I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
The first time I wrote about the rock trio SHISHAMO was just after my 2017 trip to Japan. My first look at them was on "Music Station" on the night that I arrived at my hotel in Otsuka, Tokyo, as I was tucking into my beloved karaage bento (nope, shishamo wasn't on the menu).
Well, cue ahead a little over a year. I was watching NHK's "Uta Kon"（うたコン）a few nights ago and the hosts billed that episode as the final show of the Heisei Era (which I'm sure that a lot of regular TV variety shows and the like have been doing this week). Of course, a majority of the show was devoted to the big hits over the past 30 years of Heisei, but SHISHAMO was there to participate in the theme of the week, but also to debut their latest single, "OH!".
Released as their 9th single a couple of days ago, I wish something like "OH!" would have been put out there during my high school days. I think its message of plowing ahead the way you are in life without having to worry about how anyone else feels or thinks about you could have made things in my life somewhat easier. It's a genki song written and composed by vocalist Asako Miyazaki（宮崎朝子）, and makes for a nice melodic version of orange juice in 2019. I especially like how her voice glides at points.
As it has only been released in the last two days, there is no report on how it has done in the rankings but I'm pretty confident that it will make its hold higher up. I was thinking that "OH!" would make for a nice theme song for a J-drama somewhere on the schedule, but it's actually being used for a Lotte commercial according to the uploader for the above video.
Now that we're in the final few days before the transition from the Heisei to Reiwa Eras, I'm confident that SHISHAMO will be among the many bands to hold the torch crossing the ages.
Yes, you Sailor Moon（セーラームーン）fans have known this one for the longest time...ever since the original series started in 1992. Sailor Moon, even with her innate goodness and abilities, gets herself into a pinch against the villain of the week and all seems lost, when suddenly, a rose gets thrown down at supersonic speed just scraping past the bad guy or gal enough to disrupt his/her train of thought. Then, on the top of some tall structure, there is the ippiki ohkami himself, Tuxedo Kamen (Tuxedo Mask), appearing as rescuer (well, more like diversion-maker)/mentor to Usagi-chan while the lass has valentines for eyes.
Of course, every dashing hero needs the requisite theme song for his entrance, and so, Tuxedo Kamen got his with a bit of Latin and a bit of elan. It wasn't part of the opening theme or closing theme, and I don't think it ever got lyrics,but Tux's song was that nice and reassuring bit of sweeping strings to help Sailor Moon obtain some of that extra boost to finish off the villain.
Since he provided the music for "Sailor Moon", I'm also assuming that the late composer and arranger Takanori Arisawa（有澤孝紀）was also responsible for the theme for Tuxedo Kamen. Arisawa had provided commercial jingles and other anime soundtracks until his untimely death at the age of 54 in 2005. Even before that, though, he and his wife were two of the members in the City Pop vocal group SOAP.
I have to admit that for one Halloween party back in my NOVA days, I actually made up my own Tuxedo Kamen costume. Considering that most of the students who attended were far above elementary school age and we didn't have any "Sailor Moon" fans in the school, I was given a very hearty round of indifference as a reaction. In a way, I guess I really did want to disappear as quickly as the character always did.
Besides the usual YouTube, another way I make musical discoveries in the enka-yo department is through natsumelo karaokes. Lately I'd found another kayo haunt in the sleepy town (except when politicians go around blasting their promises) of Kasumigaseki, Saitama, which I now reside in, and on my first couple of visits, I had the pleasure of meeting this fellow, let's call him Uncle S. His singing and guitar skills are the best I've heard thus far from my karaoke romps. However, what threw me for a loop was not only is he a huge fan of Hachiro Kasuga, but, what are the odds, his favourite Kasuga-bushi is the same as mine (currently), "Ore wa Nora Inu" (俺は野良犬)! He seemed more floored than I was, though.
