Hachiro Kasuga -- Ai no Nokoribi (愛の残り火)

"Do you still like Kasuga as much as before?"

 "Yeah." ( ；∀；)

From Shinobu

At the end of my thesis defense, I was asked if I still liked Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎) as much as I did before I embarked on my research journey. It would be natural if I ended up getting sick of him after toiling away on the biggest project I've done thus far with him as my focal point for 2 years. There were times when it felt tedious. I'd often joke that studying my favourite singer meant that there was not a time when I could take a break from him: In work mode, I would be analysing his songs; in rest mode, I would be listening to his songs. But I also felt that because it was Hachi, I was able to continue toiling away at my work. So, as you saw in the introduction, I gave an affirmative to my professor's query.

I came across "Ai no Nokoribi" (Embers of Love) at a Kasuga Enka Denshokai session, sung by one of the members, not long before that examination. Its melody caught my attention immediately and I knew I had to look it up once I got home. I soon found out that even though "Ai no Nokoribi" was recorded in March 1969, it only left the King Records storage almost 30 years later on 24th April 1998 via the album Kasuga Hachiro Zoku Hizo Mihappyo Meikyoku Shu (春日八郎 続・秘蔵未発表名曲集... Precious Unreleased Masterpiece Compilation Part II), a compilation of his unreleased works.

That said, its melody was just as I had remembered from the club: A mellow pop sound with a hint of Mood Kayo that creates a warm, cozy atmosphere reminiscent of a nice spring afternoon. Making this tune was Kenji Yoshidaya (吉田矢健治), the man often cited as the origin of the Kasuga Bushi (春日節... Kasuga's signature type of song). The Yoshidaya-made Kasuga Bushi is generally identifiable by its plaintive mood, i.e. opposite to "Ai no Nokoribi". Yoshidaya was responsible for a large chunk of Hachi's discography and made stuff based on trending music styles, so my initial surprise upon seeing his name attached to this tune quickly dissipated.   

And then Hachi's delivery. "Ai no Nokoribi" has the singer tackling the lower range of his vocals, contrary to the clear high tone he was most known for. It was different to hear Hachi sing in such a low register for at least 50% of a song and not hear his high tone, but I think kinda works for this song. From my understanding, Haruki Tango's (丹古晴巳) words tell of a man who is taken aback after discovering that the woman he broke up with is still in love with him. Her dedication seems to stoke the embers of love in his heart, long dormant after all the time that had passed. The protagonist's feelings of disbelief and regret are conveyed in Hachi's soft vocals, and one can feel a faint desire to start anew, particularly when the singer's voice swells then peters out with the strings at the chorus. It’s a song that doesn’t express a particularly extreme emotion and the character is more introspective, yet Hachi’s lower voice still managed to aptly convey what our main character must be feeling.

After the defense, I reflected on my answers to the panel, including that for the last question. In hindsight, I actually don't like Kasuga as I once did 2 years ago. No, after all that, I'd say that I've come to like him even more than I used to. While my research made me doubt and push away his enka-ness, meeting some of his biggest fans during this process allowed me to accept this crucial element of "Hachiro Kasuga". I gained a greater appreciation for the artist who shaped both kayokyoku and enka, and I was finally able to enjoy Hachi as a whole once again.

Hachiro Kasuga -- Yama no Tsurihashi (山の吊橋)

Hore yuuuraa yuuraaaaaaaa

Just last month, I was thrilled to able to live out one of my favourites by Hachiro Kasuga, "Yama no Tsurihashi", by standing and walking on a suspension bridge that happened to be in the mountains. The bridge I was on wasn't in the mountains of Japan, rather it was near Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, Canada - close enough. While it was a little intimidating at first, considering how high the Capilano Suspension Bridge is from the ravine and the fact that it sways (just as Hachi sang), it turned out to be a quite an exhilarating experience - thank goodness I don't have vertigo. I likened it to walking on a boat. 

Not a fantastic picture, but you can kinda see the Capilano bridge.
Also, that was the biggest Canadian flag I've ever seen.

