Shoukichi Kina


Shoukichi Kina, is a Japanese rock musician and politician. He, along with his band Champloose, played a large role in the Okinawan home-grown "folk rock" scene in the 1970s and 1980s. His first big hit was "Haisai Ojisan" in 1972, which he wrote when he was in high school. Songs from the 1980 album Blood Lines, like "Hana" and "Subete no Hito no Kokoro ni Hana o", are frequently heard in international markets.
He was elected a member of the House of Councillors in July 2004. In 2010 he ran for a second term but lost.

Activism

Kina's activism is especially focused on peace efforts in his own prefecture of Okinawa, and much of his work as a composer makes explicit links between his art and his activism. Examples of this include his song "Kana-ami no nai shima" or his revision of the song "Shin-jidai no nagare" to add in lyrics that contain words by political activist Chibana Shoichi. He also created The White Ship of Peace Project, to “bring to the USA a message of peace for the future,” to counter to what he called the "black ships" that came to Japan after Matthew C. Perry opened Japan's doors to trade with the west. He also coined the slogan, “Lay down your weapons, take up musical instruments,” which he used during a trip to the United States for the project where he presented a sanshin to the UN secretary general. Kina also performs "peace concerts" in war-torn places, most recently in Baghdad.