I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
I'm just off by a week here but it was a little over a year ago that I posted "Osaka Songs", a list of Osaka-titled tunes, and crazily enough, in all those 53 weeks since then, I hadn't put up anything called "Tokyo Songs". Little old me had naturally assumed that I'd already done so. Nope, that isn't true. Kinda wild considering that I'd just recently written about Takajin Yashiki's（やしきたかじん）"Tokyo"（東京）. Well, that changes today. Quite the wide range of kayo, too!
(1959) Frank Nagai and Kazuko Matsuo -- Tokyo Nightclub （東京ナイトクラブ）
I figure that with the Holidays now in full swing in Japan, folks may be having their share of parties including those that occur at the karaoke boxes and bars of the nation. Maybe franchises such as Big Echo are doing volume business this week which may be quite long for people...perhaps as long as a week (yeah, I'm being a little sarcastic there). Of course, depending on the size and the average age of the group along with the type of songs that they tend to sing, there will be the duets to tackle.
Perhaps for the younger generation, that doesn't happen so often, since a lot of those duets occur in the enka and Mood Kayo genres. Plus, there is the matter of harmonizing which isn't all that easy. Not being a particularly great singer in my karaoke days in Japan, I don't think I ever dared ask any lady for a duet. However, listening to those duets on the stereo and now on YouTube is more my speed. Here are some of my favourites.
(1959) Frank Nagai and Kazuko Matsuo -- Tokyo Nightclub （東京ナイトクラブ）
(1982) Hiroshi Itsuki and Nana Kinomi -- Izakaya （居酒屋）
When it comes to Japan Railways, there has been one campaign of theirs that has stood out because of the glorious beauty of Kyoto and that one song which has accompanied the commercials for over thirty years. I'm hoping that whoever in the JR advertising department was behind the idea of using "My Favorite Things" got a major bonus for the idea. The cinematic version of "The Sound of Music" from where "My Favorite Things" originated is practically essential viewing in the junior high schools of Japan, so that particular song among the many others in there is well known to everyone. But now, the Japanese probably relate the song more to Kyoto than the original movie.
Of course, before Julie Andrews and the movie version became the huge hit, "The Sound of Music" originated as a stage musical in 1959 with Mary Martin in the starring role of Maria. I never knew all that much about Martin but I knew her son, Larry Hagman, as the infamous JR Ewing in the show "Dallas". And of course, there was his earlier role as the far nicer military man Tony in "I Dream of Jeannie".
For the record, I'll have you know that from the lyrics, my favourite things would be apple strudel and schnitzel with noodles. If these were available at a buffet, I would be a happy man. Now, the reason for me choosing this one is that although it wasn't specifically made for the Holidays, "My Favorite Things" has been a staple on the radio and mall speakers during the Xmas season. Personally, I used to remember my kindergarten teacher always playing this on the record player...most likely to sedate us.
I figure that if Rodgers and Hart have a ROY entry on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", then Rodgers and Hammerstein should get a shot as well. Anyways, what were the big hits in 1959 in Japan when "The Sound of Music" made its debut on Broadway?
This is not the weekly scheduled Reminiscings of Youth article today but I still wanted to provide a tribute to singer Connie Francis who had passed away yesterday at the age of 87. In the late 1950s and into the following decade, her hits were popular enough that in 1960, she was considered to be the most successful female recording artist in many countries including Japan. She's had a great tie with this blog in that a number of female Japanese singers covered her tunes to success themselves, something that has been noted within the articles here.
Kyoko Koizumi, etc. -- Collar ni Kuchibeni（カラーに口紅）
The last pair with "Lipstick On Your Collar" is something that I hadn't covered but I have heard the Francis original before through the many commercials featuring her hit compilations on television when I was a kid. As with the other covers, 80s aidoru Kyoko Koizumi（小泉今日子）was among a number of other Japanese singers who have covered the song under the Japanese title of "Collar ni Kuchibeni". I had never heard of this one by Kyon-Kyon before because it was on a September 1983 album of hers called "Separation Kyoko" which was only available on audiotape although it has been available online since 2013.
There are probably at least a few more of Francis' songs that have been covered but in any case, I would like to offer my condolences to her family, friends and many fans out there.
When the bulletin came in on NHK midway during the daily "Asaichi"（あさイチ）broadcast stating that Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima（長嶋茂雄）had passed away today at the age of 89, I knew that there would be a "Stop the presses!" moment in the country. And sure enough, the TV network dedicated a full third of its main news hour to the life and career of the man known as "Mr. Professional Baseball" and "Mr. Giants".
I've never been a huge baseball fan, but even I knew about the famous Nagashima. He had been to the Japanese as Shohei Ohtani（大谷翔平）currently is to the sports world all over Earth right now. Even in the half century following his retirement from active baseball play in 1974, he was never forgotten as a manager for his beloved Tokyo Giants where he wore Uniform No. 3, or as a TV commentator who came up with some rather odd expressions such as "Make drama!" which ended up becoming one of the buzzwords and catchphrases in Japan one year.
Nagashima had his brushes with other aspects of pop culture and that included music. Years ago on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I noted his warbling participation in the multi-band collaboration "Hateshinai Yume wo"（果てしない夢を）back in 1993. But apparently, there had also been plenty of songs created about him and his legend.
