The Works of Shunichi Tokura（都倉俊一）

Wikimedia Commons via the Agency for Cultural Affairs

 

Since going into the 21st century, NHK's Kohaku Utagassen has undergone a number of key changes in its format, but one thing that has been retained is everyone's singing of "Auld Lang Syne" or as it is known in Japanese, "Hotaru no Hikari" (蛍の光）. The orchestra goes into its rendition at the end of the broadcast with a brief glimpse of the man who's conducting them. In the past, that has been singer Ichiro Fujiyama（藤山一郎）and singer-songwriter Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）. For the past several years, though, it's been singer-songwriter Shunichi Tokura.

Well, since it's been several months since I've written up a Creator article (the last one was for Kisaburo Suzuki（鈴木キサブロー）back last August), I've decided to whip one up tonight for one of the more prolific songwriters. Tokura has come up with some of the biggest hits in the late kayo kyoku period including those for some of the most famous aidoru of the 1970s: Pink Lady and Momoe Yamaguchi（山口百恵）.

Born in Tokyo in June 1948, Tokura got into music pretty early in life by picking up the violin at the age of 4. His father was a diplomat so for several years, their family was living in West Germany where he started studying the basics of music. Returning to Japan at the age of 12, some of his junior high school classmates included future officials in government and business. He then returned to Germany for high school (where he joined a band called The Beat Cats) before making his way back to his home country.

During his sophomore year in university, Tokura became the vocalist for the folk group The Panic Men which came out with a 1968 single called "Omoide no Komichi"（思い出の小径...Path of Memories）. This was also the time when he took up his future career as a composer and one of his first creations was Chinatsu Nakayama's（中山千夏）"Anata no Kokoro ni" (あなたの心に) in 1969.

A few years later in 1971, Tokura would compose "Tenshi ni Narenai"（天使になれない...Can't Be An Angel） with lyrics by Yu Aku（阿久悠）, a heartfelt 8th single for Akiko Wada（和田アキ子）that became her first Top 10 hit, coming in at No. 8. It was also Wada's ticket for her 2nd appearance on the Kohaku Utagassen that year.

Tokura currently has 60 articles, not including this one but including one which shows his own solo song "I'm Just a Man". I was pretty surprised and happy to get his name on the byline as a performer. But let's show some of the ones that he has composed for other big-time acts. Along with other composers such as Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）, there is a bit of a "He made that one?!" buzz around Tokura.

(1977) Pink Lady -- UFO

(1974) Momoe Yamaguchi -- Hito Natsu no Keiken（ひと夏経験）

(1979) Tomoko Kuwae -- Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion （私のハートはストップモーション）

(1972) Linda Yamamoto -- Dounimo Tomaranai （どうにもとまらない）

(1977) Karyudo -- Azusa Ni-go （あずさ２号）

(1973) Pedro & Capricious -- Johnny e no Dengon （ジョニイへの伝言）

Along with his many accolades over the decades, he was the JASRAC chairman and currently Tokura is the Commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Not bad for a guy who once whipped up a melody about an alien-human love affair.

Jimmy Buffett -- Margaritaville

 

Saw it on the news crawl on CP24 this morning, but yep, unfortunately singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett passed away at the age of 76 yesterday due to lymphoma. The man was the paean to good old-fashioned tropical beachfront living and such was the fame and popularity of his magnum opus, "Margaritaville" that I think it did have at least some influence on the Resort Pop subset within the New Music, City Pop and AOR realm in Japan. The folk-turned-AOR duo Bread & Butter might be one example. In any case, I've mentioned his name and the song enough times over the years on KKP that I have to mention this today.

"Margaritaville" was released in February 1977, and I can imagine here in Canada at that time, listeners really got that desperate feeling about flying to Florida on hearing this song of tropical paradise. But strangely enough, what I only discovered just in the last hour or so is that "Margaritaville" is really about a hedonistic beach bum who has come to the gradual realization that he's lost the love of his life due to his own actions, especially after a few instances of bad luck. Margaritaville may really be now the bum's soft prison and his margaritas are the crutch to keep him going.

I used to hear "Margaritaville" all the time on radio as a kid and all this time, I'd just assumed that it was the song to advertise a potential retirement in perpetually summery ecstasy. It certainly sounds inviting enough. And I've drunk enough margaritas to get that nice comfortable buzz. 

