**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) broke new ground in the world of Japanese song from the early Showa to the postwar period. He studied voice at the Tokyo School of Music (now Tokyo University of the Arts) and had a classical background, and made his impressive debut in 1931 with "Sake wa nada ka sigh ka" (Sake is a Tear or a Sigh?). This song, with its flowing melody composed by Masao Koga, struck a chord with the Japanese people and quickly became an unprecedented blockbuster hit. Fujiyama's singing had a sophistication that differed from that of enka or jazz, and was intelligent, moderate, and melancholy.

The following songs, "Kagewositaite," "Koka o Koete," "Nagasaki no Kane," and "Blue Mountains," are all masterpieces that are deeply etched in the memories of the Showa era. Of these, "The Bells of Nagasaki" is a song of repose and prayer based on the writings of Takashi Nagai, a doctor in Nagasaki, the site of the atomic bombing, and was widely sung as a symbol of hope for postwar reconstruction. Blue Mountains" was a complete change of pace, with its lilting melody depicting youth and a bright future, symbolizing the end of a dark era and the arrival of a new one. With his excellent pitch and dignified voice, Fujiyama clothed these songs in the garb of "dignity.

The singers who lived in the same era as Fujiyama--Dick Minet with his stylish jazz style, Taro Tokaihorin with his profound singing, Noboru Kirishima with his sweet lyricism--each had a different personality, but only Ichiro Fujiyama always pursued the "prestigious songs" and his songs were always "of the highest quality. While each of these singers had their own distinct personalities, only Ichiro Fujiyama continued to pursue "high quality songs. His vocalization was designed to be sung on stage, with a clarity that resonated throughout the hall, without relying on a microphone.

In the 1935's, jazz and tango were popular and influenced by modernism, but Fujiyama's music was distinctly different from them, and he established his own unique style of "singing Japanese sentiment with Western techniques. During the war, Fujiyama's songs were "wholesome songs" that were adapted to the national policy, and after the war, he sang of comfort and hope. In this way, his songs have always faced the emotions of the times head-on and played a role in sublimating them.

In addition to his activities as a singer, Fujiyama also devoted himself to teaching younger generations as a music educator and was a spiritual pillar of the Japanese music world. His voice is like a piece of literature that lingers in the listener's memory, each word of his lyrics echoing with the scenes of his life.

Ichiro Fujiyama was more than just a hit singer; he was a "voice" that recorded the Showa era itself.