Sounds of the Ryukyus 4: Yaeyama

Here’s the last of my Momoto columns which was published in January 2013.  A Japanese translation is below.

Sounds of the Ryukyus, vol.4

Music in the Yaeyama Islands

The term ‘Okinawan music’ doesn’t just refer to music from the main island of Okinawa. It also includes the wide variety of songs and music from many outer islands spread throughout the Ryukyu chain. A very large number of these musical activities originate from the Yaeyama Islands and it’s here where the traditional music is still most vital and alive.

Since my first visit to Ishigaki I have been to most of the Yaeyama islands and earlier this year I met the ethnomusicologist Matt Gillan. He has just published an academic book on his research in Yaeyama which he chose to study because of the unusually rich musical culture on the islands. During his time there he discovered music thriving in many rituals and in lineage and preservation groups, as well as in the annual ‘Tubarama’ song contest, and, of course, through the many well-known professional singers.

Musicians from Yaeyama continue to hold a special place in their islands’ culture and a disproportionate number were active in the Okinawan music boom in mainland Japan which began in the 1990s. At that time I met one of the most important performers, Oshima Yasukatsu. We subsequently got to know each other and he asked me to take on the task of co-translating into English some of the songs and sleeve notes for his albums.

Through my contact with Oshima I went on to meet many other musicians from Yaeyama. One of these was Hatoma Kanako who I first interviewed when she was just 18 after the release of her debut album in 2001. Since then, I’ve visited the live music venue run by her parents on every trip I’ve made to Ishigaki and look forward to the warm welcome I always receive there. This year Kanako has performed in concert with Oshima Yasukatsu and she also sings on his latest album. These are just two of the many fine musicians I’ve met, both amateur and professional, who continue to emerge from these islands of song.

Hatoma Kanako

八重山諸島の音楽

「沖縄音楽」という用語は、沖縄本島の音楽だけという意味ではありません。琉球弧に広がる島々に多様な音楽が存在しています。これらの歌や曲の多くは八重山諸島が起源で、現在でも八重山では伝統音楽が力強く息づいています。

石垣島を訪れて以来、八重山のほとんどの島を旅しましたが、今年のはじめに民族音楽学者のマット・ギランに会いました。彼は豊かな音楽文化がある八重山を研究の対象に選び、その学術本を出版したばかりでした。彼は石垣在住中に「トゥバラーマ大会」のような毎年開催されるイベント以外に、代々続く音楽一家や地元の保存会を通じて多くの曲を発見しました。もちろん、有名なミュージシャンたちからも多くを学びました。

1990年代に本土で始まった沖縄音楽ブームの中で、人口比で言うと不釣り合いなほど多くの八重山出身のミュージシャンが活躍しました。当時、私は重要な唄者のひとり大島保克に出会いました。その後お互いを知るようになり彼のCDの歌や解説の英訳をするようになりました。

大島と知り合ったことがきっかけで、たくさんの八重山のミュージシャンに出会いました。その中のひとりが鳩間可奈子で、2001年に若干18才でファーストアルバムを発売した時に初めて彼女を取材しました。それ以来、石垣に行くときは必ず彼女の両親が経営する民謡酒場に伺うことにしています。それは、いつも温かく迎えてくれるこの場所を訪れるのが楽しみだからです。今年のはじめに彼女は大島保克のコンサートに出演し、また大島の最新のアルバムにも参加しています。この二人は今まで会ったプロ、アマを問わない多くの素晴らしいミュージシャンの中のたった二人です。これからも「歌の島」と言われる八重山から、すぐれた唄者が出現することでしょう。

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Sounds of the Ryukyus 3: Songs and food

Here is the text of my third column for Momoto magazine, published in October 2012.  A Japanese translation is below.

Sounds of the Ryukyus, vol.3

Songs and food in Okinawa

In Japan all conversations turn sooner or later to food and Okinawa is no exception. This is quite different from my own country where only a gourmet is likely to dwell on the subject of eating for very long – understandably, some might say, given the lowly reputation of British cuisine in the past. But I soon discovered musicians in Okinawa who are happy to sing of the delights of eating on these islands.

One of many shimauta to catch my attention was the song ‘Goya Bushi’ which was recorded by Yokota Yoko. The song is about the virtues of this iconic island vegetable. Yokota’s version is hardly subtle but it’s the typical shimauta arrangement heard in music bars all over these islands. The words tell of the many reasons why goya is good for you and there is even a verse mentioning the importance of Vitamin C in hot weather. The song is included on the second of two compilation albums released in 2005 to celebrate the 35^th anniversary of Okinawa’s Campus Records. Both CDs have covers parodying The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper album and pictures of the ubiquitous goya are also prominently displayed.

‘Goya Bushi’ is also included on another compilation released the following year by Respect Records to commemorate another great institution – Okinawa soba. This album celebrates the popularity of the island speciality in all its many forms. And it’s not just soba and goya – providing some variety on the album’s menu are the songs ‘Mango nu Uta’, and ‘Awamori Monogatari’.

