The , commonly known in English as the Japanese Army March, is a Japanese ceremonial march originally composed and established for the Imperial Japanese Army, and currently used as a ceremonial march by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the Japanese Police.
Overview The march was composed by , a French composer and member of the third French military mission to Japan who taught at the Army Officers' Academy, under commission from the Ministry of Military Affairs.
It was arranged from two earlier gunka (military songs) composed by Leroux: Battōtai and ,江藤淳『南洲残影』ISBN 4-16-353840-2 に編曲の経緯が詳しい。 and was premiered in 1886 (Meiji 19) by the Army Officers' Academy Military Band.
Designated as the official march of the Ministry of War, it was played during military parades and reviews, becoming the representative march of the Imperial Japanese Army.
As it was also one of Japan's first full-fledged Western musical compositions, it was selected for the National School music curriculum by the Ministry of Education and became widely popular among the general public. Furthermore, the piece is famous for having been played during the 1943 at the Meiji Jingu Gaien Stadium.
Today, it is used by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) as one of its ceremonial marches. It is also played by police forces, including the during reviews, as well as by police bands across various prefectural police departments established after World War II.
Name The title Army Defile March (Rikugun Bunretsu Kōshinkyoku) is a 'popular name' that became widely recognized over time. It was not the title used at the time of its composition.
(The following historical titles have been confirmed in documents from the Meiji period to the modern era:)
In 1912 (Meiji 45), sheet music published by Ongakusha（Retrieved June 19, 2019） titled the piece Fusōka Defile March (扶桑歌 分列式行進曲). The supervisor of this score was Tokichi Setoguchi, composer of the Warship March. A 1927 SP record (No. 10050-A) performed by the German Polydor Military Band listed the name as Inspection Defile March (Ministry of War Designated) (観兵式分列行進曲（陸軍省制定）). The German title listed on the same record was Bunretsushiki Marsch (literally "Defile March").陸軍省制定『吹奏樂 観兵式分列行進曲』10050-A、POLDOR、1927年 A 1928 Victor record (50276-B) performed by the New Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hidemaro Konoye was titled Inspection Defile March "Fusōka" (観兵式分列行進曲『扶桑歌』). In April 1931, music critic wrote in World Music Complete Works Vol. 19 using both titles: "Defile March" and "Army Defile March"。. In 1934, Keizō Horiuchi noted that the full orchestral score used by the Imperial Army Band listed the title simply as "Fusōka". A 1937 harmonica score collection listed the title as "Inspection Defile March" in the title header, while using the abbreviation "Defile Type" in the index.浅木洋二 編著『ハーモニカ合奏総譜NO.4 観兵式分列行進曲 カール王行進曲』シンフォニー樂譜出版社、1937年 In the December 1937 National Encyclopedia Vol. 13, Tsunemitsu Yamaguchi used the term "Army Defile March" under the entry for "Gunka" (Battōtai section). A January 1939 report titled National Spiritual Mobilization Defense Exposition Journal listed "Army Defile March" alongside Kimigayo and the Navy's Warship March as performed by the Band at an event in March 1938. In December 1941, Kuichi Hirooka (Yoshio Hirooka) listed the song as "Fusōka (Army Defile March)" in his book Instruction and Management of Brass Bands. On May 15, 1960, a full score published by Kyōdō Music Publishing was titled March "Fusōka" (Inspection Defile March), with harmonization and commentary provided by Akira Setoguchi, the son of Tōkichi Setoguchi. In public address announcements at the JGSDF Central Review (held triennially), the piece was introduced as March "Fusōka" until 2004 (51st Review). Since 2007 (54th Review), it has been announced as Army Defile March. Japanese police organizations use the title Defile March (分列行進曲) during reviews.
Among official organizations, only the Ground Self-Defense Force (since 2007) currently uses the exact title Army Defile March.
While the exact origin of the title Army Defile March remains unclear, pre-WWII writings by Keizō Horiuchi, Tsunemitsu Yamaguchi, and Yoshio Hirooka demonstrate that the term was already in usage before and during World War II.
