It was fifty years ago that Shimakura-san debuted with "Kono Yo no Hana," and in the 5 decades since, this artist, who so captures the essence of the Japanese heart in her songs, has been awarded numerous prizes and accolades.
 Shimakura-san celebrates her 50th year in show business next year, but her career has been far from a smooth ascent to stardom.
Eye-Ai had the pleasure of interviewing Shimakura Chiyoko for this special Center Stage article, and the well-known star very graciously opened her heart and talked frankly about her career.
Eye-Ai: Let's first talk about your life as a young girl. When you first started singing, before your first debut as a young girl, you were affectionately called the "nodo jiman arashi" because you took part in so many singing competitions and loved to sing so much.
Shimakura Chiyoko: Yes, I loved to sing as a young girl, and there was a particular reason for that. When I was growing up during the war in Nagano prefecture, I was helping out at home by fetching water in a wagon and I fell down on a broken bottle, which resulted in me slicing into four arteries in my left arm which required 47 stitches. It was a miracle that I recovered and from that day, I became more of a quiet child who stayed inside the house. I learned to change my doll's clothes using my right arm and both of my legs. I think looking back at the young girl of that time, my mother tried so hard to make sure that I would still be a cheerful child. And for example, when I was taking a bath, she would sing "Ringo no Uta" to me and it was because of this, that I began to like singing. I think singing became for me a form of conversation and I would always go to "nodo jiman" singing contests, wherever they were held. I had the feeling that wherever there was singing, I could feel alive.
Eye-Ai: So really it was your mother who taught you to appreciate the joy of singing.
SC: Singing provides comfort. It was because I felt so much happiness singing that I wanted to go to "nodo jiman" singing contests. And there wasn't anything else that I would leave the house for. My older sister Toshiko was a very good singer and she was always number one and I was number two.
 Eye-Ai: You received so many singing prizes when you were young. Was your family happy because of this?
SC: You know, that was an age when there were so few material things, as compared to now. We would be given rice or vegetables as a prize and the biggest prize we ever got was a bicycle! My mother was very happy.
Eye-Ai: What were your parents like?
SC: From the time I debuted at 16, my mother became really strict and particular about my manners. For example, whenever I would walk in front of somebody in order to pass them, she would insist that I raise my hand up to motion, "pardon me." She insisted that such small, detailed-related behaviors were most proper, and I thought she was so overly demanding about this. Even today, although I am 66 years old, I sometimes notice in the way I behave, that yes, that too was something my mother taught me. And if she were still alive, I would have a chance to say "thank you." Even though she was strict, I now really appreciate the way she raised me. My father was a policeman so of course naturally he was strict as well. But you know, the day he died, I found a flip through calendar he kept, where he had written little notes about how worried he was about me. That was the first time that I had ever realized how much he worried on my behalf.
Eye-Ai: Your older sister Toshiko, who we understand died last year, was your closest sibling, wasn't she?
SC: Yes. Although she got polio as a child, I was always the one who did the most things with her. I really respected her, and her way to live. Even when she was very tired, she always was cheerful but whenever she needed a hand, I would help. When I debuted and later when I was on the radio, she would always listen and then give me good advice about how to improve my singing.
Eye-Ai: After you debuted, you were so busy that your voice became very weak and you disappeared for a whole week. Was your sister Toshiko with you then too?
SC: We suddenly decided that we needed to take a break and should go see a friend in Atami and so we went, the two of us by train. I got an injection from a doctor, and Toshiko nursed me.
 Eye-Ai: So you were just so busy even then...
SC: It was still the age of radio, and in one day I could do 8 programs which meant I had no time to sleep. While I was young though and could just overcome my tiredness, the radio programs were live and being tired my voice would sometimes grow weak. When Toshiko and I disappeared to Atami, we didn't contact our parents, and when we got back home, while I thought it was going to be our father who would scold us, in fact it was our mother. From that time on, I came to realize that taking care of my health was my responsibility, that it was a form of responsibility for my work. Even now, I always approach my work with an eye toward staying healthy and not catching a cold.
Eye-Ai: Do you do anything in particular to take care of your voice?
SC: Now at the age of 66, little by little the natural inclination of my voice is to become weaker so I do voice training as well as general exercise. If I don't do at least 30 minutes of voice training, if I continue to sing for days, my voice feels tired. In fact, I did voice training yesterday and I can feel its effects continued into today. Yesterday was the first time it felt pleasant. I like to sing naturally, with my voice being a straight sound. Only yesterday, I discovered that voice training could be enjoyable.
Eye-Ai: Going back to the time before you debuted, you were a member of a musical group called the Shinagawa "Wakadanna Gakudan" (The Young Shop-Owners of Shinagawa Music Band). What was it like to be the youngest member of that group, surrounded by just musicians older than yourself?
SC: I wanted to buy an accordion for myself, so I saved up money from a part-time job. I then used to practice on the Meguro river bridge. That also was the particular spot where the members of the Wakadanna Gakudan musical group would gather. I started to join in their practices. I then also played the background music to plays.
