, born , was a 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
is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward that forms part of the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself in English as Chūō City. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyobashi and Nihonbashi wards following Tokyo C ...
, and graduated from the
Tokyo Music School
or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...
. Although he was regarded as a tenor singer in Japanese popular music, he was originally a classical
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
singer. He also acted in various films, and was a close friend of
Minoru Matsuya
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.
He learned piano under renowned Russian pianist Leo Sirota. After World War ...
(1910–1995). His workroom has been reproduced inside the " NHK museum of broadcasting" as an exhibit.
Life and career
Fujiyama was born Takeo Masunaga in a store in
Nihonbashi
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. The current ...
. He entered the
Tokyo Music School
or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...
and learned Western musical theory under German-born musician
Klaus Pringsheim Sr.
Klaus Pringsheim Sr. (24 July 1883 – 7 December 1972) was a German-born composer, conductor, music-educator and the twin brother of Katharina "Katia" Pringsheim, who married Thomas Mann in 1905.
Biography
Pringsheim was the son of mathemat ...
However, his home had the debt because of the
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
The struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58:44 JST (02:58:44 UTC) on Saturday, September 1, 1923. Varied accounts indicate the duration of the earthquake was between four and ten minutes. Extensive firestorms an ...
.
As '' ryūkōka'' singer "Ichirō Fujiyama", he signed with Nippon Columbia, though singing ''ryūkōka'' was a taboo for his school. Meeting composer
Masao Koga
was a Japanese composer, mandolinist, and guitarist of the Shōwa era who was dubbed "Japan's Irving Berlin" by Universal Press Syndicate. His melancholy style, based upon Nakayama Shimpei's '' yonanuki'' scale, was popularly known in Japan as ...
, 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 (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood corporation. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company is best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for ...
. He released songs such as "Moeru Gojinka" and "Cheerio!" The songs were composed by
Shinpei Nakayama
was a Japanese songwriter, famous for his many children's songs and popular songs (''ryūkōka'') that have become deeply embedded in Japanese popular culture.
Nakayama was born in Nagano Prefecture, Nakano City, in 1887. His father died while ...
and
Kunihiko Hashimoto
(September 14, 1904 – May 6, 1949) was a Japanese composer, violinist, conductor, and musical educator. He was born in the Hongō district of Tokyo. In 1923, he entered the Tokyo Music School (presently Tokyo National University of Fine Ar ...
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'' (german: Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame) is a 1929 German drama film directed by Robert Land starring Harry Liedtke and Marlene Dietrich. It was released in the United States in 1932. It was produced by Super-Film. Ther ...
" under its alternative title .
He moved to Teichiku Records and then Columbia. During World War II, he also sang
gunka
is the Japanese term for military music. While in standard use in Japan it applies both to Japanese songs and foreign songs such as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", as an English language category it refers to songs produced by the Empire of Jap ...
such as "
Moyuru ōzora
is a 1940 black-and-white Japanese, war film produced and directed by Yutaka Abe, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The theme song was sung by Ichiro Fujiyama and composed by Kosaku Yamada.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", which were composed by Ryoichi Hattori and
Yuji Koseki Yuji or Yu Ji may refer to:
* Yuji Naka, is a Japanese video game programmer, designer and producer
* Yu Ji (painter), a Qing dynasty painter and calligrapher
* Yūji, a common masculine Japanese given name
* Consort Yu (Xiang Yu's wife) (虞姬; ...
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
, more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK netw ...
's " Hotaru no Hikari" until his death. He also composed various school songs 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
is one of the commendations bestowed by the Prime Minister of Japan on people in recognition of their accomplishments in sport, entertainment, and other fields. The award, not restricted to Japanese nationals, was created in 1977 by the then-Prime ...
medley
Medley or Medleys may refer to:
Sports
*Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles
* Medley relay races at track meets
Music
*Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together
People
*Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...
*Japanese Red Cross Society special Medal for Merit (1952)
*NHK Broadcasting Culture Award (1958)
*Social Education Merit Award (1959)
*Medal of Honour with Purple Ribbon (1973)
*Japan Record Award Special Award (1974)
*
Order of the Sacred Treasure
The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...
, Third Class, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (April 29, 1982)
* Golden Pheasant Award of the Scout Association of Japan (1992)
*People's Honor Award (May 28, 1992)
*Fourth rank in the order of precedence (August 21, 1993; posthumous)