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Masao Koga

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Japanese composer, guitarist, and mandolinist (1904–1978)
Masao Koga
Background information
Birth name古賀正夫
Born(1904-11-18)November 18, 1904
Taguchi, Mizuma District, Fukuoka Prefecture, Empire of Japan
DiedJuly 25, 1978(1978-07-25) (aged 73)
Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Genres
Occupations
Instruments
Years active1931–1978
Labels
Musical artist

Masao Koga (古賀政男, Koga Masao, November 18, 1904 – July 25, 1978) was a Japanese composer, mandolinist, and guitarist of the Shōwa era who was dubbed "Japan's Irving Berlin" by Universal Press Syndicate. His melancholy style, based upon Nakayama Shimpei's yonanuki scale, was popularly known in Japan as "Koga melody" (古賀メロディー, Koga merodī). He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Fourth Class) and the People's Honor Award for his contributions to Japanese music.

Life

Koga was born in 1904 in the village of Taguchi (today part of the city Ōkawa) in the Mizuma District of Fukuoka Prefecture; he was the sixth of eight children. In 1910, Koga's father, Kitarō, died. As a result, Koga, his mother, older sister, and younger brother moved to Korea in 1912, where his eldest brother had migrated for work. His family first traveled to Incheon, before settling in Keijo (today part of Seoul). During this period, Koga was gifted a taishōgoto from his cousin; then later, while enrolled at the Keijō Good Neighbor Trade School, a mandolin from an older brother living in Osaka.

He was regarded as a notable figure for establishing the genre enka, though Koga considered that he was a ryūkōka composer. He wrote numerous songs for Ichiro Fujiyama and Hibari Misora. Koga’s songs have been heard by Western audiences in various films, including Come See the Paradise, and Memoirs of a Geisha. He was the first president of the Japan Composer's Association from 1958 to 1978. A museum was built in Shibuya to honor his achievements, and visitors to the Koga Masao Museum of Music (古賀政男音楽博物館, Koga Masao Ongaku Hakubutsukan) are able to view exhibits, and memorabilia featuring his work.

References

  1. "New Jazz Wave To Sweep U. S.: Band Leader Vincent Lopez Says Japanese Swing Music on Its Way". The Idaho Statesman. Universal Press Syndicate. July 15, 1937. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  2. "古賀政男". コトバンク (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  3. "古賀政男のあゆみ". 古賀政男音楽博物館 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  4. 第６部・演歌巡礼＜７＞古賀政男 日本的歌唱を熟知し作曲 (in Japanese). Nishinippon Shimbun. 2006-12-19. Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  5. "Koga Memorial Museum". American Airlines. Retrieved 2010-01-09.


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