, Muchi, Michi |
The last time I did a list featuring my favourite Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎) songs was in 2017 - the amount of cringe I felt while re-reading it was astronomical. A lot has happened in those 7 years and I’ve been exposed to way more of Kasuga’s discography. Since he is the undisputed No.1 among the many singers I love, I’d been wanting to do an updated list. What better timing than to do it on his 100th birthday? I'd been working on my Hachi Centenary Project since March, dedicating an article to the man in question every month, with J-Canuck doing his contributions to. Since Kasuga's birthday and death anniversary fall in October, the articles I will do for him this month will fit the occasion, hence the favourites list.
Before introducing my new list so, allow me to do an introduction of Hachi: He was born Minoru Watabe (渡部実) on 9th October 1924, and hailed from Aizubange, a village in the Western mountains of Fukushima. He moved to Tokyo at 15 after his father's death to pursue further education and work opportunities. Initially intending to become an engineer, a chance viewing of Ichiro Fujiyama (藤山一郎) recital in Asakusa had him taking the leap over into pursuing music, enrolling in Toyo Music School and having a little stint as a singer at musical theatre at the Moulin Rouge Shinjuku Za in 1944.
 |
| With Keiko-san |
Jumping into the postwar period, he continued working at Moulin and managed to pass King Records' talent search audition in 1947. He quit Moulin and became a part-associate at the company, honing his skills under composer Junichi Hosokawa (細川潤一) with the stage name Shun Utagawa (歌川俊). However, things didn't work out well and Watabe struggled to debut - a stint as a black marketer while trying to learn jazz in Yokohama hindered this. While he suffered in extreme poverty, he got to know and eventually married his wife, Keiko Hisaka (桧坂恵子), a student of the one of the great prewar-postwar composers, Yoshi Eguchi (江口夜詩). Seeing his plight, Keiko recommended Watabe to Eguchi. After much struggling for 5 years and almost giving up - Keiko vehemently refused despite the fact that Watabe wanted to find a viable job upon finding out that his wife was pregnant. After pleading with Eguchi, the composer finally agreed to create a piece for Watabe: Akai Rampu no Shuressha (赤いランプの終列車). With the stage name Hachiro Kasuga (the man himself wasn't too keen on it at first), he finally made his long-sought after debut in December 1952.
 |
| With Eguchi Sensei |
Following this, Kasuga had a number of successes, like the forlorn "Ame Furu Machikado" (雨降る街角) from 1953, which was deemed the first "Kasuga Bushi" (Kasuga Song); the lighthearted kabuki-themed "Otomi-san" (お富さん) from 1954 that propelled him into stardom; and melancholic bokyo kayo "Wakare no Ippon Sugi" (別れの一本杉) from 1955 cemented his place in kayo-enka history (and abated his anxieties over the longevity of his career). "Yama no Tsurihashi" (山の吊橋) in 1959 and "Nagasaki no Hito" (長崎の女) in 1962 helped to prolong his career and allowed him to be deemed one of the two pillars of King Records' golden age with minyo star Mihashi.
Throughout the 70s and 80s, Hachi maintained a fairly high profile as a veteran enka singer (he began to be called an enka singer since the mid-60s and embraced the title) decorated with multiple accolades, including one from the Arts Festival by the Agency of Cultural Affairs for his 1973 recital album, "Enka to wa Nandarou" (演歌とは何だろう). He also regularly appeared on NHK's Kohaku Uta Gassen, appearing a total of 21 times. In 1989, he received the 4th Order of the Rising Sun for his contributions to the Japanese music world, being a big part of the kayo world and being a building block for the enka world.
1991 was when Kasuga was meant to celebrate his 40th Anniversary in show business. Unfortunately, he had been ill for a while and finally succumbed to liver cirrhosis, leaving mortal coil on 22nd October that year at 67 years of age.
Coming back to the article at hand, there was something I noticed while whittling my list down to 10 songs. My favourites are contrary to the usual Kasuga fan favourites or features in media or compilations. Perhaps there may be some truth to the notion that Japanese folks tend to prefer the darker sounding songs. Maybe more people, in general, find that his forlorn vocals fit minor key mournful numbers better - those that are more "enka like", if you will. In some ways, I do agree, but as you will soon see in my selection, I actually prefer Hachi's more kayokyoku-like/pop-like songs, many of them bright and jaunty. It's in some of these songs, I feel, where you can hear the extent of what this extraordinary singer was capable of. And it's in these songs where I find his light tenor most beautiful and emotional.
