Ichimaru
Encyclopedia
born in Japan
, was a popular Japanese recording artist and geisha
. Her rivalry with another popular geisha singer Katsutaro Kouta
created the "Ichi-Katsu Era" in Japanese popular music history.
At the age of nineteen she moved to Tokyo
and joined the Ichimatsuya Okiya, and took on her new name, Asakusa Ichimaru.
and singing lessons from Enchiga Kiyomoto, who was a famous female shamisen artist. She made great progress but still felt she could get better. Ichimaru then undertook training with the Grand Head Master Enjudaiyu Kiyomoto V's son, Eijudaiyu.
The training paid off and soon she was in great demand in not only her own geisha district but others around hers such as Yanagibashi, Akasaka and Shinbashi. Due to her great singing talent, Ichimaru was asked by The Victor Recording Company to sign a contract in 1931. She recorded her first song for a movie called Nure Tsubame (Wet Swallow) which became a hit. She followed her debut up with another hit, "Tenryū Kudareba" (Down the Tenryū River), which saw her become a superstar. Due to the success of her budding music career she decided to retire from being a geisha to concentrate solely on her singing career.
Throughout the 1930s Ichimaru continued to record new songs and performed for Japanese troops at home and abroad. By the end of the decade her recording career had slowed down to a complete halt due to World War II
. After the war in 1948 she began to record music again boost the morale of post-war Japan. At the end of the 1940s she started her own radio program called "Mitsukoshi Calendar of Songs" which would continue to be a success for the next ten years.
After the war Ichimaru became interested in United States
culture, becoming greatly interested in jazz music. The result of this interest was the hit song "Shamisen Boogie Woogie", composed with jazz songwriter Ryoichi Hattori
.
In 1950, she became the first Japanese singer after World War II
to be invited to Hawaii
to perform. This performance was followed other international concerts.
During this time Ichimaru was singing for kabuki
, and composing her own ko-uta, a style that would later become to be known as "Ichimaru Air".
Throughout her career she recorded two hundred and seventy pieces of ha-uta, zokkyoku melodies and ko-uta and won many prestigious awards including Geijutsusai Shorei Sho in 1970, Shiju Hoso (Imperial Order of the Purple Ribbon) in 1972 and Kun Yonto Zui-ho Sho (4th Imperial Order of Precious Treasures) in 1981.
Her legacy continues to live on in the form of a generous donation of kimono, obi and memoribillia by Mrs. Fumi Suzuki, a friend of Ichimaru, to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in Canada
and also by donations given to the Iida Museum in Nagano.
The May–June 2003 issue of the magazine "Arts of Asia" contained a twenty page article about Ichimaru, which included an eight page spread dedicated to some of her kimono.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, was a popular Japanese recording artist and geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
. Her rivalry with another popular geisha singer Katsutaro Kouta
Katsutaro Kouta
was a Japanese female geisha and ryūkōka singer. The genre like her songs was called "New-Minyo". The era when she had a high popularity with another popular geisha singer Ichimaru was called the "Katsu-Ichi Era".- Career :...
created the "Ichi-Katsu Era" in Japanese popular music history.
Early life
Ichimaru grew up in Japan with eleven siblings under harsh conditions. She left her family at the age of fourteen or fifteen to work at a geisha house. She spent much of her early years working at a hot springs spa in Asama, located in the Nagano Prefecture as an oshaku waitress. One time she was asked to sing by one of her customers, she was terribly embarrassed at her inability to sing and vowed to improve her skills.At the age of nineteen she moved to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and joined the Ichimatsuya Okiya, and took on her new name, Asakusa Ichimaru.
Recording career
In an effort to improve her singing skills when she moved to Tokyo, Ichimaru undertook shamisenShamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
and singing lessons from Enchiga Kiyomoto, who was a famous female shamisen artist. She made great progress but still felt she could get better. Ichimaru then undertook training with the Grand Head Master Enjudaiyu Kiyomoto V's son, Eijudaiyu.
The training paid off and soon she was in great demand in not only her own geisha district but others around hers such as Yanagibashi, Akasaka and Shinbashi. Due to her great singing talent, Ichimaru was asked by The Victor Recording Company to sign a contract in 1931. She recorded her first song for a movie called Nure Tsubame (Wet Swallow) which became a hit. She followed her debut up with another hit, "Tenryū Kudareba" (Down the Tenryū River), which saw her become a superstar. Due to the success of her budding music career she decided to retire from being a geisha to concentrate solely on her singing career.
Throughout the 1930s Ichimaru continued to record new songs and performed for Japanese troops at home and abroad. By the end of the decade her recording career had slowed down to a complete halt due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war in 1948 she began to record music again boost the morale of post-war Japan. At the end of the 1940s she started her own radio program called "Mitsukoshi Calendar of Songs" which would continue to be a success for the next ten years.
After the war Ichimaru became interested in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
culture, becoming greatly interested in jazz music. The result of this interest was the hit song "Shamisen Boogie Woogie", composed with jazz songwriter Ryoichi Hattori
Ryoichi Hattori
was a Japanese pop and jazz composer. Katsuhisa Hattori is his son. He had a great influence on Japanese pop and was awarded the People's Honor Award. Japanese jazz was downtrodden during World War II, but he created a jazz boom in Japan after the war. He composed many songs for various artists...
.
In 1950, she became the first Japanese singer after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to be invited to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
to perform. This performance was followed other international concerts.
During this time Ichimaru was singing for kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
, and composing her own ko-uta, a style that would later become to be known as "Ichimaru Air".
Teaching career
In 1984, Ichimaru founded the Edo Ko-uta Ichiju Society with the hopes of popularizing Edo ko-uta. She had an active role in training students in this style, and continued to teach well into 80s. She was also granted the title of Head Master of Nakamura School of Edo Ko-uta in 1960, due to her successful singing career and her support of the style.Legacy
Ichimaru died at the age of 90 in 1997, leaving a legacy of traditional folk music for modern day Japanese.Throughout her career she recorded two hundred and seventy pieces of ha-uta, zokkyoku melodies and ko-uta and won many prestigious awards including Geijutsusai Shorei Sho in 1970, Shiju Hoso (Imperial Order of the Purple Ribbon) in 1972 and Kun Yonto Zui-ho Sho (4th Imperial Order of Precious Treasures) in 1981.
Her legacy continues to live on in the form of a generous donation of kimono, obi and memoribillia by Mrs. Fumi Suzuki, a friend of Ichimaru, to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and also by donations given to the Iida Museum in Nagano.
The May–June 2003 issue of the magazine "Arts of Asia" contained a twenty page article about Ichimaru, which included an eight page spread dedicated to some of her kimono.