Ichiro Fujiyama
Encyclopedia
, born as , was a popular Japanese singer and composer, known for his contribution to Japanese popular music called ryūkōka
by his Western classical music
skills. He was born in Chūō, Tokyo
, and graduated from the Tokyo Music School. Although he was regarded as a tenor
singer in Japanese popular music, he was originally a classical baritone
singer. He also acted in various films, and was a close friend of Minoru Matsuya
(1910–1995). His workroom has been reproduced inside the "NHK
museum of broadcasting" as an exhibit.
. He entered the Tokyo Music School and learned Western musical theory under German-born musician Klaus Pringsheim, Sr.
. However, his home had the debt because of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
.
As ryūkōka
singer "Ichirō Fujiyama", he signed with the Nippon Columbia for paying the money, though singing ryūkōka was a taboo for his school. Meeting composer Masao Koga
, he debuted with song "Camp Kouta". Fujiyama and Koga also recorded "Sake wa Namida ka Tameiki ka". The song was released and became a big hit in 1931. One theory holds that "Sake wa Namida ka Tameiki ka" sold more than one million copies.
Although Fujiyama immediately became a big star of Japan, his school was very angry and he was once forced to suspend his musical career. In 1933, he graduated from the school and signed with JVC
. He released songs such as "Moeru Gojinka" and "Cheerio!" The songs were composed by Shinpei Nakayama
and Kunihiko Hashimoto
respectively. Further to Japanese popular songs, he sang the Western popular songs. For example, he sang "I Kiss Your Hand, Madame
" under its alternative title .
He moved to Teichiku Records
and then Columbia. During the World War II
, he also sang war song
s such as "Moyuru ōzora
". The song was composed by Kosaku Yamada
. However, he was taken prisoner in Indonesia
when the war ended. After he returned to Japan, he released a string of hits such as "Aoi Sanmyaku" and "Nagasaki no Kane". The songs were composed by Ryoichi Hattori
and Yuji Koseki
respectively.
Fujiyama retired from Japanese popular music in 1954 when he moved to NHK
. However, he had been known as a conductor for the Kōhaku Uta Gassen
's "Hotaru no Hikari" until his death. He also composed various school song
s for Japanese schools. In 1989 when Emperor Shōwa died, his song "Aoi Sanmyaku" unanticipatedly reached the top in the NHK Top 200 Japanese memorial song rankings of the Shōwa period
. He was awarded the People's Honour Award
in 1992 and died in 1993.
At the 60th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
in 2009, "Aoi Sanmyaku" was sung by NYC Boys
as a part of medley
along with "NYC" and "Yūki 100%" (theme of Nintama Rantarō
).
: 1931 : 1931 : 1931 : 1932 : 1933 : 1933
Ryukoka
- 1914–1927: Origin :In 1914, Sumako Matsui's song "Katyusha's song", composed by Shinpei Nakayama, was used as a theme of the rendition Resurrection in Japan. The record of the song sold 20,000 copies...
by his Western classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
skills. He was born in Chūō, Tokyo
Chuo, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards that form the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Chūō City in English.Its Japanese name literally means "Central Ward," and it is historically the main commercial center of Tokyo, although Shinjuku has risen to challenge it since the end of World War II...
, and graduated from the Tokyo Music School. Although he was regarded as a tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
singer in Japanese popular music, he was originally a classical baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
singer. He also acted in various films, and was a close friend of Minoru Matsuya
Minoru Matsuya
Minoru Matsuya 松谷穣 was a Japanese jazz pianist, graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He was also known as Jo Matsuya or Yuzuru Matsuya. He lived in Kamakura....
(1910–1995). His workroom has been reproduced inside the "NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
museum of broadcasting" as an exhibit.
Life and career
Fujiyama was born as Takeo Masunaga in a store at the NihonbashiNihonbashi
, or Nihombashi, is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603, and the current bridge made of stone dates from 1911...
. He entered the Tokyo Music School and learned Western musical theory under German-born musician Klaus Pringsheim, Sr.
Klaus Pringsheim, Sr.
Klaus Pringsheim Sr. was a German-born composer, conductor, music-educator, and the twin brother of Katharina "Katia" Pringsheim, who married Thomas Mann in 1905. Pringsheim was the son of mathematician and artist Alfred Pringsheim and his wife Hedwig Dohm Pringsheim, who was an actress in Berlin...
. However, his home had the debt because of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
.
As ryūkōka
Ryukoka
- 1914–1927: Origin :In 1914, Sumako Matsui's song "Katyusha's song", composed by Shinpei Nakayama, was used as a theme of the rendition Resurrection in Japan. The record of the song sold 20,000 copies...
singer "Ichirō Fujiyama", he signed with the Nippon Columbia for paying the money, though singing ryūkōka was a taboo for his school. Meeting composer Masao Koga
Masao Koga
was a Japanese composer and guitarist known for creating melodies, and a pioneer of Japanese popular music. He was regarded as a notable figure for establishing the genre enka, though Koga considered that he was a ryūkōka composer...
, he debuted with song "Camp Kouta". Fujiyama and Koga also recorded "Sake wa Namida ka Tameiki ka". The song was released and became a big hit in 1931. One theory holds that "Sake wa Namida ka Tameiki ka" sold more than one million copies.
