Yoshie Fujiwara

Tenor singer. Born on December 5, 1898 in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. His father, British consul general of Norway in Japan, was Reed. He moved to Tokyo at the age of 11, and in 1917 (Taisho 6), he participated in the Shinkokugeki as a supporting actor. For a time, he was called Toyama Eijiro, a name given to him by Sawada. In 1918, he was captivated by the beautiful voice of Tayari Kizo and switched to opera singing, working under Iba Takashi, founder of Asakusa Opera. In 1920, he studied in Italy, studying under Galassi and Pinetti in Milan. In 1921, he was recognized at his debut recital in London, and since then, he has made friends with influential people in various fields with his natural charm, optimism, and initiative, and was hailed as the "Valentino of the East" at solo concerts in major European and American cities. The Asahi Shimbun reported this under the headline "Our Tenor," and his first recital after returning to Japan in 1947 was an unprecedented success. In 1953, he married Aki Miyashita (maiden name Nakamigawa, later known as Aki Fujiwara), wife of a medical doctor, and the two became the talk of the town as "The Love of the Century," but they divorced in 1953. In 1954, he formed the Fujiwara Opera Company, and, in an effort to bring full-scale opera to Japanese soil, he was active both at home and abroad in both opera and recitals until the start of World War II. He also popularized Japanese songs such as "Habu no Minato," "Departure," and "Hoko wo Samete" through records. After the war, in 1952, he led the company members to a successful New York performance of "Madame Butterfly." He received the Japan Art Academy Award in 1972. He retired from singing in 1982. He has written an autobiography, "Seventy-five Years of Ruten." He passed away on March 22, 1976.

[Terasaki Hironori]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

テノール歌手。明治31年12月5日山口県下関(しものせき)市生まれ。父は駐日ノルウェー総領事でイギリス人のリード。11歳で上京、1917年（大正6）新国劇に大部屋俳優として参加、一時、沢田の命名による戸山英二郎を名のったが、18年、田谷力三(たやりきぞう)の美声に魅せられ、オペラ歌手に転向、浅草オペラの創始者伊庭孝(いばたかし)のもとで活躍した。20年イタリアに留学、ミラノでガラッシ、ピネッティに師事、21年ロンドンのデビュー・リサイタルで認められ、以後、天性の魅力、楽天主義、体当たり主義で各界の有力者と知己になり、欧米の大都市の独唱会では「東洋のバレンチノ」と騒がれた。『朝日新聞』はこれを「我等(われら)のテナー」の見出しで報じ、22年の帰国第1回リサイタルは空前の人気を集めた。28年（昭和3）医学博士夫人・宮下あき（旧姓中上川(なかみがわ)、後の藤原あき）と結婚、「世紀の恋」の話題をまくが、53年（昭和28）離婚。34年藤原歌劇団を結成、本格的なオペラを日本の土にしようと、第二次世界大戦の始まるまでオペラとリサイタルの両面で内外で活躍。また『波浮(はぶ)の港』『出船』『鉾(ほこ)をおさめて』などの日本歌曲をレコードを通じて広く普及させた。戦後は52年に団員を率いて『蝶々(ちょうちょう)夫人』のニューヨーク公演を成功させた。47年度の芸術院賞を受賞。67年歌手業を引退。自伝『流転七十五年』がある。昭和51年3月22日死去。

［寺崎裕則］

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