REGGAE OUTERNATIONAL 03 Introduction 04 The Harder They Come: Japan Meets Reggae THE WAILERS IN JAPAN 07 Babylon-East by Shinkansen 14 12 Days with Bob Marley 21 On the Tokyo Trail 24 Fan Mail: Mitsuhiro Asakawa 26 Bob Marley by Keao Yamamoto J-REGGAE 28 After Marley: J-Reggae 33 Reggae Experience CONCLUSION 36 Afterword 38 Bibliography 39 Acknowledgements & Credits 2 • Jamming in Japan: Bob Marley & The Wailers in Japan 1979 INTRODUCTION Between 1973 and late 1980, Bob Marley and The Wailers travel around the world to spread their reggae music and message of rebellion, redemption, and Rastafari. In the spring of 1979, the legendary reggae formation extends its international triumphs to the ‘Far East’ and ‘Down Under’ by touring Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. The Wailers visiting Japan boosts Japanese interest in reggae, and signals the start of a Japanese homegrown reggae scene. In this publication we go back in time and A HUISMAN RESEARCH follow the Jamaican reggae king Bob Marley PUBLICATION and his entourage as they visit the cities of Tokyo and Osaka. From interviews with people Title who toured with Marley in Japan, Japanese Jamming in Japan: Bob Marley & newspapers and magazines, as well as visits The Wailers in Japan 1979 to the concert venues in Tokyo, emerges a colourful picture of Marley’s twelve days and eight intimate concerts in Japan, and what Research & Author they meant for reggae music and culture on the Martijn Huisman Japanese islands. © 2019 MARTIJN HUISMAN - The second part of this document zooms in ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on the development of J-Reggae. The Japanese reggae experience is explored in an attempt No part of this work may be reproduced, to understand the Japanese fascination with stored in a retrieval system or transmitted reggae, Rastafari and Jamaica. in any form or by any means, including being uploaded to any website or platform Years before Bob Marley and his band would other than the website of the author, visit Japan, however, the Japanese got their first without prior permission from the author. taste of Jamaica and its popular music in the film theatre with the release of The Harder They Come. Published previously as Jamming in Japan. A History of Bob Marley and Reggae (2010) and Jamming in Japan: Bob Marley & The Wailers in Nippon 1979 (2017). www.mh1986.com www.mh1986.com • 3 THE HARDER THEY COME: JAPAN MEETS REGGAE In the early 1970s, reggae music begins to travel abroad from its birthplace Jamaica. Created in the recording studios in the capital of Kingston, reggae rhythms echo north to the United Stated and across the Atlantic to Great Britain. The hottest and hippest new music around is enthusiastically “The Harder They welcomed by Jamaicans and others from the Caribbean who have migrated Come and its to cities like Miami, New York, London and Birmingham. soundtrack open a A major boost for the international aspirations of reggae comes in 1973 with window to Jamaica the release of the Jamaican film The Harder They Come. Reggae star Jimmy and its fascinating Cliff plays Ivanhoe Martin, a young Jamaican who leaves the countryside music scene” for Kingston to become a singer, but who ends up as the most notorious gunslinger on the island. The Harder They Come vividly portrays the daily 4 • Jamming in Japan: Bob Marley & The Wailers in Japan 1979 “The gateway to introduce reggae music to the international audience it now enjoys” life of common people and their made. Perry Henzell had personally Shot the Sheriff’ (1974), and the struggles, and takes the viewer chosen the record’s reggae gems classic Catch A Fire (1973) album inside the vibrant music industry. and The Harder They Come album by The Wailers themselves spark At a time when dreadlocks were became – before the success of Bob Japanese interest in reggae. The still largely unknown, it also shows Marley – the gateway to introduce growing interest in Jamaican music Jamaicans sporting dreadlocks and reggae music to the international and culture leads to the opening consuming marijuana. audience it now enjoys” (Salewicz of a small number of record shops 2009, 205). For audiences around in Tokyo specializing in importing Importantly, the images are the world, including Japan, The reggae from Jamaica. These shops accompanied by an exceptional Harder They Come and its soundtrack are soon followed by reggae clubs, soundtrack consisting of songs open a window to Jamaica and its bars, and live houses in urban from Jimmy Cliff himself and other fascinating music scene. areas throughout the country, well-known Jamaican reggae artists such as Club 69 in Shinjuku, where such as Toots & the Maytals and Around the same time that The only roots reggae is played. As Desmond Dekker. As reggae expert Harder They Come appears in the