Hiroshi Miyama -- Hana to Samurai（花とサムライ）

 

As I mentioned in the previous article, "Uta Con"（うたコン）was back after several weeks of hiatus due to the Holidays. One of the guests was enka singer Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）who, back on New Year's Eve, managed to pull off another Guinness world record of sustained kendama catches (there are actually other snakes of people doing this sort of thing?!) on the Kohaku Utagassen.

It seems as if Miyama is taking after another famous enka legend by the name of Hiroshi (Itsuki) and becoming quite the Renaissance man or Swiss Army knife. He not only sings but loves kendama, breeds Rhinoceros beetles and handles the drums with aplomb, and those are the things that I remember; there were a few other hobbies that popped up on the screen but I forgot what they were.

Anyways, Miyama was on the drum set last night as he performed his latest single which was released only a couple of weeks ago and which makes the song the second one to be listed under the 2026 label here on KKP after this particular tune. "Hana to Samurai" (The Flower and the Samurai) is an enka song with a bit of a jazzy/rock n' roll twist so I guess I can also place this under the category of New Adult Music as well. Written by Haku Ide（いではく）and composed by Koji Tokuhisa（徳久広司）, it's all about remembering and engaging in all of those Japanese ideals such as being faithful to duty and family. I gather that it's the added genre panache that kinda softens the doctrinaire in "Hana to Samurai".

One additional thing that I discovered in Miyama's Wikipedia page is that his vocals have been called the Vitamin Voice because fans have claimed that his golden tones have provided a sense of security and vitality. So, he's the tonic that rejuvenates...something that will always be welcome in enka.

Hiroshi Miyama -- Gion Yamizakura（祇園闇桜）

 

After all these years living in the Great White North with occasional trips back to the old country, my parents have still maintained their love for enka music. So it's not surprising that they do look forward to their episodes of "Uta Con"（うたコン）and "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）, especially the latter.

But my mother can be very particular even within the enka genre. So it means something when she openly says that she likes a song. And so she has expressed her affinity for Hiroshi Miyama's（三山ひろし）latest enka tune "Gion Yamizakura" (The Dark Cherry Blossoms of Gion). Released in June this year as his 21st single, the title sounds like something that should be fronting a mystery novel but instead, this delicate traditional ballad talks of a tragic love affair that takes place in Kyoto. Miyama, who I usually think is more for the boisterously sung tunes, sounds almost like the bidanshi enka singer Keisuke Yamauchi（山内惠介）with his own very sensitive and delicate approach to the genre. Written by Shinichi Ishihara（石原信一）and composed by Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）, "Gion Yamizakura" peaked at No. 22 on Oricon. Methinks that this will get him back onto the Kohaku Utagassen in a few months' time.

Hiroshi Miyama -- Sake Akari（酒灯り）

 

I'm not sure whether Alcoholics Anonymous would appreciate the sentiments expressed in this particular song, but I heard this one, "Sake Akari" (The Light of the Drink) by enka singer Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）last night on NHK's "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）as his 20th single from January 2025.

Usually when it comes to Miyama's enka tunes, I've gotten his exhortations on the grand nature of the countryside which is a common enka trope. However, this time around, the native of Kochi Prefecture is singing about the healing qualities of a good drink and companionship at the local nomiya. Written by Daizo Saito（さいとう大三）and composed by Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）, the gentle beckoning melody seems to be a reflection (literal and figurative) of the welcoming and glistening light of the just-as-gentle sloshing of the alcohol, most likely sake, made from the purest water. Perhaps even the mesmerizing effects of the sake moving about is enough to bring some ASMR recovery. "Sake Akari" reached No. 14 on Oricon.

I also heard his "Hokkai Minato Bushi"（北海港節）last night which was the last article I did on Miyama back in 2023.

Saburo Kitajima -- Take（竹）

Wikimedia Commons
Basile Morin

 

In all of my years listening to Japanese music, I hadn't heard of any song titled "Take" (Bamboo), and yet, I should have known that there would be such a tune. It would fit perfectly in the enka genre as a singer would note bamboo's fast growth, strength, durability, utility and downright Japanese-ness.

