2nd Tomoya Takaishi

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.

Who is Tomoya Takaishi, the man who spearheaded the Kansai folk music boom?

Tomoya Takaishi, the subject of this story, was a prominent figure during a time when folk songs that depicted student movements, including the anti-war movement (the anti-Vietnam War movement that took place from the late 1960s to the early 1970s), and their background, were popular, mainly in the Kansai region and were known as "Kansai Folk" or "Underground Folk."

Among the artists who sang Kansai folk music was The Folk Crusaders, led by Kazuhiko Kato, whom we introduced in the first installment.

*From Tokyo Shimbun article "Tomoya Takaishi to hold anti-war song concert in Arakawa Ward next month"

※From the Tokyo Shimbun's "Folk Gathering in the Underground Plaza (1969): Believing 'Tomorrow Will Be Sunny'"

Not only in the Kansai region, but in 1969, a folk guerrilla event was held in the Shinjuku West Exit underground plaza, where people sang and debated anti-war folk songs such as "Victory to Us (1963)" and "Not Cool, But... (1969)" while playing folk guitars. It is said that more than 5,000 young people and citizens gathered there in total.
In the upper right corner of the photo, you can see someone singing while playing an acoustic guitar.
I imagine this place was an important venue for young people to discuss and share their passionate anti-war sentiments.

While The Folk Crusaders' "Kanashikute Yarukirenai (1968)" and Nobuyasu Okabayashi's "Sanya Blues (1969)" are famous as representative songs of Kansai folk music, I imagine that Tomoya Takaishi's "Jukensei Blues," released in 1968, with its lyrics about his own experiences of "exam preparation and suffering," deeply resonated with listeners, especially students across the country.

Tracing the song's origins, we find that in 1967, Goro Nakagawa sang a parody version of Bob Dylan's "North Country Blues (1964)," which Tomoya Takaishi then rewrote the melody and lyrics, resulting in a massive hit selling 900,000 copies!

I compared the versions of "Exam Student Blues" sung by Goro Nakagawa and Tomoya Takaishi.
Goro Nakagawa's version of "Exam Student Blues" is in a minor key with 3/4 time, and the melody is similar to Bob Dylan's "North Country Blues," as it is a parody with a similar style. In contrast, Tomoya Takaishi's version is in a major key with 4/4 time, and I felt that the cheerful melody and new melody and lyrics that fit the 4/4 time signature were easy to listen to and became familiar to the ears during the folk boom.

Hit songs such as "Omoide no Akai Yakke (1967)" and "Shufu no Blues (1968)" became Tomoya Takaishi's signature songs and spread throughout Japan.
Incidentally, it seems that "Housewife's Blues" is also called "Mother's Blues."

The song "Housewife's Blues" is based on the Irish folk song "The Housewife's Lament".BassIt seems that it all started when Goro Nakagawa wrote lyrics for it and sang it.

In 1969, a significant event occurred for Tomoya Takaishi, who seemed to be enjoying a successful career as a folk singer.
Because the folk guerrillas held the belief that folk songs were for the people, they gradually began to criticize professional folk singers, including Tomoya Takaishi, as being commercialized, causing Takaishi to lose both his physical and mental motivation to continue his activities as a folk singer.
I am announcing a hiatus from my activities as a folk singer, following the "Hibernation Concert" held at Osaka Festival Hall on December 7th (Sunday).

After that, he moved from Osaka to Natasho Village in Fukui Prefecture, distanced himself from the music he loved so much, and began to spend time with his family.
There's an anecdote that during that time, he rented a closed elementary school in Natasho Village, Fukui Prefecture, and lived there with his family for six years.
There's also footage of him smiling and saying that he was renting it for 2,500 yen a month.

※From Apple Music's "North Country Blues"

※"Honolulu Marathon OHANA"twist

As Tomoya Takaishi spent time in Natasho Village, he began composing songs again, and as part of his efforts to regain his physical strength to sing folk songs once more, he started running marathons with his family.
Perhaps he began to feel the allure of marathon running while running with his family on the grounds of the abandoned school where he lived at the time.

