, is a Japanese rock musician and politician. He, along with his band Champloose, played a large role in the Okinawan home-grown "folk rock" scene in the 1970s and 1980s. His first big hit was " Haisai Ojisan" ("Hey, old man") in 1972, which he wrote when he was in high school. Songs from the 1980 album Blood Lines, like "Hana" and " Subete no Hito no Kokoro ni Hana o", are frequently heard in international markets. He was elected a member of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or ...

in July 2004. In 2010 he ran for a second term but lost.

Music career with Champloose

is a Japanese band from

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

blending traditional Okinawan music with a strong Western rock influence. Their name is apparently derived from the word for a traditional Okinawan stir-fry, chanpuru. Singer and lead songwriter Shoukichi Kina's electric

sanshin The is an Okinawan and Amami Islands musical instrument and precursor of the mainland Japanese (). Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings. Origins Its close resemblance in both appearance a ...

was a particularly distinctive part of their sound. First major single was the classic "Haisai Ojisan" (Hey, old man), written while Kina was still in high school but not a hit until a few years later, in 1972. Later, Champloose's version of the Okinawan folk song "Jin Jin" (Firefly) was a minor hit in British discos, and their ballad "Hana" (Flowers), with vocals by Kina's wife, became a weepy favourite in many Asian countries. Their first, self-titled album, released in 1977, remains a Japanese folk-rock classic.

Activism

Kina's activism is especially focused on peace efforts in his own prefecture of Okinawa, and much of his work as a composer makes explicit links between his art and his activism. Examples of this include his song "Kana-ami no nai shima" or his revision of the song "Shin-jidai no nagare" to add in lyrics that contain words by political activist Chibana Shoichi. He also created The White Ship of Peace Project, to “bring to the USA a message of peace for the future,” to counter to what he called the "black ships" that came to Japan after

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the o ...

opened Japan's doors to trade with the west. He also coined the slogan, “Lay down your weapons, take up musical instruments,” which he used during a trip to the United States for the project where he presented a

to the UN secretary general. Kina also performs "peace concerts" in war-torn places, most recently in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

References

External links

Kina Shoukichi & Champloose Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kina, Shoukichi 1948 births Living people Ryukyuan people Japanese musicians Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) People from Okinawa Prefecture Musicians from Okinawa Prefecture