[Quiet & peaceful]
No.44 "konuka-ame" by Ginji Itoh
- HOME ›
- Light&Mellow ›
- '70s ›
- Ginji Itoh ›
- Konuka-ame
Hi. Today's song is "Konuka-ame" (Drizzle) by "Ginji Itoh".
This is a quiet & peaceful tender ballad in a slow rhythm like drifting on the lake. performed by a pioneering pop rock artist, "Ginji Itoh".
If you like, please listen.
Links to the music shops, offering song samples, are located on the bottom of this page.
Some contents have been put away in tabs with " ▼ " marks in each section, so please click it to read.
The most of linked sites like youtube, or Apple music uses Java script. So, if you are visiting them , please turn the Java script on at your browser.
We are now working on improving appearances of our posts.
If you find anything odd, please kindly let us know.
Thank you.
Cover art today
Song data
| Title | Konuka-ame |
|---|---|
| Artist | Ginji Itoh |
| Album Title | |
| Catalog Number | TOCT-25258 |
| Track No. | 4 |
| Duration | 5:52 |
| Released | 1977 |
| Publisher | |
| Lyricist | |
| Composer | |
| Arrangers |
About the creators
Ginji Itoh Lyricist & Composer
"Ginji Itoh" is the lyricist, composer, and arranger of this song, but also a performer at the same time.
So, we would like to come back to him later in "About the artist" section. Thank you.
Ginji Itoh, Taeko Ōnuki, Ryūichi Sakamoto Arrangers
On this track, "Ginji Itoh" did the basic arrangement, but talented music creators, "Taeko Ohnuki" & "Ryūichi Sakamoto" also participated in this song as a chorus arranger & strings arranger respectively.
Same generation
These 3 brilliant musicians were all born within two to three years just after the baby boom in Japan (1947-1949).
So, in 1977, when this track was recorded, they were all around 25 years old, and working closely in a rapidly developing Japanese popular music scene.
Now, all of them are well known big names, but it seems they were more freely communicating through music, when they were young and full of energy in the '70s.
References
A few of well-summarized references are available for those three arrangers.
We put the links below, so please have a look if you like.
The links to Ginji Itoh's references are available in "About the artist" section located below.
Taeko Ōnuki
Ryūichi Sakamoto
Video clip
Lastly, here is a music clip of a calm & quiet vocal song titled "San-biki no kuma" (The three bears) sang by "Taeko Ōnuki", and accompanied by "Ryūichi Sakamoto"'s piano.
This is a song from a "Taeko Ōnuki" & "Ryūichi Sakamoto"'s collaborated album "Utau" released in 2010.
"Taeko Ōnuki" & "Ryūichi Sakamoto" has been a long time music peers since the mid '70s.
And they have been occasionally working together to date.
In this album, only purified vocal & the piano create almost sacred music world in overwhelming silence.
It might be one of the ultimate styles of their music collaboration after 35 years.
If you like, please listen.
Song image & Lyrics
Open
Link to the lyrics
Copyright notice on the lyrics link
Sound impression
Calm & quiet
This song seems to be a calm, quiet, and relaxing slow ballad in a mellow tone with floating feeling.
Quiet & moist
The electric piano (with effect), percussion (Bar Chime), bass, drums, strings, and the brass section begin a quiet & moist introduction.
In the main part, an impressive boyish alto voice of "Ginji Itoh" sings a melodious phrase, and a silent but stylish chorus, which was arranged & sang by "Taeko Ohnuki", support the main vocal.
In the bridge, brilliant & skipping sound of the acoustic piano, played by "Ryūichi Sakamoto", adds a dew to a ensemble.
About "Konuka-ame"
Japan is a country located in the eastern side of Asia monsoon belt.
Therefore, it experiences many styles of rain throughout of the year, and there are some 40+ terms are listed on Wikipedia as Japanese words to describe rain.
According to our neighbor who used to be a Japanese teacher, the term "Konuka-ame" is a combination of 3 words, namely "Ko" (small. little, light) + "nuka" (Powdery rice bran) + ame (rain).
Then, it comes to mean a very light & misty rain, but continues for a while, which used to be typical in spring.
So, the word "Konuka-ame" is also a popular & classic "season word" (kigo) for "Haiku" short poetry, according to him.
Reference
About Google translate
About the artist
Ginji ItohCoconuts bank
"Ginji Itoh" is a singer, songwriter, composer, arranger, guitarist, music producer, and a former member of "Goma-no hae", "Coconuts bank", "Sugar Babe", and "Bye-bye session band" active since 1972.
He is one of the pioneers in Japan's modern popular music, together with his close allies like "Tatsurō Yamashita", "Ei-ichi Ōtaki", or "Taeko Ohnuki".
Itoh debuted as a member of the rock band, "Goma-no hae", and released the first single, "Tomeko-chan tara" (Oh Tomeko-chan) in 1972.
Since then, 22 singles, and 20 original, plus 10 best albums have been released until now.
(Ref: Wikipedia-en, Ginji Itoh)
Early times
"Ginji Itoh" picked up the guitar, and start playing when he was a high school student.
