Senbonzakura (song)

"Senbonzakura" (千本桜, lit. "a thousand sakura") is a 2011 song written by Japanese vocaloid music producer Kurousa-P (黒うさP) released with the voice of Hatsune Miku. First posted onto Niconico, a video sharing website, the song quickly became viral and inspired multiple cover versions and other derivative works.

"Senbonzakura"
Song by Kurousa-P feat. Hatsune Miku
from the album 5th Anniversary Best
LanguageJapanese
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2011 (2011-09-17)
GenreVocaloid music
Length4:04

Release and reception

"Senbonzakura" was first posted onto Niconico on 17 September 2011 by Kurousa-P. Accompanied by a fast rock-inspired beat, the lyrics reference the westernization of Japan and the transitional imperialistic Taishō era. The accompanying music video, illustrated by Ittomaru (一斗まる), similarly draws inspiration from the same time period and features Hatsune Miku in a military-esque uniform.[1][2]

After its release on Niconico, the music video became viral and broke one million views in 42 days (by 29 October).[2] The song is also very popular among karaoke singers. Joysound, a karaoke store chain, reported that "Senbonzakura" was the third most-sung song in 2012, behind AKB48's "Heavy Rotation" and Golden Bomber's "Memeshikute".[3] The song was performed by Sachiko Kobayashi on the 66th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.[4] Hatsune Miku also regularly performs "Senbonzakura" during her concerts.[5][6]

Derivative works

To celebrate the video's first anniversary, on 12 September 2012, an album titled All That Senbonzakura! was released by Dwango. The album only contained "Senbonzakura" covered by different instruments, including piano, yangqin, acoustic guitar, and string quartet.[7] Other solo artists have also released their own covers of the song. Notably, Wagakki Band's cover, included in their debut 2014 album Vocalo Zanmai, broke 100 million views on YouTube in 2019.[8]

The music video's illustrator, Ittomaru, went on to release several works adapted from the song. On 9 March 2013, Ittomaru released a light novel series based on the song published by ASCII Media Works. The novel is set in a dystopian world where the Taishō era continued for a hundred years and features Hatsune Miku as the main protagonist. The first volume topped Oricon's weekly novel sales chart and was also the thirteenth bestselling book for the month.[9] The same month, Niconico hosted a musical based on the novel's storyline and featured AKB48 members Haruka Ishida, Maho Tomita, and Miori Ichikawa as well as actor Kazuki Kato.[10]

Charts
All That Senbonzakura! (ALL THAT 千本桜!!)
ChartPeak position
Oricon Albums Chart56[11]
Billboard Japan Top Album Sales48[12]

References
  1. Green, Scott (11 January 2013). "Hit Hatsune Miku Vocaloid Song "Senbonzakura" Inspires Musical". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  2. "今さら人に聞けない「初音ミクが歌う『千本桜』って何？」". Barks (in Japanese). 10 March 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  3. "2012年JOYSOUND年間ランキング". Joysound (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 5 April 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  4. "【紅白】小林幸子が歌ったボカロ曲「千本桜」とは？巨大衣装「メガ幸子」が降臨" (in Hausa). Huffington Post Japan. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  5. "明日放送「Mステ」10時間特番の演目明らかに". Natalie (in Japanese). 22 September 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  6. 佐藤和也 (18 August 2020). "超歌舞伎「夏祭版 今昔饗宴千本桜」がオンライン開催--23万5000人が生放送で視聴" (in Japanese). CNET Japan. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  7. "祝★千本桜1周年！記念アルバム発売も決定！". Niconico (in Japanese). 16 August 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  8. "WagakkiBand's "Senbonzakura" hits 100 million views". JRock News. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  9. "【オリコン】『小説 千本桜』が文芸部門1位に 初音ミク人気曲のノベライズ本" (in Japanese). Oricon. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  10. "ボカロ人気曲「千本桜」舞台に加藤和樹、AKB石田晴香" (in Japanese). Natalie. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  11. "千本桜/黒うさP 1周年記念アルバム ALL THAT 千本桜!!". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  12. "Top Albums Sales [2012/09/24 付け]". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 November 2020.
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