Tokyo University of the Arts actually doesn't have a school song - Thoughts connected by the school song played by students January 22, 16:54

The school song was revived by volunteer students at Tokyo University of the Arts.

The moment I played that sound source.

``Green Shining Forest of Ueno~''

A 95-year-old graduate of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, the predecessor of the school, suddenly began to sing.

He said it reminded him of the scene where he was singing with his classmates when he was mobilized to fight in the war.

We covered an effort by one student to revive the school song after 90 years.

(Nari Kodama, Social Affairs Reporter)

*You can watch the video of the school song played by the students at the end of the article.

The trigger was a class assignment.

Kiyoka Takada, a third year student at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts.

The impetus for her initiative was a class assignment.

While researching the history of the university, she learned that although the University of the Arts did not have a school song, its predecessor, the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, had one.

Tokyo University of the Arts, located in Ueno, Tokyo, was founded in 1949 through the merger of its predecessors, Tokyo School of Fine Arts and Tokyo Music School.

When I visited the university library, I found the school song of Tokyo School of Fine Arts in one book.

It was composed around 1930 by Kosaku Yamada, who graduated from Tokyo Music School, another former school, and is known for his work ``Akatonbo.''

The first time I read the lyrics to the school song.

Mr. Takada, who had not had an entrance ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic and had only been taking classes remotely, was unable to feel what it was like to be an art university student, and said he was moved.

Kiyoka Takada: `

`The lyrics begin with ``Green Shining Forest of Ueno,'' and I remember getting goosebumps as I suddenly felt the presence of our seniors in this place over the past 100 years. I entered the school and ended my campus life staring at a computer without knowing the faces of my classmates. Just when I was thinking like that, I was able to feel the breathing of my seniors through the sheet music, which gave me a sense of reassurance."

``I want to sing too'' I recruited 80 people.

Mr. Takada first added orchestral chords to the melody score he found on his computer.

Five members of the vocal music department sung the piece and submitted it as a class assignment.

It was supposed to end there.

However, three months later, I happened to talk to a friend in the harp department about the school song, and he said, ``I want to sing it too,'' which led to me looking for people to sing and play with me. It became.

``We want everyone to reborn it as the 'school song' of the University of the Arts.'' When we solicited members on social media, more than 80 people, including classmates from the vocal music and composition departments, agreed.

Kiyoka Takada

: ``I realized that I wasn't the only one who was attracted to the school song.There are many great performers in my class, and I was hoping that even just a few people could relate to it.'' , I got a lot more people than I expected, and I got nervous.But I decided that this was the only thing I had to do and started a management team.''

The wall I faced - some changes to the lyrics

The challenge was certain lyrics.

A line from the school song of Tokyo School of Fine Arts, ``We live in art.''

Mr. Takada and his colleagues thought that in order to make it the school song of the University of the Arts, it would be necessary to change it to ``We Live in the Arts.''

The lyrics were written by Kawaji Yanagi, a poet who graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts.

Although Takada confirmed through his lawyer that the copyright protection period had expired, he decided to seek out Kawaji's relatives to obtain permission to change the lyrics just in case.

However, when I contacted the curator who researched Kawaji and the editorial department of the publishing company that handled the work, I couldn't find anything, so I began to think I had no choice but to give up.

However, as I continued to search online, I found a website.

It was a page where Kawaji's relatives had posted their family tree unofficially.

Looking back on those days, Mr. Takada said, ``When I was wondering what to do as there was nothing more I could do, I happened to open a page that had contact information, so I sent an email and miraculously I was able to get in touch.'' .

Relatives who arrived

It took about two months for Kawaji to finally meet his relatives: Mariko Kayama, a hat maker, and her son Yuto, who are Kawaji's cousins.

I explained this project to him and asked him if he wanted to change some of the lyrics, and he readily agreed.

Mariko Kayama

: ``Life is strange, isn't it? Even Hong Yanagi must be surprised that a junior student is here and we're talking about this now. I never imagined a day like this would come.''

Yuto Kayama: `

`I realized that this was a very serious activity, so if Yanagi Hong was still alive, I think she would have said, ``Okay,'' and agreed. There are people who search the homepage and find themselves. I wasn't expecting that, so when I got the call I was glad I had posted it."

Recorded in 21 parts during the coronavirus pandemic

The initiative, named ``University of the Arts School Song Reproduction Activities,'' had the goal of letting as many people as possible know about the school song by performing the reproduced school song themselves, recording the sound source, and posting it on social media.

