About that person and Kesennuma.

Kumagai Ikumi is a singer-songwriter from Kesennuma City who lives in Kesennuma. She has been exposed to music since she was a child, and began writing lyrics and composing music during her student days, and made her major debut in 2009 with the single "Hitomachigumo." While continuing to pursue a vigorous musical career, including singing theme songs for movies and TV dramas, producing albums, and holding concerts, she also has a wide range of other responsibilities, including being a radio personality and serving as the "Minato Kesennuma Ambassador."

This time, we asked Ikumi about her memories of Kesennuma and her feelings about her hometown.

My friends from those days and still today

Ikumi started playing the piano at the age of three, and began putting her daily thoughts into words when she was in junior high school. When asked about her memories of Kesennuma, she told us stories that were unique to Kesennuma, where she was born and raised, and where she has been exposed to music since she was a child.
"After school, we would get on our bikes and go fishing with our classmates. We would catch goby on the banks of the Okawa River and bring them home, and my mother would fry them for us."
He says he has fond memories of his children playing freely on their own while enjoying the natural surroundings of Kesennuma.

▲When I was a sixth grader attending Minami Kesennuma Elementary School, which was closed down due to the earthquake, I participated in the national tournament with 6 people and 30 legs. (The photo is from when we won the Miyagi Prefecture tournament!)

Many of the friends who moved out of Kesennuma in their 20s are now raising children and returning to their hometown, with some even having their children attend the same nursery school. Even as life stages change, friendships from back then continue.

Because I'm in Kesennuma

Ikumi herself apparently moved to Tokyo once after graduating from high school.
"Even when I went to Tokyo, I would hang out with people from Kesennuma and go to shops run by people from Kesennuma. Everyone loves Kesennuma."
As she says, Kesennuma has always been a place of comfort for her, even after she left. However, Ikumi says that her creative endeavors did not progress as she had hoped. As a result, she returned to Kesennuma about a year after moving to Tokyo.
"My dreams won't come true unless I'm in Tokyo"
She felt that way and even thought about giving up on her music career at one point, but the people who supported her talent kept her from giving up.

First, staff from Tokyo came to Ikumi's home in Kesennuma to set up the recording equipment. The fact that they were able to adopt a method that was only possible in the internet age, "exchanging music digitally and recording on-site only when it was time to record," was also a driving force behind their early adoption. This was the start of remote music activities nearly 20 years ago. In this way, Ikumi was able to make her major debut while still in Kesennuma.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people have been able to move to rural areas and pursue creative activities at the same time, but at the time it was still rare to pursue major work while living in the countryside, and people were sometimes told that it was "absolutely impossible."

Looking back on that time, Ikumi says, "It was all thanks to the support of those around me," and she has some words that she will never forget.
"One of the staff members told me, 'Music is something that takes root in the place where you live,' and encouraged me to base my activities in Kesennuma. Those words really resonated with me. Living surrounded by Kesennuma's scenery, people, and food allows me to be my natural self. I believe that the music I create in that environment is something only I can do."
People who listen to Ikumi's music sometimes comment that they can "feel the breeze of Tohoku."
"I wasn't trying to write a song about Kesennuma, but I think because I'm here, it just unconsciously came out that way."

A landscape that makes you feel like you've come home

When Ikumi appeared on a music program, "the other people on the show would say things like, 'The sea in Kesennuma is beautiful, isn't it?' and I realized that people knew about Kesennuma."
For Ikumi, Kesennuma's greatest pride is, of course, its sea.

"I like the view of Kesennuma Bay from Oura. And the view of the ocean from Mt. Aba. Ogamahanzo, Iwaizaki, Tanakahama... When guests come from far away, I want to show them the ocean. When I see the ocean around Kesennuma, I feel like I've really come home."
Many of the CD jackets were shot on the seaside, and most of them were taken in Kesennuma, which shows the love for Kesennuma.

Recommended souvenirs

Ikumi-san is currently serving as the "Minato Kesennuma Ambassador." We took this opportunity to ask her about her recommended Kesennuma souvenirs.
"It's a set of sake from two Kesennuma breweries, Otokoyama's "Soutenden" and Kakusei's "Suidoriki." The craft beer set from BLACK TIDE BREWING is a great souvenir for people who like alcohol. Other items include Yokotaya Honten's "Breakfast Seaweed," Ishiwata Shoten's "Ripe Oysters in Oyster Sauce," and Wakameya Murakami's "Miso Soup."
These choices are typical of Ikumi, who travels all over the country a lot! All of these items are recommended as souvenirs that can be easily carried around at room temperature.

▲It also includes souvenirs recommended by Ikumi.

From now on in Kesennuma

When I asked him what he wanted to do next,
"I eat delicious food, see beautiful scenery, and engage in creative activities. I want to continue doing these things at my own pace in the future," was the answer she returned.
She does things at her own pace... However, Ikumi-san is also currently a busy mother of three children. Is there anything difficult about it?

"When I tried raising a child, I realized how difficult it was. But when I have my child with me, people in the community talk to me, and I feel like I'm being raised by everyone as I interact with so many different people."
Ikumi feels that she is able to balance raising her children and her musical activities because she lives in Kesennuma. What could be a handicap in her musical activities has instead become her unique personality and a source of strength in her work. I admire her as a role model for how to work, but I was also very attracted to her stance of remaining natural and unassuming.

He also shared his ambitions for this year, saying, "I would like to come up with an idea that will allow people outside Kesennuma to enjoy the city."
This year, it looks like we will be traveling further afield, so be sure to come and see the beautiful ocean that Ikumi recommends.

*Please refrain from reproducing any photos or text without permission.

Click here for previous articles in the "That Person and Kesennuma" series.