In 1977, he participated in the Honolulu Marathon (42.195km) for the first time and successfully completed the race.
In 1979, when her eldest son turned eight, the two of them participated in the Honolulu Marathon and successfully completed it.

Yes, that other side of me is that of a marathon runner.

He holds the record for the most appearances by a Japanese runner in the Honolulu Marathon, having participated 43 times consecutively from his first appearance in 1977 until 2019.
He's truly a legend when it comes to marathon episodes.

Later, triathlons became popular in Hawaii, and Tomoya Takaishi also began to take an interest in them.
It's amazing that Tomoya Takaishi, who thought it "sounded interesting" and participated in the first Kaike Triathlon held in Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture in 1981, holds the record as the first champion!

"Summer Time Dream (Kaike Triathlon Song)" was composed by Tomoya Takaishi to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Kaike Triathlon.

In 1971, Tomoya Takaishi established his base of operations in Kyoto and formed the "Back Step Country Band," which was later renamed "The Natasha Seven." He then gained popularity for his genre, which mixed folk with country and bluegrass.
The name "The Natasha Seven" originates from Onifu District, Fukui Prefecture, where Mr. Takaishi lived at the time.Natasho VillageThere is a story that the name was derived from (Natashomura).
I imagined that it might have changed from Natasho to Nata-sho to Nata-sha.
It seems they chose "Seven" because it sounded good.

Perhaps what motivated her to resume her career as a folk singer was the irreplaceable time she spent with her family and the energy she gained from marathons and triathlons.

※From Rakuten Blog "Tomoya Takaishi & The Natasha Seven 'Michizure wa Minamikaze' / 1981 Single"

1940s Martin D-28

This photo shows a 1946 D-28, but the difference from the one used by Tomoya Takaishi is the tuning pegs.
While the herringbone trim, long saddle, and tortoiseshell pickguard are common features, the 1946 model has Waverly open-back round button tuners, whereas the D-28 used by Tomoya Takaishi is characterized by Grover shield-back butterbean tuners.

*Image is for illustrative purposes only. (1946 D-28)

1941 Martin D-18

This is a watch from the same year as Tomoya Takaishi.
The specifications of this era are characterized by a long saddle, tortoiseshell pickguard, and KLUSON open-back metal round button tuners, but when you look at the video of the D-18 that Tomoya Takaishi actually uses, the tuners are butterbean tuners instead of metal round button tuners.

Comparing D-18s from around 1941 (1940 and 1942 models), the 1940 model shares features such as a long saddle and tortoiseshell pickguard, but the tuning pegs differ. The 1940 model uses Grover open-back butterbean tuners, while the 1942 D-18 uses Kluson open-back metal round button tuners.

From this, we can see that the 1941 D-18 owned by Tomoya Takaishi is a transitional model from 1940 to 1941, when the specifications of the tuning pegs changed.
At the same time, even the 1941 model had two types of pegs.RecruitYou can also see that there are individuals with different characteristics mixed in.

*The photo is for illustrative purposes only. (1941 D-18)

1953 Martin D-28

One notable characteristic of the D-28 from this period is that the herringbone purfling was changed to a white and black multi-stripe design starting in 1947, and the tuning pegs were changed from Waverry open-back to Kluson sealed-back, resulting in a significant change in appearance.

Also noteworthy is the change in the pattern of the decorative center strip on the body back, which was changed from a zigzag pattern to a checkerboard pattern, starting in 1947.

As you can see, Martin's specifications have changed over time, revealing a variety of different facets to their designs.

*Image is for illustrative purposes only. (1955 D-28)

I realize that I wouldn't have known about Tomoya Takaishi's worldwide activities not only as a folk singer but also as a runner if I hadn't been writing this column. I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Takaishi for making me feel this way, and with that, I conclude the second installment.
If you know of any songs that you think Tomoya Takaishi should listen to, or any songs that you particularly liked, please let me know.

We also welcome your requests for musicians you'd like us to cover, stories related to folk songs, and anything else you'd like us to discuss. 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 invaluable textbooks. 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"!