The relative wealth of the Ryukyus today was not always the case and the hardships of the past cannot be forgotten. In the Amami islands the song ‘Honen Bushi’ arose as a result of the Satsuma invasion. The people of Amami suffered extreme poverty and sometimes starvation after sugar cane production was introduced and all the profits were taken from them. The song expresses despair about this situation and asks for a good harvest. Not all songs about food are happy.

Ura! Campus Best – with goya and other vegetables on show

沖縄の唄と食

日本では話をしていると遅かれ早かれ食べ物のことになります。沖縄も例外ではありません。私の出身国ではグルメな人だけが食についてあれこれと話しをします。イギリス料理がこれまで低い評価を受けてきたことを考えれば納得です。私は沖縄音楽を聴きはじめてすぐに、ミュージシャンたちが島々の食のすばらしさを楽しげにうたっている事に気づきました。

たくさんの島唄の中で注目したのは与古田洋子がうたった「ゴーヤ節」です。島を代表する野菜の長所をうたっています。彼女のバージョンは手の込んだものではなく、どこの民謡酒場でも聞かれる典型的な島唄アレンジです。なぜゴーヤがいいのかたくさんの理由が紹介されていて、暑さにはビタミンＣが大事だよという節もあります。この唄はキャンパスレコード設立35周年を記念して2005年に発売された2枚組みCDの2枚目に収録されています。両CDのジャケットはビートルズの「サージェントペパー」のパロディーで至るところにゴーヤの写真がみられます。

その翌年にリスペクトレコードから発売されたコンピレーションアルバムにも「ゴーヤ節」が収録されています。このアルバムはもうひとつの県民食である沖縄そばを取り上げていて、いろんな種類のそばを賞賛しています。また、そばやゴーヤだけでなくアルバムのメニューには「マンゴぬ唄」「泡盛物語」といった曲も提供されています。

今は比較的、豊かになった琉球ですが苦難の過去があったことは忘れられません。奄美の「豊年節」は薩摩の侵略があって生まれた唄です。サトウキビの生産を始めたけれど薩摩に収穫のほとんどを奪われた奄美の人たちは貧困と飢餓に苦しみました。「豊年節」はその絶望感と豊作を願った唄です。食についての唄がすべて楽しいものではないのです。

Sounds of the Ryukyus 2: Kina Shoukichi

Below is the main text of my second column for Momoto magazine which was published in July 2012.  A Japanese translation follows the English.

Sounds of the Ryukyus, vol.2

Discovering Okinawa with Kina Shoukichi

Why am I living in Okinawa? I have one man to blame for this – his name is Kina Shoukichi. When I listened to him it came as a great shock to hear Okinawan music for the first time. Japanese music was very lacklustre and unexciting by comparison. My discovery led me to many other kinds of Okinawan music and finally to moving here.

I first met Kina at the end of the 1980s when he and his band Champloose put on such a life-affirming show in Kyoto that I still remember it as one of the highlights of my life. I then interviewed him for a magazine and in 1994 met up with him and his band in England when they performed in London. The next day I drove him to my hometown of Norwich where he did a live interview on local radio.

While most people know Kina for his song ‘Hana’ I would be perfectly happy never to hear this over-recorded song ever again. For me, there are two different songs which are far more moving. One is ‘Agarizachi’, a Kina original which refers to a point on the coast of Yonaguni and expresses love and concern for these precious islands. The other song that I like even more is ‘Nagareru Mamani’ which blends Kina’s words with a beautiful melody by Fukuhara Tsuneo. Kina is also surprisingly good when performing Okinawan minyo and it’s easy to overlook that he is also a great singer.

Kina Shoukichi can also be exasperating and eccentric. His political activities sometimes seem to be at odds with the views expressed in his music. And despite telling me many times that he is eager to write more songs, he has produced little recently to match the glory days of his past. But as the man who introduced me to Okinawa and changed my life forever he will always have a special place in my heart.

Akainko was a wonderful album of mainly traditional songs made in 1998. Kina shows that he has a remarkable voice and a great feeling for these old songs.

沖縄発見と喜納昌吉

私はなぜ沖縄に住んでいるのでしょう？それは一人の男のせいなのです。彼の名は喜納昌吉といいます。初めて沖縄音楽をきいたのが彼の曲で、とても大きな衝撃を受けました。それに比べると日本の音楽は面白みに欠け刺激が少ないと感じたものです。この発見が様々な沖縄音楽との出会いにつながり、とうとう移住するまでになりました。

初めて喜納に会ったのは1980年代の終わりでした。その時の京都で見た彼とチャンプルーズの感動的なステージは今も忘れられません。その後、雑誌の取材で、そして1994年には公演に来ていたロンドンで会いました。その翌日は、地元のラジオ番組に一緒に出演するため私の故郷のノーリッジへ車で行きました。

喜納の有名な曲「花」を知らない人は、ほとんどいないでしょう。あまりにも多くのアルバムに録音されすぎて2度ときけなくても気にならないかもしれません。私にとっては次の2曲のほうがずっと感動的だからです。ひとつは「東崎」。与那国島の岬の情景をかけがえのない島への想いをこめてうたっています。もう1曲は「流れるままに」で、喜納の歌詞と普久原恒勇の美しいメロディーが融合した素晴らしい唄です。喜納が民謡をうたうとき、彼が偉大な唄者であることを確信します。

