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.

Tomoko Kuwae -- Blue Blue Island（ブルーブルーアイランド）

 

Last night's "Asaichi"（あさイチ）was entertaining enough. The topic du jour regarded the proper way to cleanse one's face but for me, it was all of the old kayo kyoku that was thrown out as segment BGM. That NHK staff seemed to have been on a bigger music bender than usual and even the on-air personalities were shimmying in their seats as the report discussed the debate on whether to use cleansing milk or oil to get the best results. And yep, one of the songs was the venerable chestnut, Tomoko Kuwae's（桑江知子）"Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion"（私のハートはストップモーション）.

As mentioned in that article, "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion" was released in January 1979 as Kuwae's debut single. Well, a few months down the line, Kuwae released her sophomore effort, "Blue Blue Island" in May. Despite the title, it isn't really a tropical-sounding tune but something more akin to a jangly footloose and fancy-free 50s or 60s pop song while still retaining that breezy vacation atmosphere. The same songwriters that were behind that first single were also back for "Blue Blue Island": lyricist Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）, composer Shunichi Tokura（都倉俊一）and arranger Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）.

Tomoko Kuwae -- Santa Maria Yuki no Fune（サンタマリア行きの船）

 

Nope, I know that the postcard has the place name of Santa Monica and not Santa Maria, but it was the only thumbnail of California I could find, unless I make something nice and California-esque from Bing. 

My experience with California is rather limited, sad to say. I've been to the Golden State only twice in my lifetime. I was in Los Angeles for one night in 1989 and then the following year, I visited San Francisco and Sacramento. But I have yet to go anywhere in the state with the word "Santa" and so my image of such an area is probably rather rosy and romantic with sunny seas, wide avenues, lovely houses and great restaurants. Maybe my friend and fellow writer Larry can give me some insights on Santa Maria especially since he has lived in California for many years.

And indeed, Santa Maria is the focus here because the song is "Santa Maria Yuki no Fune" (The Ship Bound for Santa Maria) by Tomoko Kuwae（桑江知子）. It is a track on her debut album from June 1979, "Born Free", but for some reason, the uploader has had the video labeled "Manhattan Yuki no Fune"（The Ship Bound for Manhattan） since it first got onto YouTube in 2020. Mind you, I think it is possible for a cruise liner to dock in New York City.

In any case, "Santa Maria Yuki no Fune" is a summery and dreamy number with those disco strings and percussion detailing the story of a Tokyoite who has decided that Santa Maria is the place to be with the mixed emotions that such a huge move would carry. And back in 1979, perhaps it was indeed a huge move, but at least it's still closer to Japan than Manhattan. The song was written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and composed by Kimio Mizutani（水谷公生）.

Tomoko Kuwae -- Wind & Kiss

 

It was over five years ago when we took that cruise on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas which at that time was the largest cruise ship on the planet. However, the Harmony has been supplanted three times since then with the current champion being the Icon of the Seas. I heard that the Icon had recently suffered a bit of a fire problem.

After being on two cruises last decade, I feel that my time on a cruise ship is pretty much over. Not that I hated my time on them but I never really became a fan of ocean cruises. Still, having said that, I can't help but get that cruise ship feeling when I listen to singer-songwriter Tomoko Kuwae's（桑江知子）"Wind & Kiss" which might have something of The Love Boat in mind. A track from her "Mr. Cool" album from April 1980, it's indeed a sunset summer breeze of a Resort Pop tune to listen to while relaxing on the lounge chair and enjoying a Summer Breeze cocktail (indeed, it does exist)🍹. Kuwae's plaintive vocals and the background chorus help out immensely.

Back in 2022, I also wrote about the title track from "Mr. Cool", so have a listen to that one as well. Also, give the Summer Breeze a try if you're into mixology.

Tomoko Kuwae & Tranzam -- Ashita ni Kakeru Niji（明日に架ける虹）

 

A couple of days ago, I wrote up an article on one of composer Hiroshi Miyagawa's（宮川泰）delectable pieces for the "Uchuu Senkan Yamato"（宇宙戦艦ヤマト）TV series, and as a result, I ended up looking at some of the old YouTube videos of various scenes from throughout the history of the original franchise from the 1970s into the 1980s.

Then, I re-encountered "Final Yamato" which was, as the title would suggest, the final entry of the entire odyssey in 1983. And them I remembered this scene when everything was all fine and dandy at the end which was represented by the remaining crew (sorry, Mr. Shima) running toward the seashore to admire the safe and happy Earth. It was a chance for fans to say goodbye to the veteran officers and some of the newer crew that joined in the more recent years. 

