Akira Kobayashi/Bonny Jacks/Hiroshi Wada and Mahina Stars -- Hokkikou（北帰行）

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I went out for lunch for the second time in as many days, and this time around, we didn't have to combat some very violent weather although the skies remained stubbornly gloomy for most of the day. However, I was grateful not to have my face hit with rain and winds coming in at Mach 1.

Back at home, I got to see the usual "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）and I actually heard an Akira Kobayashi（小林旭）song that I hadn't heard before. Titled "Hokkikou" (The Return North), it struck me as being one of those kayo kyoku dealing with heartbreak and the aftermath of taking that trip elsewhere to recover from the emotional trauma.

This was Kobayashi's 31st single from October 1961, and to me anyways, this was a rather wistful tune for the tough guy actor and singer to tackle, but I think he did a great job with the song. Others apparently agreed since about a year later, "Hokkikou" became the basis for one of his movies.

But there's a bit more of a story behind "Hokkikou" than the fact that it is a bittersweet song about recovering from heartbreak. Written and composed by Hiroshi Uda（宇田博）a couple of decades earlier in 1941, the J-Wiki article on the song weaves a recollection of Uda as a high school kid being a rather aimless and rebellious youth which was quite the thing in a very militaristic Japanese society bent toward war. He'd gotten in trouble with the authorities for taking some romantic liberties with a young girl outside of school and was kicked out. "Hokkikou" was his written farewell for his fellow mates in the dormitory. It became quite the popular song since that point, but once the war was over, "Hokkikou" became a bit of a mystery tune for many years for some reason...Uda's name was somehow forgotten.

In the 1960s, the song became a favourite to be sung at the local cafes whether it be by featured artists or customers (perhaps a prelude to karaoke?). And then, the record companies picked up on it and as would often happen with songs from that time, there was a mad rush of sorts to have various artists record it for sale. For example, the vocal group Bonny Jacks（ボニージャックス）had released their version of "Hokkikou" back in July 1961, three months before Kobayashi's cover came out.

Sometime during 1961 as well, the Mood Kayo group Hiroshi Wada and Mahina Stars（和田弘とマヒナスターズ）also released their own languid cover of "Hokkikou" with their characteristic Hawaiian sound. From looking at the YouTube scroll, it certainly appears that many other singers have covered the tune over the decades.

Hisao Ito/Akemi Iijima -- Uruwashi no Ryukyu（美わしの琉球）

 

What I've heard is that spam musubi, basically spam rice balls, is a popular dish in both Hawaii and Okinawa. Now, this is a big foodie truth from me but I'm a huge fan of spam and have been so since I was a toddler. My good friend in Japan has disdained the luncheon meat as Alpo for humans, but living in the country all those years, it was often the case that my dinner consisted of fried spam slices and a bowl of hot rice (I did include salad as well, so I was not totally unhealthy), and I couldn't have been happier. There's something about the flavour and the nice thin crust that was a perfect fit for my palate. 

My apologies for the ham-fisted, or I could say spam-fisted, segue into this Okinawan song but unfortunately my options were rather limited because I've never been to Japan's southernmost prefecture. However, I did hear "Uruwashi no Ryukyu" (The Beautiful Ryukyus) on one of the NHK music shows some months ago, and I was hoping to feature this on the blog. 

The furthest back that I've heard "Uruwashi no Ryukyu" is a 1941 recording by Hisao Ito（伊藤久男）, who would gain even more fame from his "Iyomante no Yoru"（イヨマンテの夜）nearly a decade later. His tribute to the Ryukyu Islands which include the island of Okinawa was written by Sounosuke Sato（佐藤惣之助）and composed by Nobuyuki Takeoka（竹岡信幸）, according to the JASRAC database. Ito's version is delivered in a proud but also mournful way, and although I'm uncertain whether it had been meant to be arranged in that fashion, there is something poignant about "Uruwashi no Ryukyu" considering the Battle of Okinawa that would befall the islands a few years later.

Thirty years later in July 1971, singer Akemi Iijima（飯島あけみ）released her 4th and final single which was a cover of "Uruwashi no Ryukyu". Her cover has more of an exotica feeling with the percussion and chorus, and Iijima's delivery makes it feel more like a sung message to all those throughout the islands. Unfortunately, there's very little other information about the singer. Speaking of information, although JASRAC did give the names of the songwriters, Iijima's list of singles on another site mentions that the composer of the "original source" is unknown and the lyrics were provided by Hiroshi Iwase（いわせひろし）.

Bin Uehara -- Otoko Hare Sugata (男晴れ姿)

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Over the past few years, I have had many opportunities to feature enka in my school projects and papers. Previously in an "alright" paper (in my opinion), I had given a little nod to Hachiro Kasuga. This time, I brought the spotlight on Bin Uehara (上原敏). 

