Memories of Waves, Songs of Kizuna -- Ichiro Toba's Enka Soul (1980s-2020s)

Memories of Waves, Songs of Kizuna -- Ichiro Toba's Enka Soul (1980s-2020s)

Ichiro Toba, real name Kahei Kimura, was born in 1952 in Toba, Mie Prefecture. He was raised by a mother who was a diver and a father who was a fisherman, and his experience of fishing for tuna and bonito on a pelagic fishing boat from the age of 17 was deeply engraved in his later life as a singer. 27, he moved to Tokyo and apprenticed under Toru Funamura, and made his impressive debut in 1982 with the enka "Brother Ship. This song about brothers living on the sea became synonymous with him and was well known in port towns throughout Japan. He continued to sing songs about the sea and fishing villages, such as "Otoko no Minato" and "Kita no Seagull Song. While his contemporaries such as Hiroshi Itsuki and Takashi Hosokawa depicted the subtleties of urban love and life, Toba was unique in that he continued to express the sorrows and joys of fishermen and men living in ports. He has also been active in social activities, holding charity concerts for more than 30 years in suppo
rt of orphans from maritime accidents, and has been awarded the Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon seven times. In recent years, he has released "Hokkai no Hana (Flowers of the North Sea)," "A Song of Sorrow," and "Tomo Kyoyo (My Friends)," and continues to be active and energetic in his current career. His younger brother, Yutaka Yamakawa, and his sons have also become singers, and Umi no Uta has been passed on to his family. His songs continue to touch the hearts of those who live by the sea through the ages.