Bluegrass country in the Land of the Rising Sun
I guess you could say they were the liveliest pickers west of the Mississippi - way, way out west.
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They played country western and bluegrass tunes by the red neon light of a Budweiser sign, on a stage where the flag of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is proudly displayed. The group on stage was the Tennessee Rangers, a band decked out in Stetson hats and western wear, keeping time as one of their female leads belted out the Loretta Lynn hit "You're Not Woman Enough to Take My Man." The saloon's patrons basked in the warm glow of the stage lights, their spirits lightened by the music and the rounds of frosted draft beer that came from the bar. Line dancers graced the small dance floor, smiling as they stepped and swayed to the country beat. So you're thinking this must be a scene from the nightlife of Richmond, Kentucky, perhaps Lexington, or maybe as far away as Nashville, Tennessee. The place I'm describing, however, is an entire hemisphere away - smack dab in the middle of Tokyo, Japan. |
So how did country and bluegrass music find such a welcoming home in the Land of the Rising Sun? I asked Fumio Iizuka, owner of the Liberty Bell, Tokyo's premiere country and bluegrass saloon that looks like it could be found anywhere in the good old U.S. of A.
I was introduced to Iizuka by Berea resident Roger Oliver, who, along with Randy Osborne and Dinah Tyree, headed a cultural exchange delegation to the Yamanashi Prefecture in the mountains of Japan.
 naoko ishikawa |
It turns out that Iizuka grew up in post-war Japan, where American music was played to entertain U.S. troops who occupied the country after World War II. More importantly, however, Iizuka was influenced by Kentuckian Paul Rusch, a man who dedicated his life to rebuilding post-war Japan and who was the architect of many programs that have helped Japanese youth since the post-war era. Iizuka recalled meeting Rusch some 40 years ago, when Iizuka was a high school student. Like many youths of the day, Iizuka said he was personally touched by Rusch's efforts to help the people of Japan, and from then on, there seemed no better way to honor his Kentucky mentor than to adopt the bluegrass and country music of Rusch's homeland. |
"He was especially kind to me - like a father," said Iizuka. "Because Paul Rusch was from Kentucky, I played Kentucky music and he enjoyed it."
Four decades later, the strains of bluegrass and country can still be heard in Japan, and its popularity is apparently growing. At the Liberty Bell, Iizuka says his music is still inspired by the kindness of Rusch, a man who spent much of his life in Japan, but who called Kentucky his home.
In my short time at the Liberty Bell, the Tennessee Rangers played a number of tunes that would have made Rusch and Kentucky folk proud, including "Make Memories with Me," "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," and a little Hank Williams number called "On the Bayou." The all-Japanese band closed with "I Keep Forgetting (I Don't Love You No More)."
Like all good singers, country songbird Naoko Ishikawa, Tokyo's answer
to Lee Ann Rimes, took a bow at the end of her song, smiled, and said
"Arigato Gozaimasu," - thank you very much. Somehow I don't
think Loretta Lynn could have said it better.
