Rinsho Kadekaru
Encyclopedia
was a representative Okinawan folk singer of the post-war era.
from the age of seven, and was strongly influenced by his mother, who was also a singer. At age eight, he collaborated with his mother to compose the song .
Growing up, Kadekaru quit school at times in order to help his family with the farming; he held a number of part-time jobs, and performed, singing and playing sanshin alongside classmates and others in the neighborhood in local festivals
.
At the age of 16, Kadekaru left home, using money he gained by selling one of the family cows to pay his fare on a ship to Osaka
. There, he lived and worked in a lumbermill, delivering firewood to local businesses, and occasionally meeting with other Okinawans with whom he sang and played sanshin. After roughly three years in Osaka, in 1939, he returned home for a mandatory physical examination, as part of the conscription process, and was conscripted into the 46th Regiment of the Ōita Prefecture
Army. He served as a member of standby reserves for two years, and then applied to work overseas while remaining in the reserves
, and worked for a time on Tinian
and Saipan
Islands with a South Seas trading company. While on Saipan, he was also involved in an Okinawan theatre troupe on the side.
In 1944, while training on the Micronesia
n island of Kosrae
, Kadekaru was gravely wounded, taken prisoner
, and brought to a field hospital, where he remained for some time. It was feared that he would not survive to return to Japan, and a formal report of his death was sent out; Kadekaru did survive, however, and returned to Japan in November 1945, making his home in Zushi, Kanagawa
. He spent the next several years touring the country with an Okinawan theatre troupe. He returned to Okinawa in the spring of 1949, and to his hometown after a nine year absence; his father died earlier that year. Kadekaru worked for a time driving a horsecart, and later overseeing the kitchens at a US military base
.
Kadekaru established music schools in Gushikawa and Urasoe, and was a founding member of the . His first LP album
was released in 1965. He continued to release albums, and to engage in performance tours for many years. The end of the American occupation of Okinawa in 1972 brought a surge in the popularity of Okinawan music throughout Japan, and marked a highlight in Kadekaru's career.
Over the course of his career, Kadekaru appeared as a regular on a number of radio and TV programs, as well as appearing in several films, frequently working with director Gō Takamine
, and performing in a wide variety of venues. Towards the beginning of his career, he also moved frequently, staying for example on Iejima
for several years, where he taught, before living for a year in Ishikawa prefecture
, where he performed regularly at an onsen
resort.
In the early 1990s, Kadekaru received a number of formal commendations from Okinawa prefecture, including the Okinawa Times Prize, which he was awarded in 1995. The Ryūkyū Folk Music Association which he helped found in 1962 named him "min'yō meijin" (民謡名人, "folk music legend") in 1999. Though there had been rumors he would retire several years prior, Kadekaru continued to perform, and appeared in the film Nabi no koi in 1999, before dying later that same year of lung cancer
.
A number of memorial albums were released following his death, including reissues of his earlier albums. Kadekaru is frequently included on Okinawa min'yō compilation albums. A memorial concert was held in his memory in 2001 in Naha, featuring 145 musicians, including min'yō performers China Sadao, Seijin Noborikawa
, Teruya Kantoku, and Rinshō's son Kadekaru Rinji.
Early life
Kadekaru was born in Goeku Village to Rintarō and Ushi Kadekaru. He was the eldest of three siblings, with two younger sisters. He began playing around with sanshinSanshin
The sanshin is an Okinawan musical instrument and precursor of the Japanese shamisen. Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings....
from the age of seven, and was strongly influenced by his mother, who was also a singer. At age eight, he collaborated with his mother to compose the song .
Growing up, Kadekaru quit school at times in order to help his family with the farming; he held a number of part-time jobs, and performed, singing and playing sanshin alongside classmates and others in the neighborhood in local festivals
Eisa (dance)
is a form of folk dance unique to the people of the Ryukyu Islands. Although it is performed many times throughout the year at various festivals, Eisa performances are concentrated around lunar mid-July...
.
At the age of 16, Kadekaru left home, using money he gained by selling one of the family cows to pay his fare on a ship to Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. There, he lived and worked in a lumbermill, delivering firewood to local businesses, and occasionally meeting with other Okinawans with whom he sang and played sanshin. After roughly three years in Osaka, in 1939, he returned home for a mandatory physical examination, as part of the conscription process, and was conscripted into the 46th Regiment of the Ōita Prefecture
Oita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.- History :Around the 6th century Kyushu consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni...
Army. He served as a member of standby reserves for two years, and then applied to work overseas while remaining in the reserves
Military reserve force
A military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...
, and worked for a time on Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
and Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
Islands with a South Seas trading company. While on Saipan, he was also involved in an Okinawan theatre troupe on the side.
In 1944, while training on the Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
n island of Kosrae
Kosrae
Kosrae , formerly known as Kusaie, is an island in Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and includes, besides the island of Kosrae, about a dozen satellite islands and islets, the most significant of which is Lelu Island.-Geography:With a...