At first, Mr. Takada found only the melody sheet music, but no accompaniment sheet music.

Students from the composition department cooperated with us, and we worked on creating a unique score that included orchestral and Japanese instruments, saying, ``We wanted to create an arrangement that would be typical of Geidai.''

Koga Yano, in charge of arrangement

: ``I knew that the University of the Arts didn't have a school song, so I thought it would be interesting to have a rare opportunity to relate to history.The music naturally moves the flow of the music forward.'' I was conscious of arranging it in such a way that it progresses.”

It's finally time to record the sound source.

But the new coronavirus has made that difficult.

Because there were restrictions on the number of people allowed in the studio, each part had to be recorded in 21 separate sessions and then completed by compositing them.

The school song is about two minutes long, but it took nearly half a year to complete, as some students had returned to their parents' homes for online classes, so it took time to adjust their schedules.

If you ask a senior person to listen...

Mr. Takada and his colleagues are currently working with the university to make the reproduced school song known to alumni.

On this day, the person I visited was Takashi Imazato, 95 years old, a graduate of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and an architect who worked on the Kokugikan and other buildings.

When you listen to the recorded school song...

“The green and shining forest of Ueno~” they hummed together.

Ms. Imazato, who enrolled in the school in 1945, the year the war ended, was mobilized to the ``Naval Electrical Survey School'' in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, where she and her classmates drew pictures for the education of young soldiers. He says he remembered.

Architect Takashi Imazato

: ``Singing it now makes me feel nostalgic.Singing it makes me remember what I was doing back then.It was during the war, so when I entered school, there were no classes, so I asked, ``When does it start?'' When I went there, I was immediately mobilized.Everyone at the art school could draw, so I stayed overnight and drew comics for the training of first-year soldiers, and when my classmates got together, we sometimes sang the school song.When we all sang the school song, We can become friends.”

Kiyoka Takada

said, ``When I listened to the recording, Mr. Imazato said, ``This is nostalgic,'' and talked about various things, remembering those days. I was really moved by the fact that the bond between seniors and juniors over half a century was reborn through this school song. It's rare that I get to talk to my seniors, and I'm grateful that everything started when I encountered this school song, and that we were able to connect."

As a song that connects thoughts with graduates

The school song has been reborn over 90 years.

The number of active members has increased and now there are around 100 people.

We will disseminate information on the history of the rebirth and interactions with alumni through SNS and radio distribution, and we plan to hold a performance at a hall on campus this March.

Mr. Takada hopes that this school song will remain as a song that connects the feelings of the graduates.

Kiyoka Takada:

``This school song is a song that connects seniors and juniors, and I think it becomes a heart-warming song in that it connects art students across time and space.This year's activities will not end with the performance. Rather, I want this to be an opportunity to think about the role that the University of the Arts has played in Japan and the world, and I would like to put effort into archiving it and pass it on to my juniors."

School song of University of the Arts school song playback activity (video)

<School song of the University of the Arts school song reproduction activity>

Lyrics (original):

Lyrics by Kawaji Yanagi (some changes): Kiyoka Takada

Composition: Kosaku Yamada

Arrangement: Koga Yano

Green and Kazuyaku Ueno Forest,

Burning, Young, Young Hope ,

We who live in art.

High ideals,

deep technology,

be bald forever, strive forever.

Behold the cradle of the great masters

, an immortal name in history .

Interview postscript

Through this interview, I felt that the school song left by his predecessors lit a fire in Mr. Takada's heart, and that it has spread to the students as well.

Until I met Mr. Takada, I thought it was normal to have a school song, and I had never really tried to understand the meaning behind the lyrics of the school song.

The last line of the school song is ``Look here at the cradle of the masters.''

“Cradle” refers to the initial stage in which something develops, and I believe this is how he expressed the talented young people who will become great masters in the future.

The feelings expressed in the school song, and the words, ``When I hear the school song, I remember those days,'' made me think once again about how that attachment will never change no matter how many years pass.

Unfortunately, it will not be adopted as the official school song of Tokyo University of the Arts, but I hope that the performance will touch the hearts of many current students and alumni at the performance to be held in March.

(Broadcast on “Good Morning Japan” on November 30th)

Social Affairs Reporter

Riri Kodama

Joined the agency in 2023

When she was a student, she played Showa songs and foreign rock in a band club.