Anyway, coming back to the song itself, "Yama no Tsurihashi" is a rather jolly tune in terms of both its music and words. Kenji Yoshidaya (吉田矢健治), known for creating Kasuga-bushis, composed a lighthearted melody that moves along a steady rhythm which I equate to someone, perhaps a local villager or a tourist, taking a leisurely stroll, and the sharp blare of the trumpets and flute gives the impression that said person is in high spirits. Responsible for the lyrics was Hiroshi Yokoi (横井弘), and it could be about our main character observing those who cross the swaying suspension bridge. There's a hunter with his dogs going bear hunting, a girl who seems to be waiting for her lover to return from the city, and a charcoal maker who enjoys his sake. On a whole, "Yama no Tsurihashi" could be fit for a "Minna no Uta", with the scenes being played out in a colour pencil-drawn MV.

"Yama no Tsurihashi" was released in September 1959 and was one of Hachi's hits. I came across "Yama no Tsurihashi" along with Michiya Mihashi's (三橋美智也) equally jaunty, "Iwate no Osho-san" (岩手の和尚さん) via Kouhei Fukuda (福田こうへい) in that same episode of "Shin Nippon no Uta". You can check out Fukuda's version below. He did a pretty good job, though it sounded like he just managed to hit the lowest note.

Hmm, ASKA, Mae-Kiyo, Tachi, then Ha-... ... OH, NO. Nah, just kidding. You thought Hacchan was my next muse? Pssh, t-that's... crazy!😰

Oh geez, it's high time a line be drawn.

Michiya Mihashi -- Iwate no Osho-san (岩手の和尚さん)

This article isn't on Hiroshi Tachi, but I thought this snapshot of him from an "Abunai Deka" episode I found on Twitter thoroughly represents how I felt as I watched the "Uta Kon" tribute to the Minyo superstar from Hakodate, Michiya Mihashi (三橋美智也). "Uta Kon" is definitely taking a step in the right direction with their weekly tributes to singers/songwriters from bygone days. Now if they could just do that for the rest of the Yon'nin Shu and the likes of Yujiro Ishihara, that'd be great.

Besides a brief history of him, a good number of Michi's hits were highlighted via the night's guests and the VTR clips. I felt glad that I knew and I liked almost all of what was being mentioned save for one or two. There were my old and perennial favourites like "Hoshikuzu no Machi" (星屑の町) and "Kojou" (古城), and the newly acquired "Ringo no Mura kara" (リンゴ村から) and "Akai Yuhi no Furusato" (赤い夕陽の故郷). However, I was sort of hoping to hear this tune that's both a favourite and relatively new to my Michi playlist, "Iwate no Osho-san". It would definitely have spiced things up, especially since the tribute focused more on his serious and/or melancholic tracks.

With the musical styling by Kenji Yoshidaya (吉田矢健治) , "Iwate no Osho-san" feels like fusion of East and West. The former would be from the screaming trumpets and droning horns that provide an Oriental vibe that befits a song that revolves around a monk; the latter comes from the catchy, upbeat percussions which have a Latin touch. Ryo Yano's (矢野亮) lyrics then has Mihashi singing about what I think are monks from the said prefecture coming down from the frigid mountains to the main village to celebrate some festival. From how Yoshidaya's score changes from quiet to raucous within the first few seconds of the song, the abbots must've been meditating or going about their peaceful lives before they realise it's time head down the mountain to "PARTY HARRDD!!!"... Well, maybe not too hard.

"Iwate no Osho-san" was released in 1958 and was also one of Mihashi's many successes. Looking at the J-Wiki, it wasn't one of his top 18 enka-yo hits, so perhaps that was why it wasn't featured on "Uta Kon" - or at least there wasn't time to include it.

One thing I've realised about the tributes to Michi I've watched (mostly online, until now) is that they don't talk about his disco phase. I thought that there would be minimally some mention of it since that was quite a transition he made in the 70's, but I guess not. I wonder if it wasn't that memorable, or many only want to remember the veteran by his enka and minyo, and disco which may have been seen as an act of folly. Too bad, "Disco Tengoku" (ディスコ天国) on the NHK stage would've been incredible.

(I'm sorry but the video has been taken down.)

Here's Kouhei Fukuda's (福田こうへい) rendition of "Iwate no Osho-san" to round things up. It was from this great "Special Stage" on a "Shin Nippon no Uta" episode where I discovered this song - there were tributes to a whole barrage of showa era enka/ryukoka singers.

Dang, would'ya look at that smile. This album doesn't have
the song, but it's really amusing.

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