Mangekyou

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of one of Japan’s most coveted albums of the 70s, “Mangekyou” by singer- songwriter Yoshiko Sai. Produced in 1975 by Master musician Yuji Ohno, the album features Yoshiko Sai’s superbly crafted songs and crystal clear voice over Ohno’s lush, funky sound and breezy arrangements. A strong buzz has been growing around the album over the years and original copies now change hands for large sums of money. This is the first time “Mangekyou” is available outside of Japan, featuring remastered audio, original artwork and a 4 page insert including new liner notes by Paul Bowler.

Yoshiko Sai holds a unique status in the Japanese music landscape. Starting her recording career in 1975 at age 22 with “Mangekyou”, the Japanese singer songwiter made a strong impression with her blend of ethereal melodies, poetic lyrics and crystalline singing. A private, almost enigmatic artist, Sai only made four highly praised albums during the 70s and all but retired from the music industry in 1979, which adds to the mystic surrounding her persona. Only thanks to the persistence of Japanese guitarist Jojo Hiroshige from the noise group Hijokaidan – a huge fan of hers – did she come out of retirement to record new material in the 2000s.

Born in the Japanese prefecture of Nara in 1953, Sai was studying law in Kyoto when health problems struck her down and sent her to hospital for months. There she read heavily, especially her favourite authors such as Mushitaro Oguri and Kyusaku Yumeno and started writing poetry, putting them into music to be able to perform live. She got quickly noticed by a key record labels and swiftly signed to Black Records/Teichiku.

This led to the recording of her first album, “Mangekyou” (“Kaleidoscope”), in the Spring of 1975. While she penned all the material for “Mangekyou”, the arrangements were assigned to Ace producer Yuji Ohno, one of the top arrangers in Tokyo at the time. Ohno helped craft the album’s superb funk sound and also played keyboards. As Paul Bowler noted in the liner notes, “Ohno’s enthu­siastic embrace of a variety of synth textures added further colour to Sai’s otherworldly strain of music.”

The album displays Sai’s unique craftmanship when it comes to songwriting and alternates between mid and uptempo songs such as “Yoru No Sei” (Night Spirit) and “Fuyu No Chikadou” (Winter Underpass) and more atmospheric ballads such as “Tsubaki Wa Ochita Kaya” (Did The Camellia Fall?) or “Yukionna” (Snow Woman). It’s worth noting Ohno blended his rich arrangements with elements of Japanese traditional music, with the use of such instruments as the Shakuhachi (bamboo flute), Tsuzumi (hand drum), and Biwa (wooden lute), giving the music its unique twist. All in all, listening to Mangekyou is a unique experience and it’s easy to see why the album and Yoshiko Sai garnered such a cult following over the years. Wewantsounds is now happy to make the album available to all of Sai’s growing legions of fans outside of Japan.