Advance Guitars Hoshino's Folk Journey
~Folk songs and acoustic guitars~
Third installment: Nobuyasu Okabayashi
Hello.
My name is Hoshino, and I work at Advance Guitars in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo (Shin-Okubo).
This series, "Advance Guitars Hoshino's Folk Journey ~Folk Songs and Acoustic Guitars~," explores the trajectory of "folk songs" that captivated Japan from the late 1960s to the 1970s, and up to the new music of the 1980s, starting from the simple question, "Whose songs were they, and what kind of acoustic guitars were they played on?" and focusing on the artists and guitars used in folk songs.
Behind the scenes of these famous songs, what kind of guitars were chosen, what intentions were behind their selection, and what kind of tones were they producing?
As a professional music store employee, I deepen my knowledge through my writing, drawing on my meticulous perspective and my inquisitive spirit as a pure music fan.
Part 3: Nobuyasu Okabayashi, the "Solitary Genius," and Master Craftsman Terry Nakamoto
The theme for the third installment is Nobuyasu Okabayashi, a solitary figure indispensable when discussing the history of Japanese folk rock.
This program delves into the spirit of a man who raced through his era as a voice for his time, and the deep connection between him and "Terry's Terry," which now reigns as Japan's top guitar. We unravel the secrets of the ultimate sound that this man, once called a god, achieved.
What is the background behind Nobuyasu Okabayashi being called the "God of Folk Music"?
Nobuyasu Okabayashi, whose father was a pastor in a Christian church, grew up listening to music, mainly classical music and hymns, from a young age.
Apparently, at the time, he thought that "anything other than classical music and hymns was the devil's music."
Nobuyasu Okabayashi, who was such a devout Christian, aimed to become a pastor and entered the Faculty of Theology at Doshisha University in 1966. However, due to internal issues such as the treatment of delinquent girls at his family's church, he gradually began to feel distrustful of his faith.
In 1967, after much anguish, Nobuyasu Okabayashi found himself in Sanya, a slum area in Tokyo. This area was teeming with day laborers suffering from harsh manual labor and poverty in the shadow of Japan's rapid economic growth. His visit to Pastor Kanai, who was providing support to these workers, would change his life and the history of Japanese music.
At the time, 20-year-old Nobuyasu Okabayashi, burdened with his own struggles, came to Sanya with a strong sense of justice as a theology student, determined to "help the workers!" Pastor Kanai responded with merciless words: "What have you come here for? Do you think you've come to save the workers? Don't be so presumptuous." He continued, "If you truly want to understand, don't be on the side of saving them; become a day laborer yourself, and experience living in the same muddy waters."
These words were what led Nobuyasu Okabayashi to abandon his studies as a seminary student and end up working as a day laborer in a slum.
Life there involved toiling away at construction sites and unwinding at night with cheap shochu. I imagine that it was a place where the raw reality of life and death of "real human beings" was unleashed, where there was no room for sympathy or pity from above.
"Sanya Blues (1968)," considered one of Nobuyasu Okabayashi's signature songs, expresses the loneliness he felt in Sanya and the cries of the workers, set to record noise and guitar arpeggios.
When I first heard this song while writing this column, I thought, "What a dark song," but after learning Nobuyasu Okabayashi's story, I started listening to it with a sense of deep emotion, thinking, "This is what he must have felt while living in the Sanya district."
The era in which "Yamaya Blues" was released was the height of the "Kansai Folk" and "Underground Folk" boom. Songs by Nobuyasu Okabayashi that sang of rebellious spirit, such as "Tomoyo (1968)" and "Kusokurae Bushi (1969)," quickly resonated with young people, and before long...The God of FolkIt came to be called that.
Nobuyasu Okabayashi's debut song was "Sanya Blues," but apparently, the song originally prepared for his debut was "Kusokurae-bushi," which was retitled "Honjama, Ojamashimasu (A-side)" / "Sanya Blues (B-side)." However, due to the provocative lyrics, the B-side song "Sanya Blues" was released as his debut single.
The story of the disappearance of the "God of Folk Music" and his relationship with the "Queen of the Pop Music World"
Just when it seemed that Nobuyasu Okabayashi's enthusiastic popularity, which had earned him the title of "God of Folk Music" from many young people and the general public, was progressing smoothly, tragedy struck.
The title of "God" gradually began to torment Mr. Nobuyasu Okabayashi...
