Ichirō Fujiyama

• Illustration — Tokyo University of the Arts, current successor to Tokyo Music School. Pictured is its Ueno Campus. In April 1929, after graduating from Keio Futsubu School, Fujiyama entered the vocal music department of the Tokyo Music School (later to become Tokyo University of the Arts), the only government-run music school in Japan at the time. During this period, there was a strong social tendency to believe that music and dancing were primarily for women, and Fujiyama was the only male student admitted to the vocal music department. When asked why he wanted to pursue a career in music during the school's entrance examination interview, Fujiyama replied that he wished to become an opera singer. Fujiyama was ranked 15th out of 30 students in the preliminary vocal performance course and soon after entered the main course. In February 1931, at a performance for students with high academic results, he appeared alongside his classmates to sing songs from Faust and Rigoletto, going on to perform a baritone solo. Despite a successful student life, at home his family's muslin wholesale store had begun to fall into financial difficulties as a result of the Great Depression's influence in Japan at the time, soon enough resulting in his family incurring a debt of 38,000 yen and being forced to close the business. Fujiyama began working part-time as a music transcriber to help his family's finances, frequently working for Kōsaku Yamada, in addition to recording records. This was however in violation of Article 58 of the school's regulations prohibiting off-campus performances, resulting in his adoption of the name Ichirō Fujiyama. The name was derived from the kanji in the name of a close friend at the time in combination with the kanji for Mount Fuji. He described to have come up with the name offhandedly in just five minutes.

• Illustration — Disc label for Enrich Asia March, sung by Fujiyama, Akiko Futaba and Hisao Ito • Camp Kouta: 1931 • Sake wa Namida ka Tameiki ka': 1931 • 丘を越えて: 1931 • Longing for the Shadow: 1932 • Boku no Seishun: 1933 • Burning Sacred Fire: 1933 • Cheerio!: 1934 • Aoi Tsuki: 1934 • Flower Bouquet of Love: 1935 • Tokyo Rhapsody: 1936 • Aikoku Kōsin Kyoku: 1937 • Shanghai Yakyoku: 1939 • Natsukashi no Bolero: 1939 • Natsukashi no Utagoe: 1940 • Kigen Nisenroppyakunen • Warrior in the Sky: 1940 • Moyuru ōzora: 1940 • The Prosperous Asia March: 1940 • Show Potential Strengths of 100 Million People: 1941 • Anabasis in the Sea: 1941 • Song of the Greater East Asia War: 1942 • To the Big Sky for the Decisive War: 1943 • Ginza Serenade: 1946 • Faint Dreaming, Tokyo: 1947 • Asakusa no Uta: 1947 • Aoi sanmyaku: 1949 • The Bells of Nagasaki: 1949 • Yama no Kanata ni: 1950 • The Bells of Nicholai: 1951 • Hill Is Covered with Bloom: 1952 • Radio Taisō no Uta: 1956 (as a composer)

• 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, 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)