I've written about most of the songs in the list, so I won't go into the nitty-gritty details about them. I'll only mention my reasons for liking the songs, if at all, here. But, without further ado, here is the list of current favourite Hachiro Kasuga songs.
"Irie no Machi" never fails to help me wind down after a long day. The soft and cozy atmosphere is particularly nice on a cloudy day or in the evening.
9. Yama no Tsurihashi (山の吊橋)(1959)
A few songs from my first list reappear here, the first of which is "Yama no Tsurihashi." I can't not love this quaint tune and the cute way Hachi bounces as he jives to it.
8. Hatoba de Machi na (波止場で待ちな) (1966)
Another thing I realised while doing this list that I just really like mambo-inspired songs. So, besides one featuring a suspension bridge, I have also always loved this harbour-themed one.
7. Nigate Nanda yo (苦手なんだよ) (1957)
6. Kiso wa Koishiya (木曽は恋しや) (1960)
If there is Hayashi Sensei representation, you bet that there will also be Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴) representation! While Hachi gets to show off some of his minyo prowess in this minyo-mambo fusion kayo, it's packaged in Mr. Nakano's butter-miso soup music that feels more pop than folk, which makes picky me more than happy to indulge in it.
5. Inochi Tsubunure (いのちずぶ濡れ) (1972)
Subjecting myself to academic pain all just to write stuff on him for him.
When I think about it, it sounds insane. I know it is.
But I've also never felt more alive.
Arrangements can truly boost the listenability of songs, and nothing says this more than "Ruten no Yoru". Masao Ueno (上野正雄) was, more often than not, the one who arranged Mr. Nakano's postwar compositions, bringing them to life with interesting personalities. The unique original arrangement of this song makes it standout from the standard kayo of that time, I think, and allows Hachi's lonely vocals stand out.
This will forever be known as "The song I loved so much just from a 50 second clip that I was willing to fork out 2500 yen for its record just so I could listen to its full version and ended up loving it even more."
4. Ruten no Yoru (流転の夜) (1955)
Arrangements can truly boost the listenability of songs, and nothing says this more than "Ruten no Yoru". Masao Ueno (上野正雄) was, more often than not, the one who arranged Mr. Nakano's postwar compositions, bringing them to life with interesting personalities. The unique original arrangement of this song makes it standout from the standard kayo of that time, I think, and allows Hachi's lonely vocals stand out.
3. Wakasa Umare (若狭生れ) (1968)
2. Ano Hoshi to Katarou (あの星と語ろう) (1965)
In good times and bad, on happy days and sad days, whenever I listen to this song, I will always get the strength to push ahead and do it the best I can.
1. Onna no Koiji (女の恋路)(1972)
If you were to ask me to pick a song that represents Hachi, I will choose "Onna no Koiji."An easy-listening kayokyoku, Hachi's gentle vocals are so forlorn yet so soft and beautiful. Depending on my mood, it sometimes sounds hopeful, sometimes wistful. I got the album "Nekketsu no Utagoe" on the trip where I first went to Aizubange to visit his museum, so this song brings up those memories from six years ago. Listening to this on my way to the museum earlier this year for research brought tears to my eyes, because, in spite of the stress and hardships along the way, it made me realise how far I had come.
 |
| Hachi, is that you? |
It can be said for any other musical genres, but kayokyoku and enka are known to convey and elicit much emotion. I've said it before, but among all the singers I've listened to so far, Hachi is the one who bring the most emotions out of me through his songs. Sadness, happiness, and, most importantly, hope.
Is Hachiro Kasuga the most important figure in enka? Perhaps (I'm still working on that). But he is, without a doubt, the most important singer to me.
ハッチー、100周年おめでとうございます！
P.S. In my first list, I'd briefly mentioned that I had many Hachi bromides. Perhaps 2017 Noelle was being hyperbolic at the time with just five snapshots. 2024 Noelle has 21. I have no excuses.
Hi, Noelle. As they say, "From such humble beginnings...", and that certainly was the case for Kasuga. I think the only sad part of this story is that he left us way too soon. Thanks very much for the summary on his life and your favourite songs. There is nothing wrong about going against the grain here and serves to provide further listening opportunities and conversation. He could absolutely do both enka and kayo kyoku in good measure.
ReplyDelete