Part 5: Wataru Takada

Hello.
My name is Hoshino from Advance Guitars in Shinjuku Ward (Shin-Okubo), Tokyo.

This series was born out of a simple curiosity: “Who actually played those classic songs, and what kind of acoustic guitars were they played on?”—as we trace the journey of “folk songs,” which swept Japan from the late 1960s through the 1970s, all the way to the “New Music” movement of the 1980s.In “Hoshino’s Folk Journey at Advance Guitars: Folk Songs and Acoustic Guitars,” I’ll be spotlighting folk song artists and the guitars they used.

What kind of guitars were chosen behind the scenes of these classic songs, with what intentions, and what tones did they produce? As
I write, I’ll deepen my knowledge through the lens of a professional music store clerk—with a true enthusiast’s perspective—and the curiosity of a genuine music fan.

The turbulent era spanning the late 1960s to the 1970s. Amid a society growing increasingly heated, there was a folk singer who quietly and profoundly sang of the human condition. That singer was Wataru Takada.
Having absorbed the roots of American folk music and transformed Japanese modern poetry into his own unique songs, he was always accompanied by his acoustic guitar.
In this column, we’ll explore the era that nurtured Wataru Takada’s extraordinary talent and unravel how the instruments he loved produced that “one-of-a-kind sound.”

*From Rittor Music: “Is the Photographer Actually Folk Singer Wataru Takada!? A Historic Photo Collection Capturing the 1970s in Kyoto, Kichijoji, South Korea, Okinawa, Europe, and Numerous Fellow Musicians Is Now on Sale!”*

*From OTOTOY’s “Let’s Join the Self-Defense Forces”*

In 1969, a time when “folk guerrillas”—characterized by anti-war songs and student activism—were thriving, Wataru Takada made his recording debut with “Wataru Takada / Five Red Balloons.” The catalyst
for his debut was the “3rd Kansai Folk Camp,” held in 1968 at Hōjaku-ji Temple in Ōyamazaki, Kyoto Prefecture.Wataru Takada, who was a member of the
folk group “Agora,” performed at the event and sang “Let’s Join the Self-Defense Forces” as a protest song reflective of the era’s political climate. It is said that
this song made a strong impression on the audience and served as the catalyst for his debut.
In fact, “Let’s Join the Self-Defense Forces” was a song in which Takada employed a technique of “flattery to the point of destruction” (sarcasm) by simply stringing together the Self-Defense Forces’ recruitment slogans verbatim.
There is an anecdote that the Defense Agency—which was actively recruiting for the Self-Defense Forces on the streets at the time—approached Takada with an offer to turn the song into an official PR song for the organization.
Later, as more people were influenced by the song and actually enlisted in the Self-Defense Forces, Takada reportedly stopped performing “Let’s Join the Self-Defense Forces” for a time.

The inspiration for “Let’s Join the Self-Defense Forces” appears to be the American folk singer Pete Seeger’s anti-war song “Andorra.” This
is because Mr. Takada had admired Pete Seeger since his teenage years; there is a story that when he was 18, he had his junior high school English teacher write the English text for him and sent it to Pete Seeger along with a letter written in Japanese and a photograph.
Furthermore, in October 1967, during Seeger’s second visit to Japan, a miraculous encounter took place when Mr. Takada and Seeger happened to run into each other in a hotel lobby.

*From *Personal Reasons: Wataru Takada Poetry Collection* (bookbird books)

*Personal Reasons* was published in 1969.
This was around the time he had just made his record debut and settled in Yamashina, Kyoto, after suddenly gaining attention the previous year by performing “Let’s Join the Self-Defense Forces” at the “3rd Kansai Folk Camp.”
This poetry collection compiles poems he wrote during his formative years, from age 18 to 20.
Published quietly at his own expense—without going through a publisher and limited to just 300 copies—the simple cover seems to convey the warmth of a handmade book and the very breath of his youth.

*From OTONANO’s “Wataru Takada’s ‘Goaitsatsu’ | Disk Review of Happy End-Related Works”*

His life in Kyoto left a distinct mark on his music.
“Coffee Blues,” featured on the historic 1971 album *Gosaitsu*, is a classic song about the long-established Kyoto coffee shop “Inoda Coffee.”
“If you go to Kyoto, head to Sanjo and visit a coffee shop called Inoda.” Although he was often seen as a standard-bearer for protest songs, his style—singing about the casual scenes of daily life, the scents of the city, and the taste of coffee, all set to the light strumming of his three-finger guitar—had already established his unique “carefree troubadour” persona.

