was a Japanese music (''

ryūkōka is a Japanese musical genre. The term originally denoted any kind of "popular music" in Japanese, and is the sinic reading of ''hayariuta'', used for commercial music of Edo Period. Therefore, ''imayō'', which was promoted by Emperor Go-Shirak ...

'') singer and soldier. He was known for using naniwa-bushi's ''kobushi'' vocalism in Japanese popular music. He was killed in action during the eastern

New Guinea campaign The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Australian-administered Mandated Territory of New Guinea (23 Jan ...

during the Pacific War.

Life

Uehara was born as Rikiji Matsumoto in

Ōdate is a city in Akita Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 71,558 in 31,634 households, and a population density of 82 persons per km2 (212 persons per square mile). The total area of the city is . Geography Ōdate is loca ...

Akita Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is approximately 966,000 (as of 1 October 2019) and its ge ...

, Japan. He graduated from

Senshu University is a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Campuses * Kanda Campus (Main campus): 3-8 Kandajimbo-cho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 101-8425 :The Kanda Campus is situated in Jimbocho, a college community in central Tokyo. This urban campus consists ...

, and made his professional debut with the song under the Japanese division of

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

in 1936. His famous songs included the 1937 song . His vocal style, called ''kobushi'', became popular as the more emphatic form among modern ''

enka is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than ''ryūkōka'' music, p ...

'' singers. Uehara became a soldier in 1943, went to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

, and was killed in battle on July 29, 1944.

Legacy

In 1976, a monument honoring him was established in his home city of Ōdate.

Discography

* : 1937 * : 1937 * : 1938 * : 1938 * : 1938 * : 1938 * : 1938 with Taro Shoji * : 1939 * : 1939 * : 1941

References

1908 births 1944 deaths Imperial Japanese Army personnel of World War II Japanese military personnel killed in World War II Musicians from Akita Prefecture 20th-century Japanese male singers 20th-century Japanese singers {{Japan-singer-stub