, Kadekaru was gravely wounded, taken prisoner
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, and brought to a field hospital, where he remained for some time. It was feared that he would not survive to return to Japan, and a formal report of his death was sent out; Kadekaru did survive, however, and returned to Japan in November 1945, making his home in Zushi, Kanagawa
Zushi, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 58,793 and a population density of 3,390 persons per km². The total area was 17.34 km².-Geography:...
. He spent the next several years touring the country with an Okinawan theatre troupe. He returned to Okinawa in the spring of 1949, and to his hometown after a nine year absence; his father died earlier that year. Kadekaru worked for a time driving a horsecart, and later overseeing the kitchens at a US military base
USCAR
USCAR means:* United States Council for Automotive Research* US Climate Action Report* United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands...
.
Career
Kadekaru made his first formal recording in 1950, though it was not released until 1958. Along with Shōei Kina, Shōtoku Yamauchi, and Shuei Kohama, Kadekaru led the birth of a golden age of Okinawan folk music. He was featured on public radio from its beginnings in Okinawa in the 1950s, and performed in a variety of venues throughout the prefecture, including local festivals and theatrical productions. Between original compositions and revivals of traditional songs, Kadekaru developed a repertoire of over one thousand songs. His unique sound came to be known as . Some of his most famous songs center on themes of the dramatic changes experienced by post-war Okinawa.Kadekaru established music schools in Gushikawa and Urasoe, and was a founding member of the . His first LP album
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
was released in 1965. He continued to release albums, and to engage in performance tours for many years. The end of the American occupation of Okinawa in 1972 brought a surge in the popularity of Okinawan music throughout Japan, and marked a highlight in Kadekaru's career.
Over the course of his career, Kadekaru appeared as a regular on a number of radio and TV programs, as well as appearing in several films, frequently working with director Gō Takamine
Gō Takamine
is a Japanese director of fiction films, documentaries and experimental films. Born on Ishigaki Island and raised in Naha, Takamine went to university in Kyoto and there began making 8mm films...
, and performing in a wide variety of venues. Towards the beginning of his career, he also moved frequently, staying for example on Iejima
Iejima
Ie jima is an island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, lying a few kilometers off the Motobu Peninsula of Okinawa Honto, Okinawa Islands. It measures 20 km around and has a population of 5,055...
for several years, where he taught, before living for a year in Ishikawa prefecture
Ishikawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...
, where he performed regularly at an onsen
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
resort.
In the early 1990s, Kadekaru received a number of formal commendations from Okinawa prefecture, including the Okinawa Times Prize, which he was awarded in 1995. The Ryūkyū Folk Music Association which he helped found in 1962 named him "min'yō meijin" (民謡名人, "folk music legend") in 1999. Though there had been rumors he would retire several years prior, Kadekaru continued to perform, and appeared in the film Nabi no koi in 1999, before dying later that same year of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
.
A number of memorial albums were released following his death, including reissues of his earlier albums. Kadekaru is frequently included on Okinawa min'yō compilation albums. A memorial concert was held in his memory in 2001 in Naha, featuring 145 musicians, including min'yō performers China Sadao, Seijin Noborikawa
Seijin Noborikawa
, born November 11, 1932 in Uruma, Okinawa, is a master Okinawan musician and min'yō folk singer, and a headliner of the Utanohi music festival.- External links :*...
, Teruya Kantoku, and Rinshō's son Kadekaru Rinji.
LP
- Kadekaru Rinshō (1965), Marufuku
- Umi nu Chinbōrā (1969), URC
- Ryūkyū jōkagyō ("Ryukyu Love Songs")(1974), VictorRCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
- Okinawa no kokoro ("Heart of Okinawa")(1974), Elec
Cassette
- Kadekaru Rinshō 20 Songs (1983), BCY
- HeiseiHeiseiis the current era name in Japan. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the first day after the death of the reigning Emperor, Hirohito. His son, Akihito, succeeded to the throne...
no Kadekaru Rinshō (1992), BCY]
CD
- Kadekaru Rinshō Tokushū ("Special Compilation")(1990), Marufuku
- Ryūkyū Festival '91 (1992), Victor
- Utaawase (1993), B/C
- Okinawa Shimauta no Shinzui ("The Essence of Okinawan Island Songs")(1994), Victor
- The Last Session (1996), Toshiba EMI — with Tsuneo Fukuhara
- Kadekaru Rinshō Before/After (1998), B/C
Filmography
- Paradise View (1985), pot repairman
- Untamagirū (1989), old shamisen player
- Kadekaru Rinshō: Uta to Katari ("Songs and Stories")(1994), himself
- Hisai ("Hidden Festival")(1998), Minamikazehara Tokushō
- Beat (1998)
- The Great grandson of the man who drank a cow (1998) — German film
- Nabi no koi ("Nabi's Love")(1999), head of the family