◆early childhood
- What are your earliest childhood memories?
Well, I remember that my feet and my body were always covered with dust
and dirt. I remember only the evenings,especially sunny days, and the setting
sun. If I recall, I felt it was the only time of day when I could freely
do whatever I wanted. It was not morning or afternoon or the time for bed.
In the evening, I became like a pet dog released from its chain free to
roam and go any place that looked curious and interesting. Actually there
was a shrine near my house where I played when I was small, in my preschool
and early elementary days.
- Did it have spacious grounds?
It was small. The shrine was on top of a hill and the grounds were unkempt
and over-grown with weeds.But a lot of children played there. When I went
there recently, I was surprised to see the shrine area was very neat and
had some red flags around it. And I felt it discouraged entry.
- How was your life in your preschool days?
Well, both of my parents were working and my mother was not at home when
I came home from school. I could not get into my house because I was not
given a house key, although my elder brother and sister both had one. So
I just played around outside. And I enjoyed that time very much, waiting
for my parents to come home. It was only during that period of time that
I had the feeling of freedom that only children can have without any of
life's problems.I prefer sunset to sunrise.
I think that very few people nowadays ever can experience the sunrise.Because
they are too sleepy to get up that early. Maybe they could if they stayed
up all night.
- Did you start listening to radio programs when you were in middle school?
At my house, the radio was always on, especially at the time for 'Rokyoku'.
At night, small children like us listened to what our parents listened
to together. 'Rokyoku' was very comforting to me. The music was like a
lullaby. It was slow music. I heard that my father liked music and he bought
a second-hand violin to practice when he was young. But because of the
war, he could not continue. So he gave up the idea of having a musical
career. But inside my house, the music-friendly atmosphere remained. We
also had a guitar and an accordion in the house.
- Did your father sometimes play the guitar?
Yes. He played some music composed by Mr. Masao Koga.
- In those days, a musical instrument like an accordion was very expensive,
wasn't it?
I think so. And we don't have it anymore. I don't know what happened to
it. I remember we also had an old gramophone. Our parents thought that
I could take care of myself without their help because I was the youngest
child, but my father used to spend a lot of time with me listening to records.
At that time, records were 78s and they were big. I often listened to records
with him.
- Which musical instrument did you play first?
It was a guitar, I guess, the one we had in my house. I wonder how old
I was then. It was difficult for me to play because I was so small.
It was even heavy for me to lift. Of course, I could not play any chords.
I did not even know waht they were. My father played Koga music which was
not western music, and I imitated him.
- Could you play that music?
I could only play the first four bars which was the intro of the Koga music.
I don't know which song it was, but I used to play it often. It was a famous
song where the melody was played on single strings, not chords.
- When did you start playing the guitar as an instrument?
When I was a high school student. There was a guitar and folk song boom
at that time. My father bought me a guitar then. Since my elder sister
had one, he felt sorry for me and finally gave me a guitar for my birthday.
It was probably when I was in the first year of high school.
- Was that a Yamaha guitar?
I don't remember.
- Do you still have it?
No, I don't have it anymore. There was a school farewell party for the
third year students in March of my first year of high school, and I stood
on a stage for the first time. In the gymnasium, we all sang the song 'Donna
Donna' together at the beginning. Then I was asked to sing alone. At first
there were about 10 of us who practiced singing together, but I ended up
singing alone. And there was a good response from the people and my record
sold well. (laughing) Well, that's not true. (laughing again) But starting
the next day, the students at school looked at me very differently.It was
very interesting.
- You never thought that you were going to be a professional singer in
the future, did you?
No, not at all.
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