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Ichimaru : The “Nightingale Geisha”
Image by drp
"In direct contrast to the life Ichimaru lived, her beginnings were rather humble. As one of 11 siblings, life was difficult for the family, and at the age of 15, Ichimaru eventually left home to work at a geisha house.
Her early years away from home saw her working at a hot springs spa in Asama as an oshaku (the ritual of pouring a drink for the other person) waitress. Upon being asked to sing by one of her customers, Ichimaru was terribly embarrassed at her inability and vowed to improve her skills. At the age of 19, she took on the new name Asakusa Ichimaru and began shamisen and singing lessons with Enchiga Kiyomoto in Tokyo, who was a famous female performance artist.
Ichimaru’s singing was soon in great demand by the ochaya (tea houses) and restaurants within numerous geisha districts. She was often referred to as the geisha who possessed a ‘nightingale-like singing voice.’ Combined with her elegance and good looks, it was no surprise that she was asked to sign an exclusive recording contract with The Victor Recording Company.
During the 1930s, Ichimaru performed for troops at home and abroad, and factory workers who were currently engaged in the war effort against Manchuria and China. 1933 saw Ichimaru record a song for the movie, ‘Nure Tsubame’ (Wet Swallow) which became a major hit. Ichimaru’s status rose to that of a superstar, and so she felt it was finally time to give up her career as a geisha and concentrate solely on her singing career.
In 1948 as an effort to help boost the morale of post-war Japan, Ichimaru started her own radio program called ‘Mitsukoshi Calendar of Songs,’ which would continue for the next ten years. Having also taken an interest in Jazz music, which was introduced during the occupation of US troops in Japan, Ichimaru recorded the famous ‘Shamisen Boogie Woogie.’ In 1950, she was the first Japanese singer after WWII to be invited to Hawaii to perform.
The later half of her career saw Ichimaru working just as hard as ever. In addition to the introduction of national television in Japan, where Ichimaru become a popular and favorite guest right through to the 1980s, she continued to do recordings for Victor Records. Between 1969 and 1973 alone, she recorded up to 270 selections. In 1984, she founded the Edo Ko-uta Ichiju Society with the hopes of popularizing Edo ko-uta (‘short songs’ popularized in Kabuki theaters). Ichimaru had an active role in training students in this style, and continued to teach well into her senior years.
Ichimaru passed away in 1997 at the age of 91, leaving a legacy of traditional folk music for modern day Japanese. Despite the odds she faced in the beginning of her life, with sheer determination she rose above adversity and achieved her goals in becoming a skilled singer and was known as a great and unparalleled singer by music critics of Japan."
– Naomi Graham-Diaz : www.immortalgeisha.com
I dedicate this shot to Marion, who also holds a deep appreciation for the Japanese culture. She’s someone who I’ve been a virtual friend with for a few years now, and finally had chance to meet for lunch recently. Thanks for the cheesecake, Marion, and I hope you are literally "back on your feet" again soon.
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