I had never heard of this one before, but it doesn't really surprise me that Japanese entertainment legend Yujiro Ishihara（石原裕次郎）met Nagashima. Basically, the Tough Guy encountered Mr. Giants! In 1959, Ishihara released a single titled "Otoko no Yuujou Sebangou San" (A Man's Friendship: No. 3), and it's a wholehearted tribute to the player with the full brass-and-string march arrangement that would usually accompany a kayo kyoku regarding baseball. The song was written by Hisao Ohtaka（大高ひさを）and composed by Kenroku Uehara（上原賢六）.
My condolences go to Nagashima's family, friends and fans.
It is indeed another Hump Day here so why not perk things up a tad? We often celebrate anniversaries such as birthdays here and we're gonna do so once again with Kayo Grace Kyoku and Mr. Calico.
The news was coming that the 20th anniversary of YouTube was near but I hadn't realized that it was actually today. However indeed, on April 23rd 2005, the first YouTube video was uploaded onto the new site with one of the co-founders Jawed Karim putting up a 19-second presentation of his very calm observation of elephants at the San Diego Zoo. Of course, from such humble beginnings, a video empire evolved including tons of music from over the past century, recipe videos from home, soothing ASMR stuff and vicarious drives all over the world among other imaginative ideas.
Also because "Kayo Kyoku Plus" could only work with the representation of Japanese songs from now and yesteryear existing on YouTube, I have to extend my gratitude to all those uploaders over the years (although perhaps certain companies and artists may not be thrilled). It was always my feeling that a Japanese music blog wouldn't work with just some prose about the songs that I knew and loved; the actual songs just had to be there for listening.
I had actually considered only putting up the Top 10 list of singles for April 23rd 2005 but seeing that most of the top 10 were unknown to me, I quickly ditched that idea. Instead, what I will do is provide songs by certain artists that were released in the 20th year of their time in show business (checked J-Wiki), whether or not they were put out as official 20th-anniversary songs.
I gotta say...what a trooper Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）was on stage. Possibly got mortally injured by a disturbed kid and he just doffed it off as a flesh wound.
What he was singing on that dramatic stage though was "Koi no Katamichi Kippu" whose original form was "One-Way Ticket", a 1959 Neil Sedaka hit that had been created by songwriters Jack Keller and Hank Hunter.
Hirao's cover was recorded in 1960 under the band name of Masaaki Hirao & The All-Stars Wagon（平尾昌章とオールスターズ・ワゴン）with the Japanese lyrics provided by Takashi Otowa（音羽たかし）, which was the pen name for anyone writing lyrics at King Records. It's good to bring Hirao back onto the byline at his rockabilly best because it's been a few years since he's been up here as a singer. In fact, the last time was back in 2022 for his duet with Yoko Hatanaka（畑中葉子）for "Ehge Kai no Tabi"（エーゲ海の旅）from 1978.
Just before Christmas, I put up a Hi-Fi Set（ハイ・ファイ・セット）song titled "Doyoubi no Yoru wa Haneda ni Kuru no"（土曜の夜は羽田に来るの）, one of many songs in the kayo kyoku oeuvre that talk of romance won and lost (usually the latter) at the airport. Well, this one here has the same theme but it's from a different time and style.
Of course, Hiroshi Wada & Mahina Stars（和田弘とマヒナスターズ）are one of the premier Mood Kayo groups and with just their second single, they presented the melancholy "Yogiri no Air Terminal" (Night Fog Airport). Just gotta have that night fog rolling in for extra ambience. Not surprisingly, there is another final meeting of a couple before departing from each other forever although the airport in question is not specifically identified.
Written by Takao Saeki（佐伯孝夫）and composed by Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）, the Mahina Stars are also joined by a couple of female singers, Ukiko Kagurazaka（神楽坂浮子）and Kaoru Kagurazaka（神楽坂かおる）. Despite the identical family names, I'm not 100% sure whether the ladies are indeed sisters although Ukiko is listed on J-Wiki as being a geisha-turned-singer, much like Mamechiyo（豆千代）as mentioned in Noelle's recent article. With all the voices together and the steel pedal guitar, there is very much a mournful tone in store for listeners. "Yogiri no Air Terminal" was actually the first song that the Mahina Stars sang on the Kohaku Utagassen in their 10-appearance history on NHK's New Year's Eve special ranging from 1959 to 1989.
This isn't a Reminiscings of Youth article though that will be coming up soon enough. However, when I heard that Duane Eddy had passed away a few days ago, I felt like I needed to do some sort of tribute to the guitarist with his gift of twang.
Now, I know that the musician originally from New York State has had his own string of hits over the decades, but when I hear the name Duane Eddy, I'm always going to think of one song: "Peter Gunn". The original Henry Mancini version with John Williams pounding on the keys was one of the first songs that I remember hearing and internalizing forever but it was when Art of Noise did their hit cover of the song in 1986 that I got to hear Eddy for the first time and that got me to his own solo cover of "Peter Gunn" in 1959. In a way, it was Eddy's take with its more slithery rock n' roll vibe (including that sexy sax) compared to the Mancini swing jazziness that sounded even more dangerous and therefore more fitting in the world of detective Gunn.
Alongside Boz Scaggs' "Lowdown", I think "Peter Gunn" is the song to accompany you and your buddies if you're cruising down the nighttime streets of the city. My condolences to Eddy's family, friends and fans.
I failed to mention this yesterday but April 29th is part of the Golden Week holiday season in Japan and it's currently known as Showa Day. It had been celebrated as Emperor Hirohito's(the Showa era emperor) birthday until his death in early 1989 and then it was known as Greenery Day until 2007, when it was given its current name (Greenery Day is now May 4th).