Eye-Ai: What other kinds of work did you at that time in your life?
SC: I would pay sympathy calls to elderly people and perform privately for them. I also was a campaigner to get people out to vote. You know, during election time, the people who go around telling people, "Vote!" I also did work for the fire department, chanting slogans such as "The cause of a fire is just a match!" I worked at the Shinagawa Charcoal Company as well to get money. This was all during an era when there was no TV and so live voice work or live voice advertising or sloganeering was widely available, which I would do while playing my accordion. I was called by the nickname, "Shinagawa no Chiyochan." So even before I really debuted, I was already being made to sing.
Eye-Ai: The song you debuted with at age 16 was "Kono Yo no Hana." The lyrics are along the lines of, "since you can't be with the person you truly love, you wind up marrying somebody you don't." What did you think about that meaning at the time?
SC: At the time, I really didn't understand the meaning of the words. The adults who were around me would ask why don't you think it is possible to end up with somebody whom you truly love? Or they would say, "Well, she can't understand what she is saying because she's not an adult." I guess I still don't understand! (Laughter) At about the same time, I sang a sad song which Koga-san, who was my teacher, would ask why I sang. And he would comment that it is because I wasn't a grown up and couldn't understand the meaning.
Eye-Ai: How did you feel when your debut was decided?
SC: I was so excited. I was an amateur and could only sing at special times, so from that time I practiced from morning until night. I was really happy. My personality didn't really change and the record company, Columbia said things to me like, "Because you looked in a mirror and smiled, we came to you. Now do the same when you go out on stage." I felt so happy when I was singing and naturally could be childlike when I sang.
Eye-Ai: But at the time of your debut, you also had many hardships....
SC: For my debut, my siblings had pooled their money and pitched in to help me buy a kimono. It was orange with a chrysanthemum design. But an older colleague abruptly told me that orange was the color of her kimono, and that I had better find something else to wear! Well, I didn't have anything but that one orange kimono and I was so upset that I went behind stage and cried. Another colleague came over and asked me why I was crying and tried to console me. She told me to just go on and do my best, and to forget about it, and what I was wearing.
 Eye-Ai: There was a time just before your concert marking the 8th anniversary of your debut when the pressure for you became so bad that you fled to the second floor of your home and your mother had to pull you by your hair to keep you from jumping out of the window. What kind of pressure did you have?
SC: I didn't think I would be able to sing for 8 years, but that day I realized I had done just that. I was happy about that, but I also felt the pressure of expectations from others. The pressure was too strong for me.
Eye-Ai: You had so many concerts as well. How do you deal with the pressure?
SC: Even now, as I celebrate my 50th year on stage, I still feel the pressure that comes with performing on stage. Having done voice training yesterday helped to keep my voice sounding natural. When I had my first concert, I can remember thinking, ﾔHow do I overcome this feeling?' Each song I sing causes me to shiver and feel pressure and I have to contend with that feeling when I am up in front of the audience performing. And yes, I feel a sense of relief when the curtain goes down. Actually, I have a concert tomorrow and it's my habit to worry about my performance until the last minute.
Eye-Ai: Do you ever feel like your performance has been the best it can be?
SC: Last year I lost my voice because of stress. These days, to reduce the pressure, I don't worry as much and it's OK if I'm not perfectly happy with my performance. If I'm 50% happy, that's enough.
Eye-Ai: Doesn't the pressure you feel have a good effect on your performance?
SC: Well, I don't know. If I feel sad, sometimes the audience and the concert staff will applaud and think I did a great job. Other times, I feel wonderful and they think I wasn't so good. These are strange situations.
Eye-Ai: What feelings or emotions go through you as you sing?
SC: I can remember that in the beginning, my teacher, Koga-san said to me, "Chiyochan, the feeling of drama in a song comes about by singing without emotion and letting the audience cry rather than you crying while singing. It was a long time before I understood this concept. "At the Hawaii Cherry Blossom Matsuri concert, I sang "Tokyo da yo Okkasan" and I remember pushing or forcing the feeling of the song. But the audience put their own feeling into it and it took me some time to realize what had happened. It was because of that that I began to sing without emotion, I guess you might say. Even now, each time the curtain goes up, I think it is not the feeling of the song but the singing that matters.
Eye-Ai: But sometimes you sing with emotion?
SC: Well, yes I have. Sometimes when I sing without emotion, my tears come out but I don't worry about them and I don't try to stop my tears.
Eye-Ai: For your 50th anniversary celebration, you have released a new CD called "Jinsei yo Arigatou." and "Kaze no Michi". Could you tell us something about it?
SC: It's a 6-disk set and was compiled according to the ideas I had in mind. Last year my sister Toshiko died. After her death, I got a box of her belongings that she wanted me to have. I was too sad to open that box for a long time, but inside there were songs from before my first debut. All those years ago, there were no tapes and the songs I practiced for singing contests were recorded on an acetate disks. These include "Namida no Glass","Yushima no Shiraume" and "Tsugaru no Komori Uta" which I sang when I was between twelve to fifteen years old. Also included in the CD set is the record I sang on the Teichiku label called "Oyama no Osaru," which I first recorded when I was eleven years old.