Well, but anyway, eventually finding out I'm a fan of matatabi enka, Uncle S was game to do a proper duet (up to that point we'd just been alternating stanzas for regular tunes from time to time), and he chose "Oshima Sentaro Tabiuta" simply after I said I knew the ryukoka singer Hisao Ito and somewhat recognized the characters' names of Oshima and Sentaro (admittedly, I had thought it was just one name). But, you see, I had no idea of the existance of such a song, and it had some strange transitions a typical enka song wouldn't have, so I wasn't able to wing it. 'Twas from then on when I decided learn it for a second shot at it. Unfortunately, I haven't seen Uncle S since, but I'm ready to redeem myself when he does reappear. Man, this is like the redux of Grandma K (whom I had finally met up with a couple of weeks ago in Sugamo).
Coming to the "Oshima Sentaro Tabiuta" itself, what I had initially thought was a song simply about the trials a roving actor and his wife face on the road turned out to be something quite a lot darker and more dramatic. This song (circa 1947) gets its plot from a popular novel "Jahime-sama" (蛇姫様) and is but one of its many adaptations (music and film-wise). The great Yaso Saijo (西條八十) lyric-fies the story of our hero Sentaro, who, after tragically having his sister and father murdered, goes into hiding by joining a roving theater troupe. Life's tough for Sentaro, and you can hear it in Teikichi Okuyama's (奥山貞吉) forlorn score, but his silver lining comes in the form of Oshima, one of the troupe's members. I don't really know much other details besides that, but long story short, they fall in love and live happily ever after and continuing this more or less ronin-style of life. Playing the role of Sentaro in "Oshima Sentaro Tabiuta" is the aforementioned Ito, and Akiko Futaba (二葉あき子) plays Oshima.
In the way of popularity, "Oshima Sentaro Tabiuta" definitely isn't one of either singers' renowned hits, and, for that matter, it's not even a well-known adaptation of the novel in spite of it being the theme song to the "Jahime-sama" film in 1947. It seems like Hibari Misora's (美空ひばり) own "Oshima Sentaro" that was tagged to the "Shin Jahime-sama" (新 蛇姫様) movie she starred in from 1965 was a lot more well-received (understandably so). Anyways, the second video here is a shorter rendition of "Oshima Sentaro Tabiuta", and it was sung by an under-the-radar enka singer called Sumiko Matsumoto(松本寿満子). I don't know who the male singer is, but I actually like this rendition more because of its slower tempo. I find that it sheds more light into Sentaro's struggle. Also, the snippets of movie with the song are from the aforementioned '47 movie.
P.S. The other folks at the Kasumigaseki joint didn't really know it either. Just last week, I had intended to sing it on my own, but the mama-san insisted that I partner-up simply because "Oshima Sentaro Tabiuta" is a duet. Grandpa 1, who was keen on doing a duet with me waved the white flag for he had no knowledge of this at all, and the key was too low for him. As a result, the mic was dropped on Grandpa 2. He was a good sport, in spite of not knowing the song completely. Ah, well, until Uncle S shows up again.
Found another winner on the "Light Mellow ~ Highway" disc that I would like to feature here for all of you City Pop fans on "Kayo Kyoku Plus".
Weirdly enough, this lady and her band weren't featured in "Japanese City Pop" but Rie Ida & 42nd Street（井田リエ＆ 42nd STREET）were able to get some of their songs onto the "Light Mellow" series including this track from their 2nd of three albums, "Star" from 1980. Titled "Party wo Nukedashite" (Get Me Out of the Party), it has that nice set of warm honeyed horns and mellow keyboards backing up the light and soulful vocals of Ida.
Unfortunately there isn't much else written up on Ida and 42nd Street but unlike Takako Mamiya（間宮貴子）and her lone album, at least Ida was able to get that total of three LPs out. "Party wo Nukedashite" was written by Hiroko Hagita（萩田寛子）and composed by 42nd Street guitarist, Yoshihiro Yonekura（米倉良弘）, who would later create some other genre songs for folks such as Hitomi Tohyama（当山ひとみ）. Hiro Tsunoda（つのだ☆ひろ）of "Mary Jane"（メリー・ジェーン）fame was on drums here.
