Wajima Yūsuke

Professor of musicology and theater studies, Osaka University, specializing in popular music, history of popular culture, and Afro-Brazilian music. Received his doctorate in literature from the University of Tokyo. Author of Tsukurareta “Nihon no kokoro” shinwa—enka o meguru sengo taishū ongaku shi (Manufacturing the “Heart of Japan” Mythos—Enka and the History of Postwar Popular Music), which won the 2011 Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities. His latest work is Shōwa bugi ugi: Kasagi Shizuko to Hattori Ryōichi no rizumu ongyoku (Shōwa Boogie Woogie: Kasagi Shizuko and Hattori Ryōichi’s Rhythm Ongyoku).