The Folk Crusaders
Encyclopedia
The Folk Crusaders was a Japan
ese pop music
group
, popular in Japan in the later half of the 1960s.
The band was formed in 1965 by the five university students Kazuhiko Katō
, Osamu Kitayama, Yoshio Hiranuma (平沼義男), Mikio Inomura (Imura?) (井村幹生) and Maki Ashida (芦田雅喜), but Ashida and Inomura left the band at an early stage. The three-man band were active in the Kansai
underground scene for some time, but in 1967 the band decided to split up, and to commemorate the split up they released the self-produced album
Harenchi, in only 300 copies. The same year, the album was picked up by radio station
s in Kyoto
and Kobe
, where the songs "Imujingawa" and "Kaette kita yopparai" were played frequently. "Kaette kita yopparai" ("Drunkard Returns") sold over one and a quarter million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. The band members continued their musical careers in different bands but had reunions with The Folk Crusaders and released some more albums.
The band's song "Imujingawa", a song about the Imjin River
and the splitting of Korea, played a role in the 2004 movie
, Pacchigi!
.
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...
ese pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, popular in Japan in the later half of the 1960s.
The band was formed in 1965 by the five university students Kazuhiko Katō
Kazuhiko Kato (musician)
, nicknamed , was a Japanese record producer, songwriter, and singer. He sometimes used the spelling of "Kazuhiko Katoh".As a member of the Folk Crusaders, Kato launched his recording career in the mid 1960s...
, Osamu Kitayama, Yoshio Hiranuma (平沼義男), Mikio Inomura (Imura?) (井村幹生) and Maki Ashida (芦田雅喜), but Ashida and Inomura left the band at an early stage. The three-man band were active in the Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
underground scene for some time, but in 1967 the band decided to split up, and to commemorate the split up they released the self-produced album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Harenchi, in only 300 copies. The same year, the album was picked up by radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
and Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, where the songs "Imujingawa" and "Kaette kita yopparai" were played frequently. "Kaette kita yopparai" ("Drunkard Returns") sold over one and a quarter million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. The band members continued their musical careers in different bands but had reunions with The Folk Crusaders and released some more albums.
The band's song "Imujingawa", a song about the Imjin River
Imjin River
The Imjin River is a river of North and South Korea. It flows from North to South, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, very near the Yellow Sea.- History :...
and the splitting of Korea, played a role in the 2004 movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Pacchigi!
Pacchigi!
is a 2005 Japanese film directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu.-Awards:48th Blue Ribbon Awards* Won: Best Film27th Yokohama Film Festival* Won: Best Film* Won: Best Director - Kazuyuki Izutsu...
.