Foreign translations confirmed include English: Army Defile March Fusouka,『不滅の日本行進曲傑作集（2）』ASIN: B0001FAC8E、ユニバーサルミュージッククラシック、2004年 German: Bunretsushiki Marsch, and French: Fou So Ka MARCHE.
Musical Structure Introduction The introductory section based on Fusōka is played heroically in B-flat minor (or F minor depending on the arrangement).シャルル・ルルー作曲・瀬戸口晃編曲『扶桑歌 : 観兵式分列行進曲』共同音楽出版社〈共同版ブラスバンド楽譜〉、1960年表紙裏の解説
About Fusōka Fusōka is a separate composition from Battōtai. Leroux composed it in Japan, sent it back to France, and published it there in 1886 (Meiji 19) while still residing in Japan.
A Sa Majesté
L'EMPEREUR DU JAPON
Fou So Ka
MARCHE JAPONAISE
pour PIANO PAR
CH. LEROUX
Chef de musique dans l'Armée Française.
PRIX:5e
Cette marche a été exécutée pour la 1ère fois le 9 Novembre 1885.
par la musique militaire des Kiododans.
au Palais Impérial à Tokio (Japon).
The score bears the inscription: "Dedicated to His Majesty the Emperor of Japan / Fusōka - Japanese March for Piano by Ch. Leroux, Bandmaster in the French Army. First performed on November 9, 1885 by the Army Officers' Academy Military Band at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan."扶桑歌の古い演奏の復刻は、「CD『お雇い外国人の見た日本~日本洋楽事始』」で聞くことができる。同CDにおける前田健治 (ピアニスト)の演奏による「扶桑歌」は、掲出の楽譜に忠実に演奏された重要な録音である。中村理平『洋楽導入者の軌跡：日本近代洋楽史序説』刀水書房p.605-615に詳しい。また、p.615にはその楽譜の表紙写真がある。
Trio The trio section utilizing the military song Battōtai begins in C minor and transitions into F major at the end (or G minor to C major depending on the arrangement). The somber and solemn mood in the minor key gradually expands into a powerful crescendo before shifting into the major key. Upon resolving to the major key, the section ends on a clear and emotionally resonant note. The trio can be sung to the lyrics of Battōtai; although the minor scales appeal to traditional Japanese melodic tastes, the key change from C minor to F major makes it somewhat difficult to sing.金田一春彦・安西愛子編『日本の唱歌〔下〕 学生歌・軍歌・宗教歌篇』講談社文庫（ISBN 4-06-131370-3）p.119（軍歌としての「抜刀隊」に関する詳述）。堀内敬三『定本日本の軍歌』実業之日本社〈実日新書〉、1977年、p.35-36
Order of Performance As a parade march, the piece is intended to be repeated. In some performances, the introduction is repeated once more at the very end.
Composition A phrase in the trio section also appears in a piece titled Komusume (), which Leroux reportedly transcribed after listening to Japanese music.CD「お雇い外国人の見た日本：日本洋楽事始」キングインターナショナル、2001、Track 12: '小娘' (currently recording) On the other hand, there is an old girls' play song called Ichi kake Ni kake ();一かけ二かけて when transposed into a minor key, a slight resemblance can be felt between this song and the beginning of the trio section . Furthermore, because the lyrics of Ichi kake Ni kake deal with Saigō Takamori—the same subject as the military song Battōtai—it is plausible to infer that Leroux expanded his imagination to compose this piece while being influenced by the melodies of Japanese folk songs and contemporary historical backgrounds.
On the other hand, as described later, the melody of Battōtai was adapted and woven into numerous folk songs and military songs during the Meiji era. Therefore, conversely, it can also be viewed that Battōtai, representing Western music melodies innovatively popularized by Leroux, exerted a profound influence on Japanese folk songs and popular music from the Meiji period onward.
Whichever stance one takes, it can be said that Leroux thoroughly reflected the Japanese atmosphere and folk melodies in the Army Defile March, and in turn allowed them to be reflected in other music.
