Yuming's the 14th Moon

A singer-songwriter recognized globally for her songs used in Miyazaki Hayao's beloved animations, Yuming has captured the hearts of listeners of different generations since her debut in the early 1970s. Her fourth album, The 14th Moon (1976), was a milestone in establishing her signature style: the posh, "city” sound that later paved the way to the 1980s City Pop and 1990s J-pop. In addition to examining the album's astonishing stylistic versatility, this book explores how Yuming revolutionized the position of women in Japanese popular music and how her work can help us understand social changes in Japan of the 1970s.

Lasse Lehtonen is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tokyo, Japan focusing on music in modern Japan, ranging from Western art music composition to popular songs and video game music. He is especially interested in examining different types of music in and as modern Japanese cultural history.

Track Listing Preface Introduction 1. Becoming Yuming 2. Transient worlds 3. New Music 4. Women's images 5. Soaring women 6. Musical legacies Conclusion Acknowledgments Bibliography Index