But wouldn't you know it? Of course, it would be the Great Man of Enka himself, Saburo Kitajima（北島三郎）, who released "Take" as his June 1997 single. Composing it under his usual pen name of Joji Hara（原譲二）with Kozo Nomura（野村耕三）providing lyrics, Sabu-chan gives his admiration to the largest member of the grass family and hoping probably that it can apply to anyone making their way in the world. The bamboo is indeed the ideal subject for an enka song and Kitajima is the ideal singer to tackle it with his oaken vocal technique. Incidentally, I'm sure that a lot of singers of the genre have covered it including Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）below.

A Song Vacation (mostly) by "Uta Con" April 23rd 2024

 

NHK's "Uta Con"（うたコン）had their final broadcast before going on a multi-week hiatus during Golden Week. Now, the annual spate of holidays ranging from the last days of April into the first days of May doesn't begin for a few more days yet, but I figured that I can still provide a few of the songs that got into their "Uta no Tabi"（歌の旅...Song Vacation） theme segment yesterday along with throwing in one of my own choices.

As it stands right now, though, with the Japanese currency plummeting down to 155 yen to the dollar, perhaps there won't be as much tourism from Japan to overseas destinations this Golden Week although Americans, Canadians and other people will be more than happy to fly over to Japan for the next little while. Maybe that's why some of the songs from "Uta no Tabi" were most definitely domestic. In any case, here are the selections.

Rimi Natsukawa -- Nada Soso (涙そうそう)

Hiroshi Miyama -- Oiwaki Yama (お岩木山)

Mayo Shouno -- Tonde Istanbul （飛んでイスタンブール）

Godiego -- Gandhara （ガンダーラ）

Kome Kome Club -- Roman Hiko (浪漫飛行）

Hiroshi Miyama -- Hokkai Minato Bushi（北海港節）

 

Last night's "Uta Con"（うたコン）had a mix of stuff but one highlight was seeing singer-songwriter Takao Horiuchi（堀内孝雄）perform "Shuushifu"（秋止符）, a hit from his days with Alice（アリス）alongside his personal friend and professional partner Shinji Tanimura（谷村新司）who had passed away some weeks ago. The poignant thing was that the two had been thinking about doing a nationwide tour but that plan has obviously had to stop.

Another guest on the show was enka singer Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）who will be celebrating his 15th anniversary in the singing business next year. Last night, he sung his latest single which was released in July this year, "Hokkai Minato Bushi" (Song of a Northern Sea Port). Written by Haku Ide（いではく）and composed by Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）, I can describe this one in the same way that I did for Miyama's previous tune that I posted earlier this year "Donkozaka"（どんこ坂）: it doesn't get more enka than that.

One of the batteries that powers an enka song is the story of the song's protagonist jumping headfirst into the fray to master his fears and weaknesses against the elements or other things. Not surprisingly then, there have been a number of enka tunes revolving around the nation's fishing industry whose boats often have to deal with stormy seas to get their much-needed catch of seafood. "Kyodai Bune"（兄弟船）by Ichiro Toba（鳥羽一郎）is arguably the most famous.

"Hokkai Minato Bushi" is probably the newest one and as Miyama has noted in interviews, he has to attack the song with brio to properly express the emotions involved within a man in a family line of fishermen providing for his family, despite the risks. The melody by Gen is appropriately intrepid and tough except for a middle part which shows off a calm period...maybe it's clear skies and pristine ocean before the storm rolls in. There doesn't seem to be any particular port being indicated here so the the harbour could be anywhere in Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido or even in the northern Tohoku region of the main island of Honshu. "Hokkai Minato Bushi" managed to reach No. 21 on Oricon.

Hiroshi Miyama -- Donkozaka（どんこ坂）

 

As I mentioned in the Morning Musume '22 article earlier today, last night's "Uta Con"（うたコン）only really had the one enka performance. Enka singer Aya Shimazu（島津亜矢）showed up at the beginning of the show but she actually sang an old chanson instead of the traditional stuff. It was actually left up to young Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）to provide the genre representative during what was basically a pop episode.

(shortened version)

Miyama was still happily savoring his victory at the Kohaku Utagassen on New Year's Eve since he and his kendama tribe managed to set another Guinness world record. He was also on the show to perform his 17th and most recent single which was released only a couple of weeks ago on the 11th, "Donkozaka" (Donko Hill). Now, I've translated the title as if it were a straight name since looking up the word "donko" on Jisho.org, I found out that the word refers to either a species of goby or a type of shiitake mushroom. I would go with the latter but I didn't see any references to fungi in Daizo Saito's（さいとう大三）lyrics so I'll be happy to assume that it's just the name of a hill. However, if anyone knows better, please let me know.

