ITSUKI HIROSHI: Passionately Pressing On. Part One & Two

by Jean Wilson

In this December issue of Eye-Ai, we are delighted to bring you an exclusive two-part in-depth article about enka superstar Itsuki Hiroshi. In this first part of the article we learn about the profound impact that the death of his mother has had on him. Earlier this year he has also launched a new record label and released his first record on his own label. Read on for more details.

Itsuki’s name means “Five Trees” and the figure “5” has always had special significance for him ever since he made his debut under the name of Itsuki Hiroshi in 1971. His car license number and telephone number contain the number “5” and he often stays in hotel rooms which have “5” in the room number. It was originally Itsuki’s dream to get married on S55.5.5, in other words the fifth of May, Showa 55 (1980), but it wasn’t to be. However, he later married, and his family now consists of five members, his wife Sachiko, the former actress Kazu Yuko, and three children. And next year will be a very special year for him since he will become 55 years old.

Unfortunately, the figure 5 cannot always be guaranteed to bring him luck. The fifth month of this year was one of the most emotionally draining in Itsuki’s life. On May 11 he held his annual Mihama Marathon in his hometown in Fukui. Then on May 21 he went to Tokyo to officially announce the start of his own record company, Five’s Entertainment.

However, hanging heavily over his head during these two events was the worsening condition of his mother, Kikuno, and on May 31 she died at the age of 83 after a 3-year battle with lung cancer. Perhaps some people would say that Itsuki had done his part by looking after her and that she had reached a good age, so Itsuki should just accept it, but her loss has left a massive hole in Itsuki’s life that is not likely to heal for a long time. Itsuki explains that the impact of his mother’s death is because of the impact she had on his early life.

Itsuki’s father left home when Itsuki was young, and his two older sisters had already left and started work, and his older brother was away training to be a baseball player [he later gave that up to become Itsuki’s manager], so during elementary and junior high school Itsuki was alone with his mother. In the past he has spoken about how he used to return from school to a darkened house because his mother was still out working in the rice fields.

In his concert at the Osaka Umeda Koma Theater in September Itsuki recalled that where he lived as a child there was nothing around him but nature: mountains and rivers, and his entertainment was to ski in winter and swim in summer, but since there was no pool nearby, he rode his bike to the sea, and worried his mother by playing in the river.

Itsuki’s reason for becoming a singer was because he wanted his mother to have a better life. After he left Fukui when he was 15 and before he became famous he had a long, hard struggle, but his mother continually encouraged him. In recent years he rebuilt and upgraded his Fukui home and eagerly participated in events in his Mihama hometown all so that his mother would be happier and feel more comfortable.

However, when his mother died Itsuki was not by her side. He had known that she might not have long to live, but he also knew that as an entertainer he might not be able to be there with her at the end because of his singing commitments. As it happened, on May 31 he was in Nagoya rehearsing for the one-month “Ka Bu So” special show that was due to begin the following day. After the end of the show on opening day, Itsuki raced from Nagoya to Mihama to attend the wake and then returned to Nagoya in time for the second day’s performances, leaving his brother to be the chief mourner at the funeral. On June 2nd, the day of her funeral, Itsuki asked his audience to observe a minute’s silence. Later the sounds of his grief were audible from his dressing room.

Itsuki still has powerful memories of the childhood he spent with his mother, and because of that he has made the decision that he will not sing again the song “Ofukuro no Komori Uta” (Mother’s Lullaby), the song written by Tsunku which Itsuki released last year. To recall his mother’s memory every time he sang the song would be too overwhelming, he says. We met Itsuki-san in Osaka and by chance it was exactly 100 days after the death of his mother. He commented that the time had passed so quickly, but it was very clear that he is still grieving her loss deeply.

Because his sense of gratitude to his mother is unusually strong, Itsuki wants to educate his children to have that same sense of appreciation towards their parents. However, the fact is that Itsuki’s own children were born after he had become a famous singer and they have not suffered the financial and other hardships that he did growing up. Itsuki acknowledges that, but tells of a day when his second son, Kazusa, came home and asked him “Are we rich”. Itsuki answered “No. Every day your daddy goes out to work and receives money for that work and that money is used to help you and the family”. So even though they are the children of an entertainer, his policy is not to spoil them, and he wants to teach them to be thankful for what their parents do for them.

As mentioned earlier, in May Itsuki created his own record company, Five’s Entertainment. At the same time he announced the release on that label of his first record, “Kasa’n Naka” (Under an Umbrella), which is an enka song about human loneliness, and the desire to find someone to trust, symbolized by the image of sharing an umbrella. The song was written by renowned enka composer Funamura Toru, with lyrics by Aku Yu. For the past 31 years Itsuki belonged to the Tokuma Japan Record Company label, but when the president, Tokuma-san, passed away last year, the company then came under new management, and Itsuki decided this would be the ideal opportunity to go independent. For the present, Itsuki will release only his own songs on this label, but in the future he intends to include singers of all kinds of popular music. Perhaps one of the first will be Maeda Yuki, a young singer who debuted two years ago and made a guest appearance daily in his Umeda Koma shows. Itsuki composed her latest release “Tokyo, Yoi Machi Gusa”.

In addition to Itsuki’s new single, he has also released three albums on his new label. One is a live recording of his show at the Misonoza Theater in June, entitled “02 Ka Bu So”, and it includes a pamphlet showing photos from the show. The second is a 16-track album in his Original Best Collection Series, featuring “Kasa’n Naka” and its B side “Nigyo Han no Koibumi”. The third album is a 14-track collection of Itsuki’s versions of songs by three late, great enka singers: Mihashi Michiya (5 songs, including “Onna Sendo Uta”), Kasuga Hachiro (5 songs, including “Wakare no Ippon Sugi”) and Murata Hideo (4 songs, including “Muho Matsu no Isshou”). The album is called: Itsuki Hiroshi Showa Enka “Hana no Sannin Shu o Utau”.

In recent years the number of music programs on TV featuring enka singers has dropped but Itsuki still appears on programs like NHK’s “Nodo Jiman” and “Kayo Concert”. Lately several enka singers have started appearing in TV quiz programs and lunchtime shows targeted at housewives, but Itsuki says he does not want to appear in shows like that. However, he did make a guest appearance in “Toshie to Matsu”, this year’s NHK Taiga drama. As for other types of televised drama, Itsuki may tackle some in a couple of years. The main problem, he explains, is time it takes a great deal of time and also location work, to produce even a two-hour drama, and with his schedule, he can’t really afford that. But of course if he is offered a good role, say in a samurai drama, then of course he will do it.

In this first part of our Itsuki Hiroshi special we have looked at the personal tragedy that befell him this year, as well as at the start of his new record label and his TV work. Be sure to join us next month to read more about his shows, the latest musical instruments that he has added to his repertoire, and his plans for the future.