Yoshie Fujiwara

Yoshie Fujiwara

Yoshie Fujiwara (藤原義江, Fujiwara Yoshie, December 5, 1898 in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan – March 22, 1976) was a Japanese operatic tenor singer.

Biography

He was born in Osaka Prefecture. His mother Kinu Sakata was a geisha, who was born in Osaka Prefecture, worked in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Her mother was born in Osaka Prefecture too. His father, Neil B. Reid, (November 30, 1870 – January 19, 1920) was Scottish, however, he was not raised by his father. Tokuzaburō Fujiwara adopted him, from whom he received the family name "Fujiwara". Even so, his true father met him later in his life and put Yoshie into school. Yoshie's mother died in his youth, and Reid remained a bachelor all his life. There is Reid's grave in Shimonoseki and Reid's boarding house later became the "Fujiwara Yoshie Memorial Museum".

In 1934, he established the Fujiwara Opera and became a notable figure of Japanese opera history.