It was all accompanied by a relaxing song ("Have a nice dream") that I had first assumed was by either the vocal group Circus（サーカス）or Hi-Fi Set（ハイ・ファイ・セット）just from how the folks sounded. And I now notice that "Ashita ni Kakeru Niji" (Rainbow to Tomorrow) had that City Pop or J-AOR beat which would be great on radio. As it turned out, it was actually a duet with Tomoko Kuwae（桑江知子）and rock band Tranzam（トランザム）behind the microphone. I'm not 100% sure but I think it was Tome Kitagawa（トメ北川）working with Kuwae. Both of them had the song released as singles in January 1983, a couple of months before the movie came out. Lyricist Yu Aku（阿久悠）and composer Daisuke Inoue（井上大輔）created the song with Tranzam arranging everything.

Along with the relaxing feeling, there is also something rather celebratory and "Miller Time!" about "Ashita ni Kakeru Niji", and I think after saving the Earth from the galaxy's biggest drowning accident, the gallant crew of the Yamato deserve a fine round of the suds. Of course, immediately after this tune came the scene (in the first theatrical run) of the Kodais thoroughly enjoying their honeymoon, if you know what I mean. 😜 That was all consummated (cough, cough) to Junko Yagami's（八神純子）"Love Supreme" (ラブ・シュープリーム）.

Tomoko Kuwae -- Koibito no Ryoubun（恋人の領分）

 

Just for this article, I asked the AI art generator to cook up KKP representative Kayo Grace Kyoku to be draped over a chaise longue or chaise lounge (according to Wikipedia). However, Bing decided that the result would be too "racy" so I had to settle for the empty furniture. As for the reason that I made the request in the first place was that I was planning to talk about a song that could be considered to be within the sphere of Fashion Music, a particularly refined form of 70s New Music which I've often compared to Baroque Rock or Baroque Pop. I've given my examples on a 2018 article titled "J-Canuck's Fashion Music"（ファッション・ミュージック）. In all aspects, my genre is something that I impressed upon the blog on my own since its very brief usage in Japanese media had only been for singer Asami Kado（門あさ美）as a catchphrase for her 1979 song "Fascination". But in my opinion, there has been a good chunk of songs with that certain baroque quality so that the genre name is worthy of continued existence.

Anyways, one of my fellow Japanese music-loving Twitter companions, -3°C, informed everyone quite happily about how much they have have enjoyed this song "Koibito no Ryoubun" (Lovers' Domain) by Tomoko Kuwae（桑江知子）. Listening to it myself, I agreed and opted to write about it today on KKP seeing it is Hump Day and by this point, a lot of folks would probably love to lie down on the chaise longue, KKP's official furniture of Fashion Music.

It's got the gallant languidness that would suit the genre but it also possesses a certain relaxing country music lilt, and so I could easily imagine other singers such as Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子）or even the aforementioned Kado covering "Koibito no Ryoubun" as well. Maybe even Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）back in those early years. Speaking of which, the song was a track on Kuwae's 2nd album, the December 1979 "Neppu"（熱風...Tropical Winds）. The sibling songwriting duo, lyricist Etsuko Kisugi（来生えつこ）and composer-singer Takao Kisugi（来生たかお）were responsible for "Koibito no Ryoubun" which doesn't surprise me since those two are quite famous for their smooth and languid arrangements. 

Kuwae has dabbled in pop and City Pop, so why not something like Fashion Music? But since you're here, you can additionally try out her most well-known song, "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion"（私のハートはストップモーション）from that same year of 1979.

Takao Kisugi himself covered his composition in his December 2010 album "Hitasura ni"（ひたすらに...Devotedly） to mark his 35th anniversary in the business. His version seems almost elegiac as if he was thinking about putting a close to his career. Thankfully, that has yet to happen.

Izumi Kobayashi/Tomoko Kuwae -- Mr. Cool

 

Lovely song, pity about the hair, though.

Not quite sure what triggered that idea for a cover for Izumi Kobayashi's（小林泉美）December 1981 "Coconuts High" except maybe Kobayashi did get high on coconuts. Anyways, we should get over to the final track for this album, "Mr. Cool", which does sound like a finale with its languid and relaxing melody by Kobayashi herself. Nanako Sato（佐藤奈々子）was responsible for the lyrics which are delivered by the singer in her characteristic breathy and caressing way.

With the classy AOR spiced up slightly with some Latin, I entertained the thought that this could have also been covered by fellow City Pop/J-AOR artist Junko Yagami（八神純子）. 

However, Kobayashi's sultry take on "Mr. Cool" was itself a cover of the song that she provided fellow singer Tomoko Kuwae（桑江知子）the previous year for her April 1980 album "Mr. Cool". There seems to be a little more heartache in Kuwae's vocals while overall, the title track has some more City Pop vibe compared to the Resort Pop of Kobayashi's cover.

Tomoko Kuwae -- WHOSE WHO

Over the decades, there have been some singers who have been seen as one-hit wonders such as Saburo Tokito（時任三郎）for the comic vitamin-drink hit, "Yuuki no Shirushi"（勇気のしるし）and Akiko Kobayashi（小林明子）for "Fall in Love". However, even if that particular song has been the only thing that has gained them fame and fortune, their die-hard fans (and that includes me for both Tokito and Kobayashi) know that that they've continued to provide some fine music for years.

