A Boat Wet in the Rain, Lingering Love: Memories of the Voice of Aki Yashiro" - through 2023

A Boat Wet in the Rain, Lingering Love: Memories of the Voice of Aki Yashiro" - through 2023

Aki Yashiro was born on August 29, 1950 in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, and her real name is Akiyo Hashimoto. She spent her childhood in a coal mining town, where the harshness of life naturally nurtured her passion for singing. After graduating from high school, she moved to Tokyo and made her debut as a singer in 1971 with "Ai wa shinda mo mo. Eventually, "Namida Koi" became an explosive hit in 1973, and her voice, tinged with melancholy and emotion, became well known throughout Japan.

She went on to produce such classics as "Funauta" (1979) and "Ame no Bouejo" (1980), for which she won the Japan Record Award. Her songs emotionally depict lost love, travel, and the shadows of life, and she has participated in the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen more than 20 times. As an ongoing supporter of the mainstream of enka, she became a national favorite.

Yashiro also took up the paintbrush in addition to singing, and from the 2000s onward, he was highly acclaimed as a painter, winning several prizes at "Le Salon" in France. Her paintings, with their soft colors and bold touch, were another world of expression that paired with her voice. In addition to enka, she also tried her hand at jazz and blues, expanding her expression beyond the boundaries of genres.

On December 30, 2023, she passed away at the age of 73 due to interstitial pneumonia, a type of collagen disease. Her death was the end of the "last enka queen" who linked the Showa, Heisei, and 2021 eras, and many people have suffered a deep loss. Her voice and paintings still resonate quietly in the depths of the Japanese heart.

Her masterpiece "Namida Koi" was published in 1973. Sung with unbridled emotion over a melody filled with sorrow, the song sold more than one million copies and became her signature song. Her ability to express herself beyond the boundaries of a newcomer has been described as a breath of fresh air in the enka world.

Funauta" is a 1979 masterpiece with lyrics by Yu Aku and music by Keisuke Hama. A bar in a harbor, a quietly rocking boat, hot sake, and the sorrows of life: all are condensed in this song. Everything is condensed in this song, and the beginning of "Sake wa tsuyu-no-heated-no-kanai ......" is now deeply engraved in the memory of the Japanese people.

In 1980, "Ame no Mocho" was a big hit, winning the Japan Record Award. The chorus, "Ame, ame, fure fure, fure fure more fure ......," is memorable, and Yatsushiro's rich voice and emotionally charged singing struck a chord with people of all generations. With this song, Yatsushiro transcended the boundaries of enka and soared to become a national singer.

These works are not mere popular songs. They are crystals of culture that contain the scenery and emotions of the Showa era, and the very existence of Aki Yashiro, a rare singer, is a story that reaches deep into the hearts of the Japanese people and lives on today.