喜納昌吉はときには周りを苛々させる変わり者だとも言えます。彼の政治活動と唄の世界は相容れないこともよくあります。書きたいと言いながら何年もオリジナル曲を書いていません。輝かしい日々はもう過去のものかもしれませんが、私の人生を変えた、この男は私の心の中の特別な場所にいつも居るのです。

Sounds of the Ryukyus

Momoto is a quarterly magazine published in Japanese in Okinawa and it focuses on life and culture on these islands. Last year I was asked to write a column Sounds of the Ryukyus for Vols.10~13. The column I wrote offers some very simple, brief introductions to Okinawan music topics from a personal perspective. The main text of the first column is reproduced below in English followed by a Japanese translation, and subsequent articles will be added to this blog. The magazines containing the complete columns with illustrations and photos are still available in most bookstores in Okinawa.

Sounds of the Ryukyus, vol.1

The Okinawan Minyo Master

I’m very happy to be writing this first column and hope to introduce some of my favourite music from these islands.

My discovery of Ryukyu Island music began many years ago in the late 1980s. After listening to all kinds of Okinawan music, and travelling around the islands many times, I finally decided to move here. I soon realised that minyo is at the heart of the people’s music and that Kadekaru Rinsho is its finest representative.

It’s well-known that Kadekaru recorded hundreds of songs and continued to sing and record until shortly before his death in 1999. But he is about as far removed from the usual image of the stage performer as it’s possible to be. He was a rather shy and reticent figure despite his many achievements and his voice sounds thin and wavering, but the more I listened to him the more addictive it became. He also had an enormous repertoire not just from Okinawa but from Miyako and Yaeyama and listening to him became an excellent way for me to find out about these wonderful songs.

I was lucky enough to see him perform twice at the 1997 and 1998 Ryukyu Festivals in Osaka. Since his death the following year there have been many albums released on CD but I always return to his ‘Jiru’ compilation of rare recordings and to his joint album ‘Uta Awase’ made with Yamazato Yukichi.

It’s very difficult to pick favourite songs but his versions of ‘Nakuni’ and the lively ‘Umi Nu Chinbora’ are great tonics. Most of all, I enjoy listening to his song ‘Jidai No Nagare’. This moving song describes the fate of Okinawa as it has been taken over and changed by various outside forces – from control by China to invasions by Japan and America. It seems to me the quintessential song of Okinawa.

Hukyokajin is a collection of 18 of Kadekaru’s best tracks and includes Jidai no Nagare

沖縄民謡の名人

連載コラムの第1回目を書くことができとても嬉しいです。琉球の島々から私の好きな音楽を紹介していきます。

琉球音楽を初めて聴いたのはずいぶん前で1980年後半でした。いろんな沖縄音楽を聴いて、何度も琉球諸島を訪れたあと、沖縄に移住することを決めました。ここに住んですぐに実感したのが、人々の音楽の中心に民謡があること。そして嘉手苅林昌がその優れた代表者ということでした。

嘉手苅林昌が何百という曲を録音し1999年に亡くなる直前まで唄い録音し続けていたのはよく知られていますが、彼ほど舞台で演奏しているイメージが実像からかけ離れた人はいないのではないかと思います。華々しい多くの業績とは対称的に控えめで無口な人でした。震えるような細い声が、聴けば聴くほどクセになりまた聴きたくなるのです。それにレパートリーは広くて沖縄だけでなく宮古や八重山の曲も多く、彼の唄を聴くことで素晴らしい曲に出会うことができました。

私は幸運にも1997年と1998年の2回、大阪で開催された琉球フェスティバルで彼の演奏と唄を聴くことができました。彼が亡くなった翌年に多くのCDが発売されましたが、よく聴くのはレアな音源で編集された「ジルー」と山里勇吉と共演した「うたあわせ」です。

好きな曲を選ぶのはとても難しいですが、彼のバージョンの「ナークニ」と明るい「海のちんぼら」は私を元気にしてくれます。そして何よりも聴いてすごいなと思うのが「時代の流れ」です。心揺さぶられるこの曲は、中国の支配と日本とアメリカの侵略という様々な外圧によって変わってきた沖縄の運命を表現していますが、私にとっては本質を語った典型的な沖縄の曲なのです。

http://www.momoto.net

 

Momoto magazine feature

The quarterly magazine Momoto is published in Japanese in Okinawa and focuses on life and culture on these islands. For issue number 6, which has just been published, I was asked to write a feature on Okinawan music. The article –  ‘The Soul of Okinawan Music’ –  is published both in English and in a Japanese translation.  It’s also available to read now on the Features page of The Power of Okinawa website. The Japanese translation can be found by clicking on the link below the title. The article includes some quotes from interviews with musicians Tetsuhiro Daiku, Bob Brozman and Tatsumi Chibana. The complete versions of these interviews are in The Power of Okinawa book.

Momoto is sold in many shops around Okinawa and the magazine’s website is at http://www.momoto.net