On the album *Goaitsatsu*, you can hear some spectacular collaborations, such as Happy End serving as his backing band on tracks like “Unemployment Benefits,” “Riding a Bicycle,” “If You Don’t Have Money,” and “The Journey of the Louse”!

*From “Inoda Coffee,” a Kyoto tourist spot*

Inoda Coffee is a long-established coffee shop located on Sakai-machi-dori Sanjo in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City. It was a favorite spot of Mr. Takada’s—he is said to have frequented it often while living in Kyoto—and this is evident in his lyrics. Today, it has become one of the places beloved by many fans as a pilgrimage site.

In 1970, a major turning point came for Takada.
While performing at the 2nd Nakatsugawa All-Japan Folk Jamboree held in Sakashita Town, Ena District, Gifu Prefecture (now Nakatsugawa City), he was approached by Mitsunori Miura—who was a director at King Records at the time—with a proposal to produce an album.

*From Gourmet Tsutsukutsuku “Iseya Main Store”*

And one place that can be cited as a vital source of inspiration for Mr. Takada’s work is “Iseya,” a long-established yakitori restaurant located at the south exit of Kichijoji Station. Iseya is synonymous with the thick smoke from grilling yakitori billowing out the front door, red paper lanterns, and the lively atmosphere of people sharing drinks even in the middle of the day.

It was a daily routine for Mr. Takada to casually drop by the shop in the afternoon while the sun was still high, take his usual seat, and sip shochu while nibbling on shumai and yakitori.

He never pandered to anyone, nor did he act arrogantly. The sight of him sipping from his beer mug so naturally blended into the smoke and bustle of Iseya that people began to say, “If you go to Iseya, you’ll see Wataru,” and “The sight of Wataru drinking at Iseya is part of the Kichijoji landscape.”

I felt that the sight of him, slightly tipsy, wandering aimlessly toward the stage at a live music venue and captivating the audience with that magical fingerpicking was the very essence of Wataru Takada, the wandering minstrel.

This was the 11th guitar crafted by Terry Nakamoto—a leading figure in Yamaha’s custom guitar division—during his tenure at the company. Although it reportedly had no model number
at the time of its creation, Terry Nakamoto states that it was based on the “LL-55D” as the current model.At Mr.
Takada’s request, no frets were set beyond the 14th fret, and the guitar was crafted with a simple appearance, free of flashy decorations. The inlay at the end of the
fingerboard, featuring the letters “W.TAKADA,” is particularly eye-catching. Combining
spruce and rosewood, this instrument was used so frequently that he relied on it not only for live performances but also during television appearances.
Today, Ren Takada continues to carry on the legacy of its distinctive tone.

*Photo is for illustrative purposes only. (1973 Martin D-45)

A characteristic of this era is the use of German spruce for the top and straight-grained Indian rosewood for the sides and back. While GROVER 102G tuners are typically used, Mr. Takada’s Martin D-45 features WAVERLY tuners.It is said that the Martin D-45 reportedly owned by Mr.

Takada was a special instrument.
The reason for this is that it was a memento of Mr. Shogo Sakaniba, Mr. Takada’s closest friend. I imagine that the reason he chose to play this guitar—adorned with elaborate decorations as Martin’s flagship model, rather than the simple guitars he had used previously—was to carry on the spirit and memories of his close friend Mr. Sakaniba by performing his own songs on a guitar filled with those sentiments.

You can see him holding this guitar in the book *Going to Meet Wataru Takada*.

Believed to have been crafted by Sadao Yairi around 1970, this is a New York-style guitar reminiscent of the Martin 0-16NY. Unlike the two guitars
mentioned earlier, it is smaller in size, so I speculate he used it because of its ease of handling.
Footage remains of him performing “Seikatsu no Gara” on this guitar during his appearance on TV Asahi’s late-night program “Kodawari TV PRE★STAGE” in 1988.
You can hear his fingerpicking and his melancholic vocals.

I look forward to your requests for musicians you’d like me to feature in the future, as well as stories related to folk music. For me, firsthand accounts—such as “I actually saw him back then” or “I heard that guitar sound at that concert”—are incredibly valuable and serve as the best textbook of all. If you’d like, please feel free to contact Hoshino at Advance Guitars.

✉️

aco@tcgakki.comそれでは. See you again in the next installment of “Hoshino’s Folk Journey”!