Enka singer Mori Shinichi may yet be able to sing “Ofukuro-san” once again. The song was his signature tune for many years, but a dispute with the man who penned it changed all that last year. Kawauchi Kouhan severely criticized Mori for making changes to the lyrics of the song without his permission. And when Mori reacted as if it was no big deal, the aging Kawauchi had a fit and insisted that Mori would never sing any of his tunes again, asking the JASRAC copyright association to make it legal. Once he realized the corner he was in, Mori tried repeatedly to apologize to Kawauchi, but the writer refused all approaches right up until his death in April. Some seven months later, it seems the dust may have settled. Mori is to give a press conference today, and he is expected to announce that he has persuaded Kawauchi’s family to allow him to sing the song once more. There are still those who insist the old man’s wishes be respected, but it now seems likely that Mori and NHK will milk the situation with his performance at the “Kohaku Uta Gassen” on New Year’s Eve. At least he should stick with the version originally penned by Kawauchi.
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