After hearing a lot of the pop stuff over the past few weeks, it's nice to get some of that enka as a palate cleanser, so to speak. Tetsuya Gen's（弦哲也）melody is filled with plenty of proud enka brio through the timpani, the electric guitar, the strings, the acoustic guitar and the shakuhachi. Then, Miyama gives some reassuring vocals to the love of his life that they will be fine as long as they are together to surmount any hills/obstacles in their way. It doesn't get more enka than that.

Hiroshi Miyama -- Yume Oibito（夢追い人）

 

Last night's "Uta Con"（うたコン）did have its theme of looking at kayo that made it big in other countries, but in the last fifteen minutes, the show brought in the usual new tunes.

One involved enka singer Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）and his latest single from June this year "Yume Oibito" (Dream Chaser). Written and composed by Joji Hara（原譲二）, aka enka legend Saburo Kitajima（北島三郎）, the song has that usual swagger and boss trumpet that Kitajima often enjoys in his own music. But this time, there's even some softness and soul in the arrangement. Within the lyrics, it's all about a fellow who remembers when he first got into Tokyo chasing his dreams one wintry night. As a more seasoned citizen now, he reckons that he still isn't quite there yet so he can't head back to his hometown quite yet either. He still wants to reach for that brass ring. In a way, it feels like those old Showa Era kayo of folks emptying out of the regional villages and towns to attempt to make it big in Tokyo and other metropolises during the postwar period.

I figure that Miyama will be invited to the Kohaku Utagassen again at the end of this year, so I wouldn't mind it if he sang this tune. It's got some nice brio in there.

(short version)

Hiroshi Miyama -- Hitokoi Sakaba（人恋酒場）

Last Saturday, there was the usual afternoon broadcast of "Songs of Japanese Spirit" on NHK's satellite channel, and I got to see enka veteran Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）. Of course, he and everyone else got to sing a whole number of songs during the 90-minute show but then I heard this particular jaunty enka tune.

I'd assumed that it was one of his more recent singles but actually, it was his debut single from June 2009, "Hitokoi Sakaba" (Bar of Love). As I said, it's a pretty genki enka although the protagonist in that bar is giving his "Can't live with them, can't live without them" lament about women in general. And yet, he's hoping to see the latest young lady that he's fallen for. Since it is a cheerfully arranged song, I'm assuming that the lad has bent the ears of the bartender and any fellow barfly, and that they are giving each other knowing glances and rolling eyes to the tune of "Ach, here we go again about his treatise of love".

"Hitokoi Sakaba" was written by Toshiya Niitani（仁井谷俊也）and composed by Tensho Nakamura（中村典正）. It was a pretty good start for Miyama since it peaked at No. 17 on Oricon and his first single went Gold, selling more than 100,000 copies.

Hiroshi Miyama -- Kodama（谺－こだま）

 

"Uta Con"（うたコン）was on last night and the hosts, actor Shosuke Tanihara（谷原章介）and announcer Nonoka Akaki（赤木野々花）, were back up on the stage seating instead of the audience seats, so perhaps there has been a slight relaxation in the restrictions although I think that audiences are still not allowed into the hall. Well, baby steps and all that...

Enka singer and kendama master Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）was back to perform his 14th and latest single, "Kodama" which was released on January 13th. As for the definition of the title, I took a look at jisho.org once more, and initially I'd assumed that it meant "tree spirit" because like a lot of enka singers, Miyama has exhorted the wonders of certain topographical features in Japan such as rivers in his music.

However, looking at the lyrics by Haku Ide（いではく）, kodama in this case means "echo". Miyama is relating the story of his yelling his fond resonant farewells to the grand mountains of his hometown before heading to the big city some fifteen years previously. He also wonders about the young lady he left behind and whether she's already got married to another fellow. The melody strikes me as a signal that he will be coming back home for at least a triumphant visit.

Akito Yomo（四方章人）was responsible for the just-as-grand music which brings a lot of nostalgia to me especially during the winter months here since that sort of enka always seems to ring in my head during the cold season. Miyama comes from Kochi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, so I'm not too sure whether snow falls down in his old hometown at around this time; "Kodama" strikes me as being more of a Tohoku kayo but that's just my opinion. In any case, the song peaked at No. 12 on Oricon.

