Japanese Literary Awards

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BEGIN

ビギン

BEGIN

Profile

Gender
Unknown
Born
Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, Uchinaguchi (Okinawan dialect)
Residence History
Tokyo, Japan → Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan

Career

Occupations
musical group, songwriters, musicians
Active Years
1988-
Affiliations
Amuse
Influenced By
Okinawan folk music, Blues, Folk / Acoustic
Influenced
Rimi Natsukawa (collaborator / fellow Okinawan artist), Younger Okinawan artists

Awards

Grand Ikaten King
1989
Work: Lonely Night
Organization: Miyake Yuji's Ikasu Band Tengoku
Result: winner
YouTube Silver Play Button
2012
Organization: YouTube
Result: recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Koishikute

1990 J-POP / Pop

Debut single. Used in a Nissan commercial and reached No.4 on the Oricon chart; one of their signature songs.

nostalgialove

Nada Sousou

2000 Okinawan-influenced pop

Composed by Higa Eishō and associated with Ryoko Moriyama; widely covered and one of BEGIN's best-known songs.

remembrancefamily
Adaptations
  • [Film (theme / insert song)] Nada Sousou (film-related) (2006)

Shimanchu nu Takara

2002 Okinawan pop

A song celebrating Okinawan culture and local pride; one of their signature songs and associated with major TV appearances.

local pridenature

Bibliography

  • Ongaku Ryodan (1990)
  • GLIDER (1991)
  • Begin no Ichigoichie (2003)
  • Ocean Line (2004)
  • BEGIN Singles Anthology (2005)
  • Gajumaru Best (2019)

Adaptations

  • Film / media tie-ins related to 'Nada Sousou'

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Acoustic-pop sound incorporating Okinawan folk elementsSongwriting that emphasizes simple, evocative lyrics and melody
Recurring Motifs
the seaislandnostalgiafamily

Legacy

BEGIN, an acoustic pop band from Okinawa, has played a significant role in bringing Okinawan music to a national audience. Their signature songs have been widely covered and the group remains active in music events and regional revitalization efforts.

In Popular Culture

  • Performed at NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen (2002, 2003)
  • Numerous song tie-ins for TV and film

Quotes

  • If a band like this becomes a challenger, it will be hard to compare — (comment by Miyake Yuji on Ikaten)
    Source: Miyake Yuji (comment during Ikaten appearance) (1989)

Trivia

  • Formed by three childhood friends from Ishigaki Island.
  • Won the Grand Ikaten King title on the TBS program 'Miyake Yuji's Ikasu Band Tengoku' in 1989.
  • Released a self-cover series using the original instrument 'Ichigoichie'.