The is an opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 company located in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and is notably that nation's first and oldest professional opera company. It was founded in 1934 by operatic tenor Yoshie Fujiwara

Yoshie Fujiwara

was a Japanese tenor singer. He took part in 5th and 6th Kōhaku Uta Gassen.He was born in Osaka. His mother Kinu Sakata was geisha, who worked in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. His father Neil B. Reid was Scottish, however, he was not raised by his father. Tokuzaburō Fujiwara adopted him,...

. Following World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the company entered a period of great success, beginning with a highly popular production of Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...

's La traviata

La traviata

La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...

which was given more than 400 performances under the baton of Manfred Gurlitt

Manfred Gurlitt

Manfred Gurlitt was a German opera composer and conductor. He studied composition with Engelbert Humperdinck, conducting with Karl Muck, and piano with Moritz Mayer-Mahr...

. Renowned tenor Arrigo Pola

Arrigo Pola

Arrigo Pola was an Italian tenor who had an active international performance career during the 1940s through the 1960s. He then embarked on a second career as a celebrated voice teacher in both Italy and Japan. Among his notable pupils were tenors Luciano Pavarotti, Giuliano Bernardi, and Vincenzo...

 was the company's Artistic Director between 1957 and 1965. After he left the company went into a period of decline, but eventually the company began to thrive again beginning in the late 1970s. Since 1980 the company has been managed by the Japan Opera Foundation, an organization which also manages the Nihon Opera Kyokai.