Since there has been some nostalgic attraction for the culture of the Showa era (1926-1989), that's how I've usually seen Showa Day...not so much for the veneration of the late emperor but for what the times and trappings were like for ordinary people in Japan. Apparently, there is a Showa era museum in Aichi Prefecture as you can see above via MEGULOG's video. My particular examples of Showa era culture that regularly pop up in my memories are the old public phones of different sizes and colours, and the old-style kissaten as you can view in Mikki Café & Life below. Personally, my Showa era café will always be Café Renoir, the long-running franchise.
But of course, this being a kayo kyoku blog, I wanted to give my own contribution to Showa Day in terms of culture by providing some of the old songs. I'd wondered if I could find some sort of Top 5 list regarding memorable kayo kyoku but really couldn't find anything, so I've decided to come up with my own list of six songs representing each decade from the 1930s to the 1980s (sorry, couldn't remember anything from the 1920s). There wasn't any great research or all-night brain wracking for these songs...they just popped into my head and together they can perhaps show how music changed during the Showa era. So, without further ado...
A few days ago on Thursday, my fellow KKP writer and co-administrator Noelle Tham posted her "Noelle's Favourite Hachiro Kasuga Songs Composed by Tadaharu Nakano"(中野忠晴作曲お気に入りの春日八郎曲) article in tribute to the fact that the First Enka Singer had been born in 1924, a hundred years ago. She also kindly extended the invitation to anyone else involved in the blog to provide their own angle on the late Fukushima native who had passed away in 1991 at the age of 67.
Well, I'm never going to decline that invitation especially when it seems as if I haven't heard many renditions of his old songs recently on shows such as "Uta Con"（うたコン）. But not being as much of an expert on Kasuga as Noelle, I hadn't been sure about how to go about it. Therefore, I've opted to take a slowly, slowly approach and take a look at his first several appearances on the national broadcaster's New Year's Eve special, the Kohaku Utagassen.
For the record, Kasuga appeared a total of 21 times on the Kohaku ranging from 1954 to 1989. His longest continuous stretch went from 1956 (the 7th edition) to 1969 (the 20th).
So, without further ado:
(1954) Otomi-San (お富さん) 1st appearance on the 5th edition in 1954
Noelle posted an article on "Otomi-san", based on the kabuki play of a cad trying to extort money from a wealthy merchant's concubine only to find out that the lass is his ex-girlfriend. Well, that's dang awkward...sounds perfect for a rom-com/thriller movie if updated. And as Noelle pointed out, the melody by Masanobu Tokuchi (渡久地政信) sounds so up-and-at-'em cheerful so I'm hoping that there was at least some humour in the original play. Actually, I got to know "Otomi-san" through a skit involving the late comedian Ken Shimura（志村けん）and aidoru/tarentoYoko Ishino（石野よう子）. You can take a look below at the video at 4:46.
One of the most famous kayo kyoku around and perhaps Kasuga's most representative recording, "Wakare no Ippon Sugi" is a melancholy song reflecting what was happening in Japan at the time as it struggled to recover from the ashes of war. Tens of thousands of people were being heavily encouraged to move from the countryside to the cities to work in the factories and the offices to get the nation back on its feet again, and the song itself was the story of one person making that lonely move away from his hometown. The above video shows Kasuga performing "Wakare no Ippon Sugi" for the 2nd time on the 1969 edition. He wouldn't appear again until the end of 1974.
(1957) Haha no Tayori（母の便り）3rd appearance on the 8th edition in 1957
I was scrolling down the Kasuga file on KKP to see if either Noelle or I had actually covered it. Maybe it's included in one of Noelle's compilations but I know now that it hasn't been done under my watch, so here it is. Written by Ryo Yano（矢野亮）and composed by Akira Maki（真木陽）, as with "Wakare no Ippon Sugi", "Haha no Tayori"(A Letter from Mother) is something to get the tears flowing as a son working far away from his family gets that letter from his mother to see how things are (and probably when he's coming back). The opening bars of "Haha no Tayori" say it all: it feels/sounds like a mother diligently doing the regular chores at the farmhouse knowing that her boy is giving it his all for home and country.
(1958) Wakare no Toudai（別れの燈台）4th appearance on the 9th edition in 1958
Another song that I haven't covered in the Kasuga file, initially I'd thought that "Wakare no Toudai"(Farewell at the Lighthouse) was a song of heartbreak because my impression was that the titular lighthouse would be the ideal sight in the distance for a romance to end tearfully. But perhaps I've been watching one too many J-Dramas in the past. Reading the lyrics by Kikutaro Takahashi（髙橋掬太郎） , it's more along the theme of the immediately preceding two songs...a man leaves his seaside town by ship to a faraway place in Japan or even completely overseas to make his own mark. Kenji Yoshidaya（吉田矢健治）was responsible for the wistful melody.
(1959) Tokyo no Ari（東京の蟻）5th appearance on the 10th edition in 1959
Both Noelle and I have given our respective articles regarding "Tokyo no Ari", and now having this song alongside some of Kasuga's other entries here, this 1959 hit stands out even more for its Mood Kayo sense complete with tinkling piano and bluesy saxophone. The theme of loneliness in the big city continues here as well but while the others dealt with it from the wistful rural side of things, "Tokyo no Ari" has Kasuga commiserating over his beer from the frustrating city side as he feels little different from Family Formicidae in terms of his service to the nation.