Although Fujiyama immediately became a big star of Japan, his school was very angry and he was once forced to suspend his musical career. In 1933, he graduated from the school and signed with JVC
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
. He released songs such as "Moeru Gojinka" and "Cheerio!" The songs were composed by Shinpei Nakayama
Shinpei Nakayama
was a Japanese songwriter, famous for his many children's songs and popular songs that have become deeply embedded in Japanese popular culture....
and Kunihiko Hashimoto
Kunihiko Hashimoto
was a Japanese composer, violinist, conductor, and musical educator. He was born in the Hongo district of Tokyo. In 1923, he entered the Tokyo Music School where he studied violin and conducting. In composition, he was largely self-taught, but later he would study that subject as a graduate...
respectively. Further to Japanese popular songs, he sang the Western popular songs. For example, he sang "I Kiss Your Hand, Madame
I Kiss Your Hand, Madame
Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame is a 1929 German drama film starring Marlene Dietrich. It was released in the United States as I Kiss Your Hand, Madame in 1932. It was produced by Super-Film.-Plot:...
" under its alternative title .
He moved to Teichiku Records
Teichiku Records
Teichiku Records is a Japanese record label, run by the Teichiku Entertainment company, that specialises in enka, kayōkyoku, and similar music. Teichiku is an abbreviation for , the former name of the company...
and then Columbia. During the 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...
, he also sang war song
War song
A war song is a musical composition that relates to war, or a society's attitudes towards war. They may be pro-war, anti-war, or simply a description of everyday life during war times....
s such as "Moyuru ōzora
Moyuru ozora
is a 1940 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Yutaka Abe.Moyuru ōzora is a war film.Special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya.*Song: Ichiro Fujiyama....
". The song was composed by Kosaku Yamada
Kosaku Yamada
was a Japanese composer and conductor.In many Western reference books his name is given as Kósçak Yamada. During his music study in the Imperial German capital of Berlin from 1910-13 he hated the times when people laughed at him because his "normal" transliteration of his first name "Kosaku"...
. However, he was taken prisoner in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
when the war ended. After he returned to Japan, he released a string of hits such as "Aoi Sanmyaku" and "Nagasaki no Kane". The songs were composed by Ryoichi Hattori
Ryoichi Hattori
was a Japanese pop and jazz composer. Katsuhisa Hattori is his son. He had a great influence on Japanese pop and was awarded the People's Honor Award. Japanese jazz was downtrodden during World War II, but he created a jazz boom in Japan after the war. He composed many songs for various artists...
and Yuji Koseki
Yuji Koseki
was a Japanese ryūkōka, gunka, march, fight song and film score composer. His real name was also Yuji Koseki, but its kanji was 古關 勇治.Koseki entered Nippon Columbia in 1930. He composed Hanshin Tigers' song "Rokko Oroshi" in 1936. His famous military song titled was released in 1937. Famous songs...
respectively.
Fujiyama retired from Japanese popular music in 1954 when he moved to NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
. However, he had been known as a conductor for the Kōhaku Uta Gassen
Kohaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas broadcasters which bought the program...
's "Hotaru no Hikari" until his death. He also composed various school song
School song
A school song, alma mater, school hymn or school anthem is the patronal song of a school. In England, this tradition is particularly strong in public schools and grammar schools.-Australia:*Melbourne High School - Honour the Work...
s for Japanese schools. In 1989 when Emperor Shōwa died, his song "Aoi Sanmyaku" unanticipatedly reached the top in the NHK Top 200 Japanese memorial song rankings of the Shōwa period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
. He was awarded the People's Honour Award
People's Honour Award
is one of the commendation bestowed by the Prime Minister of Japan. The award is not restricted to Japanese nationals. The award was created in 1977 and Sadaharu Oh, a Taiwanese national, is the first one to have been bestowed it.-Recipients:...
in 1992 and died in 1993.
At the 60th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
60th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku", was aired on December 31, 2009 from NHK Hall in Japan.-Performers:The singers, announced on November 23, 2009, are ordered below according to the gojūon....
in 2009, "Aoi Sanmyaku" was sung by NYC Boys
NYC Boys
NYC is a Japanese boy band formed by Ryosuke Yamada and Yuri Chinen of Hey! Say! JUMP and Johnny's Jr. Yuma Nakayama in 2010. Before that, seven-members unit NYC Boys was formed on June 7, 2009, to promote the FIVB World Grand Prix 2009, an event that began on July 31 and ended on August 23, 2009...
as a part of medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
along with "NYC" and "Yūki 100%" (theme of Nintama Rantarō
Nintama Rantaro
is a Japanese anime series based on Sōbē Amako's manga Rakudai Ninja Rantarō. It was produced by Ajia-do Animation Works and originally broadcast on NHK. It is aimed at young children, featuring the adventures of Rantarō and his friends and teachers at Ninja school. The fact that glasses are worn...
).
Discography
- Cheerio! : 1934 : 1934 : 1935 : 1936 : 1937 : 1939 : 1939 : 1940 : 1940 : 1940 : 1940 : 1941 : 1941 : 1942 : 1943 : 1946 : 1947 : 1947 : 1949 : 1949 : 1950 : 1951 : 1952 : 1956 (as a composer)