Enka singer Yashiro Aki has passed away

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It was announced on the 9th that enka singer Yashiro Aki passed away on December 30th of last year due to rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonia. It was announced on Yashiro’s official website.

She was 73 years old. She is from Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture.

Suspending activities in August since last year after developing anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis and rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonia (which is a type of collagen disease designated as an incurable disease). According to her agency at the time, she received a report in late August complaining that she was not feeling well, and after undergoing tests at multiple hospitals, she was diagnosed with “collagen disease” and has since continued to fight her illness.

Regarding the hiatus, Yashiro said, “I’m sad to have to step away from my favorite songs and paintings for a little while, but I’ll definitely come back in good health, so please wait for me. I’ll do my best, looking forward to the day when I can meet everyone again”.

Yashiro made her debut in 1971 (Showa 46) and released her breakthrough work “Namida Koi” in 1973 which sold over 600,000 copies. She went on to release a number of hit songs such as “Ai no Terminal Station”, “Aitai Aitai”, “Onna Minatocho”, and “Funauta”. In 1980 she won the grand prix award at the 22nd Japan Record Awards for “Ame no Hojo” and won a triple crown including the Japan Popular Song Awards and appeared on Kouhaku Uta Gassen in which she was the top performer in 1979 and 1980.

Yashiro also had five albums in the top 10 in the Oricon album chart, the highest number ever for a female enka singer.

She was also active in painting, and was selected for five consecutive years at Le Salon in France, the world’s oldest art exhibition, which is said to be the gateway to success for painters, and she became a permanent member. In 2010, she received the Agency for Cultural Affairs Commissioner’s Award in recognition of her singing skills. In 2021, which marked her 50th anniversary in the entertainment industry, she won the 42nd Matsuo Entertainment Award Grand Prize.