Mago
Universal Love for a Grandchild, Sung by Ohizumi Itsuro

Date：06, Mar, 2013
Investigated and Written by Misaka Youhei
About our introductory articles

Tweet

The trade of Japanese enka has various problems. One of them is the aging fan. Enka is not so popular among the young. Moreover, most of Japanese adults in 30s to 40s tend to keep loving pop music not enka. Namely, it is not that all young people never listen to enka, however it is almost heard by the old Japanese.

A song was born turning the ratio to its advantage in the end of twentieth century. It became a big hit as sold over a million. Yes, it was a big hit of Mago sung by Ohizumi Itsuro.

Mago is a grandchild, in other words, children after your children. At the earliest, you can have a grandchild in your 30s. Most Japanese would have in their 50s or later.

He sings love for his first male grandchild in the song. The love's universality could straightly be a reason why the enka song became a big hit. At the field of pops or enka, it is almost difficult selling a lot without lyrics that gain sympathy of the most. Incidentally, Ohizumi Itsuro also sings love for female grandchildren in his album. That is named Mago –Onnanoko Version-.

Ohizumi Itsuro has managed his farm of cherries in Yamagata. Originally, he independently pressed Mago in memory of getting his first grandchild in 1994. That song locally became popular and 5 years later, in 1999, a major record company nationwide published. Spread slowly, it got to be sold over a million in February 2000. It took the eleventh place of Oricon's one-year hit chart in 2000. The big hit like above was rarely seen in recent days of Japanese enka.

By the way, you could hear the voice of a child when you set Mago on. It is the recorded voice of his real first grandchild.