The Flower that Bloomed at the End of the Journey - Joji Yamamoto's Enka Michi: 1970s-2000s

The Flower that Bloomed at the End of the Journey - Joji Yamamoto's Enka Michi: 1970s-2000s

Born in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Joji Yamamoto (b. 1950) is a "singer of travel and life" who took the royal road of the enka world. A high school baseball player who played in the Koshien (the Japanese National High School Baseball Championship) and possessed a sportsman's temperament, he moved to Tokyo in 1968 with the intention of becoming a singer. It was composer Keisuke Hama who discovered him while he was still playing at a live coffee shop in Shinjuku.

In 1974, he made his debut under the stage name "Date Haruki," but failed to have any big hits, and in 1978 he made a fresh start under his real name, "Joji Yamamoto. Then, in 1979, his fate changed drastically when "Michinoku Hitori Tabi (Michinoku Solo Journey)" became a big hit. The song, with its melancholy melody and passionate description of a northern scene, sold over 1 million copies and remains one of his best-known songs.

Since then, he has released many enka songs such as "Tabi no Owari ni," "Yume Kaido," and "Nagareta no Hashi" that focus on travel, life, farewells, and nostalgia. In particular, "ROMAN," with its magnificent arrangement, crosses the fragility of life and dreams, and deeply appealed to many middle-aged and older people. There was more drama in his singing than just "enka.

His contemporaries include Takashi Hosokawa (b. 1950, debut in 1975, "Kokoro no Kori") and Ichiro Toba (b. 1952, "Siblings' Boat"), but Joji Yamamoto stands out for his singing style that evokes "tenderness in sorrow," his manly behavior on stage, and his friendly TV performances, He was also well known for his manly manner on stage and his friendly TV appearances.

During the golden age of enka from the 1950s to the early Heisei era, he was one of the few singers who established a consistent world view centering on "journey," and he continues to embody enka as a genre that sings about scenery.

As the representative of his own company, "George Promotion," he continues to support younger singers and actively collaborates with the local community, including his hometown of Shimonoseki. Even in an age when the role of enka as popular songs is being questioned, the songs of Joji Yamamoto continue to flow quietly with the sentiments of the Japanese people, who view life as a journey.