ABSTRACT
Any pop music aficionado on a visit to urban Japan will be struck by the ubiquity of musical instrument shops, many of which include small studios offering lessons in a variety of instruments. Most of these shops give a special position to the electric guitar and feature entire walls full of brand names. The mystery of who is buying all of these guitars is solved by a visit to any high school or university student festival. Here one finds a world in which seemingly half the student body either plays guitar or is waiting to see a close friend play a rock solo on stage. This chapter first examines the historical origins of the electric guitar’s popularity and the role of two men, Terauchi “Terry” Takeshi and Kayama Yūzō, in triggering the so-called ereki būmu (electric boom) of the mid-1960s. It then discusses how learning the guitar became a rite of passage for many rock music-loving teenagers in the 1970s. Finally, it posits theories as to why the electric guitar has been able to survive both the rise of the dancing idol singer and the domination of popular music by electronic keyboards to remain an icon of Japanese youth.