2024 is Hachiro Kasuga's (春日八郎) centenary. Since Hachi is my No.1, I've decided to attempt a Hachi Centenary Project where I'll produce articles on him to commemorate the occasion. I'm aiming for one a month, should my schedule permit, but we'll see how things go. I'm saving a long overdue update on my Top Favourite Hachiro Kasuga Song List for his birthday and death anniversary month of October, so in the meantime, I'll either do the usual song features or Author's Picks lists. If any other KKP contributor would like to add to this project, please feel free to do so. And if readers would like to see certain songs/lists related to Kasuga, feel free to make requests. Anyways, this brings me to today's very specific list: My favourite Hachiro Kasuga songs composed by Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴).
Why this very specific list? It's simply because I've just been listening to Nakano and Nakano-made Hachi stuff a lot recently (as you can probably tell), so I figured that a list of some of my favourite stuff from the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo would be a good start to this project. Also, I have monke brain: Me see favourite singer sing song made by other favourite singer, me happy. As I've been saying, this is essentially a "Buy 1 get 1 Free" deal.
Mr. Nakano from 1955; Hachi from around 1956 (?)
As I've mentioned before, from 1952 onwards, both Hachi and Mr. Nakano were under King Records. Technically speaking, Hachi had been under King since 1947, but more of a reserve singer in training of sorts and never got his official debut as a professional singer of the company until December 1952. Mr. Nakano signed on as a composer and singer some time in June (?) 1952, but dropped the latter role after his first single under this label didn't do so hot and simply stuck to melody-making. Mr. Nakano composed a fair number of songs for Hachi - around 26 songs over the span of 10 years between 1953 and 1963 or so, assuming I read and mathed Hiroyuki Kondo's (近藤博之) consolidated list on Nakano's postwar works right.
A cursory look at Kondo's list seems to show that Nakano composed more stuff for minyo star Michiya Mihashi (三橋美智也). My impression is that the Michi-Mr. Nakano combo produced more hits of a much larger scale compared to the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo, which seemed to only produce middling hits at best. Conversely, it was Hachi's collaboration with Isao Hayashi (林伊佐緒), another singer-turned-(mostly) composer, that spawned well-known numbers. This being the case, this article will put the spotlight on some of Hachi’s lesser-known discography entries. Honestly, I wouldn’t even have known some of them existed if it weren’t for the fact Nakano’s name was pinned to it. Yay for my one-track mind! (?)
Even though I've yet to listen to every single Nakano-composed Kasuga song out there, I think it's fair to say that the former jazz singer created a wide variety of kayokayoku for the younger artiste. This ranged from stuff akin to traditional Japanese folk tunes to urban jazzy numbers. Suffice to say that I think Hachi handled them pretty well, owing to his flexible vocal delivery. But I have to admit that some of these Nakano Melody (this term feels so weird to say) don’t necessarily fit my image of Hachi and sound more like what I feel the composer himself would’ve sung and not the singer he provided for. And, objectively speaking, some of these just sound like any run-of-the-mill pop song from the 1950s-1960s. That said, there are some that stand out to me there with their unique and refreshing arrangements, giving them a sound unlike what I might ordinarily hear from that era.
In a short article on Nakano from June 1955, the musician compared his music-making process at King to adding butter to miso soup ("Tsumari, miso shiru no naka e bata wo ireyoutte, wake nandesuyo."). I'm fairly certain he was alluding to putting his own Western music flair (the butter) into Japanese kayokyoku (the miso soup) by playing around with the musical accompaniments. I wonder if that explains those stand-out bits. Then again, it could just be because I'm being unconsciously/consciously bias. Either way, perhaps you might hear what I find interesting in the Hachi-Mr. Nakano songs I've listed here. Some of these songs had been re-recorded around 1970, but I have put the original versions because they're where you can hear what Nakano had intended the music to sound like.
Before going into the list proper, I'd like to mention "Tsuma Koi Touge" (妻恋峠). It's a matatabi mono with the "Komoro Magouta" (小諸馬子唄)minyo spliced into it from 1955. It's a pleasant tune that I listen to occasionally when I want to hear Hachi's folk song prowess, but I wouldn't say it's a strong favourite of mine. I must admit, though, that the echo effect when Hachi warbles the "Komoro Magouta" provides quite the immersive experience.Was it a Nakano idea? I don't know, but it's likely since Michi's "Tassha de na" (達者でナ), another Nakano Melody, utilizes this echo effect too. Either way, this effect here makes it feel as though we are on the road with our wandering traveler and his voice reverberates through the Nagano mountain range as he belts out the "Komoro Magouta". I believe "Tsuma Koi Touge" was the first hit spawned by the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo and likely the first middling hit after Hachi's unbeatably popular "Otomi-san" (お富さん), so I wanted to give it some acknowledgement.