(short version)

Soran Bushi（ソーラン節）

Once again, the YouTube comment of "(name of anime) sent me here!" is alive and well. I first saw it applied via "Hibike! Euphonium" when the high school band covered Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Rydeen" and The Square's "Takarajima" in respective seasons. All I had to do was check out the original versions of the songs to see the many "Hibike! Euphonium sent me here!" comments. Then, a mere two weeks ago, Episode 10 of Season 2 of "Kaguya-sama: Love is War" pulled one off when the title character tried out some voguing to find her calming ritual, sending rapt fans off to check out Madonna's "Vogue" and leave those famous comments.

Looks like "Kaguya-sama" scored another point last week as the usually fluffy Chika Fujiwara unleashed Gordon Ramsey fury on choreographically-damaged Student Council President Miyuki Shirogane. It was only a surprise that the lass didn't pull out two slices of white bread and slam them on either side of Miyuki's head. The issue was that the President had two left feet when it came to performing the famous traditional dance of Soran Bushi, and considering that Fujiwara had gone through hell and back to teach him the basics of volleyball and singing, the temper finally snapped.

Happily, within a few minutes of some rather unconventional tutoring and arguing between Chika and Vice-President Kaguya Shinomiya, Miyuki finally found his groove just in time for the dance presentation at the annual sports festival.

Of course, probably within a few minutes of the end of that episode, fans clambered over each other searching for that actual YouTube video of folks performing Soran Bushi, first sung by the fishermen of Hokkaido according to the Wikipedia article. The above video here was posted up on 2012 but I can guarantee that viewership and comments for that video exploded in the last six days, probably all of them having to do with Miyuki's education.

Both Chika and the Wikipedia article describe what Soran Bushi is all about with each move in the dance representing the actions in the raucous environment of catching all that fish (herring from what I've read in the J-Wiki article). The Hokkaido minyo itself may have been around for quite a while longer, but apparently 1974 was the year that Soran Bushi got its due nationwide. If anyone can give me an earlier year for its origins, please let me know.

The "Kaguya-sama" version of Soran Bushi had some good pizzazz but I have to admit that all sorts of singers and dancers and musicians haven't slouched when it comes to bringing the dance onstage. I found this video of enka singers Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）and Kouhei Fukuda（福田こうへい）going for the gusto with a small army of dancers.

Compare Soran Bushi with another traditional song that I've written about, Tanko Bushi.

Hiroshi Miyama -- Bokyo Sanga（望郷山河）

Not sure how many of you were able to watch the live broadcast of the 70th Kohaku Utagassen today, but as usual, when I woke up in the Eastern Standard Time zone, NHK was already two-thirds into the special. However, I've been able to record it through PVR, so I figure that the whole family can catch it tomorrow night (or to be more accurate, fast-forward to the parts we like) following osechi.

One of the segments in the live broadcast that I did miss due to sleep was enka singer Hiroshi Miyama's（三山ひろし）usually zesty performance. The thing here, though, is that he and several dozen other folks were trying to see if they could top their official Guinness world record performance from last year's Kohaku in kendama catching. I won't give any spoilers here...you can just watch the show for yourself, but as you can see in the above video, the Force truly is with Miyama.

The song that he performed on the Kohaku earlier today was his March 2019 single "Bokyo Sanga" (The Mountains and Rivers of Nostalgia). Whenever I think of New Year's Eve and the New Year's holidays in general in Japan, enka does come into the mind because of its traditional nature. Of course, folks there will head for their hometowns everywhere in the country during this time so Miyama singing this proud ode to the old surroundings was appropriate, I think.

With lyrics by Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）, Miyama may be relating about the purifying power of the homeland and family, and that all of the problems one might have don't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to what the natural surroundings have gone through over millions of years. Plus, family is also there to help you get over what's troubling you. It's kinda like the enka version of a breath of needed fresh air. Tensho Nakamura（中村典正）composed "Bokyo Sanga"; it was most likely one of his last creations before his passing later in August this year at the age of 83.

Hiroshi Miyama -- Oiwaki Yama (お岩木山)

So that's why he wears this green suit while singing this song live!

"YAAAAMA YOOOOoooo... Yamaaaa yooooo..."

