Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
singer-songwriter
, actor
, poet
, and human-rights advocate, who is a prominent figure in Japanese popular music
.
As a musician, he has sold more than 20 million records worldwide, and has appeared in various movies and television dramas. His wife Etsuko Shihomi is also a known actress.
, Kagoshima. When he was a child, his body was very weak and he often suffered from asthma
.
Nagabuchi favored popular Japanese folk singers such as Takuro Yoshida
, Ryo Kagawa, Masato Tomobe and Kenji Endo. Especially, a song called One Road Straight changed his view to the world. Their protest songs tempted him to become a musician. Eagerness to realize his dream made him buy a gut-guitar at the age of 15. In 1973, when he was 17, he made his first performance as a live act. Around 1974, he formed a folk duo called "Takeshi and Tsuyoshi" and gained experience as a performer. In 1975, he entered Kyushu Sangyo University
, but eventually dropped out and chose the career of show business. At that time, he often performed at late-night bars. Some audiences booed him and threw bottles at him. Later, he reminisced about the old days and said that this unbearable experience trained his own spirit.
-style and Nagabuchi wanted to avoid such a conservative style. Nevertheless, it was recorded and released despite his reluctance about the sound. Because of such disgraced treatment, he hates his debut single and would like to hide the existence of this song.
After the failed debut song, he contracted with Toshiba EMI and made another challenge to break onto the music scene again. His next single was Junrenka, released on October 5, 1978. In later years, he released a re-recorded version and reached #1 on the Oricon charts. His Debut album Kaze wa Minamikara was released in 1979. He released a second album in the same year and it sold over 580,000 copies and provided him with the first #1 hit record on Oricon. The album entitled Gyakuryū featured his early principal hit single Junko. At first, it was included in the album only, but cut as the single in 1980, it hit the top of Japanese single chart in August of the same year. Following the success both of the album and the single, he joined the ranks of the most popular singer-songwriters in Japan.
In his next three studio albums, Bye Bye, Jidai wa Bokura ni Ame o Furashiteru and Heavy Gauge, he attempted to get rid of the standard folk song style. After two successful albums in early 1980s, commercial success of his albums and singles declined one after another for about three years. Goodbye Seishun in autumn of 1983, his first smash-hit single since Junko, was written with Yasushi Akimoto
for the TV drama series in which he starred. From the other drama program broadcast in 1982, he began acting career as a side job. He has ever appeared 14 TV dramas and 5 movies, including starring in several of them. In the 17th film of the movie series Otoko wa Tsurai yo in 1986, he acted with his future wife Etsuko Shihomi.
He disliked his own voice. To change it, he gargled with shōchū
, and sang in an intenionally coarse voice. Eventually, his voice was gradually changed to a hoarse sound like Bob Dylan
, whom he respected. The change of voice expression intensified his characteristics more and more. Thanks to such characteristic expression, he built up deep-rooted popularity in the mid 1980s. From the 1987 album License to Captain of the Ship in 1993, his six studio albums consistently reached #1 on the Oricon album chart. In particular, Japan in 1991 sold over a million copies and became his most successful record. Similarly, Shabondama, the first single cut from this album became a million-seller.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, and human-rights advocate, who is a prominent figure in Japanese popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
.
As a musician, he has sold more than 20 million records worldwide, and has appeared in various movies and television dramas. His wife Etsuko Shihomi is also a known actress.
Biography
On September 7, 1956, Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, the first son of policeman Kuniharu Nagabuchi and his wife Masuko, was born in IjuinIjuin, Kagoshima
was a town located in Hioki District, Kagoshima, Japan.On May 1, 2005 Ijūin was merged with thwe towns of Fukiage, Higashiichiki and Hiyoshi, all from Hioki District, to form the new city of Hioki and no longer exists as an independent municipalwity....
, Kagoshima. When he was a child, his body was very weak and he often suffered from asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
.
Nagabuchi favored popular Japanese folk singers such as Takuro Yoshida
Takuro Yoshida
is a Japanese male singer-songwriter. He was born on April 5, 1946 in Okuchi, Kagoshima and raised in Hiroshima. He made his debut with the single "Imeji no Uta / Maku II" on June 1, 1970...
, Ryo Kagawa, Masato Tomobe and Kenji Endo. Especially, a song called One Road Straight changed his view to the world. Their protest songs tempted him to become a musician. Eagerness to realize his dream made him buy a gut-guitar at the age of 15. In 1973, when he was 17, he made his first performance as a live act. Around 1974, he formed a folk duo called "Takeshi and Tsuyoshi" and gained experience as a performer. In 1975, he entered Kyushu Sangyo University
Kyushu Sangyo University
was founded in 1960 in Fukuoka City, and currently has twenty departments and six graduate schools. It is a private university.-Undergraduate Faculties and departments:*Faculty of Economics**Department of Economics*Faculty of Commerce**Department of Commerce...
, but eventually dropped out and chose the career of show business. At that time, he often performed at late-night bars. Some audiences booed him and threw bottles at him. Later, he reminisced about the old days and said that this unbearable experience trained his own spirit.