I wrote about this tune ages ago in 2017, and I said that the music was "what first drew me to (it)." Finally, something 2024 Noelle can shake hands with 2017 Noelle on. "Otoko no Butai" seems to be a Kasuga fan favourite and, in fact, it's said that Hachi himself actually liked this quite a lot too. Apparently, in preparation for its release, our dear singer got himself a new outfit and even learned the dance moves. I mean, it's hard not to see why this was well-liked. "Otoko no Butai" is a dramatic kabuki-inspired tune which reflects the trials and tribulations of being a stage performer - thought to be a reason why Hachi liked it. The original recording is snappy and the traditional percussions and wind instruments go wild. Yet, despite its raucous sound, there is a refined elegance to it that showcases said performer's professional front as they step on to the stage. On a different note, the sound of "Otoko no Butai" reminds me of Taro Shoji's (東海林太郎) wartime entry "Ginza Owaricho" (銀座尾張町). I wonder if Mr. Nakano had been listening to that and took a hint.
I wish I could see that dance Hachi picked up. He merely bobbed up and down or did a muted jig in the clips I see of him. So to see a full dance from him would be akin to striking the lottery for me. Yes, I know my priorities are skewed.
Funauta Tsukiyo (船唄月夜) (1956)
Totemo su . te . ki janaika? Kono uta. In one of Hachi's 15th anniversary albums, King Records lyricist and creative director Ryo Yano(矢野亮) made a curious remark: Hachi's sailor-themed songs (madorosu mono) strangely tend to only receive lukewarm reactions. I'm inclined to agree, since my favourites don’t really include any specifically sailor tunes. Wharf-themed tunes, for sure. But not really tunes that feature sailors sailing the high seas. And then came "Funauta Tsukiyo". This is a jolly tune marked by this bouncy . little . bit towards the end of each stanza, giving the song an element of fun and mischief. This rhythmic segment is both memorable and a reflection of the trope of a carefree lifestyle in sailor songs, I feel. Admittedly, Hachi sounded a bit stiff in the original recording, but his delivery became much spunkier in the re-recorded version many years later. I wish I could see footage of Hachi singing this too. I can imagine him doing his little bounce.
This feels like the type of composition close to what Nakano would've ordinarily liked to make if he’d no obligation to “make (kayokyoku) that’ll sell”: Something bluesy/jazzy and mostly Western-sounding. He made many of this sort under King, but "Tokyo no Ari" seems to be one of the rare moderate successes. Its chaotic style isn't something I usually hear from Hachi, but it's pretty refreshing. This is another piece Hachi seemed to have taken a liking to for its unique sound.
Ore wa Hitoripocchi (俺は一人ぽっち) (1960)
I could be wrong, but it seemed like Mr. Nakano began incorporating what I think sounds like an electric organ (?) into his works from around this time. Or, at least, with more frequency. I like the deep, rolling drums and rattling percussions, especially at the start, which gives "Ore wa Hitoripocchi" a very slight bossa nova feel amid the swelling strings and frenetic piano. But I'm personally not a fan of the wobbly twang of the electric organ (?) as it kind of cuts the dramatic flair the song gives. Speaking of dramatic flair, my goodness, Hachi's vocals here felt off the charts! In general, I like Hachi's delivery for its gentleness, but can he heartily belt out songs when he needs to. And he can do so without losing that delicate and sentimental nature.
Hoshi yo Omae ga Koibito da (星よお前が恋人だ) (1960)
“Hoshi yo Omae ga Koibito da” is on a similar vein to "Tokyo no Ari", albeit less intense and of a more somber tone. I actually like melody of this one more than the more popular latter, and I think the wobbly whine of the electric organ (?) works better here when it does appear. It provides "Hoshi yo..." with a haunting atmosphere, but it does make it feel less raw than “Tokyo no Ari”. This tune showcases more of the lower range of Hachi's vocals. The lower range was what he struggled with most back when he was still in training, and even very early on in his career he did sound a bit awkward with his voice going that low. But as his voice matured as in "Hoshi yo...", I think it managed to convey the dark and more introspective nature of this tune pretty well.
Among the Hachi-Mr. Nakano compositions I've heard thus far, I love "Ruten no Yoru" the most. I'll say it now, but it's definitely within my Top 10 Hachi tunes overall. Mr. Nakano's melody sounds so lonely, yet it's so fascinating to listen to. Hachi sounds so sad, yet conveys the song so beautifully. Tamaranai.
Mr. Nakano from 1949; Hachi from the late 1950s/early 60s (?)
And with that, we've come to the end of the article. Of course, I think there are more entries by this combo that are either interesting or stuff that I enjoy, like "Tokyo Western" (this one isn't very Hachi, but it's so Nakano) and "Jirocho Tabi Shigure" (次郎長旅しぐれ) respectively. But what I've put here are a combination of both. My conclusion here is that butter in miso soup tastes good. And I'm saying it not because Mr. Nakano prepared it and Hachi served it... Okay, maybe I sort of am. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed some of Hachi's lesser-known works while also getting a little taste of what Mr. Nakano did during his postwar stint in music.
I wonder what I shall do next in the Hachi Centenary Project. Perhaps a Hachi-Michi one, or a Hachi-Hayashi one. Hayashi did also make many interesting pieces for Hachi, after all. There is also the tune by the Sannin no Kai (三人の会), the Hachi, Michi, and Muchi (Hideo Murata... 村田英雄) trio. I guess we'll see what speaks to me first.
P.S. The Ms. C who made my Mr. Nakano photo cards also educated me on the term "Bias Wrecker". This refers to another artiste you're head-over-heels for and competes with your Bias/oshi for the No.1 spot in your heart. A threatening 2nd place, if you will. In my case, this title bounces around five other fellows, and it's currently held by Nakano. I told Ms. C that, hypothetically speaking, among the other five, Mr. Nakano is the strongest competitor for 1st place. Upon reflection, he does score extremely high on my Voice-Works-Looks chart. But Hachi need not worry since he occupies a very special spot: Oshi no.1 and primary research subject. That has essentially made it impossible for any bias wrecker to topple him.
