Furukawa Roppa Showa Diary (If You Sing, It's Heaven Jazz Song)

If You Sing, It's Heaven

Roppa Furukawa (Rokupa Furukawa) was one of the leading comedians of the pre-war and wartime eras. His character is perhaps best summed up by the description in "Japanese Comedians" (by Nobuhiko Kobayashi) as a "fearless, spoiled-child actor." This "fearless" quality refers to the fact that even in his wartime performances, while the programs seemed to conform to the times, he was actually performing resistance theater. This was likely a form of resistance against the totalitarian authorities, though I also believe Roppa himself was a nationalist.

(Art and entertainment are leftist movements, though I will skip the details, but simply put, the pre-war left and the modern left are different species.)

Now, this book does not go into great depth (if you are interested, there are items about Roppa Furukawa in other works, such as "Natsukashii Geinin-tachi"). The introduction of a few songs does not seem to be anything particularly special... so, from among them, let's listen to "If You Sing, It's Heaven" on a period SP record (100295) and a phonograph.

The "If You Sing, It's Heaven Jazz Song" in this book likely derives from this song title.

The origins of the song are detailed in the "Roppa Furukawa Diary" from the summer of 1940 (Showa 15). At the time, he gathered with Masao Koga at Hachiro Sato's home for a meeting regarding the September performance (operetta), where the working title was "The Song is _ (Undecided)." This was the starting point for the birth of this song (led by Roppa, planned by Roppa). Although he performed it frequently as part of his repertoire, he also sang "Some Sunday Morning" for various occasions, such as exhibitions. By the way, Mr. Kobayashi's recommendation is the "Roppa Furukawa Masterpiece Collection (CD)," which was supplemented in the new edition of "Definitive Edition: Japanese Comedians."

The Showa History of Rokupa Furukawa

As for Roppa's achievements (please forgive my poor knowledge), one is that he produced a rare comedy fanatic named Nobuhiko Kobayashi; if he hadn't encountered his stage performances, his later works on entertainment, starting with "Japanese Comedians," would never have been born. Also, regarding jazz, it was a first in Japanese cinema. The first Japanese film to feature jazz was the 1932 (Showa 7) "Namiko (Oriental Film)," in which he sang "C'est Pour Mon Papa" (Note: the existing Mazda Film version is a 54-minute cut version; the original was 1 hour and 50 minutes). Above all, entrusting the "Roppa Furukawa Showa Diary" is a major contribution. This ensured that his name would remain semi-permanently (this is also to the credit of the Furukawa family who kept the diary and the supervisor, Mr. Daisaku Taki).

If you are interested in Showa history, I want you to read it by all means. As Mr. Daisaku Taki also states, it is unparalleled in both quality and quantity among diaries from the pre-war and reconstruction periods (it has the volume of four Kojien dictionaries). It is, of course, worthy of attention as a history of stage theater in which numerous entertainers appear, but it is not just a history of theater. It is often mocked that backstage talk is only half-true, but this was originally a private, unpublished record, and the events and impressions of the time are written down frankly (honestly), giving it the feel of reading an ensemble drama.

(As Mr. Kobayashi also notes, since he transferred from the world of journalism to stage entertainment, his journalistic qualities remained unchanged throughout his life, so this also possesses the nature of reportage or reportage literature.)

In the wartime volume (along with Musei Tokugawa's "Musei Wartime Diary"), it is valuable as a record of the reality under air raids. Also, one feature of the Roppa diary is the "dosa" (touring), which reveals the temperature difference between Tokyo and the provinces, as well as the realities of travel, making it interesting from a folkloric perspective as well. From that point of view, such diaries of the time are worthy of being first-class materials for exploring historical views, and as mentioned above, it is decided that they will remain for hundreds of years. A diary written by the person in real-time is a "reflection of facts," and thus has high reliability as evidence. That point of being a "reflection of facts" is also a major difference from memoirs and biographies.

