Akira Ifukube

— Akira Ifukube, as quoted by David Milner and translated by Yoshihiko Shibata, "Akira Ifukube Interview I", Kaiju Conversations (December 1992)

— Akira Ifukube, as quoted by David Milner and translated by Yoshihiko Shibata, "Akira Ifukube Interview I", Kaiju Conversations (December 1992)

## Affiliation Information

### **Last film**

*Godzilla vs. Destoroyah*

**Akira Ifukube**  (伊福部昭,   *Ifukube Akira*?) was a Japanese music Composer Almost self-taught and became a composer. He is also known as a music educator , as well as numerous orchestral works characterized by nationalistic power pursuing Japanese nationality.

During World War II, Ifukube was asked to compose nationalistic themes for the islands liberated by Japan. One such theme, *Kishi Mai*, played when Japan officially surrendered to the United States in 1945. Starting in 1947 with the film *Snow Trail*, his most famous musical works include *Godzilla* and *The Burmese Harp.*

## Films

★ mark is directed by Kaneto Shindo

* The end of the Snow Trail (1947)
* Invitation to happiness (1947)
* Second life (1948)
* Kuroma no Danshichi (1948)
* Woman in the Typhoon area (1948)
* Living image (1948)
* President and female clerk (1948)
* Detective and Jailer (1949)
* The Quiet Duel (1949)
* Slashed Senta (1949)
* Beautiful punishment (1949)
* Midnight Confession (1949)
* Jakoman to Tetsu (1949)
* Love signal fire (1949)
* Growing Village (Short Story) (1949)
* Have a song in your lips (short story) (1949)
* I'm a bouncer (1950)
* Devil's Gold (1950)
* Dread (1950)
* Far Mother's Country (1950)
* Maiden's sex (1950)
* Angry Street (1950)
* White Beast (1950)
* Note of Japanese War Students, Voice of Wadatsumi (1950)
* Tenya Wanya (1950)
* Jailbreak at midnight (1950)
* The end of the war (1950)
* Warship already smokeless (1950)
* Les Miserables Ah Ruthless (1950)
* Beyond Love and Hate (1951)
* Clothes of Deception (1951)
* Judge Ashura (1951)
* Reeds swaying in the wind Part 2(1951)
* Stateless (1951)
* Free School (1951)
* Who will judge me (1951)
* Endless Passion (1951)
* Stolen love (1951)
* I swear on this flag (1951)
* The Tale of Genji (1951)
* Shinsetsu Ishikawa Goemon (1951)
* Battle of Kusuno (1952)
* Last face role (1952)
* ★ Avalanche (1952)
* Sisters of Nishijin (1952)
* Escape the City of Death (1952)
* Furisode Mad Woman (1952)
* ★ Children of Hiroshima (1952)
* Violence (1952)
* Sequel, Ichidai Bakuro (1952)
* Torrent (1952)
* Senbazuru (1953)
* Murahachibu (1953)
* ★ Epitome (1953)
* Mixed-race child (1953)
* About love (1953)
* Desire (1953)
* Anatahan (1953)
* Genkai Crocodile (1953)
* White fish  (1953)
* Crab craft ship (1953)
* Before dawn (1953)
* Fascinated soul (1953)
* Outlaw (1953)
* ★ Woman's life (1953)
* Hiroshima (1953)
* Gauche playing cello (1953)
* Reborn passenger car (1953)
* Ogiku and Harima (1954)
* Cape Ashizuri (1954)
* Shunkin Monogatari (1954)
* ★ Dobu (1954)
* Green companion (1954)
* Life Theater Noboru Hen Sanshu Kira Port (1954)
* Muddy youth (1954)
* Young people (1954)
* Spring Swirl (1954)
* People who move Tsubame (1954)
* Hotaru no Hikari (1955)
* Meiji Ichidai Onna (1955)
* Fire rush (1955)
* Izumi no Michi (1955)
* Woman in Ginza (1955)
* Tokyo Boryokudan (1955)
* Maid's Kid (1955)
* ★ Wolf (1955)
* Three faces (1955)
* Osho Ichidai (1955)
* The Beauty and the Dragon (1955)
* Kidnapper (1955)
* Bruva (1955)
* Continued Police Diary (1955)
* Dankongai (1955)
* Rose Kodokan (1956)
* Burmese Harp (Part 1 and Part 2) (1956)
* Kuro-Obi Sangokushi (1956)
* ★ Shirogane Shinju (1956)
* Shiro Kansaka's crime (1956)
* Darkness at noon (1956)
* ★ Ruri no Kishi (1956)
* Onibi (1956)
* Sound of youth (1956)
* A couple of good people (1956)
* Don't fall in love Yanhachi (1956)
* The sound of fog (1956)
* ★ Actress (1956)
* An Osaka Story (1957)
* Yagyu Martial Arts Book (1957)
* Hateful things (1957)
* Hell Flower (1957)
* Who killed (1957)
* ★ Umi no Yaro (1957)
* Last escape (1957)
* Explosion and the Earth (1957)
* Downtown (1957)
* Ground (1957)
* Yagyu Martial Arts Book Ssangyong Secret (1958)
* ★ Sorrow is only for women (1958)
* Bridge for only two people (1958)
* Ice wall (1958)
* Night drum (1958)
* Fukuzawa Yukichi's boyhood (1958)
* Beyond the monsoon (1958)
* Boss of the Underworld (1959)
* Whistle in My Heart (1959)
* Woman and Pirate (1959)
* Life of an Expert Sword (1959)
* Crush the wall (1959)
* Killed stewardess white or black (1959)
* Shinran (1960)
* Kizu Senryo (1960)
* Zoku Shinran (1960)
* Castle of Fire (1960)
* Sir Tadanao's memoir (1960)
* Musashi Miyamoto (Toei version, 1961)
* Conspirator (1961)
* Two sons (1961)
* Id in the snow (1961)
* Zatoichi Series ( 1962-1973 )
	+ The Tale of Zato City (1962)
	+ New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)
	+ Zatoichi The Fugitive Trip (1963)
	+ Zatoichi on the Road (1963)
	+ Zatoichi Blood Lol Trip (1964)
	+ Zatoichi two-stage slash (1965)
	+ Zatoichi Hell Trip (1965)
	+ I can hear the song of Zatoichi(1966)
	+ Zatoichi Blood Smoke Road (1967)
	+ Zatoichi and Bouncer (1970)
	+ Zatoichi's Story, Kasama Blood Festival (1973)
* Onnakeizu (1962)
* Chiisakobe (1962)
* Whale God (1962)
* Qin Shi Huang (1962)
* Chushingura Flower Volume / Snow Volume (Toho Edition, 1962)
* King (1962)
* Extermination of the Naughty Prince's Great Snake (1963)
* This head 10,000 stones (1963)
* Teuchi (1963)
* Bronze Magician (1963)
* The Thirteen Assassins (1963)
* Teigin jiken (1964)
* Shinobi No Mono 4: Kirigakure Saizo (1964)
* A woman who runs Nagisa (1964)
* Suruga Yukiten, Ripped Iron Fire (1964)
* Beggar General (1964)
* Daji ( Chinese version ) (1964)
* Ieyasu Tokugawa (1965)
* Japanese Archipelago (1965)
* Life of lawless pine (1965)
* Sleepy Eyes of Death (1966)
* The Betrayal, Yuro Blood (1966)
* 13,000 suspects (1966)
* Sleepy Eyes of Death (1966)
* Eleven Samurai (1967)
* The Snow Woman (1968)
* Kawachi Futen (1968)
* Challenge youth (1968)
* Super high-rise Akebono (1969)
* Devil's Temple (1969)
* The first generation of commercial spirit, the rampage of the world (1970)
* Human Revolution (1973)
* The Last Samurai, the Wind and Snow, the Passion, and the Rage (1974)
* Sandakan Hachibankan Nozomi(1974)
* The door was opened (1975)
* Love and Faith (1978)
* Sloppy voice of the earth (1991)

