LULLABY/EKO

Directed by Shin Kawasaki

Cinema Musica
Japan, USA
Music
English, Japanese
Subtitled
2023
5 mins

This is my long overdue tribute to my grandmother, Sada who basically raised me in my early childhood while my parents were busy with family business. The song was concocted from the Buddhist chant that she had me memorize for our daily devotion, and a children’s song she sang to me.

The video outlines her story of immigration, escape and survival through the wars of early 20th century, and the subsequent deterioration of her life. Having witnessed the last half of her tale in the same household and being absent at her last breath, the idea of documenting the story that I’ve been told countless times never left me. After I was given the opportunity with Nikkei Music Reclamation Project to write and record her song in the most simplistic way, I finally had my first building block.

My sincere gratitude goes to everyone at NMRP especially Nobuko Miyamoto who encouraged me to “tell the story,” more explicitly than the song alone could. Also Niall Taro Ferguson, a fellow NMRP participant who provided a gorgeous cello intro, Wingo Shackleford with his densely layered synthesizer pads, and Ryoi Hata for an immaculate mastering job.

Credits
Writer: Shin Kawasaki
Producer: Shin Kawasaki
Executive Producer: Shin Kawasaki
Editor: Shin Kawasaki
Production Designer: Shin Kawasaki
Composer: Shinkawasaki
Sound Designer: Shinkawasaki
Music: Shinkawasaki