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    • Takarazuka strike?

    Posted by BRaftery on Thu 10 of Apr, 2008 18:05 GMT-0000
    Greetings--

    I'm an American journalist, and I'm currently working on a book about karaoke. In the fall of 2007, I traveled to Japan to meet the inventor of the first Japanese karaoke machine; while discussing the origin of the word "karaoke," he mentioned that there had been a strike among Takarazuka performers in the 1950s, which led to the popularity of the phrase "empty orchestra."

    I'm trying to verify this information, and I've been unable to find any accounts in English-language newspaper databases. If anyone happens to have any information on this strike, I'd greatly appreciate your help. I can be reached via this board, oreven betterover email:

    brianrafteryatgmail.com

    Thanks for your help,

    Brian
    Reads: 20726
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    Posted by caithion on Fri 11 of Apr, 2008 14:13 GMT-0000 posts: 708 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
    Not a printed source, but this electronic article also mentions the Matsushima newsletter, though their quote is a little different:

    ところで「カラオケ」の語源はご存じですか。和製英語ではない。昭和31年の松下電器ラジオ事業部社内報では「10月、宝塚歌劇場が戦後混乱の中、楽団員のストライキで危や公演中止という時、頼まれた松下電器がテープ演奏を提供し、オーケストラボックスは空っぽ。即ち『カラオケ』だったが雪組は唄も踊りもできた」。これがカラオケの始まりである。

    I can't find anything in English regarding the strike, and nothing more detailed on it in Japanese, but maybe someone else will have better luck.
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    Posted by caithion on Fri 11 of Apr, 2008 13:27 GMT-0000 posts: 708 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
    I'm trying to verify this information, and I've been unable to find any accounts in English-language newspaper databases. If anyone happens to have any information on this strike, I'd greatly appreciate your help.


    I'm afraid I don't have much time to look into this properly, but I did a search of google books for "karaoke word origin" and "Takarazuka" in Japanese, and found an excerpt from this book there:

    カラオケ文化産業論: 21世紀の「生きがい社会」をつくる By 野口恒

    It appears to have been a strike of orchestra members in Oct., 1956, related to a Snow Troupe production.

    マイクミキシング機能付きの歌なしステレオはカラオケのルーツといえる。
    ここで忘れてならないのが、松下電器の『ラジオ・事業部新聞』にある宝塚歌劇の「カラになったオケのボックス」である。10月楽団員のストライクで公演中止かという時にHiFiテープ演奏で代役し、「カラオケだったが雪組は歌も踊りもできた」とあり、カラオケの語源はこれだと主張する人もいる。

    The author says that there are people who claim that the mention of the strike in a Matsushima Electronics Radio Dept. newsletter was the first use of "karaoke".
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