"Imin-bushi," a song written by early Brazilian immigrant Shigeo Sasaki (1914-1990, Miyagi) to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Japanese immigration, has been reborn by Japanese singer Mio Matsuda (34, Akita). She has added an arrangement of the Brazilian song "Baion 1 " and included it in the CD book "Creole Nippon: Traveling Through the Memories of Songs" (A5, 80 pages, Arte Publishing, 3,500 yen), which was released in December last year. In an email interview with this newspaper, Matsuda said, "This year marks the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. I would love Japanese people to listen to 'Imin-bushi,' a song written in Brazil by a Japanese person born 100 years ago."
During his university days, he became interested in the local Japanese community through a Japanese-Brazilian friend. Around the same time, he became interested in Portuguese music, "Fado," and later learned various other Portuguese music styles, such as choro, morna, and samba, before moving his base of operations to Brazil in 2004.
Until 2010, he traveled back and forth between Rio and Japan, producing three albums, including "Ruar," an album commemorating the 100th anniversary of Japanese immigration. After that, he studied music from the Spanish-speaking world and interacted with local musicians. "During performances like Liberdade, I felt a nostalgic Japan that had been lost in Japan," he recalls. He now performs in South America, Europe, Korea and other parts of the world, based in Japan.
This CD book is the culmination of the project "Japanese Songs," which collects traditional songs from all over Japan and unknown Japanese songs from around the world. Matsuda, who felt that the pop music he had been singing was somehow borrowed, began the project with the idea of "looking for fundamental work songs and prayer songs in Japan."
He discovered "Imin-bushi" in a book he happened to come across at the library of the São Paulo Cultural Association. "It's really wonderful how the life of an immigrant living in two homelands is condensed into a short poem. It powerfully expresses a world that many people in Japan don't know about," he said, recalling the impression he felt at the time.
Thinking that "my collection of Japanese songs would not be complete without including songs by Brazilian immigrants," he even visited Sasaki's birthplace in Miyagi Prefecture to gain a deeper understanding of the lyrics and arranged them in Baion's style.
"The response from people who have listened to this song has been great. I think it will make people realize more realistically that Japan is not a closed island country, but that there were people who went out into the world and survived," he said, adding, "If I have the opportunity, I would like to go to Brazil, which brings back fond memories, and sing this song." The song is currently available on Matsuda's official website .
Immigration Day
Lyricist: Shigeo SasakiDora, foghorn, immigrant ship
The wind blows leaves and their whereabouts
But the fire in my heart is burning
There is happiness beyond the seaRailroad ties
Connecting Hometowns and Mothers' Dreams
When I wake up, I'll prepare Picaretta
Wet with dew, it's heavy to the touchMy friend moved to another state.
The Southern Cross starlight
While talking to my wife
I remember my hometown, far awayChildren and grandchildren who grew up in the colony
The color of the Ippe flower
Immigrants grow old and fleeting
It will disappear and become the soil of this land.
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[From the Nikkei Shimbun Newspaper's "Big News" column]
"The road to achieving the Folk Song Association's long-cherished goal of passing on Japanese folk songs to the next and third generations is certainly a difficult one, but we must not give up," said Sasaki Shigeo, who was devoted to passing on folk songs. When he visited Japan in 1978, he performed his own song, "Imin-bushi," set to the Hokkaido folk song "Hokuyo-bushi," in front of Prince and Princess Takamatsu. He probably never imagined that this poem would be passed down to a Japanese singer. Shiono Akira, president of the Brazilian Folk Song Association, also expressed his joy, saying, "There is no one (even here) who sings Imin-bushi, so although the melody has changed, I am grateful that they are continuing to sing it."
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The CD book "Creole Nippon" produced by singer Mio Matsuda includes 14 songs that have been sung in places such as Iya, the hidden village of the Taira clan in Tokushima Prefecture, Iojima in Nagasaki Prefecture where the hidden Christians lived, Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands, Soma in Fukushima Prefecture, and Hawaii, in addition to "Imin-bushi." The other songs, including "Imin-bushi," which has been arranged in a world music style, are available on the video site "YouTube," so please check them out if you are interested.
Editor's note:
1. Baion (or Bayon) is a folk dance or music from northeastern Brazil. It is a light, two-beat rhythm.
*This article is reprinted from the Nikkei Shimbun (published on February 20, 2015).
© 2015 Nikkey Shimbun; Tatsuya Ishikawa
