Fukuyama Masaharu の Heart

News Zero Michishirube Special (2009.01.06)

Dec 22. When rehearsing for his concerts in a city studio, Fukuyama Masaharu-san had said, “There is nothing I can show you at the moment.” In the entertainment business, he believes, what you see means everything. But it’s a bit different this time. Our cameras are allowed to enter the rehearsal studio.

F: Today is the last day of rehearsals. 
Upto now, they’ve only had 2 weeks to rehearse (for the 2008 year-end Concert Daikanshasai). We can see this from the daily schedule where rehearsals are represented by the word “Fuku” (福). On the next day of our visit, we noticed one more thing - Fukuyama-san’s meals in the studio are…..Bean paste and hot milk, his special high-energy health menu

During a break from rehearsals, he shot a CM. This is one of a series of CMs shot for a beverage. This time he plays an auto engineer.

At night, recording for his own live radio show (13/12 ANN Tamashii no Radio)
F: Hiroshi from Hiroshima….This sounds strange, what does it mean…. Yamada Hiroshi from Hiroshima…. (laugh)
With 18 years experience as a radio host, Fukuyama-san reveals his true (fun) self in this highly popular radio programme, but the moment he picks up his guitar, we seem to have returned once more to the seriousness and professionalism seen in his music studio.

1 am. The live programme ends.

Reporter: It’s been a long day.  
F: Yes it has….I’ve been wondering, if there are many people with a busier schedule than mine. Nobody’s done a comparison. I hope there really are busier people, that will give me the motivation to keep working harder.

Dec 24 Christmas eve. Today, we are astonished to hear that our theme song has already been finished. (Where does he find the time?) So we went to the recording studio.

F: Merry Christmas! (Chuckling at his new hair)

Reading the completed lyrics on this Christmas eve, I was a bit astounded. Why? It brought me back to the time in Fukuyama-san’s home-town Nagasaki, April last year, when we visited Fukuyama-san’s photo exhibition.

(From News Zero Photostage III Special 2008.05)
F: If I must say, I didn’t like Nagasaki, so I left at 18 and spent the next 18 years in Tokyo. Then, at 36, I felt I wanted a chance to find my roots again.” 

Now coming onto his 40’s, he chose to start his new song with the words : “I like those hands.”
F: Once I looked at my own hands and realized they were just like those of my grandparent, whose way of life I deeply respected. I felt we were connected by it. I didn’t dislike the feeling, in fact, I felt reassured by it.” He was referring to his grandmother’s hands.

And the lyrics continue:  “This long curving route…..along the sea that brought you up…” That is the route along Omura Bay (大村灣) where his grandmother was born and grew up.

Why did Fukuyama-san write these lyrics?
F : News Zero asked me to write something on the theme of “Life”. On hearing this, it was clear to me how I should approach it. In these (troubled) times, why should human lives end in such (meaningless) ways? Don’t you feel it doesn’t make sense … (A lot of liberty was taken in the interpretation on this part. Masha is probably referring to the way that human lives are being devalued in our times, in the face of all the random and terrorist killings. He feels that his Grandmother’s persevering attitude to life and her smile in the face of hardship are his inspiration to keep going. Ref: Nikkan Sports 2009.01.03)

F: If you like the people around you, it’s natural to want to cherish them. Life is a very important thing and this is something that is close to my heart.

Fukuyama-san goes through the final review of this newly written song. All through Christmas night, it was already 2am on Christmas morning when he finished.
F: I’m sorry for keeping you all so late. I bet you must all have dates.

The New Year.  Facing an audience of 15,000 at his year-end Daikanshasai…..2009 starts his 20^th year in the business.
F: This is the theme song for Nippon Television’s News Zero.  I tried to write about the topic of “Life” in this song. Here is Michishirube (道標 Road Sign)
 
Michishirube

I like those hands,
Living this simple life everyday,
To bring us up into adulthood
I like your hands.
 
Showered by rain, they kept working on,
Sowing each seed one by one,
You must have had to give up your dreams,
Yet you always showed me your smile

We meet with Love; believe in Love; get hurt by Love,
We despise Love; then forgive with Love and learn how to Love
I was battered by wind, confused and in doubt,
Along my path, your smile showed me the way

I like this sea,
This long and curving route,
Along the shore where you were born and grew up
Coming here, I feel my regrets have eased

Not stopping when hurt, not concerned even in pain,
You said Success is the way
As I strive to move on through failure,
I see your kindness…..

We meet with People; believe in People; get hurt by People,
We despise People; then forgive People and learn to understand People
I was battered by wind, in tears or laughter,
Along my path, your smile showed me the way

When I am battered by wind, I race on,
You showed me how to survive

I like these hands,
Look! They look like your hands,
I like those hands of yours
Which brought us up into men.

Translated from Chinese subtitles on video, with reference to Fukuyama Honne (Articles 3173, 3173 & 3138)
This English translation was first posted on MashaPlus [dot] Info Forums. (Registration required to enter.)