Debut
His career as a solo artist began in the mid 1970s. In 1976, he took part in a well-known music contest called "Yamaha Popular Music Song Contest", where he performed the song Ame no Arashiyama and won first prize. The next year, this song was released as his first single from JVC Victor Records (credited as Go Nagabuchi) and failed to chart. The approach of Ame no Arashiyama arranged by Motoki Funayama was enkaEnka
is a popular Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern enka, however, is a relatively recent musical form which arose in the context of such postwar expressions of modern Japanese nonmaterial nationalism as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
-style and Nagabuchi wanted to avoid such a conservative style. Nevertheless, it was recorded and released despite his reluctance about the sound. Because of such disgraced treatment, he hates his debut single and would like to hide the existence of this song.
After the failed debut song, he contracted with Toshiba EMI and made another challenge to break onto the music scene again. His next single was Junrenka, released on October 5, 1978. In later years, he released a re-recorded version and reached #1 on the Oricon charts. His Debut album Kaze wa Minamikara was released in 1979. He released a second album in the same year and it sold over 580,000 copies and provided him with the first #1 hit record on Oricon. The album entitled Gyakuryū featured his early principal hit single Junko. At first, it was included in the album only, but cut as the single in 1980, it hit the top of Japanese single chart in August of the same year. Following the success both of the album and the single, he joined the ranks of the most popular singer-songwriters in Japan.
1980s
In 1980, Nagabuchi released another well-known Japanese folk song classic, Kanpai, which he wrote for his friend's wedding. It first appeared on the same-titled album and unreleased as a single, but gradually became famous around the country. In 1988, he recorded a new version for a single and it became his second #1 hit on the singles chart.In his next three studio albums, Bye Bye, Jidai wa Bokura ni Ame o Furashiteru and Heavy Gauge, he attempted to get rid of the standard folk song style. After two successful albums in early 1980s, commercial success of his albums and singles declined one after another for about three years. Goodbye Seishun in autumn of 1983, his first smash-hit single since Junko, was written with Yasushi Akimoto
Yasushi Akimoto
is a Japanese television writer, lyricist, record producer, professor and vice president at Kyoto University of Art and Design. He also created some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise.- Career :...
for the TV drama series in which he starred. From the other drama program broadcast in 1982, he began acting career as a side job. He has ever appeared 14 TV dramas and 5 movies, including starring in several of them. In the 17th film of the movie series Otoko wa Tsurai yo in 1986, he acted with his future wife Etsuko Shihomi.
He disliked his own voice. To change it, he gargled with shōchū
Shochu
is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from barley, sweet potatoes, or rice, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as brown sugar, buckwheat or chestnut. Typically shōchū contains 25% alcohol by volume...
, and sang in an intenionally coarse voice. Eventually, his voice was gradually changed to a hoarse sound like Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, whom he respected. The change of voice expression intensified his characteristics more and more. Thanks to such characteristic expression, he built up deep-rooted popularity in the mid 1980s. From the 1987 album License to Captain of the Ship in 1993, his six studio albums consistently reached #1 on the Oricon album chart. In particular, Japan in 1991 sold over a million copies and became his most successful record. Similarly, Shabondama, the first single cut from this album became a million-seller.
Selected albums
(1979) (1980)- License (1987) (1989)
- Jeep (1990)
- Japan (1991)
- Captain of the Ship (1993) (1996)
- Keep on Fighting (2003)
Television
- Oh Sadaharu Monogatari (王貞治物語 Story of Sadaharu OhSadaharu OhSadaharu Oh, or Wang Chenchih , is a retired Japanese-Taiwanese baseball player and manager. He batted and threw left-handed and primarily played first base. Oh, who was born in Sumida, Tokyo the son of a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother, had originally signed with the powerhouse Yomiuri...
) (1982) - The Family GameThe Family Gameis a Japanese movie that was directed by Yoshimitsu Morita in 1983. The movie portrays the changing dynamics of Japanese family life around the time...
(家族ゲーム Kazoku Geemu) (1983) - The Family Game II (家族ゲームII Kazoku Geemu II) (1984)
- The Family Game Special (家族ゲームスペシャル Kazoku Geemu Supesharu) (1985)
- Oyako Game (親子ゲーム Parent-Child Game) (1986)
- Oyako Zigzag (親子ジグザグ Parent-Child Zigzag) (1987)
- Stand By Me (スタンド・バイ・ミー) (1988)
- Tombo (とんぼ Dragonfly) (1988)
- Usagi no Kyūjitsu (うさぎの休日 Holiday of the Rabbit) (1988)
- Shabondama (しゃぼん玉 Soap Bubbles) (1991)
- Run (RUN) (1993)
- Eiji Futatabi (英二ふたたび) (1997)
- Body Guard (ボディーガード) (1997)
- Shōnen "Okamesan" (少年「おかめさん」 Young "Mr. Okame") (2002)
Film
- Hot Jam '80 (HOT JAM'80) (1980)
- Orgel (オルゴール) (1989)
- Water Moon (ウォータームーン) (1989)
- Eiji (英二) (1999)