was a Japanese popular music (ryūkōka

Ryukoka

- 1914–1927: Origin :In 1914, Sumako Matsui's song "Katyusha's song", composed by Shinpei Nakayama, was used as a theme of the rendition Resurrection in Japan. The record of the song sold 20,000 copies...

) singer. As of the end of the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, she was one of the most popular female singers in Japan, competing with Hamako Watanabe and Noriko Awaya

Noriko Awaya

was a Japanese female Soprano chanson and popular music singer. She has been dubbed the "Queen of Blues" in Japan.- Life and career :...

. In addition, she had taken part in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen

Kohaku Uta Gassen

, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas broadcasters which bought the program...

 (Japan's one of most famous year-end shows) 10 times.

She was born in Hiroshima

Hiroshima

is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...

, Hiroshima Prefecture

Hiroshima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...

 and raised in Miyoshi

Miyoshi, Hiroshima

is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on March 31, 1954.On April 1, 2004, Miyoshi City absorbed the towns of Kisa, Mirasaka and Miwa, the villages of Funo, Kimita and Sakugi, all from Futami District, and the town of Kōnu, from Kōnu District, to form the new city of...

, Hiroshima Prefecture. She graduated from the Tokyo Music School. Impressed by Takeo Masunaga (also known as Ichiro Fujiyama

Ichiro Fujiyama

, born as , was a popular Japanese singer and composer, known for his contribution to Japanese popular music called ryūkōka by his Western classical music skills. He was born in Chūō, Tokyo, and graduated from the Tokyo Music School. Although he was regarded as a tenor singer in Japanese popular...

) at a performance held by the music school, she debuted in 1936. Her famous song was released in 1939. On August 6, 1945, she narrowly avoided the atomic bombing of Hiroshima

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...

 because she was riding a train traveling through a tunnel at the time of the explosion.

She ceased activity as a singer in 2003, and retired in Hiroshima Prefecture.

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