From a Nagashi's Voice to a Leading Actor in Kohaku--Matsuyama Keiko, a Singer Who Stays Close to the Common People (1937-)

From a Nagashi's Voice to a Leading Actor in Kohaku--Matsuyama Keiko, a Singer Who Stays Close to the Common People (1937-)

Keiko Matsuyama, born in 1937, is a female artist who rose from the ranks of "genuine sink singers" who survived the chaotic period during and after World War II. She began her performing career as a child traveling around the countryside with her mother. She sang in the corners of food stalls and on temporary stages, and honed her craft while feeding on the tears and applause of the common people, and is a symbolic figure who supported the era of "songs to watch" before the widespread use of television.

Matsuyama was known not only for her typical enka style, but also for her free use of nankyoku-style verses and minyo-style fists. One of her best-known songs, "Farewell Public Telephone" (1959), is a song that emotionally depicts the moment of separation from a lover against the backdrop of the newest infrastructure of the time, the telephone, and is a fine example of the Showa era's view of love and the inner life of women. The sadness of the song through the receiver and the acting-like singing that swallows the voice accurately captured the atmosphere of the times.

Another masterpiece, "I Told You So" (1960), is a grudge song style song that emphasizes a woman's intuition and sadness, and drew strong sympathy from female fans. The style of singing about regret and anger at being betrayed by a man, with emotion in the midst of sadness, was a precursor to the expression later used by singers such as Keiko Fuji and Miyuki Nakajima.

Her stage performances were not just singing, but she also added a theatrical touch, as in a period drama, to create a story that served as a backdrop for her songs, a style that attracted many audiences. Her behavior in kimono and dialogue delivery were just like those of a theater-style enka performance, and the stage was filled with a realism and depth of humanity that could not be conveyed on television.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Matsuyama was a regular performer on NHK's Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest) and remained at the forefront of the singing world. However, rather than adapting to the new-age medium of television, he chose to continue touring the countryside, performing in somewhat old-fashioned and humane entertainment halls and public halls. This attitude was symbolic of Showa-era singers who valued songs not as a "commodity" but as a "tool for the soul.

She was a "singer" in her own right, not an "utaya," who silently honed her craft behind the glamour of the media and continued to sing alongside people in their daily lives. Even today, Keiko Matsuyama's records are imbued with the light and shadow of the Showa period. Her songs are imbued with "Japanese sentiment.