"History" in Japanese is "rekishi" and musician Takafumi Ikeda's solo project Rekishi continues to use historical themes for his musical adventures.
Rekishi sings lyrics based on historical incidents in Japan while playing some funky music.
His latest album, "Mukishi" (Victor Entertainment Corp.), looks to the final years of the Edo period (1603-1867). Along with an all-star lineup of guest singers and musicians, including Daichi Miura, Hiromi Uehara and Aoi Teshima, Rekishi is daring to focus on a historical period to which many history buffs pay special attention.
Rekishi likes to play with words derived from historical figures and incidents, choosing such titles for his songs as "Konden Einen Shizai-ho" [a law enacted in the eighth century] and "Kirakira Bushi" [literally, "twinkle, twinkle samurai"].
"Because the bakumatsu [last years of the Edo period] is a popular period, some people may think it's easy to write songs about it," Ikeda said. "In reality, the period is too close to today. For better or worse, I had been thinking it's a difficult thing to do."
He expounded on this line of thought.
"When I was a child, my grandmother, after seeing a photo of Sakamoto Ryoma [from the bakumatsu period], told me that my grandfather wore the same type of shoes as he did. You can tell the modern age was right around the corner, so the bakumatsu period, you can say, stands on a historical border."
Rekishi decided to tackle this difficult theme when he was asked to write a promotional song for this year's NHK yearlong period drama, "Segodon," which is also the title of the song included on the new album.
The song is set to a happy tune somewhat similar to pop music from the 1980s. The lyrics include phrases such as "Your laughter opened the door to our dream" and "bakumatsu sasete iko (Let's do the bakumatsu)."
The lyrics seem far from the image people have of the show's main character, Takamori Saigo, who is known to have been diligent and honest. Ikeda said that the image of the man in the lyrics is modeled not after Saigo, but after the actor who portrays him, Ryohei Suzuki.
"What Suzuki says is sometimes down-to-earth, sometimes vague. They say Ryoma likened Saigo to a huge bell: If he was struck lightly, he would respond with a small sound, but if he was struck strongly, he would respond loudly," Ikeda said. "I figured Suzuki is this type of person."
The intro of the song reminds some listeners of "Jump," the signature Van Halen song from the 1980s.
"I saw the poster of the drama with a photo of Suzuki in the midst of a jump and I knew this was how it was going to be," Ikeda said.
"Goemon," another song from the album, evokes the streets at night and features the participation of Miura. In "Tairow -- Kimi ga Mezashiten no wa --" (Chief minister, what are you aiming for?), Rekishi and Teshima sing together grandly about the life of a high-ranking official. Rekishi's intention is that with each song, listeners get a taste of "rekishi."
"If you get too close to the person you want to sing about, it is no longer melodious," Ikeda said. "I made 'Goemon' based on a play of words, but it's always the music first. Even I often wonder what I'm singing about."
Rekishi has appeared at many music festivals again this year, making his presence felt as a live performer. His adventurous ad-libbing during performances and comments on stage got the audience cheering. Fans waving stalks of rice have now become a feature during his shows.
"If an idea strikes me, I'll have an unstoppable urge to do it," Ikeda said. "I want my audience to have fun."
Rekishi's nationwide concert tour kicks off in November. For inquiries, call (050) 5533-0888.
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