I'm going to be completely honest: I came to like Hachiro Kasuga's (春日八郎) "Tokyo no Ari" far more than I used to because it was composed by Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴). Well, of course there were multiple reasons for why I've been listening to it a lot lately, but I cannot deny that Mr. Nakano was one of them... For that matter, I've been rooting out as many of The Preeminent Enka Singer's works that were written by one of the first popular jazz (Western music) singers in modern Japanese music just because it's like a "Buy 1 get 1 free" deal if I happen to enjoy it.
Original take begins at 0:00 to 3:30. The re-recorded one is from 3:31 onwards.
To be fair, "Tokyo no Ari" was to me one of the most unique-sounding of discography entries I've come across in my many years of fangirling over Hachi, and that's in addition to its curious-looking title meaning, "Tokyo Ant." I'd read somewhere ages ago (mid-2010s I think) when I first came into contact with "Tokyo no Ari" that Hachi chose to sing this during his 1959 appearance on the Kohaku over the more popular "Yama no Tsurihashi" (山の吊橋) because he liked its unconventional sound. I agreed that it sounded unlike what I've heard from him, but I could not agree with him in saying that I really liked it. I just thought that it was okay, like a 5.5 or 6 out of 10. The hollow crash of drums and cymbals that made the very recognizable intro and the rather rough jangling of the piano keys complemented by the smooth whine of the saxophone gave me a strong jazz flavour. It also has an oddly halting tempo, if that makes sense. But it was this strange and raucous arrangement that initially didn't sit very well with me.
Quite a good number of years later, I would be putting "Tokyo no Ari" on repeat when I was to do an informal mini presentation for a casual meeting with my academic advisor and his other advisees... It was a presentation for three, but the idea was to go over some of the ongoing research I've been doing for my thesis. Since my topic is none other than Kasuga and I'd been reading about bokyo kayo/enka around that time called "Bokyo Kayokyoku Ko" (望郷歌謡曲考) by Hidetada Fuji(藤井淑禎) from 1997 (man, the book's as old as I am), so I figured I could merge both while working out whether I want this combo to be a part of my big project. Of course, there was a greater rationale for this combo and it wasn't just because I wanted to talk about Hachi.
In the fragments of information I've dug up about The First Enka Singer, I noticed that he was most strongly associated with the genre/sub-genre of kayokyoku of bokyo kayo (望郷歌謡)*. Literally meaning "Homesickness song," this theme of song was popularized in the mid-1950s. As the name suggests, it usually features a character from the rural countryside in the city terribly missing their hometown and loved ones. It can also glorify the wonders of the natural countryside; conversely, it can emphasize the rancidness and loneliness of being in the stinkin' city. This just came at a time when a large-scale work-related urban migration of young Japanese people occurred (1954-1965); many, often between the ages of 15 to 19, flocked to the likes of Tokyo for better job opportunities. Some just wanted to go be in the modern and romanticized city paradise. But culture shock, disappointments and loneliness would set in, bogging down these wide-eyed kids. Tokyo wasn't as great as it was made out to be. I want to go home. I'm so lonely. The list goes on. And so, bokyo kayo and their reflection of this shared struggle took off, resonating with many a young worker, perhaps encouraging them to push on, or allowed them to find solace in knowing that they're not the only ones suffering. The tune and singer often cited as the starting point of this genre was "Wakare no Ippon Sugi" (別れの一本杉) sung by none other than my our Hachi. Of course, that's not to say that songs prior to this didn't showcase the theme of homesickness. It's just that societal events in the mid-50s and the decision to create a bokyo song theme at Hachi's resident King Records combined to make bokyo kayo a recognizable force to be reckoned with. Some years down the road, bokyo kayo would become subsumed under enka as it became an official genre in the late 60s and early 70s. I suggest that its resonance with the masses and grassroots appeal made it such an important sub-genre in enka, considering what the main genre came to stand for, and why Hachi deserves his prominent title, but I'll save that spiel for my thesis...
"Tokyo no Ari" on the Kohaku comes in at the 0:12 mark.
Okay, I went on a massive tangent right there, but my point is that Hachi is inextricably linked to bokyo kayo, and his forlorn vocals are perfect for conveying the wistfulness of this type of songs. "Wakare no Ippon Sugi" was certainly not the only bokyo kayo he did, and so I dug around for more examples for my presentation that would illustrate the variety of bokyo kayo mentioned in Fuji's book. That was when I realised "Tokyo no Ari" would be a perfect fit for a strain of bokyo kayo that highlighted the loneliness of being in the city while showcasing the wretchedness of urban living. Rather than the city paradise, Tokyo is grey and depressing. Our protagonist, having moved there with big dreams, is now in a little nook in the massive city, insignificant like an ant, just like the many who have treaded the same path as them. Hachi belting out the words so passionately ever so often almost sounds like the anguished cries of someone like that. Actually, it may have truly resonated with him and we may be hearing his real emotions in his voice as he was one such country bumpkin who moved to Tokyo, albeit in the prewar era. Anyway, Mr. Nakano's messy-sounding jazz melody, I feel, perfectly encapsulates the crusty part of urban center, and it wouldn't be the same if it had the same enka sound as something like "Wakare no Ippon Sugi." Seeing "Tokyo no Ari" in this new light enabled me to enjoy it a lot more than I once had. And then, of course, I came to like Mr. Nakano way, way, way more than before and suddenly I'm listening to this song every other day.