Eye-Ai: Could you talk some about your feelings of doing a 50th anniversary concert tour?
SC: I originally wondered, what could I perform for this anniversary that would be special. Since I wore a wig when I first debuted, I decided I would do that again, and perform not only traditional Japanese dance but also Western style dance. I even decided to perform a rap number!
Eye-Ai: Are you going to sing rap music?
SC: I can't sing rap, but Yamazaki Hako san wrote the song and everybody said it was my style of rock. It has been fun to change my image and fun to sing something so different from my usual style.
Eye-Ai: Do you plan to continue along these lines?
SC: For this year, yes. At 66, I want to just do my best, and I feel like adding one new thing next year. I don't care about feeling embarrassed about anything, but I have become shy about rap dancing because I can dance better now since I have practiced it for one year. At first, when I practiced it I was concentrating too much to be shy, but now I don't need to concentrate so much and I have become shier.
Eye-Ai: Your 50th anniversary special concerts will be in the fall, won't they?
SC: I use to have concerts at regular intervals in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoyaﾑthe three big citiesﾑbut this is the 50th anniversary, so we'll add Fukuoka and I'm glad about that. The title of thse concerts is "I Love These Songs". The concerts begin in Tokyo. The concerts will have all my best songs and there won't be any breaks during the shows. Taking no breaks is my challenge for my 66th year, but I have to drink some water while I'm on stage. If I succeed in doing these concerts like this, I can do anything. I'll try my best.
Eye-Ai: In May, there was a 50th anniversary event for you at Yamano Instruments in Ginza in Tokyo. What was the response of your fans?
SC: I was really impressed by the age range of fans who showed up. There were two and even three generations of fans. One fourteen year old boy came alone to the event.
Eye-Ai: On your homepage, you say that you have made special ceramic cups to commemorate your 50th anniversary.
SC: I've been doing pottery for some time and it helps me to relax my mind. I decided to make some special pieces in commemoration. I made them as beer mugs, although some people use them as flower vases. I'd like to encourage everyone who bought the mugs to enjoy using them for beer.
Eye-Ai: Other than pottery, do you have any other hobbies or things you like to do in your spare time?
SC: You know now, with so much focus on the environment and the importance of recycling and separating out burnable and non-burnable trash, I still do this, but when I started a long time ago, it was a duty. When I was 16, even back then, I would separate out all recyclable trash in the dressing rooms. I am still do this.
 Eye-Ai: Anything else you do in your free time?
SC: I don't go out much and from the time I was a small girl, I have always had a really hard time to be in the sun for any length of time at all. It is so hard on my skin. I really don't even have any old photos of excursions or trips because of this. You know, I told you about the accident I had as a small girl, and I think that certainly had some influence on making me into a person who prefers to stay indoors. The other thing about being outside is I really do not like insects at all. And I am not so good around animals so, that really does make me not an outdoors type at all.
Eye-Ai: We understand that in 1999 you were selected as the winner of the "Best Jeanist" prize which compliments people who look attractive in jeans.
SC: I was so happy to receive this award. It was something I had always wanted to win. I tried to let people know that I liked jeans, loved wearing jeans. Once in the hall at NHK I passed Takamine Mieko who was attired in jeans. She looked so good! I was sort of heavy at the time so in order to wear jeans comfortably I had to go on a diet. Actually, having the desire to fit into jeans is kind of a good health habit. It's almost like a kind of "health barometer." I like to say that being able to fit into jeans is part of my health routine.
Eye-Ai: Do you often wear jeans? How many pairs do you think you own?
SC: Well, although I have quite a few pairs of jeans, I usually wear only two or three of them on a regular basis. A fan from Okayama sent me a magic pair of jeans that is supposed to bring me money. I am the type of person who has difficulty making money, and then finally, when it looks like I've been able to save, someone comes along and tricks me out of it. That's probably why this fan in Okayama made these jeans for me. They have a clasp made of 18 karat gold. But actually, I can't wear those jeans now. I am currently on a diet to be able to fit into them as soon as possible.
Eye-Ai: As you celebrate 50 years in the entertainment world, what are your feelings?
SC: I feel so fortunate to have been able to express myself in song over these 50 years. It's really hard to believe that it has been 50 years. Lately I have been interviewed by writers who tell me, "I was born the year of your debut and I am now 50 years old." That's when it comes home to me that, "my goodness, it's been 50 years." Lots of things happened along the way, but I am really grateful for the opportunity to sing professionally throughout the years.
Eye-Ai: What's in store for your future? What activities do you have planned?
SC: From now on, as until today, I plan to take my career naturally. I like to take things as they come and am grateful for everyday that I have the opportunity to sing.
To commemorate my 50th anniversary in entertainment, I would like to give your readers a card carrying my message. Would that be okay with you?
On the card I have written "With gratitude and happiness", and above that the character for "heart." I would be pleased if you would pass it along to your readers.
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