The Maker Speaks
Dameda Korya
Ikariya Chosuke's Life Story
Ikariya Chosuke's Life Story
Hello, everybody. I'm so happy to be here with you now. Today I'm talking about Dameda Korya written by Ikariya Chosuke (1931-2004) and released by Shincho-sha in 2001. It was his life story. In 2003, the pocket edition was out. Today in 2019, it is out of print, I'm sorry.
Do you know anything about Ikariya Chosuke? He'd acted as a comedian, an actor, and the leader of the Drifters. How popular was he? If you visit Japan before long, catch someone over age 30 and ask a question "do you know Ikariya Chosuke?" He/she will probably say yes. I can say everybody over age 30 knows him in Japan.
The Drifters including Ikariya Chosuke became (devastatingly) popular as a comedy group around 1970. The TV programs featuring the Drifters had had admirable ratings. All through 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's, they had been very popular as everybody had known them all over Japan. I seriously wonder why Ikariya Chosuke has never been printed on Japan's paper money. It is a mystery. Japan's officialdom probably make a fool of comedians, it is supposed.
Anyway, Ikariya Chosuke was a leader of the very popular group. So many publishers had offered him to write his life story. But he'd stubbornly refused. He thought his autobiography would be almost worthless since he was just a comedian and musician, not a statesman who built a bridge in the hometown.
However, he changed his mind. He wrote his life story and released it in 2001. Why?
In 2000 spring, Arai Chu (ex the Drifters) died. Ikariya faced Arai's death, and guessed he had to write something about Arai or Arai would vanish in the time stream. He decided to write the autobiography in memory of Arai and Jimmy Tokita who also died in 2000.
Ikariya Chosuke also passed away in 2004. Many Japanese people felt sad. Unexpectedly, Dameda Korya became his swan song. What does it include? What does it mean? It should be thought about by each reader.
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The Drifters including Ikariya Chosuke became (devastatingly) popular as a comedy group around 1970. The TV programs featuring the Drifters had had admirable ratings. All through 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's, they had been very popular as everybody had known them all over Japan. I seriously wonder why Ikariya Chosuke has never been printed on Japan's paper money. It is a mystery. Japan's officialdom probably make a fool of comedians, it is supposed.
Anyway, Ikariya Chosuke was a leader of the very popular group. So many publishers had offered him to write his life story. But he'd stubbornly refused. He thought his autobiography would be almost worthless since he was just a comedian and musician, not a statesman who built a bridge in the hometown.
However, he changed his mind. He wrote his life story and released it in 2001. Why?
In 2000 spring, Arai Chu (ex the Drifters) died. Ikariya faced Arai's death, and guessed he had to write something about Arai or Arai would vanish in the time stream. He decided to write the autobiography in memory of Arai and Jimmy Tokita who also died in 2000.
Ikariya Chosuke also passed away in 2004. Many Japanese people felt sad. Unexpectedly, Dameda Korya became his swan song. What does it include? What does it mean? It should be thought about by each reader.
About Dameda Korya
・Written by Ikariya Chosuke
・Published by Shincho-sha (2001)
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