Similarity to the Opera Carmen From Army Defile March (Battōtai section)Georges Bizet's Carmen, Act II Scene 4 Canzonetta （IMSLPで公開されているオンライン版、PDF形式） (Same melody as the Entr'acte to Act II) Music critic Keizō Horiuchi noted in several works that the main melody shares noticeable similarities with the Canzonetta "Les Dragons d'Alcalá" (also known as "The Dragoon of Alcalá" or "Don José's Military Song") from Act II of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen.堀内敬三『ヂンタ以來』アオイ書房、1934年、p.59
Because Carmen premiered in France in 1875 (Meiji 8) and Leroux arrived in Japan in 1884 (Meiji 17), it is considered highly likely that Leroux was influenced by Carmen.長田暁二 編『日本軍歌全集』音楽之友社、1976年、p.480 Research suggests that Leroux attempted to conceal the similarities to Bizet's Canzonetta in his published score in France, which paradoxically indicates he was conscious of the connection.中村理平『洋楽導入者の軌跡：日本近代洋楽史序説』刀水書房p.594-595
History of Arrangement The end section of Fusōka was originally cut and replaced with Battōtai. In 1902 (Meiji 35), the middle section was further removed, allowing the piece to transition directly from the introduction into Battōtai, forming the current arrangement. An early SP record of this arrangement is credited as Defile March (Eckert), suggesting that German composer Franz Eckert, who taught at the Toyama Army School during that period, may have arranged the final harmonization.
In Jinta Since (1934), Keizō Horiuchi noted that the 1902 War Ministry arrangement cut the main body of Fusōka to transition immediately from the intro into the trio (Battōtai). Thus, Fusōka remained only as the introductory motif, even though Army band scores continued to label the piece Fou-so-ka.
In sheet music published in 1912, the piece was arranged as: "Fusōka Intro → Fusōka Trio repeat → Battōtai Trio", showing that the structure of the Army Defile March was not completely standardized during the late Meiji era.
This historical background explains why the Army Defile March is still occasionally referred to as Fusōka today.
In modern commercial recordings, the standard sequence has stabilized as: "Fusōka Intro" → "Battōtai Trio" → "Fusōka Intro".陸上自衛隊サイト内の音源ギャラリー（ページ中段「行進曲」カテゴリから陸軍分列行進曲がダウンロードできる。）このリンクにある陸軍分列行進曲のアレンジも「扶桑歌の前奏」→「抜刀隊のトリオ」→もう一度「扶桑歌の前奏」である。
Other On October 21, 1943, it was played during the student march at the Student Mobilization Send-off held in Tokyo. Film director Kihachi Okamoto, who served as a Class-A officer candidate, frequently featured the march in his films. While usually employing it in anti-war contexts, in the northern China war comedy (どぶ鼠作戦), he had actor Yūzō Kayama whistle it as a thematic motif for the Imperial Army. According to music scholar Keitarō Sakamoto, the march remains part of the ceremonial music repertoire of the French Army military band.坂本圭太郎『物語・軍歌史：音楽の中の戦いのうた』創思社出版、1984年、p.18 In 1943, when the Information Bureau ordered the removal of enemy music during World War II, music by Leroux (a Frenchman) was technically subject to the ban. However, because the march was an indispensable symbol of the Imperial Japanese Army, the composer's name was suppressed while the music continued to be officially played, including at the Student Mobilization Send-off. (At the time, France was under the pro-German Vichy regime, which maintained diplomatic relations with Japan.)長田暁二 編『日本軍歌全集』音楽之友社、1976年 The melody of Battōtai was adapted into various popular tunes and folk songs, including Normanton Incident Song (ノルマントン号沈没の歌), Tsuki to Hana to wa Mukashi yori (月と花とは昔より), Rappa Bushi (らっぱ節), Matsu no Koe (松の声), Naramaru Kuzushi (奈良丸くづし), and Qingdao Bushi (青島ぶし), as well as leaving melodic traces in the military song Aaa Waga Senyū (ああ我が戦友). Because Battōtai commemorates the suppression of Saigō's forces during the Satsuma Rebellion, there is a long-standing reluctance to perform the piece in Kagoshima Prefecture, where Saigō Takamori is honored as a local hero.