Harumi Miyako - Female Singer Who Breathed New Life into Enka, 1960s-1970s

Harumi Miyako - Female Singer Who Breathed New Life into Enka, 1960s-1970s

Harumi Miyako was born in Kyoto in 1946 and made her debut in 1964 with "Anko Tsubaki wa Koi no Hana (Anko Camellia is a Flower of Love). Her powerful fists and passionate singing touched people's hearts against the backdrop of the thirst for humanity and nostalgia caused by urbanization and the shift to nuclear families during the period of rapid economic growth after postwar reconstruction. Her debut song, which sang about the sad feelings of a daughter in a fishing village, quickly became a big hit and paved the way for a new style of female enka singers.

She went on to release a series of classic songs, including "Suki ni naratta hito" and "Kita no yado kara" (From the Northern Lodge). Kita no Yado Kara" was one of the biggest hits of the 1950s, carefully depicting the emotions of a woman torn between the city and her hometown, and winning the sympathy of many. These works reminded listeners of the human feelings and bonds that are often lost amidst the rapid changes in society, and left them with a warm feeling in their hearts.

Harumi Miyako was often compared to Hibari Misora. While Hibari had an overwhelming presence as a national diva, Miyako's popularity grew with her folksy, tearful, and passionate singing. Even in the midst of the emergence of the next generation of singers such as Masako Mori at the same time, Miyako took her own unique path and presented a new model for female enka singers.

In the late Showa period (1926-1989), when society became more affluent due to rapid economic growth, but human relationships were becoming increasingly fragile, Harumi Miyako's voice was close to the common people, reminding them of the bonds and warmth that existed between them. As a female singer representing the golden age of postwar enka, she has become deeply etched in the hearts of the Japanese people.