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Japanese Music of Hawaii

Japanese Music of Hawaii

Various
Hana Ola Records - HOCD 37000
2000

Track Title Kanji Length Artist
1  Play Button Otomi-san 02'15
"Otomi-san" is performed by Alice Kojima who's stage name was "Aiko Bingo." At the time, she was married to bandleader Bob Kojima. This song, composed by: Masanobu Tokuchi and T. Yamasaki, was a big 1954 hit in Japan for Hachiro Kasuga.
2  Play Button Ohtone Zukiyo 02'58
"Moon Over Ohtone," tells of a fight between two rival gangs near the Ohtonegawa, a river in Chiba prefecture. It is performed by Harold Sasahara in what would today be described as an "enka" (nostalgic) style...

In Japan's Meiji period (1868-1912), speeches were made into popular songs in order to help people better understand them. The people who made a profession out of this were called "Enkashi." Some Enkashi also composed original music...the use of the word has changed over time - today, it denotes a style of singing that is old fashioned, nostalgic.
3  Play Button Tokyo Serenade 03'08
When performing, singer Jane Yoshino used the stage name "Jane Itai. Ms. Yoshino's "swing" rendition is a prime example of the Kayokyoku (popular music) style of the period.
4  Play Button Shina no Yoru 03'31
"Shina No Yoru" was a popular hit in the years preceding WWII. It is a remnant of the modern era Sino-Japanese War (1931-1945). Performed by "Sparky" Iwamoto, the composition of this song is credited to Sylvia Eisenberg.
5  Play Button Momotaro-san 02'42
Momotaro or Peach-boy is one of the most famous fairy tale heroes in Japan - in the mukashibanashi (an ancient tale) tradition. This genre is characterized by richly layered stories based on fictional characters and events. It is an oral tradition handed down through the ages. The appeal of the song is timeless and universal - many people of Hawai'i learn the fairy tale and song as children. Here, it is performed by child singer Mari Minami.
6  Play Button Ringo Oiwake 03'27
Many Japanese songs are rife with metaphors, nuances and hidden meanings - much like Hawaiian songs. Hawaiians called this form of artistic expression 'kaona." Amongst other things, "oiwake" could mean "countryside" or a heavily embellished musical style derived from a famous "Oxen Driving Song" that originated in the southern part of Honshu - a style later attributed to a famous folk song from Hokkaido - Esashi (an Ainu word meaning kelp) Oiwake. We leave it to the listener to decide...

This M. Yoneyama and F. Ozawa composition is performed by Alma Shimabukuro.
7  Play Button Sendō Kawai Ya 船頭可愛や 03'15
Sadame Miyazu joined the Hawaii Shochiku Orchestra in the early '50s. She was asked by Club Nisei to "sit in" on the recording session and lend her exquisite vocalization to a nostalgic rendition of "A Boatman Song."
8  Play Button Machi no Hatoba 02'47
Club Nisei's George Shimabukuro first recorded at Shochiku's Tropic Records. The Shimabukuro clan was very talented musically - brother Ted was member of the Hawaii Shochiku Orchestra; sisters Alma and Alice were singers for Club Nisei.

The song is about the bars and sailors down at the docks.
9  Play Button Tokyo Boogie 03'02
This "swing" number, composed by Aubrey Mullican, is a remnant of the post-WWII years when Japan was occupied by American and United Nations military forces. Club Nisei's "Aiko Bingo" gets "the joint jumping" with this up tempo song.
10  Play Button Tanko Bushi 炭坑節 03'14
Guest performers Itsuo Tokunaga (a Japanese national) and Yukie Tsutsumi (a noted dancer) perform this famous song from Fukuoka Prefecture. It remains a favorite at bon matsuri (an annual Buddhist celebration held to pay respect to ancestors).
11  Play Button Asatoya Yunta 安里屋ユンタ 02'55
Sadame Miyazu and Ted Shimabukuro perform this popular Okinawan folk song.
12  Play Button Hibari no Madorosu-san 02'59
Hibari was one of Japan's most popular singers and actresses. After WWII, she gave hope to the people of Japan in a time of desperation - her activities became a symbol of the Japanese postwar reconstruction. Over her career, she recorded more than 300 records (over 500 songs) and appeared in over 160 films. Hibari remains a popular cultural icon to this day...

"Hibari No Madorosu-san," composed by G. Uehara and M. Ishimoto is performed by Alma Shimabukuro. It should be noted that "madorosu" is a phonetic adaptation of the French word - matelot meaning "sailor."
13  Play Button Koko ni Sachi Ari 03'22
"Sparky" Iwamoto sings this Saburo Iida composition. In the early '70s a cover with English lyrics was a hit in the Islands. It remains a very popular song to this day - particularly at weddings.
14  Play Button Wakare no Ippon-sugi 03'14
A song of parting lovers, performed by Harold Sasahara.
15  Play Button Yūyake Koyake 夕焼小焼 03'23
An old and very popular folk song, sung here by local-born guest singer Mari Minami.
16  Play Button Oranda Yashiki 03'20
The first missionaries to Japan were Dutch. This song, composed by: M. Koga and Y. Saijyo and performed by "Aiko Bingo," tells of their mansion in the Deshima district of Nagasaki.
17  Play Button Doyobi no Yoru 02'45
An up tempo song performed by Jane Itai, featuring the female singers of Club Nisei.
18  Play Button Yuuraku Cho de Aimasho 02'36
Errol Nakao sings of two lovers who vow to meet at the station near Ginza in Tokyo.
19  Play Button Wakare no Iso Chidori 03'41
Arguably, Hawai'i-bom Francis Zanami's most famous composition. First performed in the Islands it became a hit in Japan in 1952. Here, "Sparky" Iwamoto, backed by the Club Nisei singers, pays homage to the Hawaiian-Japanese composer.

Regrettably Mr. Zanami's promising career was cut short - In 1949, at the age of 44, he died of a heart attack.
20  Play Button Japanese Rhumba 02'30
This Jerry Miller composition dates back to the post-WWII Occupation years. The song, performed
as a duet, features Harold Sasahara and "Sparky" Iwamoto.
21  Play Button Suite Ita Noni 03'29
A very popular song in the Islands composed by Enkashi Hakurui Shibuya and sung by guest performer Ted Shimabukuro. In 1937, Japanese national Ken Uehara recorded this classic which was released by Polydor in Japan.
22  Play Button Madorosu-san wa Dai Kirai 03'21
...because they're gone all the time and have a woman in every port. Singer Sadame Miyazu gives life to this feeling of despair. "I Don't Like Sailors" is performed in an "enka" style that respected Hawai'i based sound man Kit Ebersbach aptly calls "Japanese blues."
23  Play Button Ginza Kan Kan Musume 02'38
This song, performed here by Jane Itai, was a giant hit in Hawai'i. The song tells of the women (also known as pan pan musume) who had to eke out a living under difficult circumstances during the Post WWII Occupation years.