In the song, Rie is begging someone to take her out of this stuffy party for much more fun outside in the fresher and healthier air. Considering how smoking must have been back in those days, I wouldn't blame her, although if she had truly been wearing that leopard-skin outfit on the cover of "Star", I would have given her a heavy coat.
A few days ago, someone was asking about featuring some of the more contemporary enka singers including Toshimi Tagawa（田川寿美）and Aiko Moriyama（森山愛子）.
Well, another name that cropped up was Yukino Ichikawa（市川由紀乃）who has become a regular face on the kayo programs on TV. I have put up an article on her hit "Kokoro Kasanete"（心かさねて）, but now I would like to present her March 2017 song "Hagurebana" (Wandering Flower) which immediately followed "Kokoro Kasanete".
A pretty philosophical ballad about the vagaries of life and love, "Hagurebana" is given the tender delivery by Ichikawa. It was written by Koyomi Asa（麻こよみ）and composed by Koji Tokuhisa（徳久広司）with the typical enka arrangement in mind, but I've also noticed that somewhat haunting whistling in the background as if there were something even more spiritual in the sylvan setting. It's the type of song that would well accompany a person walking over that ancient arched bridge under the blossoming cherry trees.
"Hagurebana" has so far become Ichikawa's most successful song in terms of Oricon rankings as it peaked at No. 11. On the enka charts, it was her 6th song to reach No. 1.
It's been a good 4.5 years since I've written up any article on Keiko Maruyama（丸山圭子）. For those who may not know her, this singer-songwriter is probably most famous among kayo fans for her 1976 hit "Douzo Kono Mama"（どうぞこのまま）, a bossa nova-influenced ballad that brings back memories of Henry Mancini and Antonio Jobim.
The other articles that I've written about Maruyama were on songs that she recorded back in the 1970s, so I'm quite happy to introduce one that she created and sang in the following decade. This would be "Glass no Mori"(Glass Woods), her 1983 single that was also placed in her album of the same year "Lady Good".
Of course, with the length of time passed since "Douzo Kono Mama", I wouldn't think that she would have stayed with the bossa nova, and the melancholy "Glass no Mori" has that contemporary sound which brings to mind that small genre of Fashion Music sung by singers like Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子）and Asami Kado（門あさみ）. Maruyama's lovely voice, those strings and the piano really stand out to me as the protagonist wonders in her darkened room (or plane cabin as you can see above) whether love will ever come to her. The overall sound makes me feel that the ideal setting would be some place in Tokyo which is why I gave it the City Pop tag.
Tis a Wednesday. Therefore, it's Hump Day probably to match the hump of muscle growing between your shoulder blades due to the usual stress. For me during my time in Japan, it really depended on what happened during a day that would have me designate it as not a great day. Luckily, though, there were various places where I could go to de-stress. Of course, along with my apartment in Ichikawa, there were my favourite record shops in Tokyo such as Tower Records and RecoFan, the neighbourhood massage clinic across from Minami-Gyotoku Station, and Tonki, my tonkatsu restaurant in the station plaza (as you can see above).
As well, music can be a balm. As such, I offer you "Your tender lovin' care" from Kanagawa-born guitarist Yuji Toriyama's（鳥山雄司）debut album"take A break" released in 1981. From what I've read in his J-Wiki profile, he actually produced his first project all by himself while still in Keio University. I'm not sure how much stress he was under when creating "take A break", but to my ears, "Your tender lovin' care" is quite de-stressing from the caressing delivery of the title by the chorus to the warm and sunny guitar. It's about as AOR as one can get and could have easily transported Japanese listeners at that time all the way over to California. Both it and the album were well-named.
It's photos like the one above and below for which I can go for some of more of that (pork) tender(loin) lovin' care.