leading promoters of reggae Chris Salewicz notes, “promoting cinema, imported reggae-inspired in Japan, these record shops and the film and thereby both reggae hits such as Paul Simon’s ‘Mother clubs greatly help to increase music and Jamaica was one of the and Child Reunion’ (1972), Eric underground interest in the music greatest soundtrack albums ever Clapton’s cover of Bob Marley’s ‘I and culture. www.mh1986.com • 5 The summer of 1975 is a pivotal moment for reggae The popularity of reggae music only really takes off music. Two legendary concerts on July 17 and 18 at years later when Bob Marley and The Wailers come to the Lyceum Ballroom in London put Bob Marley and the land of the rising sun. As Japanese reggae expert The Wailers on a path to worldwide fame, cementing and scholar Marvin D. Sterling explains, “Bob Marley, in two nights their reputation as the hottest reggae reggae’s main international messenger, performed in band in the world. Around the same time, on the other Japan in 1979, and it is Marley to whom most early side of the globe, Japan welcomes the first Jamaican Japanese reggae fans trace their first exposure to reggae artists on its shores. As part of a promotion the music. Marley’s only concert tour of the country tour for British label Trojan Records, the Pioneers and brought reggae at the time most fully to the attention the Cimarons visit Japan. The Cimarons are the first of mainstream Japanese audiences” (Sterling 2010, 10). self-contained indigenous British reggae-band, formed To promote their live-album Babylon By Bus, Marley in 1967. The Pioneers have been active since 1962, but and The Wailers land in Japan in the spring of 1979 for with little success until the late 1960s. At the height a tour which will bring them to Tokyo and Osaka. of their careers, The Pioneers are considered one of Jamaica’s finest harmony groups. They are especially successful in 1969 with ‘Long Shot (Kick De Bucket)’, which becomes a huge hit in Great Britain. Although “Marley’s only concert tour of the they are already past their prime, the Pioneers are country brought reggae at the time most the first Jamaican reggae band to visit Japan in 1975. Surfing on a wave of excitement after The Harder They fully to the attention of mainstream Come, Jimmy Cliff tours around the world, also visiting and performing in Japan in 1977 and 1978. Japanese audiences” Arrival of the first reggae bands in Japan in 1975. Top: ‘First time reggae comes to Japan!!’. In smaller katakana (Japanese writing) on the left ‘Paioniaazu’ (Pioneers) and on the right ‘Shimaronzu’ (Cimarons). 6 • Jamming in Japan: Bob Marley & The Wailers in Japan 1979 BABYLON-EAST BY SHINKANSEN By 1979, Bob Marley has long and Marley saw such pioneering established himself as an exploits as further opportunities to international superstar and the spread the Rasta gospel” (Masouri BOB MARLEY most famous and influential 2009, 469). Despite his international reggae singer in the world. Having fame, Marley is still deemed a ‘new AND THE WAILERS toured Europe and North America name’ with a ‘potential largely together with The Wailers to untapped’ in Japan, New Zealand LIVE IN JAPAN! perform for ever bigger audiences and Australia. To tap into that in ever larger venues, Marley has potential, the Japanese tour is become an icon and figurehead massively supported and promoted for reggae and Rastafari. Now it is by Toshiba-EMI, one of Japan’s time to broaden the horizon and leading music companies. bring the music and the message to new markets. To promote Babylon By Bus, the live album Arrival released months earlier, the band tours Japan (eight concerts), New After a long flight, Marley and his Zealand (one concert), Australia entourage receive an extraordinary (ten concerts) and Hawaii (two reception at the international concerts) between April 5 and May airport of Tokyo. Giving the band 6, before embarking on another little chance to recover from their massive tour of North America. journey, a press conference is held “This band was intent to welcome The Wailers to Japan. The tour of the ‘Far East’ and More than a hundred Japanese on making converts ‘Down Under’ is groundbreaking, journalists and photographers are wherever they went, not just for The Wailers, but also said to be present. Remarkably, for reggae music in general as well and in contrast to dismissive and Marley saw such as the philosophy and religion of colleagues in Europe and the pioneering exploits Rastafari. As John Masouri remarks, United States, Japanese journalists “it was virtually unheard of for ask serious questions and want to as further opportunities reggae bands to tour so far afield, know everything about Marley’s to spread the Rasta but this band was intent on making religious beliefs and the Rastafarian converts wherever they went, movement.