Features | 2005.05.14 Let Me Count the Ways - Song Contest Aims to Buff Up Japan's Image Are you a songwriter who loves Japan? If so, then you may be interested in a songwriting contest whose aim is to find a tune that will make people “like Japan and the Japanese.” Sounds innocuous enough. But there’s a catch: the Nippon no Uta (Japan's Song) competition is being sponsored by a group affiliated with Japan’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine. The shrine, which is located close to the famed Budokan Hall in central Tokyo, is controversial, because besides memorializing the millions of Japanese who died in the country’s various military conflicts, Yasukuni was the center of the prewar State Shinto system which glorifies militarism. Among those enshrined at Yasukuni are 12 “Class A” war criminals from the Second World War, including Prime Minister Hideki Tojo. Asian countries such as China and Korea, which suffered greatly because of Japanese imperialism before and during World War II, strenuously object to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visits to the shrine, which are among the grievances cited by the Chinese who have recently held massive anti-Japan demonstrations. Koizumi says his visits are simply meant to pay tribute to the memory of the war dead and to publicly pledge that Japan will never again make war on its neighbors. Against that background comes the recent announcement by Sukeihosankai, a support group formed to venerate those enshrined at Yasukuni, of a cash prize of 200,000 yen and support for the production and marketing of a song that will encourage love of Japan. Is the song contest an attempt to counter the negative publicity surrounding Yasukuni? A spokesman for the group says no, stressing that the song contest is just one in a series of events Sukeihosankai has recently been holding to increase awareness of the shrine and the sacrifices of Japan’s war dead among the younger generation. The group says songs submitted for consideration don’t even have to be written in Japanese, though it’s hard to imagine there will be many Korean- or Chinese-language entries. Entries will be accepted until July 29. Eight finalists will be chosen to compete in a live concert at the shrine in August. Both bands and solo artists are eligible, and the context rules stipulate that songs must be original, unreleased compositions. The winning song will be recorded and sold commercially, although exact details are not yet available. In addition to the 200,000-yen first prize, two runners-up will each be awarded 150,000 yen and there will also be two “special jury awards” of 100,000 yen each. As anyone who lives here knows, there is no shortage of patriotic songs in Japan. They can be heard blaring at ear-splitting volume from the trucks and vans belonging to ultra-right “uyoku” groups which are a common sight in the streets of Japan’s cities. Many of these songs belong to a musical genre called “gunka,” which literally translates as “war songs.” Compilations of gunka faves are still released by some major Japanese record companies. It’s unlikely that the folks at Sukeihosankai are looking for anything quite as hardcore as gunka in their song contest; given the current diplomatic situation, something poppy, warm and fuzzy is probably in order. Contest organizers say they are not looking for songs about Yasukuni Shrine; they want songs that will “make the Japanese people like Japan.” Of course it can be argued that there are any number of great Japanese pop songs that do just that, without being overtly political: Shoukichi Kina’s classic “Hana” (aka “Flowers for Your Heart”) comes to mind, as well as "Mangetsu no Yube (A Full Moon Evening)" by Takashi Nakagawa and Hiroshi Yamaguchi. Those songs, with their haunting, deeply sentimental melodies and lyrics, are quintessentially Japanese. And then there’s Japan’s national anthem, “Kimigayo,” a dirge-like, minor-key paean to Imperial rule written in archaic Japanese. Legislation was recently passed by Japan’s Diet (parliament) making the singing of “Kimigayo” and the display of the “Hinomaru” flag – which many people see as irrevocably linked to Japan’s militarist past – compulsory at school assemblies. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government even stipulates that the volume at which "Kimigayo" is sung must exceed that of the piano used as accompaniment. Teachers who refuse to sing "Kimigayo" are being reprimanded and penalized. Maybe a contest for a new national anthem would be a good idea! Contact information for Yasukuni Shrine is available at shrine’s web site: http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/english/index.html |