The song hit No. 4 in Canada and No. 8 in the United States but it went all the way to the top of the Adult Contemporary charts in both nations. It was even inducted into the 2016 Grammy Hall of Fame and in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress this year. My condolences to Buffett's family, friends and fans through this special ROY article.

So, what were some of the Best New Artists at the Japan Record Awards that year?

Karyudo -- Azusa Ni-go （あずさ２号）

Ikue Sakakibara -- Al Pacino Tasu Alain Delon Yori Anata (アル・パシーノ＋アラン・ドロン＜あなた)

Yosuke Tagawa -- Lui-Lui

Happy 150th Anniversary to Railroads in Japan!

 

Well, NHK's "News at 9" went on a different tack this morning here. Instead of the usual doom-and-gloom news (for the most part), the anchors and reporters not only based their broadcast from the Osaka studio for the first time, but they also gave a cheery report on the 2025 Expo there and acknowledged some history in that 2022 is the 150th anniversary of railroads in Japan.

For a country filled with rabid train enthusiasts, this sesquicentennial has to be a big deal. And at Shimbashi Station in Tokyo, there was a commemorative ceremony and not surprisingly, a ton of tore-ota showed up with cameras and smartphones in tow. I can only imagine that there have been many specials all over the television dial this year as well as similar station ceremonies all over Japan.

If I'd known about this auspicious year in public transportation, I would have acknowledged it on Aya's（彩）"Happy Train" which I wrote about on Monday. However, this has given me an opportunity to devote an Author's Picks on those train-connected tunes. Of course, there is so much related kayo out there and I've covered my small share of them here on KKP, but off the top of my head, I'll just put these up in my own recognition of this piece of history.

TOKIO -- Ambitious Japan!

Karyudo -- Azusa Ni-go （あずさ２号）

Ruiko Kurahashi -- Chuo Line（中央ライン）

Denki Groove -- Popo （ポポ）

ZOO -- Choo Choo Train

While you're at it, enjoy some of Kuga's Travel via the Komachi!

Stevie Wonder -- Sir Duke

 

On this day in 1950, a musical legend was born with the formal name of Stevland Hardaway Judkins but we know him better as Stevie Wonder. Believe it or not, the master singer-songwriter already has some representation here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" through Kimiko Kasai（笠井紀美子）and Chikuzen Sato（佐藤竹善）, both of whom are also known for their soulful voices. To kill two birds with one stone, since today is also the regular day for Reminiscings of Youth, let us commemorate his birthday with one of Wonder's most iconic tunes, "Sir Duke" which originally appeared on his 1976 album "Songs in the Key of Life" but was also released as a single in March 1977.

So, why "Sir Duke"? Well, the short answer would be "Why not?". It's another great Wonder-ful song, and personally, when I was in high school in my final year of band class (I finally gave up on the clarinet in Grade 11...not much fun with the music teacher that I had), our group played the tune. Perhaps I should edit that previous statement by saying that we attempted to play the tune; Wonder wouldn't have been particularly awed by our performance. There was no way that we could out-Wonder the Wonder.

I read in the Wikipedia article for "Sir Duke" that Wonder had wanted to pay tribute to all of those singers and musicians who had so influenced and inspired him including the supreme jazz bandleader and composer Duke Ellington. He didn't want those artists such as Glenn Miller and Ella Fitzgerald to be forgotten. And so, I don't want Wonder to be forgotten, thus this special ROY article.

There is nothing maudlin about "Sir Duke" at all. It's all joy and celebration of the greats by a fellow great punctuated by those saucy funky horns. I was surprised to find out that Michael Sembello, who would gain further fame by coming up with his early 1980s hit "Maniac" for the "Flashdance" soundtrack, was the lead guitar on the song. What wasn't a surprise was that "Sir Duke" hit No. 1 on both the Canadian and U.S. charts.

So, what were some singles that came out in March 1977?

Hideo Murata -- Jinsei Gekijo (人生劇場) (according to Showa Pops, although Noelle states that it had been released in 1959, so this is probably a re-release.)

Pink Lady -- Carmen '77 （カルメン '77）

Karyudo -- Azusa Ni-go （あずさ２号）

Karyudo/Mika Kotou -- America Bashi（アメリカ橋）

It would seem that in Japanese pop culture, along with lonely train platforms, the bridge is also the setting for bittersweet romantic partings.