That can also apply to singer Tomoko Kuwae（桑江知子）. Whenever she has appeared on TV, it is to almost always sing "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion"（私のハートはストップモーション）, her only hit and first single in 1979. It's a light and breezy kayo that can open up all of those nostalgia pores like heat in a sauna. Of course, that song has already been given its due here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", and some years after that, I was able to cover a 1990 song by her called "Tasogare wo Wine ni Somete"（黄昏をワインに染めて）which is an example of those lush ballads that I often heard at that time last century.

Song No. 3 in the Kuwae file is "WHOSE WHO", a song whose title could potentially strike terror in grammar teachers😏, but still has me in its thrall as a nice funky City Pop number. Originally released as a track on her 1983 album, "Tomoko 1 I Can't Wait", I was able to first hear it as a part of "Light Mellow ~ Moment" recently. Lyrics are by Arisu Sato（佐藤ありす）as Kuwae sings about a woman realizing that a complicated love triangle is on the verge of forming, and the funk is provided by singer-songwriter Tatsushi Umegaki（梅垣達志）. Incidentally, I love that particular synth that comes in between Kuwae's vocals; I've heard it before in other City Pop songs, probably Junko Yagami's（八神純子）contributions, and I will dub that particular sound Cool Steel.😎

Kuwae has that appealing vocal quality which balances between light and rich, so I'm a tad surprised that she wasn't able to garner any more big hits on the scale of "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion". But as I said before, her supporters know what's what and who's who.

Tomoko Kuwae -- Tasogare wo Wine ni Somete（黄昏をワインに染めて）

There are certain singers who have been seen as one-hit wonders: they get that huge hit which is the talk of the town for several months to a year, only for them to disappear into obscurity with the exception of their die-hard fans who keep holding the flame. As a fellow who has liked to see a bit deeper into the discography of such singers to see if I can find some other hitherto unknown gems, "Kayo Kyoku Plus" has provided me many an opportunity.

One such singer is Tomoko Kuwae（桑江知子）. Japanese pop music listeners of the late 70s and early 80s will probably remember her for her sole hit, "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion"（私のハートはストップモーション）from 1979. I think it's one of those pop songs that hit the perfect centre of the kayo kyoku Venn diagram in which it's perhaps a little too uptempo to be considered Fashion Music or AOR but doesn't really step totally into the City Pop genre.

Well, back in May 2012, when I wrote an article about "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion", I did mention a single that Kuwae had released in February 1990. This is indeed that single "Tasogare wo Wine ni Somete" (Color the Wine with Sunsets). Up to now, I've had the singer frozen in time in the late 1970s due to that hit, so it was a bit of a shock to see Kuwae in the video above sporting that sauvage hairstyle which was so popular with women back in those days.

Again, like "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion", "Tasogare wo Wine ni Somete" has got that sophisticated arrangement which sounds like an updated version of Fashion Music, especially with those epic strings. It feels like it was a Chika Ueda（上田知華）creation, but actually it was written by Toyohisa Araki（荒木とよひさ）and composed by Takashi Tsushimi（都志見隆）. Unfortunately, the video above just has a shortened version for performing on a music show so it would be nice if I could my own copy of the whole thing someday. The song was also used as one of the many ending themes for the late-night variety show "Tonight" on TV Asahi. That show is quite well-known to me for using those high-flying ballads as sendoff music.

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

Tomoko Kuwae （桑江知子）had an initially brief career in singing before returning to her native Okinawa to become a DJ. Her first 4 or 5 singles were released in the period 1979-1980 after which she took a decade off before she released another single in 1990 and then very sporadically after that.

Her debut single, "Watashi no Heart wa Stop Motion"(My Heart Stops), released in January 1979 was her only significant hit, peaking at No. 14 on the Oricon weeklies and selling around 150,000 copies at the time. It also got television exposure since it was used as a commercial jingle for Pola Cosmetics. The song was written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and composed by Shunichi Tokura（都倉俊一）.

Kuwae may be considered a one-hit wonder but this one hit still seems to have a place in a lot of people's hearts. It often pops up on those seasonal TV retrospectives about music in Japan, and Kuwae herself pops in to perform the song. At a turn of a decade in which there were some rather interesting hits by female singers such as Judy Ongg and Saki Kubota（久保田早紀）, "Watashi no Heart" can be placed in this group for the fact that perhaps it's not easy to categorize. One Japanese blogger asked that very question and whether Kuwae was an aidoru. Just judging from the song itself, it's possible since she sang a rather fizzily pleasant pop tune about falling in love but then again the arrangements seemed a bit more solid than the usual aidoru stuff...perhaps on the level of New Music. But once again, a lot of the early hits by aidoru-turned-superstars can also be thrown into that debate. Still for me, I'll be happy to place it as a nostalgic cute pop song.