As the public gradually hailed him as a "guru for young people," expectations and calls for him to sing political messages grew. The gap between his desire to sing songs based on his own experiences, like "Yamaya Blues," and the public's demand to sing political messages caused Okabayashi Nobuyasu further anguish. Just three years after his debut, in 1971, he suddenly disappeared from the music scene after his final performance at the 3rd All Japan Folk Jamboree held in Sakashita-cho, Ena-gun, Gifu Prefecture.
Nobuyasu Okabayashi may have been hiding in a rural village in Kyoto Prefecture for about four years, completely removing music from his life and living a gritty rural life while re-examining himself. It is said that he even hid the fact that he was Nobuyasu Okabayashi from those around him.
While living this rural life, something happened that brought Nobuyasu Okabayashi back into the world of music. Four years into his rural life, he was struck by the voices of Hibari Misora and Michiya Mihashi that he heard on television. Until then, Okabayashi had been devoted to American folk and rock, and thought that popular songs and enka were symbols of commercialism and old-fashioned. What he felt was that it wasn't music that he had been singing with a 2/4 beat rhythm by translating English lyrics into Japanese, but rather music with a 1/3 beat rhythm unique to Japanese people and beautifully sung melodies.
The song "Tsuki no Yogisha" (Moonlit Night Train), which would later become a famous hit, was written by Nobuyasu Okabayashi in a rural village while thinking of Hibari Misora. He later recorded the song on a cassette tape and sent it to an acquaintance, illustrator Seitaro Kuroda, who then passed it on to lyricist Osamu Yoshioka, and it eventually reached Hibari Misora herself. Hibari Misora herself begged to sing the song, and a miraculous meeting took place between her and Nobuyasu Okabayashi at the recording studio. In 1975, Hibari Misora's version of the song, "Tsuki no Yogisha" on the A-side and "Kaze no Nagare ni" (In the Flow of the Wind) on the B-side, was released. It seems that this came about because Hibari Misora liked not only Nobuyasu Okabayashi's "Tsuki no Yogisha" but also "Kaze no Nagare ni." From then on, Nobuyasu Okabayashi and Hibari Misora became drinking buddies and deepened their friendship.
There is an anecdote that in the 1970s, Hibari Misora sent a letter to Nobuyasu Okabayashi. The letter contained a poem, and at the time, he was unable to understand its worldview and therefore could not turn it into a work. However, in 2009, while cleaning his house, he found the letter in a drawer, and after about 35 years, he released "Requiem ~Lark in the Wheat Field~ (2010)."
Nobuyasu Okabayashi's complete spiritual revival achieved with "Enyatotto"
In 1975, after four years of rural life, Nobuyasu Okabayashi returned to the world of music. He moved from CBS/Sony, where he had previously belonged, to Nippon Columbia, and released "Utsushie (1975)," which featured enka and kayokyoku-style songs, a departure from his earlier passionate songs about his own experiences and work-related themes. What Okabayashi had arrived at was not Western 8-beat rock or folk music, but the rhythms of Japanese folk songs and Bon Odori dances that are inherent to the Japanese people—"Enyatotto."
In December of the same year, at the "Nobuyasu Okabayashi Recital at Nakano Sun Plaza," which was his first solo concert in about four years, there is a legend that Hibari Misora herself came up on stage from the audience and sang "Kaze no Nagare ni" (In the Flow of the Wind).
Hidden within Nobuyasu Okabayashi's musical style were the struggles he endured while being hailed as the "God of Folk," the grueling physical labor he endured in the mountains and valleys, and the rhythms of enka and kayokyoku that he encountered during his rural life. This may very well be the answer to how he built his own new musical style.
Japanese-made guitars that support Nobuyasu Okabayashi's "Enyatotto Music"
In Okabayashi's "Enyatotto Music," which incorporates traditional Japanese rhythms, there is a hidden commitment to prioritizing sound quality while also ensuring durability under harsh performance conditions. In particular, "a sound that resonates well, is robust, and is beautiful" is what Nobuyasu Okabayashi strives for.
YAMAHA 1977 L-54 Custom
The order system began with the concept of "creating the sound that artists want, rather than using existing models." Terumi Nakamoto, also known as Terry Nakamoto, who supervised the system, said, "It lacked impact to impress them," and so he presented the four guitars that would later be known as the "Four Heavenly Kings of L"BassThese are the models that will be manufactured: L-51, L-52, L-53, and L-54.
