Transcending Limits

第6話 Guitarist Hirokuni Korekata

Before graduating high school, I declared to my mother that I wouldn't be going to university. It was because I simply couldn't stand sitting in a chair anymore. My mother got angry and said, "What are you going to do if you don't go to college in this day and age?" We locked eyes for a while, but I thought it wasn't worth arguing with a woman, so I decided to take the university entrance exams. However, I failed all of them and ended up becoming a ronin (a student retaking exams).

Around that time, Kotani, who had introduced me to Pink Floyd, asked me, "Hey, Kak-kun, Bruce Springsteen is coming to Osaka. Wanna go see him?" I had Springsteen's albums and avidly recorded "Dancing in the Dark" and "Born in the U.S.A." from MTV.

Although I was a big fan, I didn't know that Springsteen was coming to Osaka. So, I immediately said, "Sure, let's go." Unfortunately, I don't remember much about Springsteen's concert. Looking back, I realize I could have paid more attention to Max Weinberg, my favorite drummer.

Around the same time, there was a charity concert called Live Aid, where rock musicians from all over the world gathered to help with the famine in Africa. What left an impression on me were Eric Clapton's "Layla" and Eikichi Yazawa's "Bitter Rain."

Watching this concert, I got excited and thought, "This is it!" So, while I was in prep school, I'd practice the guitar at night after staying up late. In winter, my high school friend Fujimoto came back to Osaka and visited my house. He had passed the difficult entrance exams for the prestigious University of Tsukuba while still in high school.

"Are you studying? What year did the Ming Dynasty start in China?"

"............"

"No good, huh?"

"............"

Though my ronin days were mostly just sleepy, there was one class I took with some interest: modern Japanese. Professor Motomori, who taught the class, told us about his travels to Korea and his experiences living in America.

In particular, he mentioned that if you take the ferry from Shimonoseki to Kamae, you can get to Korea for about 50,000 yen. He suggested that if you have the money for a ski trip, why not go to Korea? Since high school, I had the desire to travel to dangerous countries like Israel, Ireland, Korea, and America, so I started thinking that Korea, being nearby, might be a good option.

And then, there was another amazing event, something on par with Live Aid, waiting for me. There's a monthly music magazine called Young Guitar, and they had an advertisement for a new album by guitarist Hirokuni Korekata called "Little Horseman."

Korekata was incredibly handsome. Forgive me for being blunt, but I thought, "He's probably just selling based on his looks, and the music won't measure up." However, from the first track of the record I casually borrowed from the rental record shop, I heard a hot bluesy guitar that I'd never heard before, and I was blown away.

That year, the Japan Airlines crash on Mount Osutaka occurred, and the American space shuttle Challenger exploded. Also, in Kansai's professional baseball, the Hanshin Tigers won the championship for the first time in 21 years, and young people jumped into the Dotonbori River in Osaka Minami to celebrate.