Shoji Koganezawa -- Omae Sagashite（おまえさがして）

 

Well, this one caught me by surprise. I was just watching the first "Uta Con"（うたコン）episode of the year which was the usual clip show as a review of the past year. I had wondered whether last year's Kohaku Utagassen would be doing a tribute to all of those singers and musicians that had been lost in 2023 but instead, "Uta Con" opted to do their own special segment to end the episode for people such as Shinji Tanimura（谷村新司）and Junko Ohashi（大橋純子）.

However, one whose departure from this mortal coil that I hadn't been aware about until tonight was enka singer Shoji Koganezawa（小金沢昇司）. I hadn't come across any notice on the news regarding his death online or on TV but I did find the above TV Asahi announcement just now that had been posted a week ago. The native of Kanagawa Prefecture died on January 11th 2024 at the age of 65 from respiratory failure.

Probably his most famous hit was his "Arigato...Kansha"（ありがとう…感謝）from 2003 but I already posted about that one back in 2017. So I've decided to go to his beginnings and write on his debut single "Omae Sagashite" (Looking For You) which was released in August 1988. Sung tenderly by Koganezawa, the lyrics by Ou Yoshida（吉田旺）are actually a mix of anger and relief and reassurance from a lover who had been searching for his significant other for two years. Finally tracking her down, he gives her a solid chew out for running away from him but at the same time, promises his continued love for her. Seiichi Sakurada（桜田誠一）was responsible for the boisterous music. I wonder if a lot of Koganezawa's friends and fellow singers are feeling the same way about their colleague leaving them so early.

My condolences go to Koganezawa's family, friends and fans.

Shoji Koganezawa -- Arigato...Kansha （ありがとう…感謝）

I guess I was picking up quite a few songs on NHK's "Nodo Jiman"（のど自慢）today. Not only did I find a nice kid's song on the program but there was also a so-sentimental-it-hurts number that I discovered from one of the other participants.

This would be Shoji Koganezawa's（小金沢昇司）"Arigato...Kansha" (Thank You...With Gratitude). Released in September 2003, it may have been released in the 21st century but there is something quite old-fashioned and sepia-toned with the melody by Meiyu Otani（大谷明裕）. Even though, I still categorized it as an enka number, there is something American 1960s with that music since it reminded me of old pop songs such as "Where The Boys Are" and "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing".

In any event, the lyrics by Yuriko Shima（志磨ゆり子）are pretty much what it says in the title....about someone who wants to give thanks to everyone in his life who put up with him and helped him out through the tough times. I wouldn't be surprised by its karaoke use at a wedding reception in Japan or perhaps at a retirement party. Considering how hard Koganezawa worked to get where he is today, I'm sure that it wasn't too difficult for him to put his own feelings into the song.

Otani and Shima also collaborated for one of Koganezawa's other songs, "Negai, Ichijomodori Bashi"（願・一条戻り橋）.

Shoji Koganezawa -- Negai, Ichijomodori Bashi （願・一条戻り橋）

I was surprised that I hadn't done an article on enka singer Shoji Koganezawa（小金沢昇司）. I've seen and heard the man a few times now so I'd assumed that he did get into the blog somewhere. However, such was not the case so I'm rectifying it here.

A few days ago, I was watching NHK's "Nodo Jiman"（のど自慢）when Koganezawa and Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）appeared as guests. One of the amateur songsters performed one of the former's songs on his behalf, "Negai, Ichijomodori Bashi" (Please, Ichijomodori Bridge) which I thought was pretty good as a heartfelt crooning ballad.

The singer came out with this one in October 2012 and was created by lyricist Yuriko Shima（志磨ゆり子）and composer Meiyu Otani（大谷明裕）. I've spoken sometimes about how enka and Mood Kayo like to focus on certain areas in Japan. Well, I think geographical structures have also come into play as well, notably bridges and airports. I guess with bridges, they have also been seen as settings for fateful meetings and departures, and so they have been used in the titles of many a song, and not even restricted to the traditional Japanese genres. In this case, Ichijomodori Bashi is a bridge in Kyoto.

Koganezawa sings about some wistful reminiscings about a past romance and how he would dearly like to have the lady back, preferably meeting on the titular bridge.

The singer was born in the city of Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture in 1958. In his teenage years, he did go through a period of hard knocks as he became a delinquent, and according to one interview, Koganezawa admitted that he spent most of his high school years at police stations in his home prefecture. However, he somehow came under the tutelage of enka legend Saburo Kitajima（北島三郎）to learn how to become an enka singer himself. Another padawan of Kitajima, George Yamamoto（山本譲二）, even revealed that out of all of Kitajima's proteges, Koganezawa was the one who got yelled at the most.

Koganezawa made his debut in 1988 with "Omae Sagashite" (おまえさがして...Looking For You) but remained an unknown quantity until sometime in 1992, when he appeared in a commercial for throat spray. The narrator merely identified him as "Singer Shoji Koganezawa" which had viewers wondering "Who the heck is THAT guy?" The question was answered when his 4th single "Omae dake" (おまえだけ...Only You) came out later in the same year and ended up selling 350,000 copies. Thank you, throat spray.