Bin-san was the star of an analytical paper I did for a senior-level course on pop culture and media theories this Spring semester. Why Bin-san? You may ask. For one, he's recently managed to join the ranks as one of my... *ahem* husbandos..., together with Hachi and Haru-san... With how much I had been writing about him in my more "recent" articles, you may have seen it coming from a mile away. BUT, this frivolous point aside, the main reason for picking him instead of the other two was his songs and the era they were released in. It's fairly obvious to note that many of Bin-san's songs, all from the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s, were essentially wartime propaganda. So, I decided to do a study on that in the context of the chaotic prewar and wartime Japanese society through analyses of a few songs and the theory known as "Cruel optimism".

The paper was most definitely a passion project, so I'm glad my professor gave me full credit for it. I also submitted it for a peer review contest held by my school's student association because I simply wanted more feedback, which would come from its board members and faculty. Basically, I willingly put my Bin-san piece on the grill to have it be burnt to a crisp by the critics for the experience and as a potential boost for graduate school applications. There was the perk of being one of the three winning entries to be featured in the association's first-ever newsletter, but I wasn't gunning for that because, c'mon, look at those odds.  

Maybe there were only three entrants including me, maybe fewer, because I couldn't believe it when I got notified that Bin-san not only got through the roasts in good shape but also made it into the final round! There are still some revisions that have to be eyeballed, BUT, if all goes well and the board approves, I think my piece on Bin-san will become a featured work on campus. I'm still a little unsure if that will actually happen, but I would like to commemorate being one of the chosen entrants at least with Uehara's "Otoko Hare Sugata", whether it does or not. The term Hare sugata, from what I could glean from the Weblio dictionary, can mean to be in one's Sunday best or to appear with honour in a formal and reputable setting. So, I reckon both iterations aptly depict the bespectacled singer on this occasion :). Yay, Bin-san, you got current generation recognition!

More on the song itself, "Otoko Hare Sugata" seems to be your quintessential ronin-based song as Choji Yajima's (矢島寵児) words follow our protagonist who had left his hometown (most likely the Shizuoka area) and embarked on a journey to Edo to sharpen his skills as a warrior. Perhaps he had completed his training and is on his way home, now a better and more respectable man. Taking into account the Weblio definitions, however, I wonder if, rather than a detested ronin/yakuza, the protagonist is actually a proper and noble samurai. Either way, while Bin-san's gentle vocals do convey the longing the warrior has for his home, there sounds to be an element of pride in him as he makes his way around. Adding to this sense of pride is the melody brought to us by Itsuro Hattori (服部逸郎) that is bright and triumphant-sounding.

"Otoko Hare Sugata" was one of Bin-san's later releases from March 1941, when the political situation in the Asia-Pacific region was getting harrier and just a year before he got drafted into the military. This wasn't one of the songs I had analysed in my paper, but if I did I think I would have made an association between the aforementioned warrior to the drafted soldier heading off to the frontlines.

P.S. If you're wondering why I label Hachi and the like "husbando" now, it's because it's easier for me to explain how I view and treat them to friends and acquaintances my age. It's like "waifu" but the male version. Mine aren't pop idols or animated characters, though.

Hanayo Gondo and Kan'ichi Shimofusa -- Tanabata-sama （たなばたさま）

First off, I hope all of you readers from the United States had a fine Fourth of July. I tried to search for some sort of kayo connected with America but couldn't quite succeed this time. However tonight's "Uta Kon"（うたコン）gave me some food for thought since the annual Tanabata Festival（七夕）is coming up on the 7th.

The theme for tonight's episode was indeed Tanabata and the hosts asked each of the guests about the person (who has already left this mortal coil) whom they would like to meet across the stars. Singer/actor Dean Fujioka replied that he would like to meet his grandfathers again while another guest mentioned Audrey Hepburn. Personally, on the kayo side, I would love to have a drink with The Tough Guy himself, Yujiro Ishihara（石原裕次郎）even though I would be at a horrible disadvantage in the imbibing department. On the somewhat more down-to-earth side, I would meet an old friend of the family who always greeted me warmly when I was a kid living downtown.

With that Tanabata theme in mind, I tried looking for some tunes related to the holiday but it looks like the two that were featured in tonight's "Uta Kon" had already been covered by me in years past. One was "Hoshizora ni Ryote wo"（星空に両手を）whose article gives a very brief description of the holiday, and the other was "Hoshikage no Komichi"（星影の小径）.

However I did find a children's song about the holiday itself, "Tanabata-sama" (The Star Festival). Written by Hanayo Gondo（権藤花代）, a lyricist and children's songwriter, and composer Kan'ichi Shimofusa（下総皖一）in 1941, the song tells it to the listener straight about the holiday including the custom of writing down wishes on those colourful strips of paper known as tansaku. The translation for the song can be found at "Nami's Diary" whose author is based in Newfoundland, Canada.

The last few months in the world have been rather tumultuous to say the least. There may be a larger amount of tansaku being wrapped around the branches than usual this year