PROLOGUE

A history of Japanese popular music,
seen through the life of one composer.

Born in Qingdao, drawn to the theaters of Tokyo, and awakened to jazz in postwar Kurume, Hachidai Nakamura went on to reach the heights as a pianist and compose one beloved national hit after another. His sixty-one-year life mirrored the history of popular music in postwar Japan.

This site traces his life across four eras, with photographs and firsthand accounts. Begin with whichever chapter catches your interest.

The BIOGRAPHY on this page has been adapted for the web from material originally published in the booklet accompanying Hachidai Nakamura Works Collection: Ue o Muite Arukō — HACHIDAI SONG COLLECTION 1952–1993 (TOCT-24193–6), released on September 8, 1999.
The booklet included with the box set contains more detailed material, including content not presented on this page.