“Fish Rockers” on StageA rock band named Gyoko (“fish port” in English) from Urayasu near Tokyo is gaining popularity with its hard punk beat and fish-related lyrics, as well as its performance, which involves cutting up the head of tuna on stage. The leader of the band talks about the band and its mission.Urayasu, Japan By Yas Mamemachi
Pushing back against this sea change, a unique rock band from Urayasu, a city near Tokyo, which calls themselves fish rockers, is gaining popularity in the Tokyo club scene. The name of the band is Gyoko, or “fishing port” in English, and it has three members—Tsurizao Morita, the leader or “captain” and lead vocalist (His first name means “fishing rod” in English.); Koichi Shinkai, electric guitar (His family name means “deep sea” in English.); and Taro Kujira the Trainee, on sound effects (His family name means whale.). Near the end of their show, Morita cuts up the head of a tuna on stage. Also, all the songs are related to fish or marine products, which are familiar to many Japanese. They are about tuna, Japanese sanish mackeral, yellow tail, and octopus, as well as dry bonito. Such “freshness” gained the attention of the media, giving them an opportunity to release their first CD from an indie music company in May. Urayasu Blues Their hometown, Urayasu, used to be a fishing port on Tokyo Bay. The promotion of the Tokyo Disneyland-centered ocean front development in the area in the 1970’s forced local fishermen to give up their fishing rights. Today all the fishy smell is gone. The name of the area is synonymous with the gigantic American theme park and the beautiful high rise condos for upper middle class families who commute to downtown Tokyo by train.
While playing music with the band, Morita is still working as the owner of the fish shop, Izugin, that was established by his grandfather, a former fisherman, at a fish market in Urayasu. He works every day except Monday. He says he understood when he was a child that he had no choice but to manage the fish shop. He remembered he took naps in large package boxes of dried cuttlefish while watching his parents working in the fish shop. And captain Morita is not easy on the present situation in his hometown. “I think all the issues about fish these days started with the reclamation of the waterfront under the name of effective land use, destroying local and coastal fisheries as well as the Japanese dietary pattern and taste. And, it was also when the first American hamburger restaurant landed in Japan,” he says critically. “However, -when I first ate a hamburger, I had to admit that my inexperience made me think it was delicious. Maybe because I had eaten nothing but fish, whale meat and locally grown vegetables with soybean soup day after day since I reached the age of discretion, I might have grown tired of such dishes,” he adds. He says he never eats burgers any more and is satisfied with his fish-based diet. “When I was in my late teens, I lived alone and worked in downtown Tokyo for a while. I had not been back to Urayasu for months. When I came back to my home town, the homemade taste of sea food dishes was too good. I think it was like the moment of waking up for me, telling me that we Japanese should eat fish.” Band and Mission The idea of the band came out of the local environment of his fish shop business. In the 1990’s he played with a band for fun while working for the fish shop. He was frustrated from time to time because his management of both the band and the fish shop were hot wholehearted. A big supermarket had been established near the shop and the sales of the shop went down significantly, which irritated him, too. In addition, he realized that some of the young supermarket customers could not visualize the whole tuna fish, though they bought a plastic-wrapped piece of tuna meat. He was shocked and reminded that “somebody has to do something for Japanese fish culture.” Then, he got an idea that playing rock music and cutting up a tuna head on stage might draw young people’s attention to fish and its culture, sending two important messages—we have to show our appreciation to fish, living creatures that sustain our lives and which aren’t just “things” to buy at a supermarket, and hopefully help vitalize the Japanese fish industry and promote the sales of his fish shop as well.
In 2000 captain Morita shouted his messages on stage that it was a sin to leave food on your plate and the all-you-can-eat-buffet meant a lack of appreciation for food. The echo of his outcry on stage stimulated various local and central organizations in the Japanese fish industry, such as the Organization for the Promotion of Responsible Tuna Fisheries, a powerful tuna fisheries association, and these organizations have become big supporters for the group since then. On their first CD many of their tunes are based on traditional Japanese sounds and music, such as Japanese village festival drums, traditional wooden flutes, and calls in traditional festivals, all blended with the beat and sound of 80’s club music and punk rock. A play on fish-related words is sung over the sound. One of the tunes is enka, or Japanese popular ballad (Remember the ending song for Quentin Tarantino’s hit movie, Kill Bill 2?). The other is obviously inspired by the theme of a 60’s Japanese monster movie for kids (Many Japanese baby boomers and post-boomers were excited to see such B movies during the period. Recently, models are priced very high in e-trade. Captain Morita is younger than those people, though). Shaving Dry Bonito The latest single CD (with a good promotion film), “Shave Dry Bonito,” is a metallic hard 80’s punk rock tune. Dry bonito is the main ingredient of a broth that forms the basis of many soups, such as miso soup (soybean soup), and sauces in Japanese cuisine. Many Japanese used to shave a large block of dry bonito with a wooden shaving instrument, similar to a wood plane. These days, this method of making dry bonito has mostly disappeared in Japanese homes where the desire for convenience is paramount. They buy a small plastic bag of shavings, which look like the shavings of a plain wooden pencil, instead.
The song carries Morita’s simple but powerful message, which is to appreciate fish, a major energy source for Japanese (he says), in this case, through the activity of shaving a large block of dry bonito rather than purchase the shavings. “These songs are inspired by my daily life,” says Morita. “When I cut fish on a cutting board at the shop, some rhythm comes out. And I write songs at a neighbors’ yakitori (grilled chicken) restaurant near the shop in the evening, while drinking imo shochu (a distilled spirit made from sweet potato).” “In my songs, I try to visualize fish in the ocean in my mind. Sometimes, I even personify some fish, wondering what they are thinking, while wondering what fishermen are thinking on a fishing boat above the fish,” he continues. His songs are not political, though sea-related politics have been in the news lately. “And they won’t be political in the future because I understand my mission is to deliver a simple message from the standpoint of an owner of a fish shop in Urayasu.” Fish Port Live Tour At the first live show at a club in Akihabara, a town of many electronics shops (famous for international tourists), the packed crowd was dominated by many young women, the ones who help make new artists popular and allow for a certain level of commercial success to those still playing underground and wasting their talent in a short period of time. Cutting up a tuna head on stage and playing rock music with fish lyrics may not remian fresh forever. Morita says that he has no fear of being wasted by such fun and media because “this is based on a special calling.”
Moreover, “the ocean is big and a variety of lives receives benefits from the ocean. Fish, marine mammals, coral reefs, jelly fish, humans, perhaps the earth as a whole. The themes for our songs and music are endless,” he continues. He is thinking about a fish port tour, traveling to a number of fish ports in Japan as well as talking to local fishermen and fish shop owners and sharing issues they have faced. He is also dreaming about a world fish port tour someday. “I believe all men of the sea are able to understand one another,” he says with a smile. |
esearch whaling has been subject to international pressure and tuna quotas will be more strictly enforced, thus forcing prices of one of Japan’s favorite foods ever higher. The ocean surrounding the island country has been very rough in recent years.