Whenever I hear about the folk duo Karyudo（狩人）, my brain automatically reacts with an aural memory of "Azusa Ni-go"（あずさ2号）, their big hit from 1977, and really it seems to be the one song that Takamichi and Kunihiko Kato（加藤孝道・加藤久仁彦）always sing whenever they get invited onto the kayo kyoku TV shows.

However, recently I did find a later song that was released in February 1979 as their 7th single, "America Bashi" (America Bridge). Written by Koshin Okuyama（奥山侊伸）and composed by Junzo Shigaraki（信楽順三）, this bridge in Tokyo, which is officially known as Ebisu Minami Bashi（恵比寿南橋）and is located between Ebisu and Meguro Stations on the JR Yamanote Line, is the source of wistful reminiscing by the protagonist since it was the final place where he and a young lady would be a couple before leaving the megalopolis.

Although it wasn't quite the blockbuster hit that "Azusa Ni-go" was a few years previously, "America Bashi" did moderately well on Oricon by placing in at No. 28. Plus, I think that the ballad is absolutely soaking in beautiful nostalgia juice, and after listening to it a few more times, there is also something rather classical in the arrangement. The song was also included in the duo's 3rd album of the same name which was released just a month after the single.

The thing is, though, that Karyudo's song isn't an original but a cover of a ballad that singer Mika Kotou（湖東美歌）had released back in September 1976. Her "America Bashi" is also quite languid but it seems a tad closer to pop and it's also several seconds longer. I probably would have to listen to both versions some more to get a more detailed comparison.

I could barely find any written information about Kotou, including a confirmation on the pronunciation of her family name, since according to Jisho.org, that name can also be pronounced as Kohigashi, so once again, if any fan of hers can confirm this with me, I would appreciate it. But from what little I could glean online, I think Kotou has been continuing her career as a jazz chanteuse for some years.

As for the bridge itself, I can't quite remember whether I had crossed over it during my years in Tokyo. It's possible since I did go to Meguro once to see an old friend at a ramen restaurant there. However, I found out the reason that Ebisu Minami Bashi was given its nickname of America Bashi. According to Asahi Shimbun articles in 2015 and 2016 via J-Wiki, the bridge had been displayed at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904, and then the Japanese Ministry of Railways summarily purchased it and had it built and placed into its present location a couple of years later. It was then renovated in 1970.

Interestingly enough, Noelle wrote about another "America Bashi" by enka singer Yutaka Yamakawa（山川豊）back in 2014.

Karyudo -- Azusa Ni-go （あずさ２号）

"Azusa Ni-go"(The Azusa No. 2) is another 70s kayo kyoku classic. Sung by a brother act known as Karyudo（狩人）, Takamichi and Kunihiko Kato（加藤高道・久仁彦） hail from Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. Karyudo translates as "hunter", and the origin of the name comes from the composer of the song, Shunichi Tokura（都倉俊一） himself. Tokura acted as the lads' mentor and dubbed them as eternal hunters for that elusive hit song.

The Kato brothers didn't have to search for long. "Azusa Ni-go" was their debut song, and after its release in March 1977, it went as high as No. 4 on the Oricon weeklies and became the 15th-ranked song for the year. It also earned Karyudo the Best New Artist prize at the Japan Record Awards, and the single itself sold 800,000 records.

The lyrics were provided by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）, and talk of a woman traveling on the titular train from Tokyo with her new lover in tow, and some of the complicated feelings she's feeling. "Azusa"kinda feels like an enka song in terms of those lyrics but the melody is reminiscent of a melancholy folk ballad. My memories of seeing Karyudo perform on TV is of the two brothers singing their hearts out and on their sleeves.....something that audiences love to see.

However, it seems that the debut mega-hit was too successful for the duo. That hunt actually ended up becoming an eternal one. Despite 26 singles over the next few decades, including a 1995 version of "Azusa", Karyudo couldn't quite match that first big hit. Whenever they appeared on TV, it would always be to perform that one song.

Incidentally, the Azusa No. 2 did indeed exist. It was a special express train which went from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo to Hakuba Station in Nagano Prefecture. However, the train serving that route now is the Super Azusa No. 5.