As implied above, "Tokyo no Ari" was one of the discography entries to receive re-recording treatment in the early 70s or so. While I still enjoy it, I think the charm of "Tokyo no Ari" can be better felt with the original arrangement and Hachi's earlier, more impassioned delivery.
When I get a little bored of listening to Mr. Nakano, I switch to Hachi singing Mr. Nakano's compositions. On the other hand, I get to discover more of Hachi's songs I didn't use to pay attention to because it has Mr. Nakano's name tagged to it. It's the perfect combination and I feel like I've unwittingly min-maxed oshi-katsu.
P.S. J-Canuck wrote about "Tokyo no Ari" some time ago, so you can check it out here.
*The rundown of bokyo kayo was based on my understanding of Fuji's piece.
The first time I heard this song, I got the impression that this was some sort of tokusatsu theme song as would be the case for "Kamen Rider"(仮面ライダー) thanks to its marching beat and the kiddie chorus backing up the singer. However, there is no superhero on the poster that you see on the video thumbnail above but a samurai warrior as you would see in a jidai geki series such as the immortal "Mito Komon"（水戸黄門）.
So, what is this interesting hybrid of two well-known Japanese TV tropes? Well, the theme song is for the 1959-1960 series titled "Hengen Mikazukimaru", a Fuji-TVjidai geki show for the children. And apparently, this was a tokusatsu jidai geki series with the hero warrior Mikazukimaru Hengen doling out justice with some of his amazing powers such as parting rivers and lakes just like Moses. It would therefore go that the theme song with the same name would have that familiar old-fashioned superhero theme...just one for a crime fighter from several hundred years ago.
The theme song was sung by Kazuo Ohno（大野一夫）with Toshio Oka（丘灯至夫）responsible for the lyrics while Teiichi Horie（堀江貞一）took care of the proud melody. I could only find one video with footage from the show itself and it was part of a variety program so the panelists were talking over the episode.
We in the Northern Hemisphere are still several days away from the official beginning to autumn, but it was pretty cool this morning when I went out and so I figure that some of the leaves in the trees are considering a change in colour. Maybe it is indeed time to order those Pumpkin Lattes.
Let's then start this round of KKP today with something appropriate. "Autumn Leaves" is a jazz and pop standard which I've usually heard as a mournful instrumental and according to Wikipedia, it started out as a French song, "Les Feuilles mortes" (The Dead Leaves), composed by Joseph Kosma in 1945. Given English lyrics by Johnny Mercer, the man behind "Moon River" and "Days of Wine and Roses", it became a No. 1 hit on Billboard back in 1955 when it was performed by pianist Roger Williams.
Singer Chiemi Eri（江利チエミ）gave her own sultry and smoky version of "Autumn Leaves", which was translated into Japanese as "Kareha"（枯葉...Dead Leaves）, as a track on her May 1959 album"Chiemi no Standard Album"（チエミのスタンダード・アルバム）. Assisted by jazz musician/songwriter Hachidai Nakamura（中村八大）on piano and Nobuo Hara and His Sharps & Flats（原信夫とシャープスアンドフラッツ）, there is a nice contrast between the moody jazz that could befit a film noir and the delicate harp perhaps symbolizing the leaves falling off the trees.
Allow me to finish off with a ten-minute version by the incomparable Vince Guaraldi. There's even a brief cameo of one of his other masterpieces of the season near the end.
"Y'know although I'm not that much of a Haruo Minami fan..."
Apparently, I said that on 20th September 2014 in my first article about Haruo Minami (三波春夫) on KKP. Oh, 2014 Noelle, that about aged as well as your initial opinion on Katsuhiko Haida. Well, maybe not nearly as extreme. Then again, the only one whom my opinion for has barely changed since day one is Yoshio Tabata.
I wanted to do another Haru san appreciation post today since it's his 100th birthday today (19th July) and I'm all for being a little extra with the festivities. I featured an entry in his biggest chohen kayo-rokyoku project in my previous post, so this time, I thought I'd go a little further back in time before he went big on the concept of this fusion between modern and traditional. We'll go back to what seemed like its nascent stage via"Otone Mujou", which was also the very tune I featured in the aforementioned piece.
Since this article will also be heavy on my nostalgia, I had to put up the video performance of Minami I came across nine years ago that served as my introduction to him. It was from a music program "Big Show" (ビッグショー) from 1976 and it will always be the definitive version of "Otone Mujou" to my eyes and ears. The arrangement of Yoshiji Nagatsu's (長津義司) musical composition here is nice and full without being too rushed, making it menacing enough to match the older Minami's more forceful portrayals of the story's characters.
On the note of story, we bear witness to the tragic tale of Miki Hirate (平手造酒). Based on the actual historical figure Mikame Hirata (平田三亀) and a character in the novel "Tenpo Suikoden" (天保水滸伝... Tenpo Water Margin), Hirate is often featured in the likes of rokyoku and enka. Recognized for toting around a large pot of sake and clad in black, the once talented swordsman under the Shusaku Chiba (千葉周作) dojo got thrown out due to his alcoholism and terrible behaviour, according to Kozo Futatsugi (二木紘三) in this article. After, he was a drifting drunkard before settling under the yakuza Shigezo Sasagawa (笹川の繁蔵), further damaging his reputation. He eventually met a gory death in a turf war between Sasagawa's and his rival's gang along the Tone river, but not before cutting down a few victims of his own (a highlight in the "Tenpo Suikoden").