#### Tokusatsu movies

* King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
* Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
* Three Great Monsters The Biggest Battle on Earth (1964)
* Invasion of Astronomical Monsters (1965)
* Destroy All Monsters (1968)
* Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
* Counterattack of Mechagodzilla (1975)
* Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (1991)
* Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
* Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1993)
* Godzilla vs. Destroyer (1995)
* Rodan, the Great Sky Monster (1956)
* The Mysterians (1957)
* Varan the Unbelief (1958)
* Birth of Japan (1959)
* Battle in Outer Space (1959)
* The Story of Osaka Castle (1961)
* Gorath (1962 \* Trailer only, Kan Ishii is in charge of the main story )
* Shaka (Daiei Film, 1963)
* Atragon (1963)
* Dogora, the Great Space Monster (1964)
* Frankenstein Conquers Underground Monster (1965)
* Frankenstein's Monster Sanda vs. Gaira (1966)
* Adventure of Kigan Castle (1966)
* Daimajin (1966)
* Daimajin Ikaru (1966)
* Wrath of Daimajin (1966)
* King Kong Escapes (1967)
* Latitude Zero Operation (1969)
* Gesora Ganime Kameva Battle! The Great South Sea Monster (1970)

## Life

In 1914 (Taisho 3), he was born as the third son of Toshizo Ifukube and Kiwa, a bureaucrat of Nusamai police in Kushiro Town , Hokkaido ( predecessor of Kushiro City ). When in elementary school, my father Otofuke the village because it was a headman of moves to Otofuke village  . He came into contact with the Ainu there and was greatly influenced by their lives and culture . One of his masterpieces, Sinfonia Tapkaara (1954), is said to have been written from nostalgia and sympathy for the Ainu people . Also, from around this time, his father was forced to read " Laozi "  .