Although, there weren't enough guitar tutorial books in the '60s Japan, "Itoh" first learned the guitar chords, and began to transcribe melodic patterns from his favorite music by listening their records.
In the '60s Japan, no much band scores of western rock groups were available either, then "Itoh"s such special ability was much appreciated by a few of amateur bands.
So, by participating in various amateur groups, "Itoh" brushed up his sense of music, and guitar skills.
"Itoh" formed several amateur band during college days, and finally in 1971, he founded a 4-piece rock band "Goma-no hae" (lit. a fly on a sesame seed -> a crook), which later debuted as a professional with their first single, "Tomeko-chan tara" in 1972.
Move to Tokyo
"Goma-no hae" earned reasonable popularity in its birth place, "Osaka".
"Itoh" bravely contacted to a young, but prominent music producer "Ei-ichi Ōtaki" if there was any possibility for him to produce "Itoh"'s band.'
It was so kind, but answering for his request, "Ōtaki" visited the band's home ground "Osaka" to see their live stage.
After the evaluating their performance, "Ōtaki" sent an offer to "Itoh", that he was happy to produce "Itoh"'s band, if all the members could move to Tokyo soon.
(Actually, "to move to Tokyo" is not an easy decision for the people live in Osaka, even now.)
In 1972, "Itoh" and band members moved to Tokyo. And began to crate their music under produce of "Ōtaki".
But one thing led to another, other members were all gone, and only "Itoh" was left in Tokyo.
"Itoh" tentatively become a member of a pop group "Sugar Babe", which was lead by "Tatsurō Yamashita" who was also closely working with "Ei-ichi Ōtaki".
But "Itoh" gradually started his career as an independent musician by working closely with "Ei-ichi Ōtaki" in the beginning.
Solo debut
In 1976, "Ginji Itoh", "Ei-ichi Ōtaki", and "Tatsurō Yamashita" who all belonged to "Ōtaki"'s private label "Niagara", teamed up a special unit, "Niagara triangle", and released an attention-grabbing album "Niagara Triangle Vol.1", which is still popular as a specialty of the '70s.
Actually, this album was planned as an assort of the solo tracks of "Niagara triangle" members, and there were no performed as a group.
So, in a sense, this was the solo debut for "Ginji Itoh".
And in 1977, he finally released his first album, "Deadly drive" which we are introducing today.
As a producer
"Ginji Itoh", however, did not continue as a singer in this opportunity.
But he chose to focus on song arrangement, and music production area, since he was thinking that he need to brush up skills in those areas, and was wishing to put priority on there.
In only one year time, "Itoh", began to show his talent in this area.
After working as a member of "Castella moon", a backing band to a pop singer "Miki Matsubara", "Itoh" began to participate in a music production of now popular rock singer, "Motoharu Sano", as an arranger in 1980, and also as a music producer later.
"Motoharu Sano" is a super star, and one of the most well-known rock singer in Japan now a days.
But, in the early '80s, "Sano" was just a beginning rock musician, and therefore, he did not know much about song arrangement, orchestration, or basic process of music production.
"Ginji Itoh" shared a lot of his knowledge to him, and involved in "Sano"'s music creation. And by doing so, he supported "Sano" to become an independent song creator.
And soon, "Ginji Itoh" became a member of Sano's backing band, which would later develop into a famous group, "The heartland".
Then, "Itoh" continued to give a full support to "Sano".
Actually, from "Sano"'s debut song, "Angelina" to his biggest hit song, "Someday", there was a lot of input from "Ginji Itoh".
Just to mention only these, it is proving "Itoh"'s outstanding capability as a music producer.
As a singer
In parallel in 1982, "Itoh" released his second album "BABY BLUE" for the first time in 5 years after his first album became on sale in 1977.
Since then, "Itoh" released 11 original albums in 8 years until 1990.
This series of active release of albums established his name as a pop singer as well as a music producer.
Recent
Since then, he has been working very actively not just as an independent pop-rock singer, but also as a music producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist, and helping others to create their music.
In 2007, he celebrated 30th anniversary since he released the first solo album in 1977.
-
(Ref: www.moto.co.jp,
Welcome To The Heartland Tour)🇯🇵
Video clip
Lastly, here is a live clip of "Ginji Itoh". It was filmed when he collaborated with a 5-piece contemporary pop-rock group, "SPARKLING CHERRY" at a live music bar "Shimo-kitazawa 440" in 2016.
The song title is "Shiawase-ga hajimaru" (The happiness will start).
"Shiawase-ga hajimaru" is a nice mellow ballad from "Itoh"'s 15th album, "Love Parade" released in 1993.
The vocalist with guitar, and singing in center is "Ginji Itoh".
If you like, please listen.
Music Samples
4
(試聴する)
Amazon JP(en)
recochoku.jp
Japanese Letters
| Song Title | こぬか雨(Konuka-ame) |
|---|---|
| Artist | 伊藤銀次(Ginji Itoh) |
| Album Title | Deadly drive [40s anniversaly delux edition] |
Comments