The original rendition
I'm still not as familiar with the nitty-gritty details of the tale (because it's A LOT), but Ryo Inomata (猪又良) seemed to have summarized Hirate's downward spiral within the three stanzas. Haru san temporarily stepping into the roles of secondary characters (I'm not sure who they are) in between does also seem to mark the story's focal points too: The first as one who mocks Hirate for serving a yakuza, the second as one who warns one called another to not underestimate Hirate. These interludes make "Otone Mujou" ever more foreboding, emphasized by Haru san's sinister and explosive deliveries.
Speaking of Haru san's character portrayals, I love the later-day re-recordings and that 1976 live performance where the flamboyant singer cranks up the drama by screaming like a mad man before going about business as smiley usual. It was exactly how he captured my attention back when "I [was] not that much of a Haruo Minami fan". But the original 1959 version with a much more reserved Minami does have its merits too. The first interlude in particular made my skin crawl as he did that creepy villain laugh. 10/10 Haru san. Man, imagine him reading a bedtime story or doing a poetry reading. It'd be fire.
All that said, while I enjoy it, I'd say that I now wouldn't consider "Otone Mujou" within my top favourite Haru san works (2034 Noelle may fight me on this). But it will always have a special place in my heart as the first Minami song I listened to and the first time I was floored by such a riveting performance by a singer.
To round this off this Haru san appreciation-nostalgia piece, I think a little Mrs. Minami(Yukiko Kitazume (北詰由起子)) appreciation is in order as well. After all, it was the both of them who made our Haruo Minami possible. It's pretty widely known that Mrs. M was the one behind that iconic kimono-wearing image, but as his feisty long-time manager, she also had a strong influence over her husband's work ethic and his performance displays. By that I mean that she often takes the wheel and they'd often butt heads, with Haru san usually being the one giving in. But, to her credit, she was also a talented and accomplished performer who did pretty much anything from shamisen to manzai before she married him, and her direction did garner resounding results. From the books, she seemed like quite a fun, albeit terrifying character, and I'm ever grateful for her efforts.
I forgot where I found this picture, but it's adorable :')
I had an old friend of mine who lives in Japan ask me whether I would be returning for a visit anytime this year. Unfortunately, my answer wasn't too positive due to current financial and logistical issues. Of course, I would love to go back and see my old friends and former students/colleagues, and if I could, I would also enjoy returning to the ol' Tokyo Prince Hotel. Among other things, it is across the street from Tokyo Tower, still a major symbol of the capital of Japan. Wouldn't it be nice to get a room with a view of the old tower, although most likely it would cost a ton of yen for the night.
Last Tuesday, I wrote up an article on Toshihiko Tahara's（田原俊彦）old-style jazzy "Romanticist de Ii janai"（ロマンティストでいいじゃない）and right at the start, I referenced an even older article regarding former SMAP member Shingo Katori（香取慎吾）in jazz mode himself via his 2022 album"Tokyo SNG". Well, a commenter below then pointed out another song from that album which happened to have the dapper Katori teaming up with none other than the amazingly zany song and dance team, Atarashii Gakko no Leaders（新しい学校のリーダーズ）.
Well, I replied that I would have to check this one out. The video itself appeared on Katori's own YouTube channel only a week ago, and the song is simply "Tokyo Tower". Katori and Atarashii Gakko no Leaders make like the most congenial tokusatsu monster figures this side of baby Mothra as they all do a lovely singing soft-shoe reminiscent of the good ol' days of live TV music-variety shows. I know that crazy Suzuka has often performed the lead vocals for the group, but she really does stand out here in her duet with Katori.
Now, as usually would be the case for any song getting onto KKP, I did search for the songwriters behind "Tokyo Tower". My first assumption had been that it was a couple of folks in this century who just knew how to create the old stuff. However, my look at the JASRAC database revealed the composer to be the late Toru Funamura（船村徹）, one of the foremost songwriters of the kayo era. As it turns out, "Tokyo Tower"is an old chestnut of the kayo era! In fact, none other than Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）, the Queen of Kayo Kyoku herself, recorded "Tokyo Tower" as her 151st single and released it in March 1959. With Toshio Nomura（野村俊夫）behind the lyrics, Misora sings in a higher pitch than I'm accustomed to. Other than that, it's a jazzy kayo about the wonders of the then newly-built Tokyo Tower that had been completed in December 1958.
Once again, Saturday is among us so it's time for the latest round of go-touchi songs, a series that I began about a month ago to commemorate some of the geographically based kayo depending on the official regions within Japan. Last week, we took care of the Kinki region including Osaka. This time, we're doing a two-for-one deal just like I did for the very first entry which looked at Hokkaido and the Tohoku region up in the north. Today, it will be the small island of Shikoku which consists of Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima Prefectures and the westernmost Chugoku region on the main island of Honshu which has Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi Prefectures.
6. Angela Aki -- Home for Tokushima Prefecture (2005)
As usual, let's finish this off with some scrumptious dishes from the two areas. Today, we have Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki（お好み焼き）and then sanuki udon（讃岐うどん）from Kagawa Prefecture. Next week will be the final segment as we look at Kyushu and Okinawa.
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