Amagi-goe explained

Amagi-goe
Cover:Amagi-goe.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Sayuri Ishikawa
Album:Amagi-goe
B-Side:Kakurenbo
Released:July 21, 1986
Genre:Kayōkyoku, Enka
Length:4:56[1]
Prev Title:Duo Ame Agari
Prev Year:1986
Next Title:Meoto Zenzai
Next Year:1987

"Amagi-goe" (天城越え Walk Over Amagi Pass) is the 45th single by Japanese singer Sayuri Ishikawa.[2] The song is written by Osamu Yoshioka as lyricist, Tetsuya Gen (弦哲也) as composer and Nobuyuki Sakuraba (桜庭伸幸) as arranger. The single was released on July 21, 1986, by Nippon Columbia. The sleeve does not have the time of the song.

Together with "Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu-geshiki", the song is Ishikawa's most popular from her career. By the song, Ishikawa was nominated for the 28th Nippon Record Taisho Award (Japan Record Award 日本レコード大賞) in 1986 but she did not win the award.[3] As of 2020, Ishikawa has sung Amagi-goe twelve times at the annual NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

There is a monument commemorating the song in front of the Jōren Falls in Amagi, Shizuoka Prefecture.

The song is not directly linked to the novella of the same title by Seichō Matsumoto nor to the movie of the same title based on the novella, which was released in 1983.[4]

Other versions

Ishikawa has re-recorded Amagi-goe for her remix album Shunka (春夏) released in 1999 by Pony Canyon. This version is also included in the 40th anniversary box set released by Teichiku in 2012.[5] Time of this version is 4:56.

Marty Friedman produced a Rock (heavy metal) version of the song, and played it with Ishikawa on TV.[6] Major league baseball player Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners chose Friedman's rendition as his theme song.[7]

Yumi Uchiyama and Inori Minase (both in character) sung versions of the song, and are included in the original soundtrack compilations of Binbougami ga (under the title "Crossing Amagi")[8] and Masamune-kun's Revenge[9] (as an insert song in Episode 12) respectively.

B-side

The B-side song "Kakurenbo" (隠れんぼ Hide and Seek) is written by Osamu Yoshioka as lyricist, Tetsuya Gen as composer and Nobuyuki Sakuraba as arranger. The sleeve does not have the time of the song. Ishikawa's debut song bears the same title, but is a different song.

Album appearance

Amagi-goe is included in Ishikawa's studio album of the same title. The B-side song Kakurenbo is not included in any of her studio albums.

Credits and personnel

Tatsuo Watanabe (渡辺達生) is credited as photographer for the cover. The sleeve credits the disk as produced by Hori Music (ホリ・ミュージック).

Notes and References

  1. Time of the re-recording of the song for a remix album. Sleeve of the original single does not have time of the song.
  2. Nippon Columbia AH-755.
  3. Arranger of the song Sakuraba won the Arranger Award of the Japan Record Award by Amagi-goe (Official web page for the 28th Japan Record Award, viewed March 26, 2014).
  4. [:ja:天城越え (松本清張)|Amagi-goe by Seichō Matsumoto]
  5. Teichiku TECS-10511-15.
  6. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Marty Friedman Produce (Rock天城越え with マーティーフリードマン) . YouTube.
  7. Web site: Blabbermouth . 2008-04-23 . SEATTLE MARINERS Superstar Using MARTY FRIEDMAN Music As New Theme Song . 2023-11-18 . BLABBERMOUTH.NET . en.
  8. Web site: GBSC-0003~4 | Binbogamiga! ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK & VARIETY CD: ... - VGMDB.
  9. Web site: TGCS-9821 | Masamune-kun's Revenge 3 Bonus DISC - VGMDB.