The number of times I had seen Hiroshi Miyama (三山ひろし) and his beaming countenance triumphantly belting out the impressionable opening to his recent hit featuring one of Aomori's famous natural landmarks on NHK is most likely more than the number of fingers on one hand. And after singing it on this week's "Kayo Concert" that featured this year's enka hits - as well as a couple of oldies. Itsuki looked spiffy in his Pinstripe suit - I'm confident in saying that I've heard "Oiwaki Yama" and the fans passionately screaming, "MIYAMA!!!" on TV close to 10 times in this year alone.

Penned by Yukio Chiba and composed by Norimasa Nakamura (千葉幸雄.中村典正), "Oiwaki Yama" is a refreshing and noble tribute to Mount Iwaki; just the music alone makes you feel like you're in the mountain's vicinity on a clear day and taking in that crisp air. It reminds me of Sabu-Chan's "Takao San" (高尾山), though not nearly as grand. This tune earned its place on this particular episode due to the fact that it's been on the enka-yo charts for the longest time. Since its release on 11th February 2015, it has been within the Top 20, sometimes disappearing for a week or so before reemerging, and although its been 9 months, I just saw that it's currently at 5th place on the enka charts - it was actually a few spots higher in the previous week. It peaked at 13th place on the regular Oricon charts, which is pretty respectable, and sold more than 100 000 copies, making it a certified Gold record. But it is indeed a pleasant sounding song, and Miyama's smooth, slightly nasally warbling is actually better than what I had initially thought. Well, no wonder they call him "Vitamin voice".

Just some background information on this relatively new and youthful enka singer. Miyama, who hails from the Kochi prefecture, learnt how to sing enka stuff at a young age, and in 2004 he became the champion on "Nodojiman". With his mind set on becoming a singer, he became a student of the aforementioned Nakamura for 3 years. Miyama officially debuted in 2009 with "Hitokoi Sakaba" (人恋酒場), which like "Oiwaki Yama", sold over 100 000 copies and became a Gold record.

amazon.co.jp

Hiroshi Uchiyamada and The Cool Five -- Uwasa no Onna （噂の女）

I was watching NHK News at Nine while having my breakfast this morning when I heard the news of the passing of author Yoko Yamaguchi（山口洋子）at the age of 77. The Nagoya native was not only a prolific writer and the winner of the semi-annual Naoki Prize in literature twice in 1985, but she was also the lyricist of some of the moodiest of Mood Kayo.

Yamaguchi wrote the classic "Yokohama Tasogare"（よこはまたそがれ）which became Hiroshi Itsuki's（五木ひろし）breakthrough hit and also Yujiro Ishihara's（石原裕次郎）marvelous "Brandy Glass" (ブランデーグラス）. But according to J-Wiki, her first attempt at songwriting also came up roses, and that is the above "Uwasa no Onna" (Woman of Rumour or That Woman). The 5th single of Hiroshi Uchiyamada and The Cool Five（内山田洋とクール・ファイブ）was released in July 1970, several months before "Yokohama Tasogare", and I've gotta say that lead vocalist Kiyoshi Maekawa（前川清）just gushes out the pain of that woman under probably unfair scrutiny and scorn. To be socially isolated in Japanese society is pretty close to a death sentence, and the woman in question in the song bitterly lashes out at how anyone could understand the depths of her suffering.

Composer Kosho Inomata（猪俣公章）came up with the whiskey-worthy melody of bluesy saxophone, guitar and chorus, and together with Maekawa's aching resonant vocals, the effect is of a lonely walk through the side streets of gaudy neon and tiny drinking establishments with the angst of "water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink"...and no friendly faces, either. "Uwasa no Onna" had an effect on listeners. It went all the way to No. 2 on the Oricon weeklies, selling half a million records and ending up as the No. 14 song of 1970.

Hiroshi Miyama（三山ひろし）did his own cover of "Uwasa no Onna" as well. As I was listening to both versions, I did wonder once more about the custom of having male artists crooning about the feelings of a woman in enka/Mood Kayo. My knowledge on Japanese cultural history is hazy at best, but I wonder whether there was any connection at all between the custom here in popular music and kabuki actors taking on onnagata roles. Although the J-Wiki article on "Uwasa no Onna" didn't feature anything on cover versions, I cannot imagine any female enka singers NOT performing this song. Composer Inomata also created (former Mrs. Maekawa) Keiko Fuji's（藤圭子）"Onna no Blues"（女のブルース）, and she would've been an excellent choice for "Uwasa no Onna". Also, Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）would belt this one out of the park.