Minyo Crusaders is a band that reimagines Japanese folk songs with global rhythms. As their name aptly suggests, Minyo Crusaders are on a mission to popularize old Japanese folk songs for a new generation. Their main vehicle is global rhythms, including Latin music.
On their new album “From Japan With Love,” they reimagined a classic Colombian tune called “Cumbia En Do Menor” as the Japanese folk song “Hanagasa Ondo.”
Members of Minyo Crusaders got their start in the Tokyo music scene playing jazz, Latin music and Afrobeat. Then in 2011, right after the Fukushima earthquake, they reached a turning point, said guitarist and co-founder Katsumi Tanaka.
Tanaka said the band already played all kinds of international popular music when he became very interested in the roots of Japanese culture.
“After the earthquake, I started to take an interest in the roots of the country I live in,” Tanaka said. “Although we like world music, popular music, the things that we usually play, I somehow felt it was questionable that we didn’t really pay attention to our own roots music or popular music in Japan. Since Freddy Tsukamoto is a min’yo folk singer, it all started when I reached out to him.”
Minyo Crusaders singer and co-founder Freddy Tsukamoto says ‘minyo’ is the music of the common people in Japan.
“Minyo is the song of ordinary people living ordinary lives. These are songs that have been passed down through generations to become work songs, songs that sing of landscapes, one’s hometown and things like that,” Tsukamoto said. “The songs are very personal and heartfelt and talk about local lore in small towns.”
Minyo songs have a long history; they originated in different regions of Japan, not only as work songs but as part of festivals and local celebrations. Minyo songs have also been recorded and popularized by many Japanese singers.
Saxophonist Koichiro Osawa says after World War II, a Western influence was embedded in the Japanese educational system. Western music was introduced in the late 19th century during the Meiji era.
Osawa said Japanese people traveled to Europe to study, and European culture was steadily pouring into the country. But after World War II, it was reorganized, expanded and further institutionalized. The period after the second war was crucial. After World War II, under the U.S. occupation, a new Japanese educational system was put in place. Compulsory education became Westernized, becoming a big influence on Japanese music, said Osawa.
For a few years, bandleader and guitarist Tanaka said he’s been wondering why Japanese people enjoy Western music so much. But he’s also questioned why they’ve forgotten to listen and enjoy traditional Japanese roots music.
“Like many people in Japan, I had completely ignored folk music, thinking it was just the music that grandparents and the elderly listen to,” Tanaka said. “But then I started to think that maybe there was something meaningful I was overlooking. I also sensed that common Japanese people felt the same way. That’s why I thought it was a great opportunity for Minyo Crusaders to explore and interpret Japanese folk songs.”
What’s resoundingly clear during their live show is that the music created by Minyo Crusaders is uplifting and infectious. Most importantly, Japanese audiences are getting the band’s message: Japanese folk songs still have a place on the modern playlist.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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