HIGASHI-HIROSHIMA, Hiroshima Prefecture—Yasuo Harada has collected several monikers over nearly a century, including “the singing university president,” among his many talents.

Now, he can add “the oldest tenor opera singer (male)” to his accolades as the Guinness World Records certified him as such on Sept. 7.

That day, Harada performed in Giacomo Puccini’s "Madama Butterfly" here at the ripe old age of 94 years and 98 days.

He played the role of U.S. Navy Lt. Pinkerton in Italian and was awarded the certificate on stage by Tomomi Sekioka, Guinness World Records’ official adjudicator, after the opera.

“I was deeply moved and overwhelmed,” Sekioka said of Harada’s performance as she handed him the certificate.

The organization acknowledged that Harada has been active as a professional opera singer over seven decades since 1954, appearing in concerts and recitals as well as releasing CDs and DVDs.

While reaching the significant milestone that day, Harada appeared to already set his sights on extending his own record by many years.

“I am happy that I still can sing at 94,” he said in the backstage dressing room after the concert. “But I may still be singing even after I turn 100.”

Harada’s life has revolved around two passions: practicing medicine and singing opera.

And he combined the two professionally as he pursued them simultaneously.

He decided to specialize in otolaryngology, the study of diseases of the ear and throat, after graduating from Hiroshima University’s medical school.

His decision was based on his desire for exploring a field that is closely associated with vocal music.

His first appearance on stage came in 1954, when he performed in "Madama Butterfly" while still in medical school.

But he had also had a remarkable career in academia after completing his Ph.D. in medicine, becoming a professor and subsequently head of the university’s medical school.

“The singing university president” was used to describe his unique standing while he served as president of the university from 1993 to 2001.

EYEWITNESS TO THE ATOMIC BOMB

A native of the strategic port city of Kure, located near the prefectural capital, Harada was no stranger to the devastation unleashed on Hiroshima by the atomic bomb.

Harada witnessed the mushroom cloud formed from the second floor of his home in Kure when the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated on Aug. 6, 1945.

In the aftermath, his home was swamped with badly burned victims carried from Hiroshima because his family run a wholesale drug business.

He and his mother frantically applied ointment to hordes of survivors.

Harada was exposed to radiation himself when he traveled to ground zero two days later to wander around and look for relatives.

His fateful encounter with opera came when he discovered a recording of Puccini’s “La Boheme” at one of the shoddy stalls that popped up in Hiroshima to sell whatever was left.

Enchanted by the beauty of the tenor aria “How Cold Your Little Hand is,” he dreamed of singing it on stage one day.

SECRETS TO LIFELONG SINGING

Harada has kept maintained the same routines for decades to remain fit as long as possible as an opera singer, tapping into his expertise in otolaryngology.

One is to bandage his mouth diagonally before he goes to bed, a habit he began half a century ago to prevent drying out his vocal cords.

Harad noted that it becomes growingly difficult for singers who passed 60 to hit a high note because their vocal cords become drier as a result of unwittingly opening the mouth while sleeping.

With the bandage on the mouth, a sleeper breathes through the nose, keeping the oral cavity moist and free from dust.

Another habit, which he started more than 25 years ago, is to insert a sponge made of devil’s tongue jelly behind his upper lip to collect spittle while asleep.

The purpose is to make the best use of parotin, which is commonly known as an anti-aging hormone that is contained in saliva.

“I can still perform in a long-running show like opera since I have taken care of myself with these routines,” he said.

The opera held at Hiroshima University’s Satake Memorial hall on Sept. 7 before an audience of nearly 800 people lasted more than three hours.

The part of Madama Butterfly was played by soprano singer Emi Norimatsu, who won the first prize in the Madama Butterfly International Competition in Nagasaki.

“I was greatly inspired by how powerful he was,” Norimatsu said of Harada's performance. “I was hoping to be of assistance to him no matter how small while performing together, but I am the one who was energized by his performance.”

Harada never neglected his other passion.

He still practices medicine, seeing patients once a week at a public hospital in Kure.