In memoirs, there is a strong tendency to beautify the past and erase painful memories (i.e., rewriting memory) (not to judge whether it is right or wrong, but that is how it is, especially with memories of an abnormal period like wartime). In biographies, (usually) a consideration of discretion works, and even if one proceeds positivist-ly, there are limits. Diaries do not have such things, and the fact that they were published 27 years after his death also acts as a plus. In short, after the main parties involved had passed away, and enough time had passed for it to be harmless, it was published as is, despite some editing.

(By the way, "Modern Commoner Life History" is also a masterpiece in the system of pre-war commoner history; if you are interested, please read it.)

Diary as Folklore

To get into the core, historically, in terms of diaries, the "Ishikawa Diary" and "Tama no Miyage" (Souvenirs of Tama) are famous as examples from the western part of Tokyo (Edo-Bushu). Although they are almost unknown to the general public, there is no amateur researcher who does not know them, and they are still referenced and cited frequently today, despite being diaries from the previous century. Even if the fame of Rokupa Furukawa and his diary are generally forgotten (even if they disappear from theater history, it is impossible not to refer to this diary when researching pre-war and reconstruction-era stage and comedy), local historians hundreds of years from now (in Showa history) will definitely refer to this diary and use it for cross-checking.

(From the beginning of 1934 to the end of 1960, although there are omissions, one can glimpse the customs and culture of that quarter-century... but it is amazing that he was so diligent every day... in a sense, it is astonishing.)

Regardless of the quality of the writing style (and unrelated to his evaluation as a performer), in a diary with such high folkloric value, the diary itself (even in terms of being a designated tangible cultural property) bears such a fate. In that sense, I assert that Roppa's name will remain more than Enoken or Morishige, or rather, more than numerous other entertainers. After his death, he achieved what you might call a major comeback hit.

In addition, the various people involved who appear in the diary will also benefit from it. As I mentioned earlier, it is like an ensemble drama, but strangely vivid descriptions are written persistently (in great detail and at length). Simply put, a diary that should be a reflection of facts has the flavor of a creative work, which stimulates the reader's imagination, as if the scenes of the time are floating before their eyes. In other words, for example, every time you open this diary, the subjects (the people depicted) seem to be revived, living on within this diary.

For example, Goichi Tsuchiya also appears (a typical example of an anarchic, destructive type), and there (although I won't go into much detail, despite that) the existence of Goichi within the troupe is depicted realistically. There are few records regarding Goichi, and without such descriptions, his true image would remain ambiguous; he is one of the performers who would likely have been completely forgotten (the great Mr. Irokawa also spotlights him in "Acharakapai," which you should also check out if you are interested).

An unexpected example (which Mr. Daisaku Taki also points out) is the stand-up comedian Tony Tani, known for his sharp tongue; among the many entertainers who appear, Tony Tani left the impression of being the most loyal. Roppa's life had extreme ups and downs (and the entertainment world is full of monsters), but perhaps Tony Tani was the only one who consistently treated him with respect throughout. His art is intense, but he is a good person at heart. If not for Roppa's description, wouldn't only the biased label of a hated "après-guerre" performer have remained?

Although there are harsh criticisms and grievances (which may be regrettable for the parties involved, whether for better or worse), aren't the various people who appear in this diary fortunate? Also, while there are some negative (or seemingly leading) reviews regarding the descriptions in the diary, at least Roppa's opinions on entertainment are sound arguments (please also keep in mind the trends of the time). Because they are sound arguments, one cannot help but feel an even greater sense of pathos regarding his final years. But I repeat, a massive amount of diary entries remain. That is one of the unprecedented achievements in Showa history.

(Regarding the SP record videos introduced, it is believed that the neighboring rights have expired, and the songs are either out of copyright or under the management of JASRAC or NexTone.)

Part 16 [Black and Brown Fantasy: Ren Tokuyama, Kyozi Sugi, Michiya]
Part 18 [Slim Gaillard and Jo Stafford's "For You"... & Patti Page's Jazz]