Hachiro Kasuga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kasuga Hachirō
春日 八郎 |
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Kasuga Hachiro in 1954
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Minoru Watabe |
| Born | October 9, 1924 Aizubange, Fukushima, Japan |
| Died | October 22, 1991 (aged 67) |
| Genres | Enka |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1947–1991 |
| Labels | King Records |
Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎, Kasuga Hachirō, October 9, 1924 – October 22, 1991), born Minoru Watabe, was a very famous Japanese singer. He is often called "the first enka singer." Enka is a special type of Japanese music. It sounds a bit like traditional Japanese folk songs.
Contents
The Story of Hachiro Kasuga
Hachiro Kasuga had a big dream to become a popular singer. He was inspired after watching another famous singer, Ichiro Fujiyama, perform on stage.
Early Life and Career Start
Hachiro studied music at the Toyo Music School. After finishing his studies, he joined the Japanese Army in 1944. He returned home from Taiwan in 1945. In 1947, he started performing at a place called Shinjuku Moulin Rouge. Later, in 1949, he joined King Records, a big music company.
Becoming a Star
In 1952, Hachiro Kasuga released his first song, "Akai lamp no Shū Ressha" (赤いランプの終列車, lit. "Last Train with Red Lamp"). This song first became popular in the city of Nagoya. Soon, his music was loved all over Japan.
His Most Famous Song
His song "Otomi-san" (お富さん, lit. "Miss Otomi"), released in 1954, became a huge hit. It sold 500,000 copies in just six months! Eventually, more than one million copies of this song were sold. This made him a true superstar.
The Birth of Enka Music
In 1955, Hachiro released another important song called "Wakare no Ipponsugi" (別れの一本杉, lit. "Farewell One Cedar"). A talented composer named Toru Funamura wrote the music for this song. Hachiro's unique style of music, which later became known as enka, had a big influence on Japanese popular music for many years to come. He helped shape a whole new genre of music.
