### The Flower of Song Blossomed in Beauty and Beautiful Voice - Mitsue Nara (1923-1952)

### The Flower of Song Blossomed in Beauty and Beautiful Voice - Mitsue Nara (1923-1952)

Mitsue Nara was born in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, in 1923. She was born with good looks and a beautiful voice, and was recommended to the Toyo Music School by her brother's friend, the composer Akemoto Kyojizu. However, she was not blessed with a good voice, and gave up her career as a classical singer and turned to songwriting, which opened up a new path for her. In 1940, she passed a test for Columbia and became their exclusive singer at the age of only 16. Although her debut song "Kokyu Aika" was banned due to censorship, her subsequent song "Nanjing Hana Chikako" made her a household name.

During the war, military songs were the mainstream, and it was difficult for Nara, who had a simple voice, to have a hit. At the request of her father, she joined Masao Koga's group, and eventually achieved her first big success with "Blue Farm," a duet with Ichiro Fujiyama. Thereafter, she had a string of hits, including "Ai no Toukage," "Shin Aizen Katsura," "Kimi Hence," and "Ame no Yoru Kisha," and became one of the leading figures in the postwar song world. Among them, "Blue Mountains" with Ichiro Fujiyama was widely popular as a song that symbolized the youth of postwar Japan with its bright melody and elongated voice. In "Akai Shoes Tango" (1950), she showed her range as a female singer by expressing both sadness and passion, and it is still talked about today as her masterpiece.

In addition to her singing voice, she also attracted attention from the movie industry. She was chosen to play the leading role in Daiei's "A Night of Kissing," and her kissing scene with Masao Wakahara was the talk of the town. The scene was advertised as the first kiss scene in a Japanese film, but in reality it was staged with a flying umbrella covering their mouths. Even so, Mitsue Nara's presence was enough to attract the audience, and she showed a new image of a woman with pure beauty and a gorgeous voice.

Her contemporaries included the overwhelming singing ability of Hibari Misora and the popular popularity of Michiko Namiki. While Hibari Misora captivated people with her passion and overwhelming vocal expression, and Michiko Namiki sang of the hopes of the common people in the postwar era with "Ringo no Uta," Mitsue Nara used her pure, plaintive voice to delicately sing lyrics of youth and love. Her singing, which emphasized grace over strength, established a unique position in Showa-era songs and added color to postwar Japanese culture like a single flower.

In 1977, Mitsue Nara died suddenly at the age of 55. Despite her untimely death, her singing voice remains deeply etched in the memory of postwar Japan. Her life, in which she lived on with her beauty and beautiful voice, continues to shine brightly in the history of Showa music.