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It was around a couple of weeks ago that I posted up "Those Sad and Lonely Tunes", an Author's Picks highlighting songs with titles that featured sadness or loneliness including Hibari Misora's（美空ひばり）classic "Kanashii Sake"（悲しい酒）.
Well, I may have stumbled across a cousin to "Kanashii Sake", and I believe it was sung on an episode of "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）recently. "Akachochin no Onna" (Woman of the Red Lantern) was enka singer Mieko Makimura's（牧村三枝子）7th single from March 1976.
Written by Hikaru or Ko Yabuki（矢吹光）and composed by Kiyoshi or Yo Maki（真木陽）, it actually starts out feeling a little scary or chilly because of that organ. If it hadn't been for the warmth of the bluesy guitar accompanying the organ, I might have given up on the song altogether but I'm glad that I didn't. But indeed, it is a sad song about a woman who's eking out her living at what is probably a forlorn drinking establishment (a lot of watering holes in Japan are symbolized by a red lantern). Yabuki's lyrics only consist of three 3-line verses but they give an adequate description of a lonely proprietress who hasn't spoken with loved ones in the longest time (out of shame?) and may have ended up at the bar due to romance trouble.
The song is given further pathos (and this could be important information for those karaoke singers out there) from Makimura's measured and seemingly defeated/exhausted delivery of the words.
My family has often wondered whatever happened to Makimura since she hasn't shown up on any kayo kyoku shows in many years. According to her J-Wiki article, she actually appeared on an interview show in 2023 and revealed that she had been battling cancer that arose around a decade prior. There's no mention on whether she was able to defeat it but she ended up moving from Tokyo to Shizuoka Prefecture where her relatives reside nearby.
As a PS for the songwriters' names, it doesn't happen often but occasionally, I come across names that I can't definitively identify and this time, it has occurred with both the lyricist and composer. If anyone can confirm or deny my attempts above, please let me know.
Makimura's recording appears to be a cover. Some sources I have seen identify an earlier recording by 原耕二, issued in October 1967, about 9 years before. Although I am not sure if these two are actually the same song since I have not been able to find 原耕二 version of 「赤提灯の女」。 Mieko apparently hasn't completely retired from the entertainment business as Sun Music still lists her as an active artist, and her official page was updated as recently as March 16, 2026. That of course does not answer the question as to where she is now.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, I'm not sure what her status is. My impression is that if she's still singing, she would only be doing so within the local area or in Shizuoka Prefecture proper.
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