伊藤久男

Hisao Ito (July 7, 1910 – April 25, 1983) was a Japanese singer. His real name was Shisao Ito. He was from Motomiya-machi, Adachi-gun, Fukushima Prefecture (present-day Motomiya City). He comes from an old family in Motomiya Town. His given name, Shisao, is derived from the year of his birth, Meiji 43 (1910). His father was Wataru Ito, who served as a prefectural assembly member belonging to the Rikken Seiyukai party, and his older brother was Nobori Ito, who served as a Fukushima prefectural assembly member and later as a member of the House of Representatives belonging to the Liberal Democratic Party after the war. Born into a wealthy family, Ito immersed himself in the piano, which was still rare at the time, and by the time he was in middle school (under the old system), he aspired to become a pianist. Defying opposition from his family and relatives, he moved to Tokyo alone and enrolled in Tokyo University of Agriculture to camouflage his family's opposition to him pursuing a career in music. In Tokyo, he became close friends with the up-and-coming composer Yuji Koseki, who was from the same region, and without informing his family, he dropped out of Tokyo University of Agriculture and entered the Imperial Music School. There, he studied under the vocalist Fumitoshi Hirama, who was also from the same region. Afterward, his family found out he had dropped out of agricultural college, and his monthly allowance stopped coming. He and a classmate from music school began working part-time at Columbia Records, recording backing vocals and instrumental accompaniments. This was against Ito's will, as he had aspired to be a pianist, but this work would later catch the attention of composers and directors. In 1932 (Showa 7), at the recommendation of Yuji Koseki, he debuted on June 25, 1933 (Showa 8) under the name Hisao Ito with Regal (Columbia's budget label) with the song Tonight's Rain. His debut with Columbia was in September of the same year with Niseko Ski Kouta, released under the name Kazuo Miyamoto. His stage name was created by reversing his hometown Motomiya, subtracting 3 from the 4 in his real name Shisao to get Ichi, and adding Oto, meaning man, and was given to him by lyricist Toshio Nomura, who was from the same hometown. During that time, he worked part-time recording at Taihei Records under the name Shiro Utsumi. Afterwards, he used Hisao Ito at Columbia and Kazuo Miyamoto at Regal, but in 1935 (Showa 10), with the release of Wakare Kite, he unified his stage name to Hisao Ito. With his richly lyrical baritone voice, Hisao Ito recorded many wartime songs (military songs) from the early 1930s, and his first hit as Hisao Ito was Shakuhachi on the Lake (released February 20, 1938), which was based on the Sino-Japanese War (China Incident). During a comforting performance, Yoshie Fujiwara encouraged him to make use of his lyrical baritone voice as a popular singer. For a time, he considered a career as an opera singer, but in the same year, when he visited a Japanese army unit on the Chinese front with Ryoichi Hattori and Koume Akasaka for a慰問, he witnessed soldiers shedding tears at his songs and chose the path of a popular singer. Subsequently, he had a string of hits including Akatsuki ni Inoru, Hakuran no Uta, Kogen no Ryoshu, and Oshima Sentaro Tabiuta, establishing himself as a star singer. He was known as one of the Columbia Three Musketeers along with lyricist Toshio Nomura and composer Yuji Koseki. In 1940 (Showa 15), Atsuro Okamoto, who was in the audience watching Ito perform Oath of the Burning Sands at the Nichigeki Theater, was so moved by her singing that he decided to become a singer himself. While pursuing a singing career, he also appeared as an actor in many films. In 1939, he played a street musician in the Shochiku film Junjo Nijuusou (Pure Love Duet), a singing soldier in 1940's Seisen Aibau Fu Akatsuki ni Inoru (The Song of My Beloved Horse in Battle, Praying at Dawn), for which he also sang the theme song. Furthermore, in 1942, he played a young villager in the Daiei film Utau Tanuki Goten (The Singing Tanuki Palace), showcasing his screen presence with his simple and unpretentious delivery. Immediately after the end of the war, feeling guilty for singing many wartime songs, he withdrew to his hometown and drowned himself in alcohol, and it was said that he could not recover. However, he made a comeback in 1947 with Yofuke no Machi, the theme song for the Shochiku film Jigoku no Kao (directed by Masahiro Makino). After that, he had hits in various genres such as Siberia Elegy, Iyomante no Yoru, Azami no Uta, Yama no Kemuri, Kimi Itoshiki Hito yo, Sukiyabashi Elegy, and Himeyuri no Tou. In particular, he sang many poetic and lyrical songs for radio, and he was very fond of Tasogare no Yume, which she continued to sing until his later years. He played a key role in the establishment of the Japan Singers Association and spared no effort in mentoring younger generations of singers. He has appeared in the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (NHK Red and White Song Contest) a total of 11 times. In 1978 (Showa 53), he received the Medal with Purple Ribbon, and in 1982 (Showa 57), he received the Special Award at the 24th Japan Record Awards. He appeared on camera via live broadcast from his home in Nakano Ward during the award ceremony. At that time, he received the award plaque directly from Yuji Koseki, who was a member of the Japan Record Awards selection committee. His face was already gaunt, and perhaps due to difficulty walking, he remained seated throughout the entire award ceremony. Ultimately, this was the last time Ito appeared in public. The following year, on April 25, 1983, he died of pulmonary edema at Seibu Numabukuro Hospital at the age of 72. He was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Fourth Class. On the 27th of the same month, his wake was held at Zenjoin Temple in Numabukuro. The ceremony was held. His grave is located at Sekiunji Temple in his hometown of Motomiya. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.