**The man who breathed the soul of song into the best of vocal music - Ichiro Fujiyama's poetic sentiment and the face of the Showa era (1935-1940s)**

**The man who breathed the soul of song into the best of vocal music - Ichiro Fujiyama's poetic sentiment and the face of the Showa era (1935-1940s)**

Ichiro Fujiyama (real name: Takeshi Masunaga) studied voice at the Tokyo Music School and made his debut in 1931 with "Sake wa nada ka sigh ka. With his lyrical and elegant singing style based on classical technique, he gained popular support and established a new horizon in the history of Showa-era songs. Her representative songs such as "Kagewositaite," "Nagasaki no Kane," and "Blue Mountains" sublimated the emotions of the times and provided hope and healing to the common people during and after World War II. In particular, "The Bells of Nagasaki" penetrated deeply into people's hearts as a requiem that quietly mourned the tragedy of the A-bombed city while expressing a wish for reconstruction. Although he has been compared to the dignity of Taro Tokai Rinzaro and the elegance of Dick Minet, Fujiyama always maintained a high standard of expression and captivated audiences with his dignified singing voice. In the turbulent Showa era, his voice is etched in people's memories
and is still spoken of as the "heart of the Showa era.