1926 (Taisho 15), 12 years old. Entered Sapporo Daini Junior High School ( predecessor of Hokkaido Sapporo Nishi High School ). In junior high school, he met Atsushi Miura , a later music critic and lifelong best friend . At first, he was absorbed in painting and formed an art circle "Mebae-kai" with Churyo Sato (sculptor) , who is one year older . An exhibition was also held locally  . After that, he became interested in music and started playing the violin by himself . In addition, Miura was tempted to say, "There is no point in doing music unless you compose," and he began composing in earnest .

1932 (Showa 7), 18 years old. Enrolled in the Department of Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido Imperial University ( predecessor of Hokkaido University ). Became a concertmaster of the Faculty of Bunbukai . In addition, he formed the "Sapporo Philharmonic String Quartet" with three comrades (Mr. Arita, Takeshi Koiwa, and Gen Kudo) who have a strong interest in the latest music in the orchestra . Kudo was a teacher at the Sapporo Normal School at the time , and was the eldest son of Tomijiro Kudo, who presided over the "Apollo Concert" in Hakodate during the Taisho era . Composed the guitar song "JIN" (currently the location of the score is unknown). Composed the solo song "Three Songs for the Fall of the Heian Dynasty" (currently the location of the score is unknown). Around this time, he met the composer Fumio Hayasaka .

1933 (Showa 8), 19 years old. Composed the guitar song "Nocturne" for his second brother, Isao, who was an amateur guitar player  (currently the location of the score is unknown). In addition, he wrote " Piano Suite " for George Copeland , an American pianist living in Spain with whom Miura corresponded . This is because Miura said, "I have a good composer," in response to Copeland's letter, "I'm listening to my music while I'm on the other side of the globe, so I think I'll also compose. Send me a song." It was composed in response to the reply "Send a song"  , but later on, it became a lifework-like work, such as arranging an orchestra version, a symphonic version, and a string orchestra version. In addition, Copeland replied, "It's interesting, so I definitely want to play it," but the letter was cut off due to the Spanish Civil War .

1934 (Showa 9), 20 years old. Formed the "New Music Federation" with his second brother Isao, Miura, Hayasaka, and members of the "Sapporo Philharmonic String Quartet"  . The representative was Muneo, the eldest brother of Ifukube . In September of the same year, the "International Contemporary Music Festival" was held  . He performed and introduced cutting-edge works of the era, such as Igor Stravinsky , Darius Milhaud , Manuel de Falla , Erwin Schulhoff , and Erik Satie . At this concert, Ifukube, as a soloist, premiered Schulhoff's "Unaccompanied Violin Sonata" in Japan . Availability of sheet music and Ifukube, such as correspondence with American musicians at the time, and went to the center of the Miura that was familiar to the latest music situation, mainly Maruzen through France of Duran, Inc. has purchased from the UK of Chester, Inc. was  . In addition to the above, Ifukube also wrote Janacek 's " Sextet ".』, But at that time I did not know its value and did not announce it at the concert  . It is said that Ifukube regretted this until later years . In addition, as a member of the "Sapporo Philharmonic String Quartet", he also traveled to various parts of Hokkaido such as Sapporo and Asahikawa .

The concert of "New Music Federation" was only once mentioned above, but 20 years later, in 1954, the group "Neue Musik" of Kazuyuki Tanimoto (later President of Hokkaido University of Education ) who was a student of Hokkaido University at that time , Holding a "Contemporary Music Evening" in the central auditorium of the university as a successor to the concert of the "New Music Federation"  . Tanimoto sent a letter to his senior Ifukube and others in advance asking for permission, but if it was useful, he said, "Please use it in the second or third time if it helps. ~ (Omitted) ~ , Even if there is something inappropriate, it is important to have the energy to overcome the obstacles, "said the reply of encouragement .

### World War II

during World War II, Akira Ifukube suffered severe Radiation Poisoning at Hokkaido he was likely one of the first body found and saved in the war the dark memories of what happened was used in the Godzilla 1954 theme.

## Videos

作曲家 伊福部昭Life of Music Composer *Akira Ifukube*
## References

1. ↑ AkiraIfukube.org - Biography - Part IV
2. ↑ Akira's Bio on You Tube