This aircraft uses the Western body of the L-54.BassThis is a guitar ordered by Nobuyasu Okabayashi. When ordering it, he instructed Terry Nakamoto to make it "sound good, sturdy, and have a vulgar sound."
Records show that this instrument, made according to the above order, features thicker body panels overall and a simple look with no position markers. While its appearance is similar to the L-51, it is a special instrument with a different body size. Nobuyasu Okabayashi said, "I met Mr. Nakamoto in 1977, and since he made my current guitar (L-54 Custom), I've only used Yamaha guitars. I was really impressed by Terry Nakamoto's personality."
*Image is for illustrative purposes only. (1975 L-54 Custom)
Terry's Terry TJ-100 Custom
*The photo is for illustrative purposes only. (TJ-100)
Terry's Terry is a brand spearheaded by Terry Nakamoto.
Each watch is handcrafted by Mr. Nakamoto, and the leather label inside is signed by Terry Nakamoto himself before it reaches the owner.
The piece used by Nobuyasu Okabayashi features abalone shell decoration on the rosette and snowflake inlays. The model pictured also has abalone shell on the purfling, but this could not be seen on the piece used by Nobuyasu Okabayashi. From this, we can infer that he prefers the simplest designs possible.
Terry's Terry TMJ-051 Custom
The Yamaha L-51, characterized by its asymmetrical body,BassThis is one of the pieces produced.
The features of this instrument are that the body shape, pickguard, and bridge shape remain the same, but the headstock has a Terry's Terry shape, and the fingerboard and bridge are made of rosewood instead of ebony.RecruitIt appears that this has been done. Furthermore, it can be seen that this piece is also simply finished without abalone shell decoration.
*Image is for illustrative purposes only. (1955 D-28)
This TS-100 Custom features an eye-catching three-tone sunburst finish. Unlike the two Terry's Terry guitars we've introduced so far, this one has abalone shell inlay adorning the edges of the body.
The body, fretboard sides, and headstock are bound with maple. This guitar has a different kind of understated beauty compared to the natural color version.
I learned about Mr. Nobuyasu Okabayashi...
I was reminded that singers who were active in the late 1960s and 70s, when "underground folk" was popular, faced criticism from young people and the general public for commercialism, and that they went through a period of suffering while re-evaluating themselves.
I was surprised to learn that Tomoya Takaishi, whom I introduced in the second installment, also moved to Natasho Village and distanced himself from music, and that Nobuyasu Okabayashi also distanced himself from music while living in a rural area. I was also surprised to learn that in 1969, due to mental fatigue from a hectic schedule and the expectations of his listeners, he suddenly canceled a performance in Osaka, leaving a letter saying, "I'm going to get my diarrhea cured," and disappeared.
Furthermore, Nobuyasu Okabayashi stood alongside Happy End, Hibari Misora, and Osamu Kitayama, shaking up the era. The encounters he attracted amidst his turbulent life were perhaps the greatest miracles etched into the history of Japanese music. Listening again to his masterpieces such as "Yamaya Blues," "Tulip Applique," "Love Song Dedicated to You," and "My Friend," I felt a desire to learn more about Nobuyasu Okabayashi.
Please share any stories you have about Nobuyasu Okabayashi, such as "This is the kind of anecdote that comes to mind when you think of Nobuyasu Okabayashi!", "This is a song you should definitely check out!", or "I witnessed the disappearance case firsthand!"
We welcome your requests for future musicians you'd like us to cover, stories related to folk music, and anything else you'd like us to share. For me, firsthand accounts like "I actually saw it back then" or "I heard the sound of this guitar at that concert" are incredibly valuable and serve as the best textbook. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact Hoshino at Advance Guitars.
✉️ aco@tcgakki.com
Well then, see you again in the next episode of "Hoshino's Folk Music Journey"!
Author of this article:Hoshino (Advance Guitars)
January 2025TCGAKKII joined the company. I mainly play instrumental music on electric guitar, and I'm pursuing the nuances and expressiveness of the guitar.
My favorite artists include B'z, Gary Moore, and Allen Hinds.
My hobby is drawing illustrations using Copic markers.
Qualifications and experience: 10 years of experience as a musical instrument salesperson, 2 years of experience as a musical instrument appraiser.
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